Get Ready for Mission Countdown

Before your team explores uncharted planets in ROVER RUCKUS presented by Qualcomm, explore practicing with field and scoring elements. This season�s FIRST� Tech Challenge field is out-of-this-world, and what better way to blast past other teams than practicing with precision on the field you'll be competing on! Here are some other reasons having your own ROVER RUCKUS presented by Qualcomm partial field will benefit your team: 

1. Get hands-on experience with this season�s game elements

This year�s game elements will look familiar to some of you. The gold cubes are from Block Party and the silver balls hail from Cascade Effect. Manipulating these objects depends on knowing their size and weight. How you collect these objects and load them onto the lander are up to you. If you don�t have these elements from prior seasons, you�ll need at least a few to design your bot.

2. Program your robot to exact field specifications

The playing field is 12 feet by 12 feet again this season. The craters and lander take up some of that space. Autonomous success will be determined by how well your robot finds its way around the field and to the desired objects. Navigation targets can help, as can distance and color sensors. Your autonomous strategy depends on these options and can launch you ahead of your competing alliance before driver control even starts.

3. Strategize game play tactics

You�ve got to obtain valuable minerals and load your lander � not only in driver control mode but autonomously as well. How will you drop to the planet�s surface � or will you even try? Even more daunting � how will your opponents accomplish these things � and how might you slow them down? The answers to these questions are daunting, and if the game design crew has done their job there are many ways to solve these challenges� will yours be the winning strategy? One of the wonderful things of FIRST Tech Challenge is there are up to 15 students per team who have possible answers to these questions. See what your crew comes up with.

4.      Run practice matches

Strategy and design are crucial, but largely theoretical until they�re practiced. Just like real space mission testing is where the ideas and plans can be tested � and tested again. The most successful teams have repeatable strategies that they can execute almost every time. Like any sport, practice is where you learn what works, refine your approach, and improve your strategy. In FIRST Tech Challenge it�s also a great way to meet other teams, learn from them, and take your crew to the next level. The robots control system allows you to show up and play with no infrastructure needed. Call for a pick-up ROVER RUCKUS presented by Qualcomm match and have some fun!

How to get this ROVER RUCKUS presented by Qualcomm game elements:

• If available use recycled game elements. Two of this year�s elements were used in Block Party and Cascade Effect, with the same dimensions. If you have a veteran team and still have some of these game elements, you are ready to practice!
• Teams can also purchase field and game elements at https://www.andymark.com/FTC-s/274.htm.
• Enter the ROVER RUCKUS Game Set Sweepstakes � to help more teams prepare for success this season, we are giving away five (5) 2018-2019 partial fields and scoring elements. Drawings run September 19 to October 17, and the sooner your team is registered, the more chances you have to win. Click below for all the details.

Good luck this year!

We�ll see you out on the field � and beyond!