[Ari423]

Originally Posted by JesseK

Things in a match never go as planned. As a coach, I can easily tell the pace of a match by determining when the 2nd rotor is activated. If robots can't do the first 2 rotors on their own in a reasonable time, we have to make a decision on whether or not to go for the third rotor.

If by some miracle 2 rotors are done in autonomous then I would use the 3rd rotor as the gauge for match pace - and if things go poorly then we'd finish the 3rd rotor with the reserve gear.

As I see the game now, I fully suspect the reserve gear will always be placed on the 3rd rotor in the matches I coach - regardless of when in the game that happens.

At the highest levels of play, I agree that holding back the reserve gear has diminished value.

Another idea would be to make a non-powered signaling device to relay the info to the coach of how many gears are in the uncompleted gear train. This way the coach knows exactly how many gears are done and there's no chance that the pilot will forget to place the reserve gear. IIRC all members of the drive team are allowed to use non-powered signaling devices, and there's no rule they can't attach them to the railing so the coach can see them without being constantly held.