[coachm]

I think that division of tasks will win out. A robot that tries to shoot goals and tries to cross multiple defenses will be too slow. We're planning a specialty 'bot that will cross defenses and deliver boulders to shooters in the courtyard. If shooters can stay in the enemy courtyard, they can evade defense 'bots, line up more accurate shots, and weaken the tower more effectively.

Additionally, a bot that is designed to breach all possible defenses is a major boon to an alliance: each cross is 5 pts, same as high goal, with 40 game points for 8 crosses and a breach. Breaching is worth 1 RP, same as capture - with 16-40 total game points for low/high goal combos up to 8 boulders. Breaching is guaranteed 40 game points, which is stronger point value than 8 low goals. If 1 'bot can ensure breach while other 'bots focus on weakening tower, alliance is set up for potential game win (lots of points) and guarantee of 1 RP, plus potentially 2 RP if they can capture. If one 'bot fails to challenge or scale, weakening the tower to capture is not a good strategy to focus on. Breaching is more valuable with guaranteed RP.