[Mr MOE]

Some of my personal observations after having our team play Lunacy in Week 1 at DC.

SIMILARITIES
The game is similar to many others in previous FIRST years in the following ways - qualification matches could be boring or exciting, depending on the teams playing; excitement picks up considerably during the elims.

DIFFERENCES
The game is different in that there is so much going on at once and the game pieces are so numerous, that it is extremely difficult to get a good idea what is going on over the whole of the field. I was watching our bot during a match when someone asked me what our partners were doing. I had to answer that I had absolutely no idea.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

* Human players (Payload Specialists) might be as evenly important as the robot in this game as in any FIRST game. This definitely evens out the playing field.

* Moving at all times during the game, especially in autonomous, can save or kill your chances. Also, there are many tasks a robot can perform in autonomous that puts their alliance in a good position for the rest of the match.

* No-show team = empty trailer with rover wheel = death

* Get empty cells early and plan a way to increase the probability of converting them into points (many PS just fling them at the end - akin to a Hail Mary).

* Don't get pinned!!!

* Get ready to dance. Robots will be jockeying for position to score on each other. It is fun to watch a pair of bots circling like two physical competitors positioning themselves to strike (fencing and sumo wrestling comes to mind).

* Speed is always important. However, speed with maneuverability is key.

* Picking moon rocks off the crater floor is critical. There are many lying there just waiting to be harvested.

* It is very difficult to articulate a strategic plan with your alliance and then execute it real time. The field is constantly changing. Having a plan is important, but being able to change it on the fly and depend on communicating any changes to alliance partners during a match is extremely hard to do.

* Robots don't create penalties. People create penalties. This season, Payload Specialist penalties are in abundance. Train your PS (and those on your alliance) well.

* Many matches end in very close scores. A well-shot super cell or a few extra moon rocks in a trailer can win a match for you.

* Don't waste your moon rocks. Many Payload Specialists are throwing all their rocks early, sometimes at bots halfway across the field. Depending on the skill of your PS, the time left in the match, and where the opponent trailers are located, it may make sense to toss a rock or to hold it. Being smart is the key.

* Don't go by the real-time scoring to determine if you won or lost a match. Since matches are so close, a few points either way will determine a match. Real-time scoring is done by volunteers keying in points as they see them. It's hard to differentiate between 5-8 moon rocks in a trailer as they whiz by.

* Know who your alliance is up against in your next match. While G14 penalties did not really affect our team at the Washington DC regional, I can see them integrating more into team strategies. Also, be very careful in your last qualifying match. You don't want to take a double G14 into the eliminations with you.

* Videotaping these events (either for webcast or for screen projection at the event) should be done full-field with select close-ups. You just can't tell where the action will be and cameras have a tendency to miss alot of it.

That's all for now.