[Cody Carey]

I don't believe we should limit the battery. I have enough trouble finding a charged battery to put into the bot before a match anyway, and last year we had 6 of them circulating.

I don't believe we should limit the number of motors, either. This year we have two motors on our robot (4, counting shifting servos). While we didn't use them, its nice to know that we could if we ever wanted to.

I don't think we should limit "energy". That would make for a lot of matches with robots sitting there energy-less and cold.

I don't think we should impliment anything beyond the current limitations:
-We have Six weeks to build a robot.
-It has to be under 120 lbs.
-It has to fit into a relatively small size envelope.
-It has to use only one relatively small battery.
-we have to limit ourselves to the motors given in the kit (while there are a lot of 'em, they are not all "quality" motors)

^That is a lot of limitations already, why add more?


While defense may be seen as the thorn in an "elite" team's foot... It is the only thing possible for some teams.

Not all teams can build a manipulator that can score consistently.

Not all teams can build a functional ramp.

Defense is for the teams that can't do those things; it is the only way for some rookie teams to remain competitive. It is a way to fight back against the ever-growing population of teams that can create scoring monsters. It is the always attainable aspect in any years game that make FIRST fun for everyone involved and not just the "elites", and it adds one more task for the "elites" to design around.

And the issue with Defense making for less interesting game-play? I don't think it has much bearing at all. There was nothing more exciting than watching an offensive bot sink 4 balls last year, and then shoot the rest into a wall because they were pushed by a rookie bot, or watching an offensive bot be pushed all the way across the field by a defensive bot.


Just some thoughts,

-Cody C