Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard
Multiple different styles of winning alliances depending on the level of play and the regional they're at.
Some alliances will be 2 all-around robots and a defender or feeder, others will have specialists performing roles.
Hangs won't be necessary to win any event until at least after weeks 5.
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I agree. With the number of points scaling is worth, it's not really a defining factor until you get to a stage where one high shot could be the difference between a win and a loss. This game is very unique in that no one objective is worth significantly more points than any other objective. (2015-cans, 2014-passing, 2013-climbing, 2012-balancing, and so on) Therefore, especially as the competition between teams gets closer, alliances' scores will get closer and closer to each other, until the ability to do something worth only average points, that (probably) requires its own separate mechanism, is absolutely necessary for success.
On the defense role:
"Defense bots," or robots that only defend, are (usually) not going to be a viable pick this season, even as a second pick. The only time a dedicated defender will be useful is on an alliance that doesn't rely on tower points, against an alliance who relies entirely on tower points. Especially at lower levels of play, where a breaching specialist alliance is viable, the role of the defender could be rendered largely useless. Yet, on the other hand, a capture specialist alliance is equally viable, and this would be the defender's time to shine. Therefore, a defense bot could be a game-changer in one series, then completely useless the next- that kind of situational quality is very risky, and without a backup bot to replace the defender in a situation where they're useless, it could mean the end of an alliance's run.
However, at medium-to-high levels of play, where both shooting and breaching becomes necessary for victory, the defense bot is now stuck between being pointless and being a great asset. On one hand, knocking a shooter off-angle during a shot could save your match. On the other hand, for how many points the defender prevents, it could be contributing just as much, if not more, by inbounding and getting balls to the enemy courtyard for its ally to score more conveniently. With the limits on possession, and the precision required for high shooting, a courtyard full of balls is your best friend if you're a shooter, and the defense bot could easily make that happen.
tl;dr: a "defense bot" is only useful in very, very specific situations, and often could be better utilized as an inbounder, breacher, or a combination of the two. We complain that last year's game had no defense, and GDC makes a game where defense is possible, but not strategically beneficial. Well played, GDC. Well played.