paper: Stop the Stop Build - Counterpoint

[Brian Maher]

Originally Posted by bobbysq

https://www.thebluealliance.com/match/2010cur_qm100

In this match, 1114's alliance does prefer scoring points over not scoring points, but they are prioritizing seeding points over game points.

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For anyone curious how this works, in 2010, ranking points were awarded for each match as follows:

Winner: 5 + (Winner's Score) + 2 * Loser's score
Loser: (Winner's Score)

Seeding points from that match, if blue tried to win and the final score was, for example, 20-10:
Red (469, 111, 888): 5 + 20 + 2*10 = 45
Blue (1114, 231, 288): 20 = 20
Top two ranked teams and seeding scores:
1) 111 296 (251 + 45)
2) 1114 291 (271 + 20)

Seeding points from that match as it happened (30-0):
Red (469, 111, 888): 5 + 30 + 2*0 = 35
Blue (1114, 231, 288): 30 = 30
Top two ranked teams and seeding scores:
1) 1114 301 (271 + 30)
2) 111 286 (251 + 35)

By playing a 6v0 match, the blue alliance was able to claim ten additional seeding points and deny their opponents ten points compared to a hypothetical losing 3v3 match.

1114 and 111 had been going back and forth for the #1 seed, and this match gave the Simbots the ability to earn that coveted first opportunity to pick. Whichever alliance had 469, in all their game-breaking-ness that year (watch the match if you don't know what I mean), would be nearly unstoppable at the division level and a powerful contender to win Einstein. Essentially, this match and its strategy won 1114 the division.

This is my go-to example of how important it is to analyze the ranking system each year and that the best strategy may not always be the most intuitive one.

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