What am I Watching?
A CheatSheet for Parents & Spectators
Season
Each year there is a different game that the robots play. The game is released the first weekend of January. Teams have about 5 weeks to design and build a robot to meet the challenges of this year’s game. Then there is a 5 week competition season where we will compete at two regional competitions. Between competitions, the team continues to refine the robot. Week 6 is the FIRST in Michigan State Championships for teams finishing in the top half of the state. The season concludes with “Worlds” – the FIRST Championships in Houston in late April. Michigan typically sends about 80 teams to Worlds in a field of about 600 teams.
In the fall we typically compete in 2 off-season events using the previous year’s robot – Kettering Kick-off and Bloomfield Hills Girls Competition. The Ann Arbor District Library also hosts Washtenaw Area Pickup Robotics. They release a game in September for a December pick-up competition among local teams.
Competition Format
Each robotics competition is split into two parts: Qualifications and Playoffs. During qualifications, each team will be randomly assigned partners for each match. After all of the qualifications, there will be a draft where the top 8 teams will draft their alliance partners. The playoffs are double elimination until the final match which is a traditional best of 3.
2025 Game - REEFSCAPE - A Brief Overview
The 2025 Game is part of FIRST Dive across all levels of FIRST Robotics. The FRC game we are playing this year is called REEFSCAPE.
Each game is 2.5 minutes with an initial 15 seconds where the robots operate autonomously. After this section, the robots are operated by a driver with a human player on the opposite end of the field who introduces game pieces called notes to the field at their source. You are working with an alliance of 2 other teams in the game for a combined total score.
There are 2 game pieces this year – Coral (PVC Pipe) and Algae (balls). This year’s game is primarily played on your own side of the field with only one team at a time allowed to cross the center line and play defense.
- “Seeding coral”: Place coral game pieces onto your alliance’s reef structure. More points are awarded for coral placed at higher levels
- “Harvesting algae”: Collecting algae game pieces and place in the processor or the net above the barge
- “Ascending to the ocean surface”: robots will climb the cage during endgame.
During qualifications, alliances earn ranking points for each match that are used to determine team rankings for alliance selection.
- Winning Alliance: 3 Ranking Point
- Tied Game: 1 Ranking Point for Each Alliance
- Auton Ranking Point – All alliance robots leave and at least one coral scored
- Coral Ranking Point -At least 5 coral on each level (if Coopertition is achieved 5 coral on 3 levels)
- Barge Ranking Point – At least 14 Barge points – (12 point for off the ground deep cage, 6 points off the ground shallow cage, and 2 points for park)
What Else Do I Need To Know?
Matches are typically available to watch on Twitch or YouTube so you can keep up with the team even when you can’t be there in person.
Internet and cell service is usually very spotty for spectators especially in the stands. It is usually a bit better in the lunch rooms.
If you have questions, sit by an experienced parent or a mentor. I’ve found them willing to answer questions and provide insight.
The Blue Alliance app (links found on Team Resource Page) is great for match details. This will give you the team schedule typically released the morning the competition starts. It will list which match numbers we are in, which alliance (blue or red) for each match, and the tentative times for each match. Match times are updated through the day and match results will be posted.
How Are Team Members Involved?
Every team member is a valuable part of the team. The drive team are the ones on the field, but other team members are playing important roles. The Pit Crew makes any adjustments needed to the robot between matches. During qualifying matches, you will often see students with tablets intently watching all of the matches. They are scouting other teams looking for teams we might want to draft in an alliance or that we might want to show how valuable we can be as a partner. There are also team awards given such as the Impact Award that include an interview with team members at the competition. Other team members are interacting with other teams to build relationships and trading team pins. And of course everyone is in the stands cheering during our matches.
Parent help during competitions can include bringing (or sending) requested food items, driving carpools, picking up team meals, saving seats in the stands, and more.
2024 Game - A Brief Overview
Each game is 2.5 minutes with an initial 15 seconds where the robots operate autonomously. After this section, the robots are operated by a driver with a human player on the opposite end of the field who introduces game pieces called notes to the field at their source. You are working with an alliance of 2 other teams in the game for a combined total score.
The 2024 Game is called “Crescendo”. Each alliance is lined up on opposite ends of the rectangular playing field. The “speaker” for that alliance is between driver stations 2 and 3. Teams score notes in the speaker. Each alliance also has an amp on the side wall on their end of the field. After 2 notes have been played in the amp, a human player can amplify the speaker to earn additional points for 10 seconds.
The final 20 seconds is when the STAGE comes into play. The stage is a 3 sided element in the center of the field. Teams can earn points by scoring a note in the trap, being onstage (suspending from the chain), and being spotlit by a human player throwing a note over the microphone above the stage.There is a harmony bonus for having 2 or more onstage robots.
During qualifications, teams earn ranking points for each match that are used to determine team rankings.
- Winning Alliance: 2 Ranking Point
- Tied Game: 1 Ranking Point for Each Alliance
- Melody: 1 Ranking Point if Alliance scores 18 Notes (15 if Coopertition is activated)
- Ensemble: 1 Ranking Point for at least 10 Stage Points and 2 onstage robots
- Coopertition: In first 45 seconds of driver control, if each team scores a note in the amp and the human players hit the coopertition button teams earn a coopertition point.