FTC Game and Competition Structure

For the 2020-2021 season, all FTC matches in Illinois were played via the Remote Competition format. This means that all matches are played on a partial field, and scores are submitted via electronic entry to FIRST's Competition software.  Since then the option for competing remote has been available.

Autonomous is a 30 second period at the very beginning of the match, during which the robots movement is solely controlled by code and sensor readings. Teams use Java or block coding to write code for their robots to complete, as well as using sensor readings to pick out certain game elements for extra points. The code is stored on Control Hub located on the robot. 

This is the largest part of our game. Beginning right after Autonomous, this is when the Drive team (two drivers and a drive coach) takes control of the robot using the Driver Hub and connected gamepads. During this period, the drivers control the robot to complete different tasks for different amounts of points. The Human player, although part of the drive team, is not allowed to touch controllers or the robot. However, they are allowed to help the robot in certain ways and can always communicate with the drive team. 

While technically a part of TeleOp, endgame consists of the last 30 seconds of the game. There are usually a few high scoring tasks that can only be completed during this portion of the game. The robot is still controlled by the drive team, and they work with their alliances to finish out the last few tasks. 

FTC Competitions are a ton of fun, but they can be a little stressful if you don't know where to go next. Here's a simplified layout of what you can expect and when during a day of competition. 

Notice the slight differences between League Matches and League Championships.

Also, it is perfectly fine to send your whole team to the Drivers meeting before competition, this is when the referees talk about how strict they are going to be with different penalties and any rules that they want the teams to know about. 

A usual league match day looks like this:

8:00 - Arrive

8:00 to 9:00 - complete pre match check ins and go through robot inspection

~9:15 - Drive Team Meeting with Referees

~10:00 - Matches start

~1:00 - Matches wrap up

~1:30 - Teams clean up & Coach's meeting

A Normal League Championship looks like this:

7:30 - Teams arrive & Pit setup starts

8:00 - robot inspection and Judging starts

10:00 - Judging ends, drive team meeting

10:30 - Qualification Matches start

~12:00 to 1:00 - Lunch Break

1:00 - Qualification Matches resume

4:00 - Qualification matches end, Alliance Selection starts

4:30 - Semifinals/finals start

6:00 - Awards Ceremony

6:45 - Time to pack up and go home. 

Judging:

• Bring robot and any displays you want the judges to see

• Plan and rehearse ahead of time 

Drive team meeting: 

• Send the whole team! The more participants that know the rules, the better.

Scouting:

• Other teams will often come up to you in the pit area and ask for information about what your robot can do. Be honest and don't exaggerate. They may end up being your alliance later and will be mad at you if you lie to them. Also, if you really have something you need to do, feel free to say come back later, or ask for help because they may be able to help you. 

• If you're curious about someone else's robot, feel free to go up to them and ask about it. Unless they have somewhere else to be, they are usually willing to talk to you about it.