Team Update #14

[Tom Line]

I can't say I like this very much.

In 2007, with a "small" field (basically cut in half because of the rack) swerves and mechanums advantages were largely removed. They didn't have the distance or time to maneuver, and this made it possible to take a not-so-great robot and play defense on them reasonably well. This made the games closer and more strategic.

With the field cut in 3rds this year, you have even less room. Yes, swerves and mechanum are nice to get to that ball, but their drawback has always been lack of power and ability to be pinned (some swerves overcame that).

This played a huge roll in our drivetrain and our gearing selections this year. We figured on close in battles and a ton of defense in those little 1/3 size fields, and sized our drivetrain accordingly.

Now, I'm looking at this and wishing we had known at the beginning of the season that hard-nose defense on a good "O" bot wasn't going to be as effective. We may very well have gone down a different road.

Oh well. Another opportunity to improve!