Drive Team Configuration

[BrendanB]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

I take that as a challenge: see you at the regionals. I will do in the best of my abilities to program a very competitive, fully autonomous robot.

Nice, good luck with that, but I would recommend you don't discard the advice given by some highly respected FRC members. From a programming perspective, that would be awesome; however, from a strategist/scout I would never pick your team in eliminations. Looking back, our team with some more controls and sensors could have probably programmed our 2008 speed racer to run laps autonomously.*** Would that have been cool, yes. Would it have been the most effective strategy, no. Why? Because when we did compete with it during the off-season we used that lap bot to not only run laps, but our driver would play defense at the same time such as knocking balls away/out of grabbers and stuff like that making it a highly obnoxious opponent. I was behind the glass during a few of those matches and found the on the fly choices genius.

Another note, how many FRC robots have successfully completed their autonomous program repeated in the exact same way every match? Along the same idea, how many robots have done the exact same things in each and every match? FLL robots compete on tables with no other robot interaction and most of them cannot pull off 400 points consistently every round all the time.

I am not doubting your programming skills, it is A match strategy, but it isn't the ONLY of most EFFECTIVE strategy. Consider the amount of time it would take to program/test/debug all of that code in 2 minute matches. I would rather take all that time to train drivers how to play the game and react to different strategies.

1519 has done the usual driver for the chassis and moving the robot, operator for the manipulators, coach for direction, and human player to do the human player things. In 2009 we gave the control of picking up balls to our driver instead of our operator too ease communication between the two.

Merry Christmas!!

***http://www.mechanicalmayhem.org/teamvideos.asp

[davidthefat]

Thanks to all of you that responded to my post, but now lets get back to the topic:

I suggest that you have the maximum number of persons allowed at the box at all times. You never know, what if the driver cramps up his forearm an cannot properly drive? Somebody has to come in and replace him. Ok far-fetched example, but I am exemplifying something. Always come prepared. You would never go to the regional without spare parts, tools and a computer to program the robot with. Why step onto the ring without a backup? Ben Franklin once said that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. You never know when your driver passes out during the match due to dehydration or his arms cramp up. Always have depth in your rosters.

[Mike Soukup]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

Thanks to all of you that responded to my post, but now lets get back to the topic:

<snip of ridiculous suppositions>

That's how you try to get back on topic, with an asinine example? You seriously need to do a lot more listening to people who are trying to help and a lot less talking and bragging. But I doubt you'll listen to me either. You seem to have a "Peanuts" filter in your brain; adults try to give you great advice, but all you hear is "Wah wah wah wah wah wah."

[Tom Ore]

Originally Posted by Mike Soukup

...a "Peanuts" filter in your brain...

That's funny...