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Originally Posted by EricH
NO. No. Nonononono. Build guidelines: 1) Always decide what you want your robot to do before you design it. 2) Always design before you build. 3) NEVER EVER change your design in a big way after you start building it.
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I'd like to disagree. If our robot had looked the way we designed it our rookie year, we would probably not have moved, as it was very complex. One of the best (albeit rarest) traits of an engineer is to actually be able to grasp the thought that "The robot has to be in a crate in x number of days" and to be able to react accordingly. IMHO it is best to, by the time you have walked out of your first meeting of season, acknowledge what you want your robot to do. Pick say 2 or 3 very important things, and say "we WILL do these well!". For example this year, you could have said, our robot will shoot balls, make it up the ramp, and collect from the floor. Three achievable, quantifiable goals. If you walk out saying we will be incredibly good at everything, you'll probably end up not getting as far as team who picks a few things and excels at them.