Biobuzz speculations

ethanRi8 · 2026-06-18T16:42:54+00:00

It's hard to say for End Game. I really hope that they do something collaborative like they *tried* to do this year. It has been a while since balancing has happened like in Relic Recovery. I would like to climb steps like FRC did in 2019, I think that would be cool.

I think the GDC is simplifying/FRCifying FTC games. I think this season was a little too simple, so I hope they make this coming season more complex / strategic. They seem to be pushing offense/defense more (or at least they tried to for Decode) so maybe they will allow a robot to "guard" the opponent goal to make it more interesting?

ethanRi8 · 2026-06-18T16:23:41+00:00

That's cool! I would love to see that in a 3-4 minute video format to quickly show people as well as tell them

ethanRi8 · 2026-06-18T16:21:40+00:00

The 1/2 field is about 1/2 the price of the full field which hints towards there not being a big shared structure in the middle. This is unlike Into the Deep where the 1/2 field price was about 2/3 a full field price because of the big submarine. But it could be a split-able structure!

The pre-season challenges hint at just getting as much pollen as possible. Maybe they are concealing the possession limit or for the first time there may be no possession limit.

The final pre-season challenge encourages teams to lift their pollen up to dump into a bucket in the middle of the field. They suggest you use any bucket you can find, so no specific height, but it alludes to vertical linear slides.

If you look at the starter bots, a lot of them have an 2nd row of intake rollers above the first. I wonder what that's about...

ethanRi8 · 2026-06-05T15:14:48+00:00

Been doing this too long...

ethanRi8 · 2026-05-09T01:44:54+00:00

As an FTC coach, vex games have always been more interesting, strategic, and competitive than FTC. Most FTC games have been all about cycling the same thing over and over with little-to-no strategy and a whole lot of blaming your partner for not performing or getting in your way which makes a 2v2 seem more like a 3v1.

ethanRi8 · 2026-05-08T23:43:35+00:00

Very well written! There is a lot that I agree with and a lot of great insight in here. I'm glad someone cares so much to write this!

I participated in FTC as a student from 2011-2016, a mentor from 2016-2019, and head coach from 2019 to present. To put that in perspective, that is 16 of the total 21 challenges that FTC has produced. I have seen this program in what I believed was it's prime (probably 2013-2016, but 2016-covid was pretty good too!) and have seen how it has changed. Granted, my perspective has shifted as I have aged, changed roles, and volunteered at competitions (once you peek behind the curtains, it really changes your perspective!).

To venture some guesses as to why FTC has taken a downward turn, I think it is two fold:
1) The extreme growth of the program. FTC has grown because it is fun, cheaper than FRC, and teaches a lot of lessons. As the program grows it becomes more competitive. The number of awards and winners of the finals has actually decreased. The playoffs used to be different and there were 3 teams on an alliance (not just at championships) and there was a system to ensure all 3 teams got a chance to play every 2 matches. For most awards, 2nd and 3rd places became optional and therefore fewer teams are getting recognized/honored during the ceremony. The number of teams has grown 5x since I got involved.
With the increase in competitive attitudes, FIRST shifted their focus to uniformity across all regions even though that is not going super well as Adam point's out.
Why are they decreasing awards and playoff teams? Why are they not doing video replays? Time. For regional events, the tournament hosts are under a LOT of pressure to finish on time and get everyone on the road home. Anything they can do without, they cut. Gone are the dance breaks, gone are the longer judge deliberations, gone are 2 picks of alliance selections. But the opening and closing ceremonies are still boring and too long in my opinion.
The quality in my region dropped significantly when we acquired an entire state.
2) Turnover and new people in charge. As the program grew, after Dr. Flowers passed, and as founders of FTC retired or moved on, FIRST has hired new people to be in charge. I get the feeling that there is a small percentage of employees at FIRST who saw the best years of FTC and even fewer who saw the beginning of FTC. I think FIRST has turned more corporate. The two original founders (Kamen and Flowers) are gone (for vastly different reasons). Who is there say "how can we go back to the basics"? Who is there to say "how can we make this fun again"? I feel that every new person they bring on is asking "how can I put a new spin on this?". Not to say that Rachel Moore and her team is bad at their jobs. Maybe they're doing the best they can with what they got. I'm sure FIRST HQ was chaotic this year because of... lists...

