On the quality and complexity of software within FRC

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Monochron

The big difference cor 2014 was that unscored auto balls could NOT have ASSIST points applied to them which was the primary means of scoring that year. So if you missed an auto shot (or 3) you then needed to clear those balls before you could start scoring points in the range that your opponents could. You lost valuable cycle time to playing cleanup for a relatively meager amount of points.

Before the season, that's what I expected. The actuality was that most of our matches seemed to devolve into one robot on offense and two on defense on both sides; no assist points, and few truss shots. It was really disappointing seeing how poor many teams' ball pickups were.

I only recall one time where we had to chase a wayward auto ball for more than a few seconds. Our pickup roller was somehow still in the track of our launcher; it started upright to be within the frame perimeter. The ball went backwards (not quite a reverse truss shot). If it had happened in teleop, the effect would have been the same.

I guess if you had a low percentage auto, it was not worth loading them at all in 2014, or stuffing them in the low goal. If you were much over 60%, the risk was more than justified. And even a box on wheels should be able to a score a low goal auto pretty consistently.

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

In Rebound Rumble during auto, you could: ..
Feed a partner balls

OK, I missed that. I don't remember passing balls between robots being illegal, but I don't recall it ever happening, either. Or is this something else?

Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard

Also, in 2012 if you missed, you could score those balls from the key during teleop, where opponents couldn't defend you, where in 2014 you got rammed if you tried to pick up your misses.

This was a difference in teleop, not auto. The key was protected whether the balls you were carrying had been preloaded in the robot (or if you didn't have any balls). In both games a loose ball was a loose ball, whether it was initially loaded in the robot; in RR it was available but not a liability, and in AA you couldn't get another ball until you scored it. The "opportunity cost" of missing a shot was usually the same whether the shot was taken in auto or teleop in both games.