I have seen the future, and it is Chicago.
Having watched all of the MWR webcast, I think that is the way things will be in Atlanta. There was a good balance of everything, and the game dynamic matched the dynamic we (229) speculated at kickoff.
There was a great change in strategy as the weeks went on, and also as the robots progressed in functionality (anyone else notice most teams came out the gate a little slower than usual this year?) I think now that most robots and drivers are getting closer to 100% we're going to see some more variety of play. This game has TONS of different strategies, TONS of moves/countermoves... A good variety of each is necessary for any successful alliance (adapting the balance is crucial).
I expect the finals in Atlanta to play out just like the finals in Chicago. (Complete with team 45's amazing machine
).
$.02
John