This is a thread on scoring priority during auto, not during an entire match.
I won't say many teams, but many people have definitely prioritized the scoring of gears over fuel. Many are seeing the simple raw score values, and the fact that there's a clear difference in the amount of each gamepiece that needs to be scored for the ranking point.
I think that prioritizing the scoring of gears over fuel in autonomous will always be a mistake, unless you can also score 10 fuel. Here's why.
RAW SCORE - GEARS
1 gear in auto would give you 60 raw score.
3 gears in auto would give you 120 raw score
QUANTITY
If you score 0 fuel in auto, you would have to score 120 high in teleop, or 360 low. These numbers are very high, and quite distracting. If you ignore raw score for a moment though, this is why it's more important to score fuel in teleop, even if you can't get the gear posted up.
- 10 fuel in auto = 10pts, and 10 kPa. This means that 90 fuel must be scored high, in teleop, or 270 low.
- 20 fuel in auto = 20pts, and 20 kPa. This means that 60 fuel must be scored high, in teleop, or 180 low.
- 30 fuel in auto = 30pts, and 30 kPa. This means that 30 fuel must be scored high, in teleop, or 90 low.
RP
Now that's just if each bot scores it's 10 preloads. Of course, hoppers are around, and will also be stocked with enough fuel to give all 40 kPa by the end of autonomous. This being said, it's possible to have an extra ranking point [RP] through fuel by the end of autonomous, but impossible to get the RP through gear by the end of autonomous. Which now seems more manageable?
RAW SCORE
Back to raw score. If you choose to score 10 fuel instead of the 1 gear, you take a net loss of 50 points. 60-50 = 10. That gear continues to exist though, and can be scored later for 40 points resulting in a total net loss of only 10 points for the first gear scored. Across 30 fuel alone, in auto, you're saved now from having to make 90 shots on high, and 270 shots on low, reducing the requirements to 30 high and 90 low, throughout the match.
If each bot can only transport 10 fuel, each bot must only take one cycle in teleop to recieve and score 10 fuel. When all 3 alliance members have scored their fuel, you will have achieved the RP. You then have then entire rest of the match to focus on scoring gears.