Looks like you have a very good start Snappel!
Concerning the drive train, you may want to be aware of whether or not your drive train meets the demands of the game. What you have here is great for a game that requires maneuverability and good offense (such as this past years' game), but I would not recommend this setup (2 wheel drive with casters) for a game that was highly defensive and required your robot to push another robot or drive up an inclined surface (any veteran teams out there remember the "caster-bots" of 2003 and how they would often veer off to the side while trying to get up the ramp?)
The same principles that make 2 wheel drive robots extremely maneuverable are the same ones that make them easy to push around. If this coming year's game requires alot of defense (bots pushing other bots), I would not recommend going with this setup. Instead, I would go with a 4 wheel drive setup instead.
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Originally Posted by Snappel328
We tried a 4 wheel drive in our kitbot, not that one, and it was very difficult to get bot to do a gradual turn to the left or right while moving forward. We eventually took those off and use giant ball-bearing wheels in the final design of our kitbot. We used the same ball-bearing wheels on Brutus, but in the front and back while we used the drive-wheels in the middle.
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Perhaps you know this already, but by altering what is called the "track" and the "wheel base" of a four wheel drive robot, you can achieve different degrees of maneuverability. Here is a paint sketch illustrating this:
Perhaps the first time you tried building a 4 wheel drive, your track was too short in comparison to your wheel base. You can try adjusting the ratio of track to wheel base until you find a perfect balance between maneuverability and pushing ability. I would recommend this setup for dealing with inclined surfaces (such as ramps), as well as defensive ones, so that your robot won't have difficulty climbing them.
Of course, there are alternatives to this design. You could go with a six wheel drive robot, with its middle wheel slightly lower than the rest, which would give it both a high degree of maneuverability as well as pushing power. Or you could try omni wheels, swerve drive, mecanum wheels... etc. However, the 4 wheel drive design is the simplest available in comparison to the others... and as rookies, it is best for you to stick with simple designs that you can master before progressing to the next level of complexity in design. I believe someone has already said it, but I will say it again: K. I. S. S. (Keep It Simple Silly)! Oftentimes, the simplest ideas are the best ones.
Good luck,
-- Jaine