[billbo911]

I won't pick apart your opinions, nor will I discount them. We all have them.

So, here are a couple of my thoughts on both removing the End Game and removing the Autonomous Period.

Let's start with the End Game.
While I really like how Areal Assist played out to the last second of every match without having to choose whether you needed to stop playing and move to the End Game, I must say, I miss the End Game.
In fact, I missed it so much that when we hosted the Capital City Classic a couple weeks ago, I convinced our team to introduce an End Game.
We placed the Big Ball from 2008 on top of the truss at the beginning of each match. If it ended up on either end of the field at the end of the match, the team who's end it was on gained a 20 point bonus. Let's just say, it made for some exciting strategy and game play.

Now for Autonomous.
To me, the robots we build and use in FRC are not fully robots except during the Autonomous period. The rest of the time they are robotic devices. I mean no disrespect with this comment. Some of the robots I've seen over the last 11 years are nothing short of EXTRAORDINARY!
Consider difference between a robot that sits still and doesn't move in the Autonomous period and one that scores the maximum points possible, by it's self (Think 254) . One takes no effort at all, the other takes time, skill, practice, hope, despair, thinking, planning, and execution.
I would hope to NEVER see the Autonomous period removed!
That said, I like the modifications that take place from year to year. As an example, a 10 seconds Autonomous period this year. I would even like to possibly see it moved to another phase of the match.

Ever consider an "Autonomous End Game"?