Quote:
Originally Posted by Drwurm
A suggestion I would like to make is that FTC become even more like FRC. As it is, teams are only allowed to use Vex parts and a few minor materials. However, I see no reason that, with regulation, teams shouldn't be allowed to fabricate custom parts for the bots. Obviously, this would have to be constrained a bit, but it would open up the possibility for so much more creativity and ingenuity. In short, Vex should become the KOP of FTC.
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I have to disagree with opening up the FTC competition to more parts.
Right now, FTC serves as a great platform for a competition model which brings teams as close as possible to each other without rules constraining specific robot design. The difference between the "have" teams and "have not" teams is a lot smaller when you are constricted to only using the Vex parts.
While it would be pretty cool to CNC 0.125" Lexan frames for Vex robots, there are
other competitions where that is already possible. And with Vex striving to be a low-cost competition that's easy to get involved with, keeping the parts constrained to just Vex parts gives the FTC teams who aren't allied with FRC teams (and their resources) as much viability to win and do well as FRC-based FTC teams.
FRC, FTC, and FLL are all different, and all have their own places for a reason. Forcing one to act like another will only leave a void that it once occupied.