[MCC] Minimum Competitive Concept 2012

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by IKE

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Ike, how would this robot seed high? It would be (at best) middle-of-the-pack when it came to autonomous score, thus not be near the top of the rank of robots with identical coopertition/win points. There are several instances where teams had 'lucky' schedules this year, yet when making design decisions in Build Week 1 a team doesn't know that schedule. So I think that this robot would compete and be luckily competitive rather than competitive no matter what.

[IKE]

Originally Posted by JesseK

Ike, how would this robot seed high? ....

I can show you several with this basic strategy that seeded quite high. Focusing effort on a low effort high return scoring element like balancing tended to have higher average scoring capability than running around picking up balls and randomly throwing them at the back board. This gets you above average wins which will/should get you well into the top 20 of a 40 team event. Teams that put extra focus on the Co-Op this year were more successful with the Co-Op plain and simple. Many teams early in the season waited until the last 20 seconds to Co-Op and failed. Many good teams in Michigan gave it a full 60 to 45 seconds, and had a dramatically higher success ratio. This was true of later events elsewhere. By not having the distraction of doing anything with the balls, it this concept will get very good at the things it does well.
Yes, you will have a lower than average HP score which is the second criteria, but you will have above average Wins, and well above average Co-Op points.

The key to this strategy is the assumption that others will not follow Simbots Golden Rule #2. That one says basically it is better to be really good at 3 things than it is to be mediocre or worse at 5 or 6 things.
The other key to this strategy is that allow you will "finish" early, you will use the extra time to develop your drivers. Most teams give their drivers less than an hour or two of drive time before their first competition. Many have never driven the robot as it is still being put together and code being added. If your drivers have an extra week of driving and concentrated practice, they will be better than half the field.

In theory if a high enough percentage of teams listen to this advice, then it would no longer become good advice and teams would need to add features. It has been my experience that many teams will appluad the concept of MCC. Give it as advice to others, and then do the opposite (my own team included on most occasions). Some will do better with a more complicated concept. Most will not.