Re: A Request
 

In Illinois, there doesn't seem to be a huge issue finding organizations to host events. It's actually easier than FRC, because venue size and layout is not as much of an issue.

I don't think teams hosting a competition is the issue. The biggest issues I've seen in Illinois at least, is that we're not uniform for a lot of how we do things across all of our qualifiers, regarding judging process, inspection process, actual play, etc. It's something that's being worked on.

Other than that, these events will never be as "impressive" as FRC regionals (again I can't speak for FRC districts), but there's no professional A/V at FTC Qualifiers, nor pipe and drape or a giant venue. I don't think quality is the right word here, because the events do what they need to do, and they do them well.

Other points regarding "professional"ness, and thinks I'm actually curious to hear more about are

Re: A Request
 

This is incorrect.

I know in my state when SC State University dropped thier commitment of hosting the competition FIRST spent several months searching for a partner to host the event and in the end they had to turn to me, a second year electrical engineering student alumni of a big FTC program, to find a way to host the SC Championship event.

Don't just assume that hosting an FTC Championship is an easy thing to do. Even at a bare minimum level.

Re: A Request
 

This is an interesting point, and I've got to say my main draw to FIRST is much more towards making a "better" person than making engineers (it's still a draw). I've been struggling with this for a while. From my limited view of 1 season, I'm not sure quite what to gather, but it's the principal reason I'm "more" involved in FRC than FTC.

What I have noticed as a volunteer in all kinds of roles (incl. judge) this year, is that there certainly are FTC teams that "make it loud" and way louder than some FRC teams.

The only difference I can think of that has this effect is simply the number of students. Since there are so many more students in FRC it's easier for FRC teams to "use this resource" in doing more things.

What's the FLL "feeling"?

Yup! FTC Inspire Award winners, should really hook up with other FTC teams and help establish a good outreach program. At our team's school, we have 4 FTC teams and just started a FRC team. We're hoping to build an environment where the FTC teams start to build the outreach/service aspects but then really force them to go wild in FRC.

Re: A Request
 

I'm not saying it's easy. Not at all.

I was responding to his comment about finding organizations to host tournaments, to which I made a blanket statement, and I'll revise to reflect Illinois' situation. My apologies.

Re: A Request
 

This was a huge problem for us in MN this year as well. Fortunately the organization that runs FTC here (High Tech Kids) also runs FLL, so they have a lot of experience running consistent events, and they're only getting better with the feedback from this season. I think that consistency will improve over time and as the regional affiliates get more familiar with the program.

Re: A Request
 

I guess I glossed over that in my earlier post. I apologize.

The other theme that we noted was that FLL students seem to form a balanced mix of technical and social interests. That aligns well with the fact that a large chunk of the FLL challenge is absolutely not about the robot. Successful FRC teams have a significant non-technical side as well. But there's a palpable lack of continuity through the mid-level competitions. They tend to focus on the robot, and it appears that students without the strong technical inclinations lose interest.

The FLL emphasis on real-world problems and solutions seems to provide an environment where many students feel enabled to contribute on a global scale. That is missing from FTC, and is only vaguely present in most FRC teams.

Re: A Request
 

Read what I said and then tell me where I said his OPINION was wrong. There's a difference in saying someone's reading/interpretation of something I said is wrong and saying an opinion is wrong.



Thanks for blaming me for making CD hostile. If you'd like to continue this please take it to a PM.

Re: A Request
 

I was not attempting to blame you. I pointed out people in general, saying that the aggressive attitudes of many users, myself included, have been plaguing CD lately.

"This is one of the reasons why C.D. has gotten so hostile lately, people aren't being considerate of others' opinions."



Sorry that your thread got derailed, Justus. I enjoyed reading the civil conversations that were going on. Personally, I have never felt that FTC had the 'hype' that was shown regarding FRC.

Re: A Request
 

High Tech Kids is AWESOME! I know it will be better next year. Lots of awesome stuff is happening! With the continued exponential growth of the FTC program in Minnesota, it is important that all of the events are consistent.

Re: A Request
 

Here is my opinion. I've got a bunch of small things.

#1: Keep it civil. I'm not going to name names, but some folks here need to go on vacation by the lake for a week or two--and yes, they should jump in the lake while they're there.

#2: I think a lot of the looking-down-on is due to the move away from VEX some years ago, and more particularly the way it was handled. Also, there could be some ill-feeling left from 2011's minibots, and their associated Tetrix motor issues.

#3: Each program has its own benefits, and its own drawbacks. FRC is "the big show"; you put an FRC robot out in a public place and it will draw a crowd. It costs appropriately, too--high costs on both the team side and the event side. As such, it is probably the best "hook"--for anybody that isn't in elementary school. That distinction goes to FLL, with its low costs, plentiful competitions, and restricted team size. As noted, FLL also has a pretty tough non-robot component with its research presentations and other social items. But... there's that age limit, and team size limit. FTC is middle-of-the-road: big enough to be bigger than FLL, small enough to open the venue selection for events a bit, but small enough that if you set an FTC robot out in a public place, the crowd won't be as big. For the participants, I would say it's FRC's equal--or more, if the team is small enough--but for the show, not so much. VRC has the same benefits and drawbacks as FTC, though with the addition of being able to run both ways on the age scale (the "lower age divisions", including VEXIQ, and the university division). Incidentally, the scale difference was shown at IRI 2012, when IFI sent out their interns' VEX robot built for Rebound Rumble along with the RoboWranglers' robot from that year for a quick demo.

tl;dr: They all have pros, and they all have cons. Do your analysis, and figure out which fits your situation and goals the best.

And #4, my final point:
"Give me more tools; I’ll use the ones that are most useful for the job."--Natchez, FRC118, and well worth the read. (Do note: this one is from '02, before FTC or VRC, and even before the Edubot, which was the forerunner to the VEX Kit and FVC, which split into the above. Would you believe... that two full robotics competitions started because a third one wanted some small-scale, quick-build prototypes? Whodathunk?)

Re: A Request
 

As an engineer, I look at as:
You can build a laser in your garage that takes up most of the garage space.
How do you build a laser to fit in a tiny box and it still be useful?
The smaller-scale challenge of FTC.

Re: A Request
 

314A from VEX IQ World Championships this year may be the best robot I've ever seen.

Re: A Request
 

It reminds me of 71's 2002 robot.

Re: A Request
 

Any photos or video?

Re: A Request
 

[Oh yes. Yes there is.