IRI - What Can Be Improved

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Dave Flowerday

Was it less fun than simply packing up your pit after quals? That's what you would have done during the season obviously...

I think IRI made it clear that the backup robot was simply that... a backup. If teams weren't interested in filling the backup role they could have declined. I still think it's an improvement over having the "next 8" sitting on the sidelines on the off chance they got called up (that's probably not fun either).

I like leaving the option open to the alliances to decide the best combination for each match, though I do sympathize with teams who were part of an alliance but didn't get to play. But at least they were part of the alliance and got to help strategize instead of sitting on the sidelines, right? Plus, I hate the problem that crops up when you're required to play a team even if they're broken.

Packing up our pits is what 116 did in 2005 and 2006 at IRI, and we still loved the event. And honestly, I think I might have preferred that, although other teams and team members opinions will likely vary. And while we knew that we may never actually play, having your fate in the hands of other teams is a very unsavory situation.
And I only suggested having to play a team once during the eliminations, so unless you drafted a broken team, you shouldn't have to play a broken team.

The way I would envision it is that each team only HAS to take the field once (but can play in more than one), during the entire elimination rounds. So, if you did lose your first match, your back-up would have to take the field in your second. But if you won/tied that first match, you could opt to save them for later (but you'd have to play them the next time you were on the verge of being eliminated or if you're on the verge of winning the finals and they still haven't been played).