Predictions: A cynical view of reality

Originally Posted by T3_1565

I agree with some of the ideas you posted but not some of the others

Speed is the most important thing this competition, but I don't think the fastest bot will win.

Shooters will have a really good chance, but I don't think three shooters will be the best alliance. Although they are well designed and speedy and simple, they will need the help of the taller more precise arm bots in a tight spot.

This is simply because a well designed arm bot will have a very hard time missing a hurdler, whereas a shooter could end up hitting other bots with the ball or be slightly off with aim, etc.

If a shooter can't get the ball off, then game over. Now I know most of them can, but some can't, and some can't consiently.

If a shooter can't get to his spot to shoot from, then he can't score, from what I see, they have a loose grip on the ball and can get stripped easier then arm bots, therefore, may have a harder time getting the ball to begin with.

Huzzah for generalities! My opinion on the bot was VERY specific. Let me address these concerns, as I may not have been clear enough...

Speed IS the most important thing. When I say speed, I don't mean raw FPS, I mean cycle time, from gathering, to lapping, to hurdling. The teams that are able to do this fastest will win.

I believe I said something along the lines of the most practiced shooters being the ones to win. These low, fast bots that we'll see will rarely miss; in fact, they'll have the power of their shots dialed in so precisely, they'll be able to throw at just the right power to remove most possibility of the ball going out of play.

Again, in my original description, the winning bots are going to be able to knock the ball off with a simple mechanism (heck, a stick with a pneumatic attached can do this really well, why make anything more complex to do the same job?).

All of the shooter bots I've seen have a very strong grip on the ball.

Think of it from a drive perspective... You can either have around 10 functions, and have to worry about precise placement, or you can drive by at high speed, and hit the "bang" button to score. Much easier, right? So why do anything else?

One more thing... If the other alliance gets a ball up onto the overpass for the ending points, what's to stop an experienced shooter from hitting said ball with theirs, from below the overpass? It's all about practice, and being able to gather the ball FAST after shooting.