I expect to see more Hatch Panels on the ground near the Cargo Ship than anywhere else on the field. The poor sightlines and dividers between Cargo Bays are going to present a significant challenge to teams who either can’t figure out auto scoring or can’t effectively drive with a camera.
The added challenge associated with Hatch Panels on the Cargo Ship vs Hatch Panels on the Rocket may put teams who can score high in a good position. Teams that can score high have 8 “easy” Cargo Bays to score Hatch Panels (3 on the near side of each Rocket and 2 on the front of the Cargo Ship), while “low robots” only have access to 4 “easy” Cargo Bays. You can argue that the left or right side of the Cargo Ship is “easy” if you’re in the left or right driver station, but your margin for error is still smaller than it is on the Rocket.
The tight margins on the Cargo Ship also make me feel like Null Hatch Panels will win the day at early events.
I answered 3-5 Hatch Panels end up on the ground, but I was thinking that would be the number per alliance. I think it’ll be a common sight to see teams, especially early in quals, mis-placing Hatch Panels on the Cargo Ship. If the use of Null Hatch Panels is as high as I think it should be then I can see this number being a bit lower.
With regard to how many teams will have a Hatch Panel ground pickup at the beginning of the season… I bet ~30% of teams or more will have designed for it, with less than half of them being reasonably successful. I also think that floor loading mechanisms become less valuable throughout the season with less teams dropping Hatch Panels as people figure out the game.