I would like the community’s oppinion on whether a robot should go over the bump or under the tower. My team is almost completeley split between the two options.
Protect for either?
i would have to go with going over the bump because making a robot that can go through the tunnel really limits what space you have. Going over the bump also gives you more freedom as to were you can cross sections. It’s also harder to block people going over the bump.
What about both, or for arguments sake, neither?
Well it would possible to both go over the bump and go under the tower, or do neither, but personally I think that if you build it with the height limitation of the tunnel then it would be pointless to go over the bump, and if you dedicate the time to build a drive train to go over the bump then it would be pointlesss to limit your height. As for doing neither, it seems like a very bad choice to limit your robot in that way.
My personal suggestion to you is, Design the Robot to go over the Bumps. The tunnel is easily blocked.
I have a Personal Motto when It comes to decisions like this:
It’s Always Better To Be Able to Do something and Not Have to, than to Have to Do Something And Not Be able to.
Over the bump. Especially with 2 inches of clearance if you make a robot 28 inches wide and with bumpers attached, that will be a pain to get through especially when coming back towards you.
My vote would have to be neither also, but since that wasn’t an option I voted over. I like the analogy that someone made to foosball. I think that the best strategy is if everyone stays in their aisle and just fowards the ball to the next section. But, I do agree that it is a good idea to have the flexability to cross the border in an emergency situation. 810 will certianly not be trying to cross the bump, but the option will definitely be there. 
We are planing on going under the tower but use the bump as a second option.
I dont think the height restriction of the tunnel is to bad. It you go over the bump your going to want a low center of gravity which limits your height or at least where your weight is at.
Then based on your quote, you should design to do both as there may be times when you want/need to go through the tunnel. 
I can see being able to retrieve a ball that is in the tunnel as important.
The Kickoff showed how easily a ball can (and will) roll under there.
That was my thought as well
Do a cost/benefit analysis of going over the bump vs. going under the tower. Having a clear and objective reason to pursue one or the other, balanced with your team’s resources and abilities, will help your team decide on a system that matches your overall design.
Having said that, and having done that with our team, we’re bumping, and according to the poll it looks like most others are as well.
However, don’t base your decisions on what is most popular. As JVN said (paraphrased), the cool factor doesn’t win competitions.
i’d use over bump as most teams would block the tunnels but having both on your robot gives an advantage
I think if your strategy revolves around crossing the zones, strictly going under the tower won’t cut it. That’s too easy to defend.
Over the bumps. Conquer them like they’re flat!
The best answer is both. I don’t see the tower and the bumps as being mutually exclusive.
That’s what I originally intended to mean, I guessed I assumed that the OP would’ve also kept in the feature to go under the tunnel.
You know what they say about assuming things… 
We’re strongly considering both, but I voted the tunnel option just so the battle looks a little less lopsided for this poll 
I do not believe these options are mutually exclusive and as mentioned because of the ease in blocking tunnels it is almost a necessity that a tunnel bot can climb the bump as well. That said consider that defense played on you while crossing the bump may actually be worse, since an opponent hitting you as you come over is likely to cause a flip, the only advantage is that the bump provides much more room to try to avoid them on the other side.
The tunnel is a good option for simplicity (though keeping a robot under 17" provides its own challenge) and it is significantly easier to move balls through the tunnel than the bump. Defense is easier to play on the platform but from a blocking position the opposing robot (depending on the zone) can do little other than continue to block (center field probably provides the worst shot to either goal in an alliance’s home zone, and in the opponent’s zone you can’t defend many shots from the center either). Although easier I’m not convinced that blocking the tunnel will be very high on any alliance’s priority list unless your robot can single-handedly outscore their entire alliance given the chance.
Something to consider also is a robot low enough for the tunnel is a robot probably with a low enough CoG for the bump.