[EricH]

There's a reason that some of the top teams in FRC don't do release videos until after the season.

As noted, it gives everybody else a chance to try to figure out how to beat them starting from the date/time of the release video, rather than when they open the bag at their first event. While you're trying to figure out what they're doing and how to beat them, they're iterating onto the robot what they've learned from previous events (if any) and other release videos and their own practice.

But there's also another reason. Making a video takes time and people away from some things that they are going to be very busy doing. Like driver practice (under game-like conditions, at any rate). Like iterating the robot's subsystems to be even better. Like watching everybody else's release videos. Like fundraising (if necessary). Like finishing the CAD (which as I recall 1114 does release on occasion). Like schoolwork. Like sleep.

For 1114, there's a third reason... but just referencing it brings up bad memories.

What I might suggest instead of a release video would be a series of "Tour" videos, discussing the robot at each stage of development and providing an up-close view. Of course, these videos would probably be released no earlier than AFTER the first event...and probably much later, like after Champs.