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

[ldsedam]

This year isn't like 2016 where at least one bonus ranking points is easy to get every match. One team is not going to be able to get the ranking point for kPa or for gears alone. In eliminations, the top seeds are going to be picking the robots that can help them finish the gears to get the 100 point bonus and finish the boiler to get the 20 point bonus.

[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by LogicParadox

Would you say a static gear manipulation system and a climber be better then an active gear manipulation system with a climber?

Would you say an active gear manipulation system is better than having a climber with a static gear manipulation system?

Speaking from both sides of alliance selection... It does not matter at all what type of mechanism you build. It only matters how effectively you can execute it.

To answer the initial question: a strong scoring ability for a 1st round pick (1 auto GEAR, 4-6 teleop GEARs or equivalent FUEL) and a reliable climber. For second round picks: a smart drive team that can play strong defense without drawing fouls (harder than it sounds) with the ability to score at least 1x gear in Auto or Teleop and climb. Paramount to both picks will be the ability to navigate a heavily FUEL-contaminated field.

Side note: given bumper rules, FUEL and GEAR contamination of the field is going to be a serious consideration.

[Donut]

Originally Posted by ldsedam

One team is not going to be able to get the ranking point for kPa or for gears alone.

I don't think it's unreasonable for some of the high level teams to get the kPa ranking point alone, and judging from the bonus point difference in elims between gears and kPa the GDC thinks it will happen also. A dedicated low goal bot could accomplish the 40 points needed in 4 cycles utilizing two hopper dumps with floor pickup and two big runs to the human player with some floor pickup on the way.

Gears are a different story, the distance across the field alone makes it impossible for a team to do all 12 gears. Even an elite team is going to have trouble doing more than 6 in teleop once defense is present.

I think for most events the #1 or #2 alliance might be looking for just a hanging bot for defense since they can get close to the 12 gears with two robots. For any lower seeded alliances having all three robots capable of contributing at least one or two gears each will be crucial to get the 100 point bonus in hopes of upsetting the top teams. It will be interesting to see how it plays out, for events without elite gear runners the 3 - 6 seeds might have the easiest path to winning the event if they can assemble a team that can do 5-4-3 gears as a group versus the top alliances that can do 6-5 between the first two picks but a shaky 1 gear with the last pick.

[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.

[nardavin]

Originally Posted by ldsedam

This year isn't like 2016 where at least one bonus ranking points is easy to get every match. One team is not going to be able to get the ranking point for kPa or for gears alone. In eliminations, the top seeds are going to be picking the robots that can help them finish the gears to get the 100 point bonus and finish the boiler to get the 20 point bonus.

Agreed. In this game, no bonus RP are guaranteed. I honestly be surprised if more than 10% of quals matches will have bonus RP awarded. Because of this, captains will want picks that will be good in their own specialty so that they can achieve the bonuses.

[Eric Scheuing]

IMO top seeded teams this year will be looking for alliance partners who can effectively complete whatever tasks they can't do reliably themselves. I expect we'll see a shift in what those tasks are as we get further into the season, but the trend will be there.

[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.

[XaulZan11]

Many of these responses are highly dependent on your specific event(s). At some events, the top teams will just be looking at robots that can drive effectively while others will be looking for pretty solid scorers.

[Tom Bottiglieri]

If you are aiming to build a role playing robot (pure gears/balls/hang), make sure to build a reliable, strong drivebase as you will probably be required to play defense! No mecanum!

[Cothron Theiss]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

Many of these responses are highly dependent on your specific event(s). At some events, the top teams will just be looking at robots that can drive effectively while others will be looking for pretty solid scorers.

+10000000

People from different events with completely different levels of play debating over how successful a certain hypothetical robot would be at a hypothetical event is amusing. I think Chris is Men's input about strategically analyzing what nets points and what seeds high is the best thing to go by.