What are the most desirable attributes top seed teams are looking for in a robot? In otherwords, what are the most important attributes and/or action a robot would need to have/preform to be chosen by the top 8 teams. It is within the power of my team to create a bot that can do everything, would it be better to stick to one attribute/action vs doing it all?
I’m of the opinion that the really good teams want robots that do one thing well. If you can do one thing well and demonstrate that consistently in quals then they have one less thing to focus on during elims.
It is ABSOLUTELY better to focus one one/two things rather than trying to everything, especially if you have limited resources (that includes experience). You can check out Karthik’s latest seminar on effective FIRST strategies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJOfH-lomEQ
As he says, a jack of all trades is master of none, and it is always better to do a few things at a “10” level than to do a bunch of things at a “5” level. Most alliance captains want robots that find a niche and do that really well, so they can build a good, well rounded alliance.
Prefacing with we’ve only had 2 days of analysis…
Powerful drive/good drivers. In games like this, may teams (such as ours) are less likely to pick mecanum robots that can’t do anything other than play defense.
Climbing is nice to have, since you’re missing out on 50 points for every robot that can’t do it.
As always, if you do something valuable that few others can do, that’s an easy way to get picked quickly.
coming from what we would want as a second pick, we are looking for just fast, efficient gear manipulation, competent handling (no mechanum/omnis pls) and a climber.
this is because higher level teams this year are going to focus on large volume boiler scoring, and all that they want is a little help with gears, and the elims bonus of a climb just makes you that more attractive.
Would you say a static gear manipulation system and a climber be better then an active gear manipulation system with a climber?
Would you say an active gear manipulation system is better than having a climber with a static gear manipulation system?
Please note: I do Not include a high shooter when I say “doing it all”. My team doesnot have any experience with shooters.
I would wager that most top seed teams will be looking for robots that are very good in the captain’s specialty as a first pick. This would take a lot of the pressure off of the captain to carry their team to achieve the would-be RP conditions for the bonus points (100 points for all 4 rotors or 40 points for 40 kPa).
For second pick they will probably want a solid defense bot, as there’s not much space for all 3 robots to move easily around the airship.
For both first and second pick, I bet that climbs will be a must-have. That’s a very easy 50 points per climbing bot.
I would say a small robot that holds its own on defense can do gears in auto and teleop consistently and can hang quickly and consistently
While I’m not on a top seed team, in my mind, the active or static state of your mechanism does not matter as much as effectiveness of that mechanism.
What you described would very likely BE a top 8 bot at most Regionals.
Scoring lots of gears quickly and climbing reliably is all anyone cares about. How you do it doesn’t matter.
Well upon breaking down the game its not hard to do especially with the resources teams have.
I agree that neither of the game objects are extremely difficult to manipulate if you dedicate yourself to one or the other, but any team that can consistently place a Gear in auto, three Gears in teleop and climb will have a high seeding robot in most Regionals. Many teams would do well to aim for this goal and focus on achieving it.
As always, consistency and speed (that is, rate of scoring), and the ability to score despite being defended against, in about that order.
As there will be very few 'bots capable of 12 gear cycles (at least if it means zipping to the far end of the field and back as well as the hang) by themselves, I figure that winning alliances (at least in early weeks) will consist of two gearbots and one high goal shooter. The good news is that the fuel vs gears poll seems to indicate that the teams are breaking somewhere close to that ratio. In later weeks, as the number of gears a single robot can place (at the high end of competition) reaches or at least approaches 12 (probably through floor pickup and forcing fumbles), hanger bots which can at least harvest for the shooter, and preferably also shoot fast, will find more use.
This year isn’t like 2016 where at least one bonus ranking points is easy to get every match. One team is not going to be able to get the ranking point for kPa or for gears alone. In eliminations, the top seeds are going to be picking the robots that can help them finish the gears to get the 100 point bonus and finish the boiler to get the 20 point bonus.
Speaking from both sides of alliance selection… It does not matter *at all *what type of mechanism you build. It only matters how effectively you can execute it.
To answer the initial question: a strong scoring ability for a 1st round pick (1 auto GEAR, 4-6 teleop GEARs or equivalent FUEL) and a reliable climber. For second round picks: a smart drive team that can play strong defense without drawing fouls (harder than it sounds) with the ability to score at least 1x gear in Auto or Teleop and climb. Paramount to both picks will be the ability to navigate a heavily FUEL-contaminated field.
Side note: given bumper rules, FUEL and GEAR contamination of the field is going to be a serious consideration.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable for some of the high level teams to get the kPa ranking point alone, and judging from the bonus point difference in elims between gears and kPa the GDC thinks it will happen also. A dedicated low goal bot could accomplish the 40 points needed in 4 cycles utilizing two hopper dumps with floor pickup and two big runs to the human player with some floor pickup on the way.
Gears are a different story, the distance across the field alone makes it impossible for a team to do all 12 gears. Even an elite team is going to have trouble doing more than 6 in teleop once defense is present.
I think for most events the #1 or #2 alliance might be looking for just a hanging bot for defense since they can get close to the 12 gears with two robots. For any lower seeded alliances having all three robots capable of contributing at least one or two gears each will be crucial to get the 100 point bonus in hopes of upsetting the top teams. It will be interesting to see how it plays out, for events without elite gear runners the 3 - 6 seeds might have the easiest path to winning the event if they can assemble a team that can do 5-4-3 gears as a group versus the top alliances that can do 6-5 between the first two picks but a shaky 1 gear with the last pick.
Second pick tier:
Consistent climb every match.
Contribute >2 gears while not impairing the rest of the alliance’s scoring cycles.
Playing smart defense during downtime (eg alliance partner is loading).
First pick tier:
Contribute >40 high goals
4 gears at least, more is a bonus
Consistent climb every match
Robot in general is very consistent, with no unexplained breakdowns during a match (eg forgetting to turn the robot on is an explained breakdown)
Generally this question has a similar answer from season to season: see Karthik’s strategy tutorial as referenced in an earlier post at this thread.
Go for something simple that can complete a task CONSISTENTLY each and every match; the top seed teams will be scouting you for certain. Preferably the robot can do this during autonomous just as well as during teleop. Also, endgame capabilities are usually a must have from season to season.
Specifically, for SteamWorks… well it’s still up in the air(ship) as to what specifics will be required from a 2nd or 3rd alliance member, but… I encourage you to KISS (keep it simple, stupid) and best of luck!