[etoleb]

We competed at the Chesapeake regional, and we successfully stacked several times. We didn't do anything major, just stacks of two and sometimes three. This was because we were impatient and stacked a sideways bin on top of an upside down one, or we had to do things on other parts of the field.

In terms of time, we could make a two stack in about 10 seconds or less, it took a little longer to pick out a good bin from the "sea". The only other robot I saw successfully stack was MOE, and it seemed to take them a long time to get the right bins and release (but it was impressive nevertheless). But keep in mind, you may find yourself on your side with some time to spare.

Although many people think stacking is a waste of time, I personally disagree with that generalization. In such a destructive game, stacking will require team work. If your alliance parter can help defend you while you stack, you could very well be successful. In terms of defending them, putting stacks in the back corners of the scoring zone and staying between it and your opponent seems to work well. However, if your robot can cover the stack, even better.

Making a backup stack can be very important, if you can spare the time.

Good luck,
Greg