I was at Buckeye today. I only watched several matches (time in the pits is much more valuable), but here are a couple general observations.
The robots move slowly if at all. There are still many teams without an autonomous function and other robots get stuck by running into other robots. There are many times when robots are stationary and human players get great advantages.
Human players are scoring most of the points. This could be unfamiliarity with robot functions and code or just the way the game will be played. Many points are scored in autonomous, and once the human players run out of balls the scoring drops off significantly.
Most of the robots that I saw in the match were dumpers of some sort or very short range shooting (like right next to the trailer). I didn't see any effective mid/long shooters, although I only watched several matches.
There are no high speed collisions, and no moon rocks are being crushed. (Sorry to all those that predicted doom and destruction to FIRST because they would run out of balls.) Since robots are not running the length of the field often, they tend not to build up any speed on this low friction surface. Less sturdy robots should hold up fairly well and not be smashed to bits. I don't know why they would be build like that in the first place, but there are always some teams that just aren't there. We were rookies once too, and it was a disaster. I feel for all those new guys.
Empty cells/super cells are not a really big part of the game (yet). Only a few teams have even been able to deliver them, and those that get them to the human players have had a difficult time scoring them. Even if the shot is made, the 15 points has not made a difference in many matches.
I think that this might change as well, but the matches are not quite as exciting as previous years. Last year the pivotal hurling of the trackball over the bar was exciting to watch (at least with good teams). This year scoring is in small increments, and it happens so often that unless it's a super cell shot with 3 seconds to go, then there's not too much to cheer for other than the general success of your alliance. Maybe if a team has a rapid fire shooter that can make dead accurate shots every time I might change my mind. Sadly so far I haven't seen anything close.
The scores of the matches today ranged from 30-70 (of either alliance) with most being anywhere from 40-50. I don't think this will change too much because as teams become more effective at scoring, robots will also get better at running away, especially in autonomous.
EDIT: By the way, I forgot that they were playing for much longer than two minutes today. These score ranges could definitely be off. Just remember that the human players are scoring most of the points, and they are doing it in the beginning of the match.
Hey, it's the first day of like 20 days of these regionals. Many things could change (although I doubt much will). It's still going to be a sweet time at these competitions with just the buzz that accompanies FIRST. There are so many innovative designs, I am so excited to be seeing all this again. I hope these comments helped those who can't watch the videos or don't compete for five more weeks.
I get to have all the fun right now.
I would love to answer any more questions, especially after experiencing more tommorrow.