Would you like End Game back?

[Anupam Goli]

I've always felt that the endgames that don't have anything to do with the main intended objective of the game shouldn't have a place on the field. (2009 is the latest year that I remember had an end game with an objective similar to the regular teleop period). having no end game in 2014 was kind of a breath of fresh air. It created some intense matches that went down to the wire, and there was no clear winner until the end.

I also think FIRST hasn't been able to nail a good end game down properly. 2012 had the best end game in elims, but other than that, they were either undervalued or overvalued. In 2013, you could potentially score more disc points with a simple 10 pt buzzer beater hang and hurling frisbees all match instead of climbing for the 30. In 2011, the minibots were way overvalued, and guaranteed that whoever had a faster trigger finger would win the match, even if they didn't fill the rack up. In 2010, not many teams attempted climbs because on the onset it was only worth as much as 1-2 goals. And in 2009, trading an empty cell for a supercell almost never happened since there wasn't enough time to put the supercell back into play and score.

Maybe if FIRST can come up with a good endgame that is somewhat related to the game played in teleop, and is pretty balanced for the effort it takes, then it would be a good reintroduction of the endgame.