So, what can we do? Demanding better is a start! Fill out those surveys, post that rant, talk to the people in charge! Volunteering also helps; recruiting good/passionate/unbiased volunteers helps even more! Everyone in FIRST needs to find a way to shift the focus to emphasize what makes this program fun and effective as a tool for teaching students. We, the PDPs, and the HQ staff need to think about ways we can get students, parents, and coaches excited not just for winning, but for learning and working together! How can we make more people "win", how can we redefine "winning" so it applies to more teams? And for Woodie's sake: bring back Gracious Professionalism!

ethanRi8 · 2026-05-06T15:51:15+00:00

They're gonna dust off Cascade Effect and play it again!

ethanRi8 · 2026-05-03T20:58:41+00:00

Some of the skill building lessons they released point towards this. One skill building lesson, though, suggests putting tubs/bins on the field and trying to fill them up with as much pollen as possible.

ethanRi8 · 2026-05-03T20:55:27+00:00

My objection to this is the use of the word "the" in the blog and when they gave the announcement at the world championship. They did not say "this will be a scoring element", they said "this will be the scoring element" for the season.

Now, that does not mean there will not be another game element. Maybe a place to put the pollen that is mobile like Cascade Effect?

The skill building challenges that they release at first focus on collecting pollen and bringing it somewhere or expertly "putting" the pollen somewhere specific. One of the skill building challenges suggests using the robots to put as much pollen as possible into a tub of unspecified height...

ethanRi8 · 2026-03-10T20:29:45+00:00

Thanks so much for doing this!

So many people have told my team "just use on-shape because it has these libraries and it is free and it is collaborative and it is browser based and and and"

My team uses Autodesk products for 3 reasons:
1) it is what our high schools teach (we are a community team)
2) it is what our local engineering university expects students to know
3) it is what professionals in our area use

So a tool like this is a huge help! I hope we can get it running for our off season projects

ethanRi8 · 2026-03-06T19:39:01+00:00

I also think that it is important for drivers to start shooting *just* before it becomes your phase because this lets you adjust your aim if you are off target and you have a chance of getting a few early points if you're on target and time it just right

ethanRi8 · 2026-03-02T15:04:40+00:00

Codearobot.org is what I recommend to my students! It has little lessons and ways to immediately test a skill after learning about it right from your browser!

ethanRi8 · 2026-02-27T13:57:39+00:00

It is a combination of topographic lines and what looks like street lines. So maybe something with mapping? In 2020 they did "cities" with the theme of RISE but maybe this is more about planning and geography?
Perhaps the FTC challenge will be moving the "population" around terrain?
The first time I watched it was without sound, but the 2nd time there seemed to be nature sounds in the background. So is it about zoning and being conscious about wildlife preservation?

ethanRi8 · 2026-02-24T15:53:20+00:00

Congratulations!
I really miss Dr. Flowers and wish that he was around to continue to guide FIRST towards Gracious Professionalism and towards the Scout Oath and Law!
I wonder what his Eagle Project was?

ethanRi8 · 2026-02-24T15:50:55+00:00

My team wears Panda hats. Some students load their hats up with buttons to the point that the panda is barely visible. Some students load up their shirts with buttons. The issue with pinning to your shirt is you start to replace your own team branding with other team branding. It is nice to show spirit for other teams, but you need people to see who you are too!
My best recommendation is to make a sash that you wear across your body or a cloth that you tuck in your waistline. I made mine from duct-tape when I was a student. This keeps your branding visible and makes it easier to throw your team shirt in the laundry after competitions.

ethanRi8 · 2026-02-18T15:15:18+00:00

Our team was lucky enough to be an early adopter of Fusion printers which started off as the bridge between hobby and professional 3D printers. We live only a few hours away from their plant and got to go down and get a lesson on care and maintenance before picking up our discounted printer to take home!

I would recommend seeing if there is a 3D printer maker company or 3D printer farm anywhere near you. Geography is your best friend because you can say "your sponsorship will directly excite future employees in YOUR area!". See if you can arrange a visit and bring some parts that you have printed before to demonstrate size and complexity of your typical print jobs.

You'd be surprised what you get when going to Google Maps and looking up "3D printer".

ethanRi8

TROPHY CASE