I'm afraid doing this would have horrible consequences. This would make the game wayyy too much like Overdrive. Sure, Overdrive was a wonderful game, but there needs to be chance from year to year. Scoring points for laps? No thanks. G22 again? No thanks. Especially with a trailer attached behind you, it's good to know that you can escape in any direction, not just "couterclockwise".
Also, having all the human players on one side means that there is obviously a "safe" side and a "kill" side. This year, the center of the field is pretty much FFA since the seated HPs do not have a great shot, and the corner ones are out of range. There is encouragement to stay out of certain areas (opp corners), which can simply be done by not driving into that area. For this new game, everyone MUST drive through half the field of "opposition territory" before you're safe again. If they have empty cells at the end of a match, simply stay on your side of the field. The barrier will protect you. If a robot comes to score on you, swing your trailer across a line, when they chase you across the line (to dump), you drive back into the section you started in. They (sometimes) cannot chase back, since they've crossed the line, and you're safe for a loop.
Just my $.02. Great job thinking, though. Maybe you should apply for a position on the GDC, where minds like yours belong
