Alliance Selection Strategy

[EricH]

Originally Posted by themccannman

Scouting, if you guys don't already have a scouting system set up I would just use OPR data to select teams.

I would start by throwing OPR into the nearest trash can. Skipping over the whole "setting up a scouting system" aspect, which should definitely be done at some point, here is what I would do:

1) Figure out what strategy will get you farthest in eliminations.
2) Compile a list of teams that have things you don't that will fit with the strategy (floor pickup, 30-point climb, full-court shot, etc.). You may need two or three lists, one for each feature.
3) Make sure you have a total of 24 teams at least; not all of them have to be in one category.
4) Consult your first pick as to preferred strategy/good second picks.

But before picking... Talk to some of the potential partners and see what would happen.

[2789_B_Garcia]

Originally Posted by EricH

I would start by throwing OPR into the nearest trash can.

He's absolutely right. OPR is calculated with alliance stats in a match and the data can be very misleading about individual robots. Some people argue that the law of averages ultimately sets everything straight, but as the mentor of a predominantly defense-oriented team, I can tell you outright that it doesn't give you an accurate picture of individual robots, and it most certainly doesn't factor in the idea that this game is played with a three team alliance, and if all robots do the same thing, the alliance could easily lose to another alliance with lesser robots that are better organized around a more cohesive strategy.

Ideally, I would consider one offensive robot that plays the game differently from my robot and a good defensive robot...not an ok offensive robot that is put to play defense. One of the best parts of being a lower end picking seed is that you can basically get a decent offensive robot as your first pick and then choose the best defensive robot, but few low-end seeds actually do that.

As far as scouting goes, we keep a pretty extensive database on each robot at a regional and rank them based on their own individual merits. We didn't come up with this method on our own, though...we've asked for/stolen ideas on how to scout from the best teams we've been partnered with. One of the best parts about FIRST is the idea of coopertition (even though it doesn't always play out that way when it's been worked into the actual game), so if anything else, go up to an older, more established team and ask them to share scouting data and tips on how they've scouted the teams at Bayou. I can tell you firsthand that 118's scouting system is very visual, simple to understand and very powerful and informative.