Autonomous Strategy?

[Andrew Blair]

Now that teams have mostly hashed out their strategy for this year, what do you expect to be doing during auto mode?

[Ericgehrken]

The placement of keepers this year is going to be key because these are the only game pieces that can not be spoiled. This is still going to be a critical part of the game because once placed a Keeper is scored no matter what.

[Jared Russell]

The more I do the math, the less autonomous mode seems to matter.

I made a scoring program that computer spoiler value (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/1918) and if you play with it for awhile, you'll see that only VERY rarely does a single location have a significantly higher scoring value than any other on the rack. Usually, there are 3-4 other locations that result in the same spoiled point value...you'd just go for one of those instead.

[Barry Bonzack]

The programmers of course are going to do what they can to score that keeper. I am content, however, with setting the robot up to receive a ringer and score it instead once humans take over.

[nuggetsyl]

I find it funny that soooooooooo many teams think auto is easy this year. Any robot that is fast can easily get in the way of someone trying to cap in auto.

[Doug Leppard]

Originally Posted by Abwehr

The more I do the math, the less autonomous mode seems to matter.

I made a scoring program that computer spoiler value (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/1918) and if you play with it for awhile, you'll see that only VERY rarely does a single location have a significantly higher scoring value than any other on the rack. Usually, there are 3-4 other locations that result in the same spoiled point value...you'd just go for one of those instead.

Good program. I tend to agree with you on the importance of a keeper.

But if your robot can do 5-10 rings and your auto mode can add one more to that, that increases your chances for a better ring score 10-20%. That may make the difference on many games, if all other things are equal.

We plan to do auto mode and well. Last year we usually got half the points in auto mode, this year nothing like that.

But there will also be a pride in doing it well and having the robot score during that time instead of sitting there.

What will be our secret to scoring in auto mode? Hardware guys delivering a robot at end of week 5 and giving us a week to prefect it!!!!!

[flightofone]

We're thinking of going under the lower spider, engaging (not grabbing) a rack vertical support post, and spinning the rack around like a top.

[RedHeadRobotics]

I think you'd be lucky to get one on in autonomous. Afterall, it's only 15 seconds and it is going to be hard especially if they are moving the rack 3 feet around each time.

[=Martin=Taylor=]

My strat for Auto mode?

Drive to the other side of the field (in high gear), turn right (or left) and zip back and forth to hopefully deter scorers.

After auto mode is over, the robot is already on the right side of the field to pick up tubes.

[RedHeadRobotics]

even if there is that kind of loophole in the rules, I think that the officials can the use the catch - all : in good gracious professionalism rule.

[Doug Leppard]

Originally Posted by RedHeadRobotics

I think you'd be lucky to get one on in autonomous. Afterall, it's only 15 seconds and it is going to be hard especially if they are moving the rack 3 feet around each time.

Three feet? Is that what the rules say? On the drawings it has 6 inches of chain for movement. so I thought it was +- six inches.

[RedHeadRobotics]

Well that has advantages and dissadvantages. It will help a lot, but it will definitely be a challenge.

[Zero-Bee]

Auto scoring will be a must.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by flightofone

We're thinking of going under the lower spider, engaging (not grabbing) a rack vertical support post, and spinning the rack around like a top.

I pity you--you'll probably be called on field damage. (At least considering that the last robot that moved 600 pounds tore up the field due to their metal file card traction system--team 71 in 2002.) Now, if you can spin it without field damage, I would bet that you'll go far if you also do something else.

[Gerry Salinas]

Originally Posted by Doug Leppard

Three feet? Is that what the rules say? On the drawings it has 6 inches of chain for movement. so I thought it was +- six inches.

<G07> Center RACK position - After all six ROBOTS are in their starting positions and the DRIVERS, COACHES and HUMAN PLAYERS are in the ALLIANCE ZONE, the RACK will be moved (translated and/or rotated) to an arbitrary position so that the center of the RACK is within a 3 foot radius of the playing field center but the exact location and orientation of the RACK is unpredictable. After this point in time no ROBOT may be moved or repositioned until the match starts.

So, yeah, that camera is kind of important.