[BBnum3]

I voted for Hate it. I wouldn't say I hate it, but I definitely don't like it.

There's no defense. Ideally in this game no robots on opposing alliances would even come in contact with one another. If FIRST wants to be as popular as sport they should include sports-like strategies into the games. The argument can be made that this is like NASCAR, but as I am not a fan of it I don't find this game appealing. It's surprising to me that this is the first year bumpers have been required because robot-robot contact is not a large part of the game.

Also, I think watching robots go around in circles could get boring pretty fast.

Another problem I see is IR interference. If each team is allowed 2 RoboCoaches then it's possible to have 12 remotes all going off in the beginning of the game. The video we watched at kickoff said that interference would certainly adversely affect the IR board. Hopefully there's a solution to this, as it would not be fun to have your robot controlled by another team's remote.

That said, one positive thing I can say about this game is that it definitely allows rookie teams to make a robot that scores on its own. All your robot has to be able to do is drive and you can score points for your team.


I'll probably end up changing my mind as the weeks progress, but this is how I see things at this point in time.