Some people have complained that all the design and strategy threads are “Giving everyone the answers” and whatnot. So, I’m posting this thread to see if we can identify all of the questions, instead, and let everyone come up with their own solutions.
Can we find all of the engineering problems in this game?
Interesting thought, much more practical approach.
I would say:
-Power distribution (lots of weight)
-Importance of high goal(Worth to be able to score it? Or only descore it?)
The Game.
What I have learned to do with every new game is set up a list of EVERYTHING that can happen on the field in reference to scoring/descoring/very simple design ideas.
I don’t have my list in front of me now, but it would go something like this.
Scoring
Something along those lines. This is just a quick over view nothing to crazy into detail, but you can get things into sensors motor alotment, Drive trains AKA SPAM (Speed Power and Manueverability) This list can sum up your entire strategy from the get go, and I Highly reccomend everyone make one, or multiple depending on how much you iterate your strategy/design.
A description of how SPAM works for those of you who are new.
Speed Power and Manueverability. Disclaimer This is an example no yelling at me about “X team would beg to differ” on any cases so on so forth, There are ways to achieve all of these but I’m not going into that much detail.
Its a visious cycle of which you can not (in most cases) have all of the features at once.
Speed and power go hand in hand with one you can’t have the other.
Shifters are great for getting both with very little loss in energy.
Manueverability is based on your drive train choice as speed and power can change based on resources dedicated to it, However if chosen with manueverability you can’t have power unless in all directions because to have manueverabilty something has to give to move in the direction you desire.
Anyway thats all of I can think of for now for a guide line to desigining bots. I hope its helpful, and maybe I can write up some stuff later tonight, we will see.
You should add the Autonomous Bonus to the scoring list. It contributes to the problem of whether to have a fast, small-capacity robot, or a slow, large-capacity robot. Large-capacity robots will have an advantage in driver control, but faster robots have the upper hand in the short autonomous period, and can easily snag the autonomous bonus.
The list wasn’t a complete list it was simply to show what one should/could put on quick off the top of my head examples. In fact any more ideas that anyone wants added to this list besides auton? I will make a full list later if you like.
Also something I forgot to mention in my first post. You would then go down this list and vote along with your team to figure out what is your best strategy, I like 1-3, 3 being the best personally but I have seen it done with 1-5, 1-10, and thats about it.
Another challenge in Sack Attack is the parking bonus. Do you score/descore/defend toward the end of the match, or do you park? Parking isn’t worth very many points, but if the GDC didn’t expect something to come of it, they wouldn’t have included it.
Why not both … ?
I like this guys thinking. 
Dang, I was hoping I was the only one to think of that! 
It’s risky, though. If you expand to become parked, and another robot wants to get past your expansion, your extension won’t be protected by G11.
But if a another robot tries to get past your expansion they won’t be anywhere close to their own alliance tile. If you are able to keep the extension in the square then…
That’s a little questionable. You could argue that it was not your intent to block the field and also, depending on where you are, you could say that they had another way to move around you. It is something to consider though.
And while I’m sure this would be a fascinating discussion to have over the twisted remains of your robot, I would recommend simply making your expansion very strong, or just staying under G11 :p.
I asked Karthik in this thread, and he said this:
Or you could make it out of expendable pieces, like 1x25 beams, and replace them when they’re damaged.
Thats a bad system
you could have a really slow hand of god attached to your robot to score and descore at the end of the match.
Remember you cant be touching another tile but you could rest your arm on the trough. Unless it looks like your breaking it.
Are you talking about the parking bonus because, as far as I can tell from the rules, a robot only has to be touching the tile to be considered parked.
Ya JVN said it wrong at the unveiling. Sorry JVN