[JesseK]

There is no magic wand that will make you a better driver for this type of game - there are plenty of teams with gamepads running up high scores. Here are some tips:

Cap your max speed (note - not necessarily your acceleration!). There are a couple of ways to try this, including software (requires encoders) or hardware (remove 2 CIMs). The methodology is completely dependent on your robot however - removing 2 CIMs may make it very difficult for your robot to turn. Our best driver is comfortable at only 6-7ft/s, and when we 'sneak' it up on him he's noticeably worse. If you're only a single-speed bot, have a button which puts a software cap on the speed. One speed is for game piece interaction, the other speed is for short bursts of sprints.

In a typical year, use an active intake, or a more forgiving intake. Every year, your team should have an active intake or TONS OF PRACTICE. If you have neither, lower your expectations. This year, however, seems to require nothing but an active intake for the most successful teams. My team tried the practice route (had a driving robot early week 5) and it just hasn't panned out. Active intakes aren't easy to do this year since the game pieces are square and fairly rigid. Therefore the active intake must conform to the game piece rather than vice-versa. 2056's double-passive-articulating active-roller intake seems to have the best combination of compactness, effectiveness and versatility.

Be proactive in going over match flows with the coach, move-for-move before a match starts. Learn the situations you'll get into and how to deal with them. This can be done via practice or via finding other successful robots similar to yours and watching all of the video you can find.