Who is going to be on Einstein?

[Isaac]

I got into a conversation earlier with the captain of my team about Einstein. We had a long discussion about the merits of various robot types and their advantages in this game. I am curious as to the Chief Delphi community's expectations for this year. Without suggesting specific team numbers or names (as the field will likely contain at least SOME of the usual suspects), what will the alliances that compete on the championship stage (and ultimately the finals) be composed of?

In my opinion there are four to five basic robot types this year that are anyway capable in the game, and some combinations thereof. Based on the three regional events I have attended (Autodesk and CWA with my team and Seattle as a spectator), and more match videos then I care to admit (generally watched during English class), it seems that Human Loaders with fast drive trains have been dominating the field and I would be surprised not to see one in the winning alliance. Paired with a strong full court shooter and a good defender, they seem unstoppable. That said, the endgame is essential. If the same fast human loader is able to climb and dump for 50 in the last 30 or so seconds, I can't imagine an alliance that can shut them down easily.

• Human Loaders In order for a human loader to be effective, it seems like they must have a drive train to match. Teams that are able to drive quickly and put up the big points have dominated every regional I have seen. In Seattle, it was 1983, in Portland 955, and in CWA 1318, although they were knocked out in the Semis. 1114, while of course always incredible, by consistently making trips from the feeder to the pyramid and back (along with their 30 pt climb & 20 pt dump) is absolutely unstoppable.
• Full Court Shooters While both easy to defend and hard to dial in, a GOOD full court shooter can put up serious points. In Seattle, 948 absolutely destroyed the competition by hanging out the in the protected feeder station and putting Frisbee after Frisbee into the 3 point goal. Teams that attempted to defend them with hastily constructed shield were easily repelled by defense, and in elims, 1983 made it very hard for the blue alliance to shut down both robots. In ellensburg and portland, 1425 played commandingly, making themselves very hard to defend and outscore. A team that can both full court shoot and shoot from the pyramid has a double advantage here. 118 is perhaps best equipped to fill this spot on Einstein.
• Climbers This game lends itself well to specialization. Most 30 point climbers have a very specific focus and it is challenging for them to both shoot and climb even if they have the capability for both. It seems as if a 30 point climb, while essential to win, is only valuable if accomplished quickly. All scoring options have a theoretical cap. Assuming that the time for a trip of disks is low, human load shooters are only bounded by the number of disks. 30 point climbers, even if they are the fastest in the world, can only gain 30 points, 50 if they dump, per match. Only 4 teleop trips by a fast shooter can outscore this. In portland, 955 was making more than that and 1114 certainly has. I do not believe that dedicated climbers have a space on Einstein, but a team like 254 or 1114, who can both shoot and climb effectively are in a very very good position.
• Floor Pickup At the regionals I have attended, I have seen very few floor pickup machines. I don't know if this a function of strategy or difficulty of execution but it seems very rare. Although many of the powerhouse teams have the capability, they use it infrequently. It seems like after the discs in the center of the field are depleted, it is not worth the extra time and ambiguity to attempt to floor pickup. This is something I am very unsure about however, and it could have a much larger role in STL than I anticipated with teams such as 1986 and 2056 concentrating on it.

My guess for Einstein is that the strongest alliance will be composed of a robot that can human load and then rapid-fire shoot and then go for the 30 point climb and 20 point dump, a robot that can both full court and pyramid shoot effectively, and then a robot that is able to play very strong defense and possibly floor load.

What have you guys seen at regionals you've attended and what do you hope to see on Einstein?