[FVC]: I challenge you to post your Atlanta Vex robot pics

[sovierr]

With 2.5 weeks until the championships, I doubt there is much time left to copy designs. We have spring break in the middle of this time too. I know we will make a few tweaks and spend our time practicing from here on out.

I would like to challenge the FVC community to post pictures of their robots that will be competing in Atlanta. SPAM just posted ours - 3053 posted theirs a week or so ago - let's end the secrecy and show the world your genius. BTW, we won't have much time to marvel over your genius in Atlanta, as it will be crazy!

[ManicMechanic]

Our slowness in posting photos has been caused not by secrecy, but more by absent-mindedness (my forgetting to ask the team if it was OK to post). In fact, we would like to take this opportunity to shamelessly market our team and robot, Desubot.

Desubot is a relatively small, fast robot whose strengths are in defense and assisting. Abilities include:
1) Scoring 2-6 (in the low goal) in autonomous
2) Quickly stealing balls from the opponent's side and herding them into the low goal (or to a high-goal alliance partner). She can also steal balls from an opponent's low goal, but this tends to be slow.
3) Climbing the platform and chinning up.
4) Despite lesser weight, surprising ability to pull robots off the chin-up bar and push them off the platform
5) Pushing/pinning the atlas ball when needed. Can't do both # 3 and #5 at the same time.

She ranked #2 in the qualifying matches at the Northern CA Championship but imploded in the semifinals, sporting not one, but 2 disconnected wires! (The wires are now anchored down VERY tightly in multiple places).

The team originally had grand designs of being able to score in the high goal that never came to fruition. They credit the teams that succeeded; in their own words, "The #1 alliance deserved to win -- both their #1 and #2 robots were better than ours," and yet realized the strengths of ours, "Despite its complete and utter lack of elegance, it was arguably the most versatile." We have no expectations about advancing to the elimination rounds, but thought perhaps a high-goal team might find an assistive robot to be useful.

[fredliu168]

how did team 3617 qualify for Atlanta?

[ManicMechanic]

Originally Posted by fredliu168

how did team 3617 qualify for Atlanta?

We won the Inspire Award.

[Domino]

Originally Posted by fredliu168

how did team 3617 qualify for Atlanta?

At the midwest regional in the championship it was two highgoal robots verses a strong lowgoal robot and another lowgoal robot that didnt work. The first round of the championship the two highgoal robots beat the lowgoals 90 something to 50-60 something. The second round one of the championship on of the main axles broke on one of the high goal robots. (the ref's wouldnt give us a 5 minute time out and would only give us a 3 minute break. not enough time to fix) The two crappy low goals won... NO COMPETITION FROM THE MIDWEST.... fyi

[nonother]

Originally Posted by Domino

My team and 3390 will be coming incognito
Our robot feeds balls up a 7 tank tread wide tread to a basket. The basket is lifted to height by two motors. The basket can hold somewhere around 20 balls and they can be scored at the same time. Once we get our autonomous ironed out we will (cross your fingers) be able to pick up two stacks in autono and also score them. In addition to that we will also remove the atlas ball from the field so that way scoring more balls wins.

Sounds very interesting. Would you mind posting a picture of your robot in this thread, I'm sure many of us would love to take a look at it. Also consider this an opportunity to shamelessly plug your robot and perhaps help your team in the alliance selection at the Championship.

[ManicMechanic]

Originally Posted by Domino

At the midwest regional in the championship it was two highgoal robots verses a strong lowgoal robot and another lowgoal robot that didnt work. The first round of the championship the two highgoal robots beat the lowgoals 90 something to 50-60 something. The second round one of the championship on of the main axles broke on one of the high goal robots. (the ref's wouldnt give us a 5 minute time out and would only give us a 3 minute break. not enough time to fix) The two crappy low goals won... NO COMPETITION FROM THE MIDWEST.... fyi

A low goal robot isn't necessarily "crappy" -- it differs from a high goal bot the way a guard differs from a center in basketball. True, we can't score over 100 points, but neither can our opponents when we swipe over half the balls from their side. Our bot is a true point guard -- fast, good ball handler, and when we control the softballs, we control the game. Wouldn't necessarily want 2 of us on the same alliance, but to a high goal team that doesn't move very fast, we're a better complement than another slow high-goal bot. For some shameless boasting, I might also add that the #1 pick (a high-goal bot, whom the team agreed was the 2nd best bot) lost as our opponent but won as our alliance partner.

[nonother]

A low goal robot can definetly compliment a slower moving high goal robot. However, two fast moving high goal robots are probably going to beat even the best low goal robot and a slower moving high goal robot almost all of the time. Even a low goal robot partnered with a fast high goal robot probably isn't going to fair too well against two fast high goal robots.

That said most high goal robots our team has seen have been rather slow and unmanueverable, so low goal robots definetly have their value and place. I'm not sure how true this will be at the Championship. All I can say definitively is that our high goal robot is quite fast and manueverable and working with a low goal robot probably wouldn't be advantageous for us.

