[Bongle]

I did enjoy not having to worry about full-speed ramming and other kinds of alliance interactions, but it definitely made the game less interesting.

I agree that an Aim High or "protected zone" model would be the way to go in the future if FRC wants to limit robot damage.

How I might adjust this year while keeping the base game still there?
-Eliminate the step, and make a single global landfill that both teams can access. Stacks still get made in completely-protected zones, but landfill tote acquisition would be a free-for-all. Maybe to compensate for the increased difficulty of competitive tote acquisition, make landfill totes worth double. Teams would have to be careful not to push landfill totes into the other alliance's protected area, or else they'd be inaccessible.
OR
-Allow robots to throw litter. This would increase the possibility and payoff of defensive strategies (load 10 into your robot, then launch them to be evenly spaced across enemy platforms), with zero risk of robot damage. Imagine a locked-and-loaded litter cannon aimed at a robot trying to lay down a stack, firing litter just as it looks like the opposing team is going to score.