LogoMotion Game PlayStrategy

Siri Maley, 19 Feb 11

What Most Alliances Will Do…

(Tubes should be yellow)

Home-Bound Jams

Blocking is a hard urge to overcome…but tubes are too valuable this year

Don’t chase – get in front, call someone who can, or move on

Things get disorganized quick – leave someone in the crease

Don’t throw tubes your robots can’t handle & figure out the poor throwers timing>aim>>quantity

Watch where your team is going…Timing is everything

Lessons from Standard StrategyTube Distribution HPs: Don’t throw tubes your robots can’t handle Coaches: Find the poor throwers Coaches: track the free tubes

Standard Urges Chasing – don’t. Get in front, call someone who can Illegal herding – don’t. Maneuvering close to teammates – Watch paths & zones,

Talk! Running to Midfield – 6 robots is too many. So is 5. 4 is

close. Pushing matches – rarely worth the time. Trading offense for defense – tubes are too valuable

Note: these actions are equivalent to ~2.5 matches at Week 1 (at least 5 minutes)

Streamlined Method1. Decide if how many Feeders, Placers, Scorers &

Defenders Usually only Scorer if non-floor loader (See Waiting

Game) Otherwise the loop is probably faster as Feeder + Placer Defense only against Powerhouse or with non-scorers

(see Powerhouse for where to defend)

2. Switching between Feeding and Placing Switch to Placer if backlog is high & you have scoring

room Switch to Lane Defense if briefly empty & defense will

help Switch to Feeder if empty & no need for Lane defense

OR Feeder is down

Strategy Chart – Against a Powerhouse

*You’re only “fast” if your full loop is faster than the 1 Feeder + scorer would be

Against a Powerhouse 1st Defender:

If they’re lane-loaders: lanes If they’re bad throwers: Human Player throw zones

(where tubes tend to land) If they’re good throwers: their outgoing feeders

2nd Defender takes opposite (lanes/zones or feeders)

Bottleneck Them At Lanes/around Towers Home Zone: outgoing feeders Work together!

Concentrate on the Minibots (interfering & scoring) See The Minibot Tradeoff

The Waiting GameIf you’re playing with multiple scorers

Wait your turn – talk to allies Don’t herd! Get out of active allies way (including paths to

tubes) Avoid crossing paths, & sharing zones

Block opposing alliance (go backwards – protect claw)

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The Waiting Game – Example

Smart move by Red

Blue1 scores, backs to block Red for Blue2. Blue3 blocks Red’s close Lane (from far side to leave room to score later).

Red bolts to far Lane.Blue1 backs up to pickup & interfere. Blue3 backs up to block close Lane. Blue2 scores.

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Red picks up & goes home.Blue1 picks up & goes home.Blue3 score. Blue2 backs up & picks up.

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The Minibot Tradeoff

Need more than 25? Need great D (stop both) or great bots (win both, stop 1)

Winning Both – within 25pt Margin

Alliance Normal Powerhouse

Teleop Score x y ≥ x

Minibot Scores 30 20 15 10

Total x + 50 y + 25Lose 1, Stop 1 – if you think you can’t win both

Alliance Normal Powerhouse

Teleop Score x y ≥ x

Minibot Scores 30 15 20

Total x + 45 y + 20

Stop1 to Stop 1 – not worth it, need to stop both

Alliance Normal Powerhouse

Teleop Score x y ≥ x

Minibot Scores 30 20

Total x + 30 y + 20

Example – Blue: 2 Feeders & Placer Red: 2 Scorers & Defender

Gets crowded fast Good news on the Feeder + Placer: it’s 2 on 1

Good news on opposing D: no lane defense necessary

Less crowded when you take turns