Scoring system for 2004?

[Jim Zondag]

The best scoring system is for 2 minute robotics games is the "Winning Bonus" system. We have been using this system in the Michigan OCCRA Robotics League for the past 3 years and it is much better than any scoring system FIRST has ever used.
In the winning bonus system, you get a fixed point bonus plus your score if you win..you just get your score if you lose. We scale the bonus value to be approximately what we expect the winning score to be in an average match. This gives you about a 2x score if you win. We like low scoring games (easier for the audience), our games usually have a max possible score of 30-50 points. Last year we gave a 10 point winning bonus. The beauty of this system is it encourages both offense and defense. If you win 1-0 you still get a half decent score. If you lose 30-35, you get a good score even though you lost. Basically, the better you are, the less winning matters because you can "outscore the system".
FIRSTs systems put too much emphasis on scoring, but make defense too easy. Our way is better.