Successful strategies and robot designs for 2009?

[Japper]

Can anyone share what strategies and robot designs are working the best for them and other teams this year ?

Thanks

[Alan Anderson]

Strategy: Keep moving. Avoid becoming a sitting duck.
Strategy: Pick a target and stick with it.
Design: Suck moon rocks from the floor.
Design: Quickly deliver moon rocks in volume when desired.
Design: Use an aircraft propeller to give more thrust than rover wheels can provide.

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Strategy: Pick a target and stick with it.

Intersting. We got a very different impression (although that's perhaps why you beat us ). In many situations, though not all, we found that sticking with the same target (if they are capable drivers) would lead to two robots "dancing" around eachother and niether being able to score effectively. If you can strike at them while they are unaware, busy, otherwise tied up, or you can easily outdrive them, it does work well.

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Intersting. We got a very different impression (although that's perhaps why you beat us ). In many situations, though not all, we found that sticking with the same target (if they are capable drivers) would lead to two robots "dancing" around eachother and niether being able to score effectively. If you can strike at them while they are unaware, busy, otherwise tied up, or you can easily outdrive them, it does work well.

I saw the same thing, where a driver would get tunnel vision and spend 30 seconds chasing the same trailer around, and ignoring the easy targets that they passed by. I think it works for 45 because they're fast enough to catch anyone else on the field....

[Michael Corsetto]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Intersting. We got a very different impression (although that's perhaps why you beat us ). In many situations, though not all, we found that sticking with the same target (if they are capable drivers) would lead to two robots "dancing" around eachother and niether being able to score effectively. If you can strike at them while they are unaware, busy, otherwise tied up, or you can easily outdrive them, it does work well.

I agree 100%. Tunnel vision does not work if your drivetrain is on par or slower than your target. Having a good coach who sees which opponents are tied up at any time is key to making most scoring robot effective. Then there's 45, who goes after whoever they want to go after...