Problem's with 2015…

[Loose Screw]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

So we should ignore a portion of the system just because it exists in both systems we're comparing?

It's not a valid comparison if we do that because the negative point teams have drastically different results on the point floor.

Last year a solo bot could ignore their partners completely and put up X points. There was very little the NP teams could do to interfere with this unless they were being outright in the way. Yes, an alliance could put up drastically more points but the point floor was almost always the best team running solo cycles.

This year the solo bot can ignore their partners completely and put up X points but just by driving the NP teams can drastically alter scores by knocking over stacks. Meaning the point floor is exactly 0.

The teams are present but, due to the game design (crowded field, easily de-scored game pieces), they have a much more pronounced impact on point floors.

I agree with you now. Last year "toasters" could still "help" by playing defense. This year, however, they can't really do anything. I hope that we will see less of these as the season progresses. I would still like to think that it's similar to last year in the aspect that powerhouse teams would want to help these teams to raise scores, but there's a problem with that: powerhouse teams don't need to rely on their alliances like last year. Why help out a team that needs a lot of time and focus when you could just increase your robot's scoring potential? There is no competitive edge to helping these teams rather than your own. That is a problem with this game.