week 1: Three Things I've Learned

[Jonathan Norris]

Yes this game might not have some of the exciting moments that Aim High did (does anyone else remember 469 and 79 pounding the goal with balls during auto?? or any of the other great shooter that year when they would single handily put 15+ balls inthe goal at once!). But when you compare this year to the last couple it matches up very well.

Take Autonomous this year, IMHO its the best yet. Its not something only the top teams can do (scoring tetras, tracking the goal, scoring keepers), its something every bot can do. For the last couple years auto has been the most boring part of the game for most matches, now thats changed for the better. There is no excuse this year for a bot to not move and score points during auto this year, and there are opportunities for the top teams to excel.

The game play is a lot faster paced then last year (when teams are actually moving..), but the strategy component is not as intense as last year. My only complaint about this game after seeing some great matches in week one is the end game, placing a ball or a last minute hurdle is just not as exciting as ramping at the last second.

Overall my favorite game is still Aim High, but Overdrive has alot of potential and does a very good job of leveling the playing field while keeping the game exciting.