What gets buffed or nerfed this year at DCMP/CMP?

[Billfred]

Last year, we saw FIRST increase tower strength for Championship--the first time they've invoked their right to adjust the point values since that right was reserved in 2012.

With all the talk of how important gears are and how relatively weak fuel is, do you think one will get adjusted up or down at District Championships or the FIRST Championship? If so, by how much?

[EricLeifermann]

I think the gear count will be increased because its worth more points in elims than the fuel.

[NShep98]

I think both will be made harder. By the time DCMP and CMP roll around, teams will simply be good enough to be able to handle the increase on both accounts. With the tower strength increase in 2016, the upper levels of teams could still easily beat the threshold.

If I had to pick one to be increased more, I might say the gears. With the fuel, too much of an increase can render it less than valuable compared to the reward. With what seems like the majority of teams leaning toward gear robots, we will probably see some very strong gear alliances that will be more than capable of handling a max 3 gear increase.

[Andrew_L]

Reserve and pre-placed gears will not start on the tower.

[Bob Steele]

My opinion is that as we progress through the season we will see that many successful playoff strategies will hinge on defending just the last 2 of the gears. If a team can make another team "waste" their time putting on 4 of the last six and then jump them defensively for the last two, they can put up their own points while none are being scored by the gear running team.

Because of this, I don't think the number of gears will change at CMP.

Just my opinion
it is easily worth 2 cents.... but not more.

[GeeTwo]

By removing the three pre-installed gears and the reserve gear, the RP threshold can easily be increased to 16 gears. The fuel threshold can be changed arbitrarily. I expect the median robot at CMPs to be able to score 6 gears or 40kPa of fuel, so that the gears will probably be increased, and the fuel possibly increased. I find a reduction in either very unlikely.

[carpedav000]

Originally Posted by Bob Steele

My opinion is that as we progress through the season we will see that many successful playoff strategies will hinge on defending just the last 2 of the gears. If a team can make another team "waste" their time putting on 4 of the last six and then jump them defensively for the last two, they can put up their own points while none are being scored by the gear running team.

Because of this, I don't think the number of gears will change at CMP.

Just my opinion
it is easily worth 2 cents.... but not more.

^^this
I believe we will see the fuel bonus upped to 60 KPh by the time DCMP rolls around, maybe even 80

[euhlmann]

Gears won't be nerfed - it looks to me that you'd need 3 really solid gear placing robots to even have a chance of getting all 4 rotors spinning. Fuel is what will be nerfed - right now, the best hopper autos have a chance of getting the RP in auto

[Gdeaver]

In a high level of play, a 2 rotor auto is almost unbeatable, Can they change this?

[carpedav000]

Originally Posted by Gdeaver

In a high level of play, a 2 rotor auto is almost unbeatable, Can they change this?

This (IMO) isn't going to be a common occurance (kinda like having 2 robots cross and score high in auto last year), so it likely won't be nerfed.

[FrisbeeFunTime]

Is it possible that they could raise the difficulty of some task just for Einstein field?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Gdeaver

In a high level of play, a 2 rotor auto is almost unbeatable, Can they change this?

Since the pre-populated GEARs are only on Rotor 3 and Rotor 4...no, unless they invoked more of a right than they claimed at Kickoff.

Originally Posted by FrisbeeFunTime

Is it possible that they could raise the difficulty of some task just for Einstein field?

They didn't raise this possibility in the manual at Kickoff, nor have they ever done this before. (Okay, Dave Verbrugge pranked the Einstein crowd in 2006...but that was a prank.)

[Chris is me]

I don't expect gears to change for DCMP or CMP. 12 a match is harder than it sounds. Perhaps more in elims, if anything.

Fuel will remain undervalued but will probably stay the same. They can only change the threshold pressure, not how many points it is worth, and 40 kPa will be reasonably achievable at top level but not overwhelming. Only if 60 ball autons are a dime a dozen will that happen - and when has something like that ever been the case?

[PayneTrain]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I don't expect gears to change for DCMP or CMP. 12 a match is harder than it sounds. Perhaps more in elims, if anything.

Fuel will remain undervalued but will probably stay the same. They can only change the threshold pressure, not how many points it is worth, and 40 kPa will be reasonably achievable at top level but not overwhelming. Only if 60 ball autons are a dime a dozen will that happen - and when has something like that ever been the case?

I agree with you. People forget that not all DCMPs (...And now... CMPs) are created equal. The only thing that I would put even odds on happening is the death of the gimme gear that sits in the tower by the time late April rolls around. Cycling gears will have some advantages disappear as the season progresses through its naturally evolving meta, limiting any perceived need for FIRST to recalibrate.

It would have been nice to have had the GDC leave the door open on recalibrating the kpa bonus in concert with its required threshold, bit I'm not a cop and can't tell people what to do.

[jijiglobe]

Originally Posted by FrisbeeFunTime

Is it possible that they could raise the difficulty of some task just for Einstein field?

This would probably be pointless. Most of the alliances on Einstein play on a similar level when all their robots are working. The changes would have to be tailored very carefully to ever have the bonus affect one alliance but not the other.