Lessons learned for Week 2 Regionals?

[Karthik]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

Care to share the number of times you've picked nice guys over nice robot performance?

Teams who showcase individual strategies/features at the expense of their alliance's success always plummet down our pick list. In fact certain teams who have consistently done this year after year are no longer even considered for our pick list.

There's two angles to the scenario that's being discussed. Say Team A has a sketchy 3 tube auto mode, while Team B has a rock solid 1 tube mode. I would be very disappointed if Team A ran their three tube mode, as they're giving away the points that would be earned by Team B. Consider the second scenario, where Team A has an amazing and consistent 3 tube auto mode, while Team B has a sketchy 1 tube mode. This time I'd be annoyed if Team B ended up running their mode, costing the alliance the points that would be earned by Team A.

What a team does during in a match is clearly their own choice. If a team wants to showcase their own robot at the expense of their alliance, that's their own decision. Do I agree with it? No. I don't think it's gracious to sacrifice your partners' success at the expense of your own. But I also understand the motivations behind it.

On a related note, how is a team who decides to showcase their own robot at the expense of their alliance, any different than a team who throws a match for their own benefit? Many teams encourage the first type of behaviour, while vilifying the second. In my opinion, they're both examples of the same thing; a team putting their own goals and benefits ahead of their alliance partners.