Supporting Roles for Robots

FIRST General Forum
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What are some supporting-type game strategies to design a robot around? For example defense, shuttling came pieces around the field, filling in the bottom layer, etc. I’m looking for strategy inspiration, as my team can’t make a robot capable of competing directly with a top-tier L3 robot, but is definitely capable of making a robot that can act as support on the field and be a valuable alliance partner.

(Sorry if this is in the wrong category, feel free to change it)

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Build a relatively small (20-24”) robot in one dimension so you can be an asset to a triple balancing alliance

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I’m new so take this with a grain of salt. An idea could be a robot that can bring game pieces from the neutral area to your community quickly.

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Definitely shuttling both types of game pieces, maybe even stacking cones upright so a fast Level 3 robot placer can retrieve and place.

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This thread I made a few hours ago is kind of related to what you’re looking for. I’d say that your possible strategies would fall into one of these categories:

  • Defense Bot: Not particularly interesting (or good this year), but always a possibility.
  • Piece Runner: Move pieces (both cubes and cones) from the loading station to the Community, doubling as a bottom filler. Probably your best option imo, since there are some interesting opportunities with passive mechanisms here.
  • Cube Specialist: Just focus on cubes, placing them on the bottom and middle (maybe high as well? not sure how much force it’d take to launch them that far).
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As long as you do so without violating G203, quarantining all game elements to a small area of the field but good question! You could efficiently push game elements to the bottom grid, build a low center of gravity robot (maybe as much weight as possible so it can be useful for defense but keep the weight centered for best use of charging station)

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SMALL in our frame dimension and REALLY EXPERIENCED DRIVERS

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Remember that even a relatively simple robot this year can do several things, interchanging between them as needed:

  • Defense, as has been noted. There will definitely be a role for defensive bots to interdict the space between the substation and the community of the opposing alliance. Anything that slows down the opponent’s cycling is inherently worthwhile to your alliance.
  • Piece shuttle. Being able to move game pieces rapidly across to the community will be a very useful role. This could use a very simple mechanism that is well within the capabilities of even rookie teams (a deployable set of arms, for instance). That also enables a robot to score in the low slots of the grid.
  • A good balancing robot that can easily fit on the charging station. Being able to easily climb the ramp isn’t difficult for even a simple pancake bot and making it small enough to fit on the top with two other (larger) cycling bots makes for a three bot endgame and more points. It can also be a good bot for auto if it can reliably climb on and balance the charging station, especially if it can go all the way over (and thus out of the community to earn those points) and then move back to the balance. That’s 14 auto points and contributing 12 (of the 26 needed) to the endgame rank point bonus.
    All these could be done by the same relatively simple robot, basically just a pancake with a simple drop-down set of arms (basically a wedge-shaped scoop) on the front to move game pieces. If it can be moved in and out of frame perimeter, then it can switch roles and be very effective at all these thing depending on what the alliance needs. This is the way to get picked by an alliance for playoffs even if you’re not a high-mid grid scorer yourself. You become useful to an alliance that already has two such scorers, supplementing and enabling them to score more.
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I was looking at the rules and as allows for robots to climb on each other. Are we going to see ramps and such?

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Pay attention to the Everybots strategy and design as they release their information in the coming days

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There’s only 8 in the neutral area to start, and beyond that it’ll be whatever someone dropped. Now, a robot moving pieces from the loading station, that might be more useful.

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I’d take this a little further and have the bot score one game piece in the low co-op grid, drive over the charging station, get the mobility points by leaving the community and drive back on the charge station and be engaged. 3+2+12 points

In Tele score two more low game pieces in the co-op grid, satisfying your alliances’ requirement for the coopertition bonus, giving your alliance a link meaning your partners only have to create 3 or 4 links. After that you can either shuttle game pieces to the community for your partners, play defense or both depending on what your alliance partners want. 2+2+5 points.

For endgame, be engaged with one or two alliance partners. 10 points.

Being engaged in auto and teleop while scoring 3 low game pieces in the co-op grid will go a long way to giving your alliance 2RP. You’ll score at least 36 points, (22 of the 26 points needed for Activation Bonus RP), one link of the 4-5 needed for the sustainability bonus RP.

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I’d take this a little further and have the bot score one game piece in the low co-op grid, drive over the charging station, get the mobility points by leaving the community and drive back on the charge station and be engaged. 3+2+12 points

Please every team make this routine, it would be so helpful.

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I would say probably not. A buddy climb is possible, but depending on how it’s implemented, may cause the charge station to lose balance. It also just doesnt seem practical. I firmly believe that most teams are going to build robots that can get on the charge station, since it can score so many points for an alliance. Even rookie teams should try for it since theyre likely the least capable teams, so why not design your robot to get the maximum 22 point bonus for your team from just the charge station.

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Where do you find drivers with a small frame dimension?

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freshman class

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