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Re: How difficult do you feel this competition is, this year?
I think simply scoring point is easier than the past; all teams will be capable of scoring, and a respectable amount of points too (I don't expect any 3-0 matches this year as is often the case in regionals ridden with broken or malfunctioning machines). This is probably the biggest draw for me of this game, it's almost impossible to have an extremely low scoring match.
That said, scoring ALOT of points will be difficult. The average team will probably not be able to break the 20 point mark with their robot alone (2 laps with a hurdler or 5 with a herder are no small tasks), and doing anything beyond driving across the first line in hybrid mode will require some thought by programmers and coordination among the alliance so as not to crash into each other.
The GDC also threw in an interesting twist to the alliance strategy this year; there aren't enough game pieces for all 3 robots to complete the "high" scoring method simultaneously. Thinking through games, I don't know a game in the 2000's that had less of any scoring object than robots on an alliance (maybe an argument for 2001, where there were only 2 mobile goals...). If all the "powerhouse" teams at a Regional decide that hurdling is the way to go, it gives a chance for a rookie or black-horse team that avoids hurdling to really be the deciding factor in the playoffs.
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FRC Team 498 (Peoria, AZ), Student: 2004 - 2007
FRC Team 498 (Peoria, AZ), Mentor: 2008 - 2011
FRC Team 167 (Iowa City, IA), Mentor: 2012 - 2014
FRC Team 2662 (Tolleson, AZ), Mentor: 2014 - Present
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