Week 1 Analysis

[BBray_T1296]

This thread is to discuss things you have noticed about the game/gameplay from watching the web-streams and/or being at the event in person, specifically related to in match observations.

For me:
-Defense is very important. Even the best alliances have to chase the ball around the field due to a well timed defensive attack

-When the red ball and blue ball are unpossessed and right next to each other, there is total chaos

-Teams that spend 5 seconds gathering a ball really slow down cycle times (because defense strikes at the worst times)

-Human players carelessly (or not very carefully) depositing balls onto robots greatly hinder cycle efficiency.

-Alliances with human players inbounding a ball onto the field (not onto a robot) tend to take longer to cycle

[Jared Russell]

G40. G40 everywhere.

[Nick Lawrence]

G40 is so heavily scrutinized and weighted way too heavily. Matches are currently being decided at it.

Also, teams currently are having difficulty simply passing the ball between robots to each other. It's pretty frustrating when a team's only way to remove the ball from their robot is by shooting it.

Teams are also having difficulty with shooter accuracy. It's also incredibly frustrating when a team has 3 assists on the board at the end of the match, after trying to shoot into the 10pt goal 4 times rather than just finishing the cycle by dumping it into the 1pt goal.

-Nick

[pwnageNick]

I would pay attention to cycles and how many assists should really be awarded. It's tough to tell but it doesn't always seem that the proper assist points are being awarded However watching the webcasts is difficult so it is just something to pay attention to.

Also please make sure your human players don't mess up G40 like it has been previously stated. Stay in that box. And don't reach your hands out too far. It will kill a match for you.

-Nick

[notmattlythgoe]

The field is very crowded and the self catch over the truss is going to be very difficult.

[idahorobot]

I am seeing lots of broken parts. Robust construction will help.

[JohnSchneider]

Tons of balls being missed in auto and slowing down the entire cycling phase.

[Akolbi]

missing auton can lose a match.

[mrnoble]

There's just a ton of poor strategy showing so far; I'm guessing people will soon figure out things like G40, but it also looks like teams are trying to take shots they didn't practice, and thus losing LOTS of time, and forgetting basic stuff like you can't get a truss score with a ball left over from auto.

-High goal shots that are off target are horrible time-wasters
-kiss passes are where it's at
-don't take an auto ball unless you are able to score it
-the field is crowded; pushing power is looking better than evasion

[Rangel]

It seems like foul points are the deciding factor of nearly every single match I'm watching. Perhaps add another space between the safety zone and the human player area so fouls occur less?

[bduddy]

Considering the amount of time many alliances are taking to line up, shoot, then chase the ball, I'm not sure Truss points are worth it unless you have a reliable catcher.

[Thad House]

I'm seeing the penalties and missed auton balls are the killer this year. And having a good intake and driver practice is very important.

[Caleb Sykes]

I find it funny that the present "safety zone" rules were put in place to help limit the penalties. It seems to me that its effect has only (so far) been to increase the number of penalties. I really hope that this will change as the HPs become more aware of their bodies, and aware of how badly they are hurting their alliance.

[Jon Stratis]

It was added to reduce robot penalties. Human players are a whole other story, and any time we have human players introducing game objects right up to the field we have penalties for it. It hasn't been much in the past few years due to the restriction on entry - discs had slots, and if the cover was on the ray leading to the slot it was practically impossible to get a penalty; basketballs had the long slot, and teams most often were throwing the ball hard through it, which meant their hands didn't come that close to the opening; Tubes were mostly thrown over the top, and not passed through the slot. This year is vastly different, as there's only the low railing separating the human players from the robots.

[Wayne TenBrink]

On the scoreboard, there is a number adjacent to the team number. What does it represent? Seems too high to be total assists.

Edit: It appears to be the current ranking.