[FRC4ME]

I don't think other teams should be used to fill-in no-shows. As it is now, teams are encouraged to help their alliance partners fix their robots before each match. I know my team does this every match in the early weeks: "go check on our alliance partners and see if they need any help," our head mentor says. The penalties of a no-show actually help foster GP, in my experience.

Having said that, I think this year's game made the no-show penalty a little harsh. Having less offensive power is one thing, but giving your opponents an effective 50 free points is another. Perhaps future games should be designed such that offense and defense are not so intricately tied together. For this year's game, I like the auton bot idea, but it would have to be very underpowered. The idea here is to bring the no-show penalty back down to that of previous years, not to remove the penalty entirely. When a team realizes they have a no-show on their alliance, "oh crap! fix it at all costs!" should be their immediate reaction.

You may say that it is unfair that some teams are unlucky enough to have a no-show on their alliance, but there are equal chances that a team will end up with a super powerhouse wins-every-regional-they-attend bot who could win the match themselves if they had to. Unfortunately, the seeding system involves more than a bit of luck, but at least that luck is balanced.