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Re: Is Car Nack Right?
First of all... a prediction like this is almost self-fulfilling... A robot alliance that wins autonomous has at least one very experienced team that can handle a variety of tasks that are necessary to win.. so a good team ALSO does well during the rest of the match. Winning autonomous would be a fairly good indicator of the quality of the alliance. (Or at least one member of the alliance...)
The question should really be :
Does winning the autonomous period give the alliance enough of an advantage that it tips the scales of the match.
Let's look at what you get for winning:
1. 10 points
2. first defense
Of these two advantages, the second is much more strategic. Your alliance begins play close to their home base and if the bot can be reloaded, close to a reloading situation. This is negated somewhat by having only two robots who have to try and defend against three. However, defense of the lower goals can be accomplished WHILE the robot is in a position to be loaded.
The BackBOT... could be loaded by human players tossing balls down into the offensive end of the field...if that bot can collect balls...
This advantage of the possibility of being loaded to start the offensive 40 seconds can be strategic in that when they go on offense, this team can then score immediately..
HOWEVER... (is this complicated enough yet?) At the END of the 2nd 40 second period the winning autonomous team is at a disadvantage because they will have just used up their ammunition and then go into the last 40 second scoring period needing balls that will require a trip down and back if they are human loaded...
I have looked at this from many angles and I just do not see much advantage in winning the autonomous... perhaps a little bit... and the 10 points could certainly decide a match in which the score was tight.
In my humble opinion... the ability to move about the field quickly and decisively controlling the loose balls and the ability to have all robots on the ramp at the end will decide the match...
This game, perhaps more than any other we have participated in]... requires teamwork. The drive teams/human players behind the glass need to know what to do with the balls that come through... and they MUST work together to use the capabilities of their alliance. I would imagine that NOT putting balls into play will be just as important as getting them back on the field..
Enough said... just one person's opinion...
The one thing that is for certain is that it will be alot of fun!! and the crowd is going to really like this game...
good luck everyone!!!
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