[MMmmDUDE]

How we do it on 2512:
We watch the kickoff video as a team. After the video we gather either at a team members home or a sponsors building. Our strategy department prints off multiple copies of the manual, studies it, and then gives a presentation on various aspects of the game such as every way to score, what fouls there are and the different aspects to the playing field. Team members can ask questions during the presentation so everyone has a good understanding of how the game works. After the presentation students and mentors are put into groups of 4 or 5 and they brainstorm robot designs. Then a representative from each group presents the ideas that the group came up with to the whole team. Designing the robot goes all through the day into the night and then more the next day until the build team has come up with a design they like.

The strategy department informs the build team about the important aspects of the game and recommends certain mechanisms but it is ultimately up to the build team to come up with the robot. The strategy department studies the game more and brainstorms possible scenarios. Also before competition they look for information online about robots that our attending the same regional as us.

At competition the strategy department is in charge of planning matches. They also take pictures of all of the robots in attendance, asks teams questions about their robot, and takes data on teams while they compete in matches. We use this information in a meeting that we hold the day before the playoff/elimination alliance selections. At the meeting we come up with a ranking list of who we would like to be aligned with and make sure the alliance selector knows what robot does what.

Hope this helps!