Poll: Views on the 6 Week Build Season

[BBray_T1296]

Originally Posted by HP42S

Apologies in advance since I've never done FRC before, this could be an obvious question that everyone but me knows the answer to. I see lots of pictures and threads about people building their new drive base and what not during the off-season but how can they know what to build before the January game release? What if you're a rookie team and don't have a KOP from last season? Are you at a disadvantage before you even start?
Maybe it's better to start an unofficial team in the off-season and just buy the same stuff as the previous season KOP then you'd have some experience pre-kickoff plus you could, well, pre-build your drive base like all the other teams seem to do! Or does the game vary enough to force a chassis design change at kickoff? My observation is the same basic drive base seems to have been in the KOP for a few years.

Probably just proven I have no clue....

Teams design and prototype systems (usually drivetrain) because it is a pretty sure shot that we will be allowed to have a drivetrain next year (dont even get me started about a water game ). They make sure their designs will actually work and improve them before kickoff. As per the rules (2013 4.1.4 R16)

ROBOT elements, including software, that are designed or created before Kickoff are not permitted, unless they are publicly available prior to Kickoff.

So, teams publish their CAD and designs to Chief Delphi for community feedback (Co-opertition) and to legally allow them to build it next season.

Teams have to build another "ROBOT element" after kickoff, but it can be identical to the prior design.
It is (for all intents and purposes) impossible for teams to guess next year's game, and it would be foolish for anyone to build a game specific component before knowing definitively what the game will be. Systems such as drivetrains, however, are in the game every year (don't mention it! ), so work on improving them is certainly useful.
If you watched the Championships last year, you may notice the number of high seeding teams with only slightly modified KOP drivetrains. That should be a clear indication that even without a fancy, custom made set of wheels, teams are not necessarily at a disadvantage.