Bad Robots

[evanperryg]

Originally Posted by wesbass23

Biggest advice I can give is to not try and do too much in your first year. Too many teams (veterans included) try and do too many things and end up not being able to do any one thing well. Focus on getting a strong working drivetrain If you go with a basic tank drive (also my recommendation), use at least 4 cims). Many teams are looked over in alliance selection if they have a poor drivetrain even if they have functioning other parts of their robot.

All of this is very true. My team has made better robots in our last two years than we have ever made before, and it is because we have done specific things very well. In 2013, we focused on getting a really consistent shot. We did it, and ended up with our first regional win ever(albeit as a second pick defensive bot). One of the first things we look at is drivetrains. In fact, it is a deciding factor in who even gets on our pick list and who doesn't. Very, VERY few weak drivetrains ever make it onto our picklists. A good, powerful tank drivetrain means that even if your bot isn't the best at playing offense, you may get picked for your strong defensive capabilities. Look at 5125 at midwest regional. Their entire robot was a simple kitbot drivetrain. However, it was done so well it could push almost every robot at the event. Even through there were still collecting and scoring robots still available, they were the first alliance's second pick and ended up winning the regional.

To answer OP's questions, it really does vary based on what regional you attend. There are some locations where most teams have great resources and can make great robots. Other locations may not have as many resources, possibly caused by a lack of students, mentorship, or sponsorship.

[Akolbi]

I DEFINITELY agree with hedgehog on the failure aspect. One of the things he didn't mention was the the main feature of our robot, namely a large shield, was actually making the best out of a bad situation. we had meant to make the robot climb the pyramid (the endgame last year) and get 30 points. after we failed at doing that, we decided to build a shield, making use of the existing mechanisms. It worked for us. (it also made a stylish way to show off our tshirt)

also, a corollary to failing, everything will break. We literally had no system on the robot NOT break by the end of last year, the omniwheels even fell apart, and the kit wheels are BALD (to the point where i'm surprised the DMV didn't say anything )

Good luck next year, I hope you do well! You're already thinking like a veteran. just be prepared to work some late nights, and NEVER lose hope in yourself, your robot, and most importantly, your team!

[techtiger1]

Congrats you have experienced the great divide.