Calling All Drivers

[BradMello]

Know what you're going for. Don't just drive around hoping to end up behind someones trailer, hone in on someone and don't give up becuase you think you see a better opportunity elsewhere.

I know our machine well, I know what its capable of, and I know how the traction control will effect my driving, and I was still making mistakes early on in qualifying matches.

It takes longer than you probably think to turn your robot around, even 90 degrees, and take off full speed in one direction. Frequently I was finding that I would "give up" on following a robot to dump into, becuase I thought I saw, in my mind, a better opportunity to score which was usually on a robot moving in a different direction than our robot was. I wasted a lot of time turning around and if I have learned one thing from the GSR, it would be to stick to a target, and only change targets if you're completely sure you won't waste too much time doing so.

[nukelear1991]

Be patient and dont let the stress on the field go off the field, a whole team can fall apart because of one ticked off driver.

[Gin]

The main thing that you have to watch out for is which dumpers and human players have balls. This game this year is crazy and you need to have tabs on who can unload and score for you. Watch out to see where the empty cells go so you can get on the other side of the field.

[JesseK]

The coach, more than ever, needs to have good field vision. They need to keep track of everything from where robots are moving to, to what human players are doing, to where the empty cells are going. There's alot to keep track of in this game, it's almost as if you need to split it all up amonst your entire alliance. You also need to figure out if the opponents have a better strategy than you, and adjust yours accordingly on the fly. That's probably the toughest part.

[BigWhiteYeti]

With the driving as slow as it is this year, your decisions will only start to happen a second after you hit those sticks. It takes time to build speed, to stop, or to turn. Anticipate your next move and start to turn or stop a half second before you want to. And mostly, dont panic and gun your wheels. Spinning out leaves you vulnerable and incapable of turning.

[Dragonscythe261]

Hi there. I agree- the trailer is a great tool. It's one thing to have complete control of an unhitched bot and something much more magical to have complete control with a trailer. If you can do this, you can use the trailer to reverse right to where you want to be- this is both impressive and unexpected so you get the kudos and an easy attack. The driver needs to be conscious of the entire field but still rely on his/her coach. Most importantly though, stick to the strategy unless your coach demands otherwise.

[GillSt.Bernards]

The traction was a lot less of a problem then I anticpiated it to be. Just watch to not get pinned by an opposing station

[wcamp1742]

Unless you're being hunted by another bot, just do what you do best. You don't always have time to consider what the other 5 bots are doing as the driver so stick to your strategy. Listen for your commander to tell you when to take evasive action and COMMUNICATE! Talk to your co-driver and encourage your commander to talk to your other alliance members during competition, especially during elimination rounds. We got shafted once by our own alliance member when they pinned us in the last 20 seconds by mistake. They weren't listening so they didn't hear us yelling at them to back up.

[HighLife]

Keep moving and stay away from the good human players, especially in the last 20 seconds of the match.

[thefro526]

Strategize.

I have seen more upsets in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last 3 years.

Lunacy is a fair deeper game then many of us realized in the early days of build. A good strategy, more so than a good robot, is what wins matches. We've seen some of the most powerful teams fall to teams that we knew nothing about 6 weeks ago and it can all be contributed to strategy.

Go out and meet your alliance partners before every match! Learn what they can do and learn what your opponents can do. Then from there try to play the game as smart as possible. Don't take unnecessary risks because they can be your downfall.

[Hanna2325]

Move

Really consider if the points you are going for are = to the points you can loose. It isn't worth getting stuck next to a robot that is about to pour twenty balls into your trailer just to score one ball, for example.

If you can empty a ton of balls at once do it before trying to get a single 10pt b/c a lot of small balls add up faster, for the most part -- a lot of this depends on ur robot design of course

don't forget about ur human player (they've been a big determiner from a ton of points scored to tie braking fouls...)

And if ur robot is broken, don't try and run it, it is easier to move/protect a trailer than a trailer attached to a dead robot (and ur alliance will thank u)

Be sure to strategize with alliance members before round, some teams might need to closer work together to complete high scoring tasks than others and if picking an alliance take into account human players and the compatibility of ur robots not just pts scored (although this is important too).
But really, for most of the driver stuff it depends what you are comfortable with and ur robots capabilities. I'd say the safest thing is to do what u know best!

[jamie_1930]

In my opinion after this second week, and to answer the long asked question, shooter beats dumper.

[JM987]

keep moving, stay away from opposing fueling stations and outposts, don't get pinned, and if you do fight against the robot.

[Chris is me]

Don't get hit.

Have a plan. Take your three robots, take the other three, sit down before queueing and go "which one can score the best? Which one is most mobile? which one is likely to not do anything?" Take your mobile members and make them pin people, take your high scorers and have them handle balls, and keep the powerhouses in check as you try and juggle this game.

[gorrilla]

dont give up if the odd's are'nt good


3 moderately good robots can easily defeat a superior alliance with the right strategy......