Aerial Assist and Ill Will

[WaterClaw]

Originally Posted by indubitably

This thread seems to be less about ill intent and more about how this year's game may create dissatisfaction with some teams. There seems to be some worry that all non-elite bots will be cast aside if they are on an alliance with an elite bot since there is only one game piece per alliance.

While I understand how this concern exists, I would be shocked if this became a common occurrence.

Be shocked. Be very shocked if you're saying this mentality is even somewhat unheard of.

Assist points are the first tiebreaker, so elite teams are going to, at very least, attempt to implement strategies that heavily favor assist scoring, especially if they feel the opposing alliance has a lower scoring capability.

Also, I have considered a great amount of robot combinations for this game and have yet to come up with one where even one bot would not have significant strategic impact. Even if a bot is playing defense, the zones they stay in, the bots they choose to defend, and the situations in which they may need to interact with the ball all affect what each alliance member needs to do to efficiently contribute.

As much as "elite bots" will not have as much actual advantage, the mentality will be most unfortunately prevalent. The lasting myth-turned-self-fulfilling-prophecy that veterans will have more of an advantage with more sponsors and better parts and designs. Naturally veteran teams will be affected by overall alliance performance; however when scouting, scouts will have to record subtleties in driver technique and experience.

I think the format of the game this year will allow for more teams to take the spotlight as people will be following the game pieces as opposed to particularly impressive bots. A strong defensive play will be more visible and a smooth assist will be highly regarded.

I would disagree only because failures will be even more obvious with the center of attention on only two elements. Spotlights will be more negative in nature unfortunately than anything. Exceptional performance will be considered the norm and time will be critical.

[Jared Russell]

Football teams have a designated running back. Not everyone carries the ball for touchdowns. The same thing applies in other sports (soccer, basketball, etc.), and in Aerial Assault.

What I find very interesting is that the last time the NFL regular season rushing leader won the Superbowl was 15 years ago. Football is a team sport, and line play and special teams that never make it to SportsCenter decide more games than running backs.

This is the most team-oriented game FIRST has given us in the three-robot alliance era. Each robot must contribute to maximize the score. And the scoring system spells this out explicitly.

Assists are worth more than goals. Goals involve acquiring and depositing a ball into one of several very large, stationary openings. Assists require acquiring and relinquishing a ball to/from another teammate that is moving and may have vastly different ball possession capabilities than your own machine.

Which is a more difficult task to perform quickly and reliably?

How many scorers will make the playoffs? How many assisters?

What is the first tiebreaker?

If you are partnered with a robot that has an amazing scoring function, recognize that just because you don't get to use a mechanism in a given match doesn't mean that you aren't contributing to the alliance. The smart alliance captains will see you and reward your play. (And having a backup shooter for passing or in case of an emergency is never a bad thing).

And lastly, a prediction. I think some top-level teams will recognize that the math doesn't add up the same way it does in other shooting games. I predict that in 2014, you will see teams who have captained alliances on Einstein in the past forgo 10-point shooters in order to excel at other roles.

[ChrisH]

I remember from years ago a very capable team who would start strategy discussions with a simple question....

"What do you want to do to help our alliance?"

The question and tone were sincere and a serious effort was made to accommodate the "needs" of all teams on the alliance, including a shot at "showing off".

At the time I was impressed by the simple courtesy of their actions in encouraging the other teams to get what they wanted out of a match out on the table first thing.

They had a really weird name


The Cheesy Poofs

[Michael Corsetto]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

I remember from years ago a very capable team who would start strategy discussions with a simple question....

"What do you want to do to help our alliance?"

The question and tone were sincere and a serious effort was made to accommodate the "needs" of all teams on the alliance, including a shot at "showing off".

At the time I was impressed by the simple courtesy of their actions in encouraging the other teams to get what they wanted out of a match out on the table first thing.

They had a really weird name


The Cheesy Poofs

I like this question. Thanks for sharing. Will definitely try to incorporate this into our approach to strategy discussions.

[Blackphantom91]

Originally Posted by Jared341

I predict that in 2014, you will see teams who have captained alliances on Einstein in the past forgo 10-point shooters in order to excel at other roles.

I don't understand, an all assisting alliance or picking nitches instead?