Aerial Assist and Ill Will

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by Whippet

I don't really like this statement, but it is really true in a sad way. Although really no team thinks they "should" build a box on wheels, many lack the resources to build anything else that is effective. Coming from one of those teams, it really hurts to know that whatever we build may not be allowed to compete simply because we would be better off using our robot as a rolling brick. However, that is the reality of the game, a game in which it is too risky to let the less privileged teams hold the ball.

Make sure your drivetrain is nails and that your drivers know how to drive it. Defense will be big this year; and like I said, even boxes on wheels can help an alliance gain mucho points just by being able to push a ball in a direction--and they can score it in the lower goal.

That way, if your upper mechanical systems are all utter, catastrophic failures, you can still be a solid addition to an alliance.

(This advice goes for every year of FIRST I've ever seen, by the way. Drivetrain first; then everything else.)