pic: REX (Team 4334 - Alberta Tech Alliance)

[LeelandS]

Originally Posted by AlecMataloni

More boring than watching a regional competition where, let's say, 70% of the robots try to shoot 3's and only 15% can make more than one a match reliably? Because we've all seen something similar and if you haven't, allow me to tell you how painful it is to watch. There's a certain regional (maybe more) that in 2012 saw an elimination round match where the score was 0-0. That's not just painful. In my book, it's unacceptable.

I'd rather see an FRC competition where EVERYONE can at least score the bare minimum point values than one where everyone tries to do something really tough, with the majority failing miserably.

Boundaries should definitely be pushed if a team wants to play on the next level, but that doesn't mean teams shouldn't be realistic with their goals.

If everyone built at LEAST the MCC (Minimum Competitive Concept), Qualifications and Elims would both be way more exciting and I would be a happy scouter and spectator, not to mention the fact that I would be happy knowing that every team in FIRST had a chance to be a potentially fantastic alliance partner in both qualifications and eliminations.

I understand what you're saying, but I disagree in some respects. I don't think it's okay if teams start saying "Well, we won't be able to make 3 pointers anyway. So let's not try to make them." I know that's not what you were saying was happening, but it was an implication I could see occurring in this circumstance.

Personally, yes. I would rather see 70% of robots try to make 3 pointers and only 15% make it. Because the 55% now have something to improve upon. And, in a nice, not necessarily perfect world, many of them would be working hard to become reliable shooters.

I love 4334's robot this year. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to disparage them. They did a brilliant job building with their resources and experiences and it obviously payed off. And I'm not trying to say, to anyone who is reading this, "It doesn't matter if you don't think you can do it. Try it anyway." What I'm trying to get at is that I don't think everyone in FIRST should build a simple, support based robot, because you start taking away part of what I love about FIRST: The diversification of designs, the run for improvement on a team, and teams stretching their boundaries and learning from what happens as a result.