So a lot of people are asking what they should do for the new game, so before you make your decision, please read this.
Before we get into drivetrains, toggles, lifts etc, let’s break down what can actually win a match (surefire way to get to states/regionals). A robot that can just drive around can rack up a minimum of 8 points, max 18. No lift or toggle necessary. A bot that can toggle and has a working autonomous can rack up a minimum of 18 points, but a much larger max of 70. Okay so now you know the bare minimum, so let’s talk about lifts, and we’ll get to the more reliable ones later in the list
Continuous lift: literally just a worse cascade lift. Asynchronous stages and even worse to build
Scissor lift: with some finesse and pneumatics you could get it to work, but it’s not that reliable the higher up you get
Cascade lift: again with some finesse you could get it to work, but it is unforgiving with misalignment
4/6 bar: I put these two together because they have the same pros and cons. Pretty easy to get to work, and reliable, but you’d have to modify it for durability and it doesn’t reach that high (yes, all the other lifts can reach higher, but a reliable bot will win against a one hit wonder)
Dr4b and any modifiers: easy to get to work, reaches high, and is also pretty reliable. Plus, it leaves room for improvement.
So now you know what to make for your lift, now let’s talk about drivetrains and intakes. Again we will start with my least recommended and go up
Drivetrains;
X drive: mobile, but low strength and durability, the frame we warped a few days ago is still stronger
Asterisk drive: only difference is that it has more wheels and power than an x drive
H drive: more rigid with mobility, and allows for more room to work with. Fits within the 55 watt accommodation as well. Still pretty low durability.
“Meta drive” (if you look at teams like 97445A and any others, it’s a pretty similar story): 3 wheels with the space of four and huge speed gearings on 3.75" Omni wheels, it has insanely low pushing power for insanely high speed, and works with most lifts
Tank: 3.25" Omni Omni traction omni wheels and especially a bulky steel frame. 3:5 gear ratio and 3 supports with dual spine frame and it has really high durability, speed, and pushing power.
So you were really careful when deciding your drivetrain but then you realize you can only hit a max of 18 points on the field. So now we’re gonna break down the two types of toggles, passive and rollers
Passive is great, it doesn’t take any sort of power but usually needs something to spring it into the match. Can be reliable with just two on a side and you just move into the toggle.
Rollers are also great, and they do need a half watt motor at least to get it to work. It just spins the toggle to the selected color, so you don’t have to waste time switching it over and over. Reliable almost every time.
Now, you don’t need an intake. Everything else is necessary for scoring, but an intake is not necessary at all. Your mission for an intake, if you choose to accept it, is to make it so that it can pick up and center an object for the claw. A roller to actuated claw works wonders, and your cycle times get lower and lower. Experiment around and let me know what you come up with, I’ll definitely be checking this every once in a while