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Unread 05-04-2015, 20:42
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evanperryg evanperryg is offline
IT'S THE BUMP N' DUMP
AKA: Evan Grove
FRC #4536 (The Minutebots)
Team Role: Mentor
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Rookie Year: 2011
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 657
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Re: A Recycle Rush Reflection

Quote:
Originally Posted by Squillo View Post
If FIRST wants the BEST robots/teams at Champs (often given as the rationale for allowing #1 to pick #2), then why let a third robot "tag along" merely by the luck of being drawn? (Or worse, because they happen to be "friends" with the #1 alliance? Like the old "popularity contests" in for grade-school student government.))
Yes, I believe that an event where one robot is so far beyond any of the others is upsetting to the other teams. I've seen plenty of that at certain regionals. However, I think you miss the importance of a second pick. I won't speak for any other team, but as my team's lead strategist and the primary guy behind the picklists, I'm willing to lay out the importance of some of my team's second picks over the last few years:

2014 Crossroads: 2338, 4085, 2358: We were in a position at crossroads where we knew we were not going to win the event, but I'm not one for giving up. 2358 was vital to this alliance by providing a robot that could inbound, bounce assist, or truss shot quickly, while their maneuverable drive and ~50" height made them good for defending against 1024.

2014 Midwest: 2338, 1732, 3936: Almost everyone at Midwest knew that 1625 and 2451 would win it effortlessly. I was certain they would run 1-assist+truss cycles and use their last bot as a defender. Realizing this, I knew the only way to have a chance against them was to get the 2-assist+truss cycle down fast. So, 3936 was perfect for us because their robot was just a collector on wheels, and a pretty quick collector at that, and their drivetrain was strong enough to get in 1625's way while they tried to get a truss shot.

2015 Wisconsin: 2338, 2077, 167: This one's pretty simple. We knew we needed to put up 5 6-stacks capped if we wanted to beat 2826 and their 28 point auto. since 2077 and 2338 were both landfill bots that needed upright cans, we needed a bot that could both tip up our center-pull cans, and could have a ramp for 2077 to use. We had worked with 167 in a qualifier, and knew they could tip up cans quickly, and they were a joy to work with.

2015 Midwest: 2338, 1756, 171: 1756 tips over 2 (usually 3) cans in auto, and our center can auto usually leaves one can tipped over. This time, too, 2338 and 1756 were both landfill bots that preferred ramps. So, we needed a robot that could upright cans, and be light enough to have 2 tethered ramps. Through all of quals, no team had proven themselves to be a really good can tipper, so we searched for some teams that could be light enough for the ramps, and suggested those teams work on can tipping. 171 proved themselves to do it the fastest, and they became a valuable alliance member. Even when 1756's collector broke and we weren't doing much better, 171 was able to score a few points that helped keep our average high enough to advance to finals.

A second pick doesn't have to put up massive scores to be valuable. A really good second pick can be the deciding factor in an alliance's success. The fact is, high-scoring teams put a significant amount of time and effort into deciding what their second pick is. Even if it sometimes looks like a power alliance's second pick is a lottery winner on a free ride to champs, that team was chosen for a good reason, and they are pulling their weight just as much as (and sometimes more than) their captain.
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FRCDesigns Contributor | "There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." -Aldous Huxley
2012-2016 | FRC Team 2338: Gear it Forward
2013
Wisconsin Regional Winner 2014 Midwest Regional Finalist 2015 Midwest Regional Chairman's Award, Finalist, Archimedes Division Champion, IRI Semifinalist 2016 Midwest Regional Chairman's Award, Finalist, Archimedes Division Gracious Professionalism Award, R2OC Winner
2015 | FTC Team 10266: Mach Speed
2015
Highland Park Qualifier Winner, Motivate Award
2017-???? | FRC Team 4536: The Minutebots

Thanks to the alliances and friends I've made along the way: 33 74 107 111 167 171 234 548 1023 1089 1323 1625 1675 1732 1756 2064 2077 2122 2202 2358 2451 2512 2826 3936 3996 4039 4085 4241 5006 5401 5568 5847 5934
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