What Will be Your Robot's Primary Focus?

[Koko Ed]

Will it be defense (Defense win championships) or offense (the best defense is a good offense)?

[Tetraman]

I had some fun discussion with the mentors and trying to get across how important defense will be. I imagine it will be 2007-style important, where disallowing your opponent just one of their scoring opportunities could win you the game. Then again, this is not a game where you can build around the playing of defense - therefore to your question, offense is the goal for a robot.

[Dr Theta]

I agree that while defense will be an important part of strategy, this is a game in which designing for offense is paramount. There are several locations on the field where making contact with an opposing robot draws a foul, which seems like a disincentive for defensive design. You are also not allowed to expand above the 60" height limit while on your alliance station's side of the field (aka the defensive portion of the field). To me this makes a design whose sole intention is defensive play rather ineffective.

Smart offensive teams will be able to score comfortably in the areas where they are free from harassment, and will otherwise keep to areas that will draw fouls from their opponents.

[Donut]

I see this basketball themed game as being very similar to basketball in how defense is played. You can't just go out and knock your opponents around to be effective at defense; being defensive will be more about ball control and slowing down the pace of the match to suit your alliance.

I could see teams that are extremely effective at bridge balancing (meaning they can easily balance both partners with them on a bridge) design a robot that is very effective at getting balls to their side of the field but maybe doesn't care about scoring. Their whole purpose would be to reduce the possessions their opponents have to as few as possible, thus keeping the score low and allowing the point total from a bridge to win the match for them.

So, because of the difficulty in playing traditional defense, I think the large majority of teams will go pure offensive. But the few who figure out a way to slow down the match or control balls for their alliance may be in high demand come eliminations.

[Koko Ed]

Defense comes into play when teams get away from the key where it's open season on them and they're gonna get pounded near the basket. I don't think it's easy to hit shots all day long from the key and you have to go get balls to score again. Scoring is gonna be a premium but it aint gonna be all day from the top of the key like you guys think.

[PayneTrain]

It's important to note that not even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit the basket every shot. If a team can plant their bot in the key and shoot 100% 3s like nobody's business, then they should probably be working for NASA.

TL; DR scoring will be at a premium because of missed shots. Floor loaders are a good idea.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by PayneTrain

It's important to note that not even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit the basket every shot. If a team can plant their bot in the key and shoot 100% 3s like nobody's business, then they should probably be working for NASA.

TL; DR scoring will be at a premium because of missed shots. Floor loaders are a good idea.

The scary part about floor loading is the possibility of damaging the mechanism traveling over the bar in the middle of the field.

[Grim Tuesday]

I see defense being very dangerous this year. <G28> is an exception to <G44>, which means that defenders can very easily get fouls unintentionally.

[Kevin Sevcik]

I'm still voting design for offense, provided you're capable of making a reasonably accurate shooter. Smart teams will be using the protection of the key and bridge to keep defensive teams at bay, like driving through the key to position for shooting with just your back wheels on. If you're prolific enough at scoring, you can force your opponents to hand balls back to you once you score more than 6 balls, even. Since ball control is important for defense, even an inaccurate shooter can annoy opponents by rebounding and firing balls across the wall.

On the other hand, I think close-range dumpers and shooters are likely to be thoroughly stymied by decent kitbots shuttling side to side in front of the fender.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

I'm still voting design for offense, provided you're capable of making a reasonably accurate shooter. Smart teams will be using the protection of the key and bridge to keep defensive teams at bay, like driving through the key to position for shooting with just your back wheels on. If you're prolific enough at scoring, you can force your opponents to hand balls back to you once you score more than 6 balls, even. Since ball control is important for defense, even an inaccurate shooter can annoy opponents by rebounding and firing balls across the wall.

On the other hand, I think close-range dumpers and shooters are likely to be thoroughly stymied by decent kitbots shuttling side to side in front of the fender.

I don't think there will be much point blank scoring at all. The violence in front of the fender will be just too great.

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

I don't think there will be much point blank scoring at all. The violence in front of the fender will be just too great.

Not unless you can get in, dump, and get out.

[Ernst]

A bit early to be deciding your actual robot's strategy, eh?

Realistically, it's always beneficial to mull over various solutions to a problem, but unless you've completely outlined the problems at hand and your team's goals this season, thinking about how to solve problems is not necessarily a good idea.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by ZehP

A bit early to be deciding your actual robot's strategy, eh?

Realistically, it's always beneficial to mull over various solutions to a problem, but unless you've completely outlined the problems at hand and your team's goals this season, thinking about how to solve problems is not necessarily a good idea.

You only get six weeks to get the job done. How long do you really need to figure out which direction your robot design goes?

[davidthefat]

Personally, I want to be a feeder/defensive/1 pointer/balance bot. Will have to convince rest of the team to do that.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

I see defense being very dangerous this year. <G28> is an exception to <G44>, which means that defenders can very easily get fouls unintentionally.

I see rule <G31> more dangerous, especially if a defensive bot can keep the other alliance robots from their loading zone

[G31] Only Inbounders may contact Basketballs; each Inbounder may hold a maximum of two Basketballs. During Teleop, Inbounders must remove Basketballs from the Corral immediately upon arrival. All Basketballs in the Alliance Station must be held by Inbounders once removed from the Corral.
Violation: Foul