Poll: Picking up tubes

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by MaxMax161

Judging by what our robot can do in just under 2 minutes (assuming there is a good tube ferry) and that we're not the best bot in the world, I'd look in to shoe seasonings. Ignoring minibot we can hang up to 9 maybe 10 tubes in a perfect world. While our shop circumstances are probably better then field circumstances it's worth mentioning that upwards of 2 of those 9/10 tubes were a fair amount (more then %50) deflated.

I'm not saying that we're going to hang 8+ tubes in a match (if we do I'll eat my shoe in pure awe of our drivers) but I think someone will.

I didn't build a robot this year, and I hear Cory McBride builds good robots... so maybe I will. I'd be neat to see for sure. But I've had a pit full of teams tell me they could hurdle 4 times in a match reliably... and looked at scouting data 48 hours later to see that only 5 teams average 2. (obviously, these teams were not the Cheesy Poofs)

If someone posts a video of them scoring 8 tubes in 2 minutes with a robot in the way, I'll bite. Maybe it will happen, but I see it in a "254 vs. two toasterbots and a broken robot" deal as opposed to "254 does it every match."

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Ian Curtis

I didn't build a robot this year, and I hear Cory McBride builds good robots... so maybe I will. I'd be neat to see for sure. But I've had a pit full of teams tell me they could hurdle 4 times in a match reliably... and looked at scouting data 48 hours later to see that only 5 teams average 2. (obviously, these teams were not the Cheesy Poofs)

If someone posts a video of them scoring 8 tubes in 2 minutes with a robot in the way, I'll bite. Maybe it will happen, but I see it in a "254 vs. two toasterbots and a broken robot" deal as opposed to "254 does it every match."

Certainly nobody will average 8 tubes per match, but I don't think it will be that uncommon to see a single robot score 8.

[s_forbes]

Originally Posted by Swampdude

Wow, I'm really surprised at the poll results. I think floor loading is great, but I guess the risks of defense (tube blocking), mechanism complexity, and putting a delicate mechanism out in the bumper zone didn't bother anyone.... Plus a human load will be placed specifically vs. grabbing a tube from the field under duress. I figured maybe 60-70%, but it looks like over 90% went with floor loading...

We went into the season thinking that floor loading was the way to go (and I still stand by that, it's something I wouldn't want to be without), but after seeing the first video you guys posted hanging a logo with your static arm, we put a lot of thought into loading at the port. We have an interesting semi-automatic loading maneuver that we're looking into as a result.

Although, if we were playing against a high scoring no-floor-loading team like you guys there is a good chance that we might drop an ubertube in your lane during auto. fyi.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by Cory

Certainly nobody will average 8 tubes per match, but I don't think it will be that uncommon to see a single robot score 8.

I have been tipped off that at least one robot did score 8+ tubes in a match in 2007, so at this point I'm probably going to end up eating the shoe on this one. Can't wait to see you guys play!

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by ttldomination

I think this depends on what you're chasing with. Rollers will do a considerable amount of less chasing that a claw might, with or without defense.

Surprisingly, this isn't strictly true.

It takes a lot more engineering than a lot of teams think / thought to load a roller claw off the floor. I suspect a lot of teams will have trouble with it, thinking it just "looked easy".

Same can be said for a pinch claw, but a pinch claw can be just as good. Pinch claws are dramatically worse than roller claws only when pieces can roll away from you. These game pieces are pretty good at staying put.

[Matt C]

Being able to load from the floor OR the human player is a must this year IMO. I mean, if I was up against an alliance with none able to pick up from the floor, my field just got half as long because our human players should start "chuckin away!". One can only hope.

[martin417]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

No, crippling. Scoring 2 or 3 tubes versus eight or more.

Prediction: No robot that cannot pick from the floor will win a week 1 regional.

If the poll results are accurate, and 90% of robots can pick up from the floor, then every alliance should have at least one bot that can do so. If your robot can hang with great speed, and floor pick up is necessary, why not have an alliance partner pick them up and hand them to you? (and I dispute your prediction)

[MrForbes]

Good point, Martin. It's so important that most teams made a robot that can do it, but 179 figured this out and made one that could not, because they knew they wouldn't have to.

[Tytus Gerrish]

this is interesting. not even %5 are incapable of picking up tubes. I was expecting a majority

[Chris is me]

If the 84" rule remained the 60" rule we would not have floor loaded.

[MagiChau]

the GDC was fully intending to have the 84" rule since the mistake in the first place was a typo, was it not?

Floor loading I think will be critical to this year's game as one major strategy for racking up points. If your team can floor-load effectively and avoid/push defense then travel time can be cut by half with the presence of human players with an adept ability for throwing the tubes precisely and consistently. Safe zones are not much of a haven if you cannot enter them or exit them without losing time due to defense. Overall I think this is a matter of compatibility with strategies and abilities of yours and the other alliances to see what way of obtaining tubes is best, floor-loading is one game plan out of the pile.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Tytus Gerrish

this is interesting. not even %5 are incapable of picking up tubes. I was expecting a majority

I think alot of those teams should restate their answer as they INTEND to pick up from the floor not that they CAN. Or at least not do it well with consistency.

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

I think alot of those teams should restate their answer as they INTEND to pick up from the floor not that they CAN. Or at least not do it well with consistency.

Sounds like "pit scouting" to me... Where people tell you what their robot was built to do, instead of what it can actually do...

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by pfreivald

Sounds like "pit scouting" to me... Where people tell you what their robot was built to do, instead of what it can actually do...

That's what I thought when I saw the poll.
I can't stand pit scouting.
I mean for all you know your talking to an animator who never even picked up a wrench all season! Of course he's gonna say their robot can do everything. Nobody ever admits their own robot stinks.

[Alex Cormier]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

That's what I thought when I saw the poll.
I can't stand pit scouting.
I mean for all you know your talking to an animator who never even picked up a wrench all season! Of course he's gonna say their robot can do everything. Nobody ever admits their own robot stinks.

That's why you send someone who knows a lot and doesn't need to ask any questions to learn about the robot. All you need to use is your eyes, not your voice and you can learn a lot about a robot.