[pwny_express]

Originally Posted by ManicMechanic

A low goal robot isn't necessarily "crappy" -- it differs from a high goal bot the way a guard differs from a center in basketball. True, we can't score over 100 points, but neither can our opponents when we swipe over half the balls from their side. Our bot is a true point guard -- fast, good ball handler, and when we control the softballs, we control the game. Wouldn't necessarily want 2 of us on the same alliance, but to a high goal team that doesn't move very fast, we're a better complement than another slow high-goal bot. For some shameless boasting, I might also add that the #1 pick (a high-goal bot, whom the team agreed was the 2nd best bot) lost as our opponent but won as our alliance partner.

just a quick fact: the maximum number of points that a team with two low goal scorers can score is 54 points.
-22 balls in low goal (which is a little above its max.)
-posession of the atlas ball
- both robots park on the platform

despite this fact, a low goal scorer's speed and agility could compliment a high goal scorer.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by pwny_express

just a quick fact: the maximum number of points that a team with two low goal scorers can score is 54 points.
-22 balls in low goal (which is a little above its max.)
-posession of the atlas ball
- both robots park on the platform

despite this fact, a low goal scorer's speed and agility could compliment a high goal scorer.

What do you mean "despite this fact"??? Two low goal bots is a completly different kettle of fish than one low and one high.

I suggest that little info in your description of the max score of two low-goalers has any bearing on the subject of an alliance of a low bot and a high bot.

Plus, why don't you entertain the thought that low-goal bots can also hang from the top or side of the bar?

I don't have a dog in this fight; but I also don't want to see low-goal teams dis'ed because of a misconception that they can contribute little to an alliance's score....

Blake
PS: It's a quibble, but it is possible to stack balls in the low goals.

[pwny_express]

Originally Posted by 1885.Blake

What do you mean "despite this fact"??? Two low goal bots is a completly different kettle of fish than one low and one high.

I suggest that little info in your description of the max score of two low-goalers has any bearing on the subject of an alliance of a low bot and a high bot.

Plus, why don't you entertain the thought that low-goal bots can also hang from the top or side of the bar?

I don't have a dog in this fight; but I also don't want to see low-goal teams dis'ed because of a misconception that they can contribute little to an alliance's score....

Blake
PS: It's a quibble, but it is possible to stack balls in the low goals.

i wasnt dissing low goal scoring robots. i was merely stating something that i discovered and found interesting. Low goal scoring robots are very competetive when paired with a high goal scorer. two low goal scorers are not very competetive together. and in regards to hanging, i havent seen a low goal scorer try to hang but it would be very interesting to see one try to hang from the side.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by pwny_express

i havent seen a low goal scorer try to hang but it would be very interesting to see one try to hang from the side.

OK - So let's add in the possiblity of taking the autonomous bonus and hanging instead of platform'ing. That adds 30 points (more than 50%) to your previous high score estimate....

[fredliu168]

Ya, but you have to keep in mind, in Atlanta there will be at least 15% of the teams that can score in the high goal as fast or faster than in the low goal in terms of balls. If pressed, I can personally probably list around 10 robots that can average around 17-20 high goal balls per game.

I'm gonna put myself out on a limb here, and say that there will probably only be 2-4 out of 24 teams in the elimination matches that can ONLY score low goals without hybriding with hanging/high goaling, and they will all be second picked.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by fredliu168

Ya, but you have to keep in mind, in Atlanta there will be at least 15% of the teams that can score in the high goal as fast or faster than in the low goal in terms of balls. If pressed, I can personally probably list around 10 robots that can average around 17-20 high goal balls per game.

I'm gonna put myself out on a limb here, and say that there will probably only be 2-4 out of 24 teams in the elimination matches that can ONLY score low goals without hybriding with hanging/high goaling, and they will all be second picked.

How many balls do you think those high goal bots can score if they have a high capacity low-goal bot hauling the balls to them, instead of having to go fetch them on their own? Hmmm, that might work well.

How many balls do you think those high goal bots will be able to put in the hole if they have a low goal bot constantly between them and those goals or between them and any balls they want to harvest off the floor? Hmmm, that might cause some lowered scores.

How many of those high goal bots will be delighted to have a low goal bot use much of its 18x18x18 for components that are very good at getting and keeping the Atlas Ball, even if an opponent wants to toss it out of the arena. Hmmm, doubled softball scores might be nice to have.

I'm not saying I would build a low goal bot if I were going. I'm not saying I wouldn't. I'm just suggesting that there are non-trivial advantages to devoting machinery (volume, weight, motors, ...) to parts of the game other than high-goal scoring.

Non-trivial doesn't mean better than any other strategy, but it does mean that if I had a high-goal bot, I would think carefully about whether I wanted an ally that had the same weaknesses and strengths as me, or if I maybe wanted an ally that could complement my weaknesses and strengths with a different set of capabilties...

Blake

[sovierr]

Originally Posted by Domino

The two crappy low goals won... NO COMPETITION FROM THE MIDWEST.... fyi

I don't really understand what you mean by this. Are you trying to say that the teams coming to the chamionship from the MidWest Regional aren't good? Aren't you coming from the MidWest Regional? Didn't you say you competed there? Based on your post I know you didn't win, but I assume you won the Inspire Award. Please clarify what you mean and how your team qualified for the Championship.

Also, you say your team and 3390 will be coming "incognito". 1) What team are you from? 2) What do you mean by incognito?