Thread: Low Bar
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Unread 31-01-2016, 16:47
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Re: Low Bar

Quote:
Originally Posted by Karthik View Post
The results of this poll are terrifying.
Thought 1: It's a poll on ChiefDelphi, so it's a small sample of a small sample.
Thought 2: It's a poll on ChiefDelphi at the end of week 3, so it's a small sample of a small sample whose sample could shrink even further by ship date. (I know 2815 planned to cross the center divider in 2012...right until about Thursday afternoon at Peachtree when we determined there was a frame member about 3/16" too low that we missed when designing.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by New Lightning View Post
When I see this pole I get the feeling that plenty of teams have come to the relatively same conclusion and that is that the consistency of the low bar out weighs many other considerations when it comes to design. What I believe is that most teams say that "we'll go under the low bar and then will just try to drive over some of the other obstacles and that will be enough for us."

What I don't think that many people have realized is that this will in fact not be enough in terms of a productive and winning robot. The robot will need to do something else. And making the decisions to go under the low bar limits your options in terms of other implements. A good robot, wanting to under the low bar, will need to be either able to shoot into the high goal or climb the tower in order to have any kind of value in eliminations.
I think your list omits some ways teams can get into consideration at most events*, but I do agree on the core point: low bar alone doesn't hang your banner. What it takes to do so will depend on what the top teams at your event didn't do--because they'll need that in order to achieve the breach and capture points.

(Consider: A captured tower is worth at least 56 points in playoffs, before autonomous or high goals or scales. Really at least 66, since someone had to get balls across the defenses to do this. Viewed in isolation, a breach is 60 before autonomous. I figure you'll be able to win quite a few with a two-digit score from Week 0.5 until probably Week 2. After that, the phrase will be "breach and capture.")

*Championship? MSC? IRI? Those are not most events. Start scaling and hitting high goals.
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William "Billfred" Leverette - Gamecock/Jessica Boucher victim/Marketing & Sales Specialist at AndyMark

2004-2006: FRC 1293 (D5 Robotics) - Student, Mentor, Coach
2007-2009: FRC 1618 (Capital Robotics) - Mentor, Coach
2009-2013: FRC 2815 (Los Pollos Locos) - Mentor, Coach - Palmetto '09, Peachtree '11, Palmetto '11, Palmetto '12
2010: FRC 1398 (Keenan Robo-Raiders) - Mentor - Palmetto '10
2014-2016: FRC 4901 (Garnet Squadron) - Co-Founder and Head Bot Coach - Orlando '14, SCRIW '16
2017-: FRC 5402 (Iron Kings) - Mentor

93 events (more than will fit in a ChiefDelphi signature), 13 seasons, over 60,000 miles, and still on a mission from Bob.

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