I have read pretty much all of the post on this thread and I am impressed with many of the arguments
Just so you know where I am comming from our robot is a shooter. It however does not use pnematics to "shoot" "launch" the ball. Go to
www.frc272.com and maybe you can figure out how we do it. Look under "We are LC" "2008 season". Anyway our robot also employes an alternate aparatus that can effectivelly remove the ball from the "monkey bars" "rack" whatever it is you call it.
However I am not at all saying this is the way to do it. We just like that fact that we can move on the fly and shoot. Also since we can remove the ball from the rack using an alternate aparatus we like it. Anyway
I have been lookin at a whole lot of video of other robots and I believe it just comes down to speed, quickness of picking up the ball and if you are a lifter doing it as fast as possible. If you have all of that I do not care how you do it you are getting it done fast and often and probably can keep up with anyone.
I also read some threads about it is easy to block a "shooter" "launcher" and while I would agree with that. I would recommend to teams you avoid it. Just as an example I had one of those moments and walked in front of our completed robot just as it fired. That ball almost took my head off. In retrospect it was very funny but the forces of that fire took a 210 pound man and put him on the floor. I just think if a lifter decided to get in the way and took a shoot either the robot may sustain fatal damage our it might be out for the count if you catch my drift.
Any who I think in the end if you built a great robot no matter how it scores if it is quick, accurate and efficient. Oh and a killer autonomous/hybrid would not hurt it really wont matter.