pic: REX (Team 4334 - Alberta Tech Alliance)

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by LeelandS

Most teams, however, don't want to play that role. Most teams want to be take an active scoring role for their alliance.

Yes, most teams want to play that role, but here's the thing - most team's can't. They set their goals too high and fail, then they do the same thing year after year.

Honestly, I find that to be the more fun and enriching part of FRC. If every team built a simple robot, didn't try to stretch boundaries, if the offensive roles were left to the teams that could only do it reliably, I'll be honest... It would be boring.

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised how much more competitive events would be with more simple and reliable robots on the field. Which is more exciting: Watching teams struggle to move and score even a single three pointer all match, then fall off the bridge, or a match where three robots are shuffling balls around the field, supporting one or two elite scorers, possibly scoring on their own in the lower goals trying to win with volume?

I think even if FRC were oversaturated with support bots (which will never happen, as teams will always continue to overestimate their capabilities), there would still be quite a bit more strategic depth than what we see now.

If a team wants to finish their season well, then yeah. Building a robot like this is awesome!

I think people understate 4334's regional level potential. They're not just good because they're 21 inches long and they have an intake roller. Another key part of their game was their autonomous mode - with an easy 8 points, plus easy balancing (either 20 on the alliance bridge, or co-op to seed high), they could score enough every match to secure their spot as an alliance captain or first round draft pick at almost any event this year.