Hello Everyone, I hope everyone has had a chance to look at the IRI rule changes, I attached them below if you haven’t. What are some of your favorites and least favorites? My favorites and least favorites…
Favorites:
More cans on the field… YES!!! Not much else to be said… Everyone should already know how great this is
More totes in the alliance station… again… YES!!! more totes means more points and we won’t run out. Our team constantly didn’t do anything the last few seconds of the matches this past season because we were out of totes.
125 pounds = More sensors and more automation (at least for our team)
Least Favorites:
Can war elimination. I know why they did it and completely understand and agree with it on a purely competitive level. Without the can wars teams will be free to score more points and not waste time playing tug-of-war in the middle of the field. That said, it was fun to watch.
Draft order. Not a huge issue, but I think that it will be very hard for the bottom alliances to have any chance at winning. But then again, this is IRI - the best of the best, so no alliance should end up way better than the other.
My interpretation of this rule is that the IRI committee wants to make the biggest show in the playoffs as possible (although not necessarily the most fair). They can get away with this since IRI is not an official FIRST event and the experience of the event in many ways transcends the accolades that come with winning.
However, as you said, the team quality at IRI is so high anyways that it hardly matters compared to, say, a regional or district event.
IRI has such a high quality level of teams that any alliance could win. For example, in 2012 the #5 alliance (2826+1114+4334) fought the #6 alliance (1023+33+51+330) in the finals.
As for this year, it’s my belief that any alliance capable of scoring 7 stacks consistently will have a shot of making it to the finals. This could be every alliance in the finals as the 7 could be split into 2+2+3. Most every team should be able to make at least 2 stacks, and every captain will be able to make 3.
IRI will be a battle of consistency, and upsets will be common.
I think you might be surprised in qualifications how many teams aren’t working at full potential.
I think it’s easily possible to have a captain that can only make two capped stacks, so long as they’re very consistent at that, have a nice schedule, and maybe also make a coopertition stack or tote stack auto in many matches.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a surprise #1 seed or other surprising captains.
There will be teams not working at full potential (I remember in 2012 teams that used new drivers). I agree that there probably will be a few captains that can only make two stacks, but I think #1 will be a team that can make 4. There is still the average score system, and the more points you can score independant of your partners, the higher you will rank. I’m predicting that #1 will be a team that can claim the two step RCs, as well as score from the landfill. This prediction is based on leaving a few upright RCs for their alliance partners, and going for the “harder” scoring area of the landfill.
1114 is awesome, but at Worlds in Einstein, they weren’t doing as well. I remember them losing a can and tipping a stack while they were making it. Anything can happen at IRI as well.
The times I’ve been to IRI the teams have been split on “seasoned veteran drivers and operators running at top efficiency” and “new drive team that keeps going ‘Hey what’s this button for again?’” But even with those differences, the teams are still pretty closely matched. My bet is lots of full stacks.
I’m a fan of the “IRI” draft order. Your team clawed it’s way to the top of a pretty tough group of robots, you should reap more benefits other than just the first pick.
The depth of IRI means that if the order selection was 1-8 8-1 then the eight alliance would be overpowered, and it would be better to captain a lower alliance. Serpentine alliance selection works in the regular season because of the steep drop off around 4th-10th robot at most evens (including divisions), but IRI is anything but regular.
I would expect there not to be as many teams doing that at an event like IRI. At a lot of other off season events, even our team tried new drive team members, but I would expect most teams to use their best people for a prestigious event like IRI.
You’d be surprised. Lots of teams schools have rules that a graduated senior can’t participate on school functions. Lots of teams will have new drive teams at IRI just like always.
1114s drive team were rookies at IRI in 2012 when we won with them. I’m pretty sure 33 will have a new drive team as well…
I have to agree that 1-8 1-8 8-1 works for IRI. The 7th and 8th seeded alliances the past few years have been (Used TBA):
2014:
7: 359 148 910 2337
8: 624 33 477 2481
2013:
7: 3947 624 245
8: 195 1538 1241
2012:
7: 973 2590 548
8: 16 359 233
Those are some solid alliances. #8 has a couple of world champions or other Einstein teams from their respective years… Serpentine would let them get quite a bit better.
20’s in-season driver is unable to attend IRI. 5254’s in-season operator and human player are unable to attend. I know of at least two others teams with similar scenarios.
I also know that some teams treat IRI just like any other off-season event, albeit a more competitive one.
Not much else to be said… Everyone should already know how great this is