My guess would not be not as well, cause while their system acts like an infinite loop (:P) teams can intercept the balls, and it requires scoring bots to feed the system.
But I would look for them to taken as a quick first pick if they are worlds.
The thing is, so far 217 and 469 are putting 5 balls into the goal/zone in autonomous and the other alliances aren’t removing any. If the other alliance can even get some out during autonomous, it goes a long way to reducing the score of 469’s alliance. Couple in a few more removed during teleop, and you give the other alliance a fighting chance.
469 just made every scout add a new line to their sheets,“Do you have a way to stop 469?”
With a good forward, I’m not sure much can be done to stop 469. The defender would have to be way better than the forward to even give the other alliance a chance. I think the best way to stop them nay just be to stop them from deploying with a fast auton. The problem I see is that whatever team seeds first will pick 469, and assuming the first seed is deserving of said position, that alliance will just dominate.
The funny thing about this in my opinion is that lots of people thought of this idea. I know a few people on my team did. But everyone said something like “That has to be illegal”, then scoured the rulebooks but didn’t find anything. But almost no one built it anyway. Credit to 469 for having the guts to do what everyone else didn’t. It’s paying off!
There are other teams who attempted various forms of ball deflectors. However, of all of them we’ve seen so far, 469 has the best way to deflect them towards the goal consistently and (easily) the best way to remain in position. Most teams who built deflectors simply tried to stay put using their drive trains, rather than wedging themselves into the tunnel. I know of a couple other teams who will try and give 469 a run for their money, but I’m not optimistic about their chances. 469 executed their design extremely well, and should be the cream of the crop in that class of robot.
We’ll see how they do in Troy (and Michigan States) before crowning them kings, though. Their strategy is still very dependent on having one or two capable robots in front of them to help with the scoring and one or two behind them to help add balls to the “cycle” initially.
Can someone post pictures or provide a link to video on 469?
I missed the webcasts today and am curious about what 469 looks like.
I have to respectfully disagree with the statement that 469 is unstoppable.
First off, don’t get me wrong, they have one heck of a robot, and their design is genius.
But, 469 by themselves, or even with a couple of pusher bots against a kicker with a good holding mechanism would get annoying. This point has been brought up before in that how would they face against 217. My thought is that even if 217 was with them, if another robot, say 1114, was playing against them, then I believe the game would be much different.
469 is great because paired with a powerful kicker, they are unstoppable. But by themselves, they just represent a really unique design.
Week 2’s happened, so why not get the ball rolling. Who’s the best robot and why?
Who’s the best (insert robot archetype here) and why?
What robots are really underrated this year?
Just from what I’ve seen in person, 230’s match domination begins to approach 217 levels. They have a similar rushing strategy, great autonomous, and good control.
469 without a doubt. They absolutely dominate every match and it would shock me if they don’t take the national championship. no robot even comes close and they have come up with the best dominating robot since 02
230 has some well polished code, and a reliable hanging mechanism, but they can be pushed around far too easily, I think, to be considered the best. However, their ability to shoot from any of the 3 zones will make them a good robot to ally with because they can score well when unobstructed.
Obviously, 469 comes to mind, but not only because of their ability to play “god bot”, but also because they can be successful playing Breakaway by driving and kicking like other robots. They don’t dominate at this like they do with the god bot strategy, but their ability to play both ways will make them versatile and useful.
1114’s kicker is fast and consistent, as is their hanger. They also don’t get pushed easily, and shoot well from the mid zone. They cross bumps very well too, and they could easily overload the home zone from the mid, and then cross over to help score.
217 has proven to be agile and fast when it comes to scoring, but this doesn’t make them stand out, because many other teams are working toward their level of speed and consistency, especially in the home zone, where 217 likes to play (from what I’ve seen).
So as of now, my list is 217, 1114, 469, and 230.
I am gona have to say 217. They have won two regionals now, and are all in all a great robot that can work with any team. That is something that 469 can not say.
A lot of 230’s damage is done before you can get to defending them. The three in auto, then they manage to swerve and kick one or two before you can slide them across the floor. 4-5 + 2 for hanging from one partner while they draw all the defense is not too shabby at all. They won’t carry an alliance at the Championship, but they’re a fairly flexible component of one.
Other bots worth a mention just from what I’ve seen in person would be 20, probably one of the best striker type robots with their swerve drive and ability to loft over defenders. Extend my comments to what you’ve seen on webcasts and you’d hear the same “1114, 217, 469” from me.
Im going to give 67 The Hot Team a vote here. Great team ,great bot ,they really play this game well! Also 217,469,27,33,51,all powerful bots to be delt with. The Michigan state championships are going to be something special to watch!!!
359 has led two alliances to wins in the same fashion as 217. They may not be playing vs. the poofs this year but they are definitely one of the best in the west!
And then 469… what can I say… I am a huge fan of the god-bot 
i would have to say 217, 148, 230 (but like chris said, they can be pushed around to easily. I pushed them with ease in WPI) and probably lastly 78. 469 doesn’t come into my book
The IFI squad never fails to put out good machines, and this year, it seems like they’re sweeping their competitions. (217, 148, 1114, 254, 2056)
469 + good kicker is definitely a really strong alliance, and the combination is beyond a doubt one of the strongest there are.
1771 has a powerful kicker and really good drivers. I think with a strong roller mech. they can dominate the field even more than they have been doing.
“Best” threads merged.
469 on its own isn’t necessarily a dominating robot. That being said however, I see 469 having the best chance of winning the world championship this year due to the fact that they can take any alliance with a powerful offensive robot and turn it into a juggernaut.
217 has designed yet another highly competitive robot (and one cannot talk about 217 without talking about 148), but I wouldn’t say they’re the best robot out there until we see other teams compete (such as 254, 968, and 971) in the week 3 regionals. The same goes for 1114.
In my opinion, 230 isn’t in the same realm as the teams I’ve mentioned above. They’ve got a very consistent robot that performs well in every match, but they don’t have the scoring capability of 217, 1114, 148, 67, or 469. We also must consider the level of competition at each team’s respective regional events, and I believe that WPI did not have as deep a field of competition as some of the other regional events.
Most of the reason I mentioned 230 is because I figured most of the thread would mention 217, 1114, 469 repeatedly and discussion of other bests would be nice as well. Also, it’s one of the few candidates I’ve seen in person.
I could see 230 as a second selection in a division with an alliance that has a bump traversing member that needs autonomous assistance. 230’s opening “rush” often seals the deal, as if you clear an opponent’s zone enough to execute a 2 on 1, that’s basically the match right there.