Underrated

[BionicAlumni]

Now that most of the regionals are over, and everyone has had a chance to take a look at a lot of different robots. Lets compare notes and see everyones most underrated robots.

I have been to AZ, and watched MWR and some of SVR on webcast so here are mine.

Underrated:
469: From what I have watched these guys have done a GREAT job. They are one of the best herders I have scene so far(other than the t-kats and killer bees). They have also had great bots for the last 3 years that I have been following them, yet no one is really talking about them.

980: This team has performed very well at both regionals they went too. They do everything the Kingman/poofs robot can do and IMO are better at somethings than that bot. Once again no buzz about them, they are my darkhorse for nats.

edit:thanks kokoed.

[Koko Ed]

This is not a good idea. Especially during competition season and the incredible risk of infuriating teams that you may be counting on as an alliance partner or to select you for the tournament.
FIRST is as much a political process as it is a robotics competition.
Remember: In FIRST you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you and your associates in the court of public opinion.

[BionicAlumni]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

This is not a good idea. Especially during competition season and the incredible risk of infuriating teams that you may be counting on as an alliance partner or to select you for the tournament.
FIRST is as much a political process as it is a robotics competition.
Remember: In FIRST you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you and your associates in the court of public opinion.

Sorry about that, I don't mean to stir anything up and I see where you are coming from. Thanks I have edited this to most underrated only.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by BionicAlumni

Sorry about that, I don't mean to stir anything up and I see where you are coming from. Thanks I have edited this to most underrated only.

You corrected your mistake and that says alot. Thank you.
I know you are just trying to create a valid discussion but it's not quite that same as if you have a football or basketball team. If you make bullitin board material then you have to back it up on the field where as in FIRST the consequences can be very very severe so you have to be very careful what you say and how you say things to other teams in FIRST because of the alliance system they use.

[JVN]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

You corrected your mistake and that says alot. Thank you.
I know you are just trying to create a valid discussion but it's not quite that same as if you have a football or basketball team. If you make bullitin board material then you have to back it up on the field where as in FIRST the consequences can be very very severe so you have to be very careful what you say and how you say things to other teams in FIRST because of the alliance system they use.

Not to mention the HUGE amount of work everyone puts into these machines. No one wants to come on a public forum, and see themselves being badmouthed.

I agree, your editting showed a lot of maturity.

Underrated:
126, 571, 173, 177 (and others I'm no doubt forgetting) - No one is really talking about these incredible offensive machines from New England, but you probably should be.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by JVN

Not to mention the HUGE amount of work everyone puts into these machines. No one wants to come on a public forum, and see themselves being badmouthed.

I agree, your editting showed a lot of maturity.

Underrated:
126, 571, 173, 177 (and others I'm no doubt forgetting) - No one is really talking about these incredible offensive machines from New England, but you probably should be.

No one is talking about Rage? What's up with that?

[Tom Bottiglieri]

i liked rage this year. They werent doing too hot at NJ, but when they got their hanging bugs out for UTC, they rocked. Also, they were one of the few teams whose auto mode consistently got the 10 pt ball.

[Lil' Lavery]

Some of the underrated teams from VCU and chesepeake:
VCU:
388, 116(well we were), 122, 53
Chesepeake:
165, 836, 1391

[Jones571]

177- can we just say WOW after they took off that really heavy arm they rocked at philly goood...no great ball bot and they deliver them really well.

126- What dont they do? they hurd well control a 2x with out ne troble and to top all this off they hang really quick and effectivly.

173- ond of the few autonomous programs to work all NJ and all UTC every time i belive they also collect small balls with a familiar looking basket design and you have to love there hanging arm which also is a goal grabber.

[Koko Ed]

Bots from Buckeye that aren't getting the attention they deserve.

Undefeated regional champ Roxanne from team 340 GRR robotics.
If you go undeated in a 60 team regional you ought to be getting more love here than just kudos from your alliance partners.

Team 279 Techfusion's amazing bot doesn't seem to be mentioned much around here. Definately the coolest bot I saw this year.

Team 378 the Circut Stompers. An underrated team in general that no one seems to have much to say about but they are a very good team that are always in the thick of things. Don't sleep on them.

[raginwitdariz]

I would like to recognize 571, they do a spectacular job maneuvering around the field and coralling those 5pt balls. They did the same thing time and time again, and were extremely hard to stop! They also were able to cap often and well, as other teams would leave to hang. Great Job Team Paragon(571)!
Also, team 126 did a great job in all aspects of the game. They quickly gathered balls, could get the big ball, and then be able to hang from the next to the platform, from the ground. They effeciently ranked up high points quite often.

[Matt Adams]

I'm gonna give a shout out at team 292. While they're certainly not "underrated" (since they made the number one seed... they actually made the number one seed at the Midwest Regional, which maybe makes this slightly off-topic!?) I guess the thing that really impressed me, you can take a look at their robot, and it's very functionally based. There's no parts that have 55 hours of CNC time on them, and you might at first glance sort of consider them a run of the mill sort of robot and expect run of the mill performance.

However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Their drivers and coaching is absolutely top notch, and this has made the difference in every match they've won. It's a straightforward, consistant design with an outstanding drive team which is really impressive.

Matt

[Lisa Rodriguez]

Originally Posted by Koko ED

No one is talking about Rage? What's up with that?

i know!!! lol, jk

My List:
571-I'm not just saying this cuz i'm friend with them. They have an awesome bot, does everything they want it to, and very WELL. They have a good, experienced drive team and know how to play.

126-I personally have not seen much talk about them, they have a great bot that does everything well, and quickly, which is what you need

195-very good bot, knows what they're doing....plus i have yet to see them break........

157-I really like them, they have a really good design for getting up the steps and hanging, works every time i've seen them try

that's about all i can think of for now

[David Kelly]

Originally Posted by BionicAlumni

Underrated:
469: From what I have watched these guys have done a GREAT job. They are one of the best herders I have scene so far(other than the t-kats and killer bees). They have also had great bots for the last 3 years that I have been following them, yet no one is really talking about them.

469, awesome team. One stat that may go unrecognized is that they have won every single IRI in its existance. That's 4 years in a row! Hope to see you guys back out to Indy for the 2004 IRI in July!

[Eric Bareiss]

980 - After only three years they are already a dominant force in the west

968 - Same deal as 980, even as rookies they performed like veterans.

857 - Wow, they have pretty robots. Like a swiss watch they are.

812 - The first San Diego team, they are doing some amazing things over there.