Quote:
Originally Posted by Loose Screw
I think this point works in favor of removing the can wars for offseason events. It places a greater weight on consistency and scoring beyond 7 or 8 stacks. Yes, adding two or three RCs to each side helps lessen the importance of the can wars. Scoring 5 or 6 42pt stacks is challenging for most alliances, but if you only have 5 or 6 RCs to work with, the other alliance just needs to score one more to get ahead and win.
With IRI in mind, a 7-7 split becomes a match of consistency and totes. If both alliances can score all their RCs (not hard with 2+2+3 split), then the other points come into play. After your alliance makes 7 42pt stacks, there are 21 totes left to be scored (auto totes can be scored), 3 noodles to throw, and 32 potential auto points. With most alliances being able to do a 20pt auton and the 4pt auto impossible with the tethers, that leaves an 8pt advantage for teams that can do a 28pt auto. 2*21+3*4+8=62 points. The alliance that gets the most of those 62 points will win IRI.
Let's put this in an example with 2826, 148, and 254 on an alliance, and a nameless alliance to go against. For this example, it will be IRI rules with the can wars still existing. 2826 gets their 28pt auto, but their alliance loses the 4 RCs in the war. 2826 and 148 clear out the HP zone and 254 clears the landfill, scoring 5 42pt stacks and 33 totes. They get all the noodles on the other side. With this set up, we can calculate the number of just 42pt stacks the other side would need to score to win.
2826, 148, 254
28+42*5+33*2+4*5 = 324 points
Unnamed Alliance
20+42*x > 324, x=8, or x=7 if they can score 10 points elsewhere.
You have a case here where an alliance can score every possible point available to them, but still lose. This is definitely better than Worlds as they have to score 7 or 8 42pt stacks rather than 4 or 5.
In my opinion, the 7-7 split is the best and most exciting option that IRI could have went with. It becomes a battle of consistency and scoring beyond 7 stacks, rather than a 0.1 second faster burglar. Another thing to note is that it won't always be 7-7; teams can miss their cans in auto and lose them to the other side in teleop. It is my belief that removing the can wars balances Recyle Rush to its fullest potential.
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You forget step totes!
(And upside-down totes, but that's just too ridiculous to even discuss as a joke)
Depending on how consistent your top teams at IRI are (1114, 148, 118, etc.) It is possible (although unlikely), for an alliance to want to score step totes as well (meaning they'd want 225, because no one else has shown they can do it that is going).
The conditions for this to occur are very difficult, though. It would require two robots to together clear the feeder station of totes, and some of the landfill, and that they can do this while using up all 7 cans they have available on stacks of 6.
With the ability to start with a can inside your robot, as well as begin the match with a stack partially built (yellow totes), I think its
possible an alliance would want the ability to score those.
I
really want to see the game progress to that point, but I doubt it will.
As for banning can battles in off-seasons, I think it was necessary for IRI and Chezy Champs. Team have been known to make major changes (sometimes even building entirely new robots) to be competitive at IRI, and an arms race for the fastest can grabber before IRI would be unproductive.
At other off-seasons? I would keep can battles. No one is making an entirely new can grabbing system for the Tech Valley Robot Rumble (or so I hope), because its a fun off-season event not intended to be super-competitive. Teams will use the can grabbers they had from during the season, and teams will retain the edge they had in-season when can grabbers were so important.