[10intheCrunch]

I know FIRST isn't supposed to be fair, but autonomous mode as it is out of reach for many teams. Programming a real AI as well as processing realtime video and active decision making for playing a game as complicated as FIRST's would not be possible for all but a very very few teams, and I believe those teams would mostly outsource their programming.

FIRST is For Inspiration, of course, but I believe that most of the work on a robot should be by students, and that includes programming. I know that I couldn't program to the level you are talking about right now; people go to college and spend their careers developing these tools and systems. Certainly C was the right move, but this would be far too much.