Quote:
Originally Posted by JesseK
I agree to an extent. If you prototype something on limited resources and then realise after the game is announced that your prototype concept has little chance of success in the game, then you have 2 choices: 1. Come up with a creative way to implement your prototype or 2. (more common) Adapt your prototype so that it fits into the current strategy, therefore introducing (sometimes) very complex integration issues or unforseen behaviors --
e.g. Adapting mecanum to play pure defense will really put some wear on the treads of the wheels -- enough wear to be of concern if you attend 2+ competitions with success.
Ok, so this argument probably holds little weight in the case of mecanums, as it's more likely you can adapt your strategy to use mecanums with some sucess every year. However, if you're like most teams, you'd rather adapt your robot to your chosen strategy and not vice versa. This is also good engineering practice, whereas adapting your strategy to your robot is something that's good practice for learning how to find & fight problems (namely integration problems) after the fact.
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I agree. Just because you prototype something does not mean that you have to use it. Look at 488, who made considerable noise with their Mecanum prototype this fall, then promptly decided to use their 6 Wheel Drive design again when build season started.