[EricH]

Originally Posted by BrennanB

I'm really not sure why alliance station placement is a big deal all of a sudden. It's not like it's any worse really than previous years. I would think that consistency isn't a bad thing. I quite honestly see nothing remotely wrong here.

I do.

This year, being able to be close to your HP is critical if you're a chute-loading robot. Imagine loading from the right HP station, while you're in driver's station #1. 973 used a workaround--20' long cables--but that workaround is specifically ruled illegal by T6-1's blue box (they're way out of range).

It USED to be that you'd be rearranged every match in elims. Now you're locked into the same station every. single. match. that. you. play. If you prefer loading from one side or the other, and you're on the "wrong" side, you're toast.

But if you allow the AC to say "We want to be X order", and they can't change it unless they're swapping a robot out, you allow all the alliances to perform at full capability.