What are the most desirable attributes top seed teams are looking for in a robot?

[Edxu]

Second pick tier:

Consistent climb every match.
Contribute >2 gears while not impairing the rest of the alliance's scoring cycles.
Playing smart defense during downtime (eg alliance partner is loading).

First pick tier:

Contribute >40 high goals
4 gears at least, more is a bonus
Consistent climb every match
Robot in general is very consistent, with no unexplained breakdowns during a match (eg forgetting to turn the robot on is an explained breakdown)

[Weinberger]

Generally this question has a similar answer from season to season: see Karthik's strategy tutorial as referenced in an earlier post at this thread.

Go for something simple that can complete a task CONSISTENTLY each and every match; the top seed teams will be scouting you for certain. Preferably the robot can do this during autonomous just as well as during teleop. Also, endgame capabilities are usually a must have from season to season.

Specifically, for SteamWorks... well it's still up in the air(ship) as to what specifics will be required from a 2nd or 3rd alliance member, but.... I encourage you to KISS (keep it simple, stupid) and best of luck!

[Dale]

I'll bet a lot of alliances that include a efficient high goal shooter would be interested in a fuel delivery robot as 2nd pick whose job, along with climbing and maybe delivering a gear, was to shuttle back and forth delivering fuel to a high goal shooter parked at the boiler.

The idea is to have it deliver balls at the same height as the side bins. It would be a good skill set for a team with limited resources.

[Chris is me]

A good general case way to figure this out:

1. Strategically analyze which parts of the game maximize score.
2. Strategically analyze which parts of the game maximize odds of seeding high.
3. Compare the list, and figure out which components in 1 are less emphasized in 2.

There you have it, you now have things to focus on if your ultimate goal isn't to be the captain.

But also, don't be a jack of all trades. Captains rarely look for a robot that can do any task at an average level. They often want to maximize effectiveness in the particular area that you are best at. Have a thing you are good at.

[Zebra_Fact_Man]

Originally Posted by Edxu

Contribute >40 high goals
4 gears at least, more is a bonus

This will not happen. Good robots will do one or the other.
Not saying no one will be capable of doing both, but robots in match will not strategize to perform both functions.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Zebra_Fact_Man

This will not happen. Good robots will do one or the other.
Not saying no one will be capable of doing both, but robots in match will not strategize to perform both functions.

40 high goals is 2/3rds of the combination of a starting load and one hopper-half. Four gears is three trips across the field plus a starting load. This is a pretty reasonable combination of things to expect from a robot at levels of play where all 3 robots on an alliance score effectively. Four gears per robot is one way to get to 12, and then do some balls on top of that. Not saying it'll be common.

[Zebra_Fact_Man]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

40 high goals is 2/3rds of the combination of a starting load and one hopper-half. Four gears is three trips across the field plus a starting load. This is a pretty reasonable combination of things to expect from a robot at levels of play where all 3 robots on an alliance score effectively. Four gears per robot is one way to get to 12, and then do some balls on top of that. Not saying it'll be common.

I agree that it is very accomplishable within the time limit, I just don't think that many (if any) teams will make the function switch halfway through a match (or 30 seconds in or whatever), so listing that as a 1st pick requirement seems pretty non-typical.