Best Way to Get Points

[SSMike]

What do you think is the best way to get points in this year's game? Also what are going to be the hardest/easiest ways to score and which ways will be most important to winning a match?

Personally I think that the best way would be to get points from hurdling the overpass.
Hardest: Placing the trackballs on top of the overpass at the end
Easiest: Driving around and crossing the lines
Most Important: Hybrid mode

Points and ways to score are on page 6 of Section 7 of the manual. If someone could post a link to it, it would be appreciated because my computers being wierd adn not letting me. Also if this belongs in the rules/strategy section could a mod please move it? Thanks.

--Mike

[Sam N.]

I do believe that the best robots will be hurdlers.

[cziggy343]

yes. the best robots will be very quick hurdlers, and the most important score would be that of getting the 12, or potentially 24, points by placing the ball back on the overpass.

im pretty excited. this game takes a lot of strategy and a lot will go on in one match

[Laaba 80]

I think the hardest part will be picking up the ball, not sure about the others though.
Here is the link to the manual

http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc...nt.aspx?id=452

You just need to click on "the game".
Joey

[MNov]

An engine, 4 wheels, shocks and bumpers is all you need.

[Neil B]

Seeing as you're not really allowed to block (I believe 'interfere' was the word) someone trying to hurdle a trackball, I think that the emphasis will be on hurdling the trackball fast. The most important will be the hybrid mode though. The way I figure, you can get 8 easy points per robot with only dead reckoning, let alone by controlling the robot with a remote.

[SSMike]

Hybrid mode will definantly be the key because you can get so many more points for relatively simple things if you do them in hybrid mode instead of the teleoperated mode. Teams will win so many games that way.

[Tottanka]

Originally Posted by SSMike

Hybrid mode will definantly be the key because you can get so many more points for relatively simple things if you do them in hybrid mode instead of the teleoperated mode. Teams will win so many games that way.

I disagree.
This year almost all teams will have some kind of an autnomous, which will score a minimum of 4 points and probabl even 8 points very easily. The better robots will be able to get 16-20 points only by crossing.
The real good once might get even 36 points for one robot per automode ( 2 ball drops, 5 line crosses).

The difference in the hybrid is not going to be that big, if you count most robots as average - 20 point scorers.
I believe that there will be some intense late game action with placing theballs on the overpass, as they are rather hard to put up, but easy to nock down. (might be just like this 2007's late spoilers/lifts/8th tubes in a row).

[Sam N.]

Originally Posted by Neil B

Seeing as you're not really allowed to block (I believe 'interfere' was the word) someone trying to hurdle a trackball, I think that the emphasis will be on hurdling the trackball fast. The most important will be the hybrid mode though. The way I figure, you can get 8 easy points per robot with only dead reckoning, let alone by controlling the robot with a remote.

I do believe that section 6.2.2 of the game manual indicates that your alliance's TRACKBALL is going to be placed randomly in one of three predictable positions on the overpass.

I also do believe that the ROBOCOACH can tell the robot which of the three positions to travel to and knock the TRACKBALL off during the hybrid mode.

I do believe that this method is more accurate than dead reckoning - not saying that dead reckoning wont work - it might score points for the other alliance though

[Donut]

I forsee the best alliance this year being a combo group, with no more than two hurdlers, and the other bots being designed more for lap speed and ball herding. No hurdlers on an alliance seems rather low scoring, but an all hurdler group I think will find they've got a rather worthless lap runner in their non-ball possessing member.

There's only two balls, so if you have two hurdlers on your alliance, the third robot either needs to be running more laps for points, getting in the opposition's way, or helping to rebound balls for the hurdlers.

[jdejoannis]

Hurdlers will probably be the dominant species in Atlanta. But a few good speedybots would be complementary during both the hybrid and tele periods.

/Jason

[idahorobot]

You have to have speders for the hurdlers to score. The trackball has to come around.

[Bob Steele]

Here is an interesting scenario:

Two robots work together... One passing the ball over the overpass to the alliance partner on the other side and then slipping underneath to wait for that robot to come around and do the same...

This would be like a relay... and the ball would not have to be re-acquired after bouncing... these robots would extend up to pass and then bring the ball back down to travel around the field.

They could also work in pairs using the one without the ball to clear a path for the other as they travel around. Each successful team hurdle would generate 12 points this way...and the ball would never hit the ground. Both robots would get 2 points for making a lap and the 8 for the hurdle.

The hurdle would be legal as the ball would leave the hurdling robot grasp and then touch another robot (the partner robot) allowing the full 6 + 2 scoring.

This would require robots to cooperate... which is a good thing...
Teams may want to start thinking along these lines early in the process.

We will see this in Atlanta... I am certain of that...
If not 2 robots passing directly, certainly myriad other ways of cooperating on the field in one way or another.

It would be wise for teams to consider this type of activity early in their design process.

This is going to be a great year to think about alliances as true teams.
Not just having defined roles which are carried out independently but actually designing to score points together.

We saw our first taste of that last year with the lift points...this year it will be for the entire teleoperated period...


GOOD LUCK TO ALL TEAMS!!
We hope to work with you this year!!!

[feliks_rosenber]

In my opinion the best way to generate points this year will be by defining each team's role and acting accordingly.

Since there are 2 balls and 3 robots, I suppose that 2 robots will be crossing the lines with balls in the possesion and the third team will either help them knock down balls during the hybrid/ put back up on the track in the end or just do as many laps as possible.

I think that the latter option is way better because last year you couldn't score points for just driving fast, this time, however, you can and so teams should benefit from that.

[Enigma's puzzle]

I belive that hurdling will be crutial because it is the equivilant of four laps or 2 laps with the ball. going faster thaan everyone else is going to lead to problems in congestion and passing.

I am forseeing problems with congestion around the finish lines with the overpass being hurdled