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Unread 01-06-2001, 20:45
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Nate Smith Nate Smith is offline
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Re: Re: Not liking one of the rules all that much

Quote:
Originally posted by Justin
The 4 v 0 style of play has created a situation that I think really underminds what this whole thing is about...engineering.

Hear me out for a second. Basically...this year teams didn't have to build for defense, they didn't have to worry about getting rammed, etc. Consequently _a lot_ of teams...even vets...built weaker, less robust, not quite as well engineered machines. Defense adds a whole layer to the design/build/engineering process which I think is part of the fun. Not only do u have to get your machine to do whatever it needs to but u have to do it in a way that will allow another robot to drive over you and keep working.
I'm going to have to disagree on this one...while I'll admit, having a 2 v 2 (or any directly competitive style for that matter) forces you to build a "tougher" machine (for lack of a better word,) I think that the 4 v 0 this year helped create more robust machines. Think about it this way, rather than having to deal with the mindset of "we want to do this, this, and this, but also need to reinforce everything so if we get rammed, it won't break...all while keeping it in the weight limit," you only had to worry about actually doing what you wanted it to do, thereby not "wasting" some of the precious weight that we are given to work with.

Not only that, a certain degree of strength was required this year, as I considered that bridge this year one of the most diabolical (no pun intended) parts of any game I've worked with since I got started with this back in '98. Just look at the number of machines that tipped over, trying to navigate it. Did they survive? Not everybody, but as long as there's a chance of falling over because of the field design, having to build a strong machine will be a part of the game. You don't need to be ramming into another machine to need a strong machine, when that group out in Manchester comes up with a field like this year's...
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Nate Smith
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12 seasons, 4 teams, and more time logged behind the scorekeeper's table than I care to remember...
returning for 2011? only time will tell...