Out of curiosity...

[HarveyAce]

About how many teams does everyone think will be shooting for being a runner or scorer? just wondering...

[Cyberphil]

It all depends on what you call a runner and a scorer.

By my interpretation and definition, I would say somewhere around 75% will be scorers (Go across the field, pick up tubes, and place them on the pegs), and less than 15% will be runners (Provide the scoring bots with tubes). The other 10% I would say will be defense, or will have some other strategy that we have not thought of yet.

[Chris is me]

Any scorer can theoretically be a runner. Aim high, watch as your arm breaks at Whatever Regional... now you're a great runner.

[thefro526]

I'd venture to say that 85%-90% of robots built this year will intend to be "Scorers".

As Mechanisms break or prove to be to difficult or inefficient to use, those scorers with the best Tube Acquisition Capabilities will come "Runners" or "Fetchers". Robots that aren't able to be "Runners" will most likely play defense or attempt to set picks for their scorers or something of that nature.

That being said, those definitions are not purely Black and White, and we will more than likely see some robots that evolve to play all aspects of the game with some success.

[HarveyAce]

If someone built a robot to specifically pick up tubes for their teammates and bring them back for them, and it was fast, maneuverable, and had a solid grip on the tubes, would they be a pick for an alliance in the elimination rounds?

[Chris is me]

Yes. Depending on the captain and regional, they may even be a first pick.

Seriously, if you're thinking about doing it, do it. Excelling at the "wrong" thing is way, way better competitively than being mediocre at the right thing. Remember, there are only 6 pegs in the top row - not every robot needs to score there necessarily.

[IndySam]

I always hate to guess 'cause I'm never right. Every competition I see great robots with amazing ideas and an equal number of machines that make me wonder what the heck they were thinking.

[Jeffy]

Originally Posted by HarveyAce

If someone built a robot to specifically pick up tubes for their teammates and bring them back for them, and it was fast, maneuverable, and had a solid grip on the tubes, would they be a pick for an alliance in the elimination rounds?

Imagine yourself as the best hanging robot at the regional. What would you do?

If it were me. I would pick the next best hanger if they were comparable to our hanging ability. If the next best hanger isn't too great, I'd pick a sucessful throwing robot. If that doesn't exist, I'd pick the fastest runner.

As per the third pick? I probably wouldn't pick a third hanger (similar to a team of 3 hurdlers in overdrive). I would probably pick a reliable, sturdy robot that can play defense or run tubes depending on our chosen strategy.

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by HarveyAce

If someone built a robot to specifically pick up tubes for their teammates and bring them back for them, and it was fast, maneuverable, and had a solid grip on the tubes, would they be a pick for an alliance in the elimination rounds?

It's a risky move.

Yes, you may get picked, or you may not get picked. You might be the Second pick by the #1 Seed, or you could be First pick of the #7 - no one knows yet.

The issue with building a dedicated runner that cannot score tubes is that in the Qualification Matches you rely on someone to score for you. There may be a match where you can run all the tubes you want, but if no one can score them, you won't get points. In a situation like this, you can't really control your own seeding, because you can't necessarily win matches for yourself.

My personal opinion is that any robot with a decent gripper/grabber/claw, a reliable drive train, and a decent drive team can be a good Fetcher/Runner - so if you build a decent scoring robot with those traits, and then prove than you're a decent runner you can become double the threat, and score when no one is there to score for you.

[Chris is me]

I highly doubt a competitive runner would not be able to score on at least one of the bottom two rows.

And if they have a minibot, they're already doing the important parts of the game.

[Paul Copioli]

Team 217 would definitely pick a runner bot in the eliminations at any of the districts or regional events we attend. They may not be our first pick, but they would definitely be on our list IF they could do it well.