Defensive Strategies

[Goldeye]

So, what ideas do people have for defense?
There's the obvious stuff; stay in front of the corner goals for ground shooters, and for center goal shooters, try to bump em off as best you can.
What else?

[Rick TYler]

Build an incredibly aggressive ball-sucker. Depriving the other team of balls is a good way to decrease their scoring. Use your ball-sucking skills to hand balls over to the best shooter on your alliance either by dropping one or two balls in front of their collection mechanism, or by gently poofing them into an open-top hopper. Sometime in the 4th period dump all your balls into the low goal for a little 15-25 point pop.

You could also try running up the ramp at high-speed, flying through the air to smash into the plexi in front of the opponent's driving station, distracting them and perhaps causing them loss of bladder control. Your robot may only be able to do this once, so pick your time wisely.

[Buster Wolf]

Originally Posted by Goldeye

So, what ideas do people have for defense?
There's the obvious stuff; stay in front of the corner goals for ground shooters, and for center goal shooters, try to bump em off as best you can.
What else?

you could hook on to another robot and drag them, though im not sure if that would count as a pin or a disableable offense. there is also ramming and annoying LOUD NOISES to scramble the brains of your opponents.
but seriosly, try to interfear with the main objectives of the opposing bot as muc as possable. if you were uber GODly masters of programming sensing and the force you could try to shoot the opponents balls in mid-air (have fun with that).
you mainly have the basics though. try to see it as what would be to most irksom thing that could happen to you when you are playing offense.

remember land mines are defensive weapons.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Buster Wolf

you could hook on to another robot and drag them, though im not sure if that would count as a pin or a disableable offense.

You'd probably get an entanglement call, and its associated penalty or penalties. (Don't have a copy of the rules handy, so can't check just whate the penalties are. I think there was something about disabling.) Unless the head ref was really feeling gracious, that is.

[Shu Song]

The best defence has gotta be just continuous ramming another robot so they don't get an opportunity to shoot. Since this isn't basketball where a defence-man can't touch someone who's in the process of shooting, this strategy would be equal to just hugging the player with the ball all the time so they can't shoot or pass (which isn't allowed is b-ball). So I really don't think many robots will have to specially equipped for defence.

Whats more important is defence strategy; choosing which robots to stick on, or choosing whether to play defence at all. You could just sit back and load up on all the balls your opponents score and when the period ends, got back and score all those points back.

The most interesting defence period will most likely be the last period where both teams can score and there are no backbots. There are so many strategies for that depending on bot's weakness and strengthes and the score situation.

So all in all, just ram the robot trying to shoot.

<edit>replace all instances of "ram" with "impact from short distance"</edit>

[Jon K.]

Originally Posted by Shu Song

The best defence has gotta be just continuous ramming another robot so they don't get an opportunity to shoot. Since this isn't basketball where a defence-man can't touch someone who's in the process of shooting, this strategy would be equal to just hugging the player with the ball all the time so they can't shoot or pass (which isn't allowed is b-ball). So I really don't think many robots will have to specially equipped for defence.

Whats more important is defence strategy; choosing which robots to stick on, or choosing whether to play defence at all. You could just sit back and load up on all the balls your opponents score and when the period ends, got back and score all those points back.

The most interesting defence period will most likely be the last period where both teams can score and there are no backbots. There are so many strategies for that depending on bot's weakness and strengthes and the score situation.

So all in all, just ram the robot trying to shoot.

Might I just note rule G 22 on page 7 of Section 4 The Game, where it specifically says no ramming... Granted this strategy works well when just simply stated as pushing, but just remember everyone RAMMING IS NOT ALLOWED.

[Kelvin Ng]

Originally Posted by Jon K.

Might I just note rule G 22 on page 7 of Section 4 The Game, where it specifically says no ramming... Granted this strategy works well when just simply stated as pushing, but just remember everyone RAMMING IS NOT ALLOWED.

I think Shu means ramming from short distances. Eg. accelerate from 2 feet away, ram, back off 2 feet, ram etc. The rule states no long distance ramming.

[Jon K.]

Originally Posted by Kelvin Ng

I think Shu means ramming from short distances. Eg. accelerate from 2 feet away, ram, back off 2 feet, ram etc. The rule states no long distance ramming.

That is why I put my post in the wording it is, to note that ramming is technically illegal and is stated in the rulebook as from a distance, and that a good defense does not include ramming but instead pushing.

[Henry_Mareck]

We had the idea of attaching a large CIM to a fan blade and trying to blow the ball away from their trajectory. Yeah, like thats gonna happen. We also had the "idea" of attaching all 15 available motors ( i think there are 15 ) to a fan, and just floating around the field.

[Greg Needel]

Originally Posted by Henry_Mareck

We had the idea of attaching a large CIM to a fan blade and trying to blow the ball away from their trajectory.

you know....anything is possible

[Kelvin Ng]

Originally Posted by Henry_Mareck

We had the idea of attaching a large CIM to a fan blade and trying to blow the ball away from their trajectory.

You know what, that sounds REALLY COOOL!!! perhaps...gear it to a thousand rpm, like most teams' shooter roller thingies, you could have some potential for changing the trajectory just enough. Then again, I think just making the robot mobile enough to get in front of the shooting robot should be enough. There probably won't be (m)any teams that have robots that fire from the ceilings of their robots.

BTW, if you could have a floating robot, load it up and slam dunk! =D

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Kelvin Ng

There probably won't be (m)any teams that have robots that fire from the ceilings of their robots.

Really? This is the only design we have been seriously considering.

[Taylor]

[quote=Shu Song]Whats more important is defence strategy; choosing which robots to stick on, or choosing whether to play defence at all. You could just sit back and load up on all the balls your opponents score and when the period ends, got back and score all those points back.[quote]
Keep in mind that the backbot is any robot that is behind the center line during the defensive period. This means that during any 40-second period, the backbot can switch out without penalty as long as there is at least one bot behind the center line at any given time.

[Eria4044]

Here's my idea; have your backbot harvest balls until it's full. Then switch the backbot with another alliance bot. Repeat. Then, at the beginning of offence, rush the opponents goal and chutes. Even if they block two of your robots from scoring at all, you're going to make 10-30 points (assuming your robot holds 10) right off the bat. This strategy also has the advantage of keeping balls away from your opponents (seeing as you don't even have to rotate your backbot to collect balls; it would just be easier to collect them (and guard the opponents) by rotating backbots).

[i_am_Doug]

Originally Posted by Buster Wolf

remember land mines are defensive weapons.

Where in the world will you get land mines? Beside your backyard.

But anywho, i think you have the general idea. block the two corners and blocking the shooters gonna be hard. Well you could like when he sets up to shoot you could "nudge" him off course.

~Doug