[smartkid]

O.k. It's time for Cody to dish out a long tedious post here.

First, lets look at the cooperate structure here. The first thing the "animation" showed us was this epic looking and big history of FTC portrayed as if VEX and IFI was never ever a part of FTC. Vex wasn't even mentioned! It also portrayed FTC as if it was some god child of FRC (which may be true). And then they went on to explain why this new FTC is a perfect mix of FLL and FRC.

Just like I said this is a new FTC, not the old FTC. So I'm going to name it something else, welcome to the FIRST Tech Lego Challenge. Or FTLC.

FTLC features a perfect mix of FLL and FRC from a game field that is almost impossible for every team to build to a budget that is impossible for everyone to afford to cute little Lego's that the little kids can identify with.

Some FRC elements include the four large motors that are symbolic to the four SIM motors FRC is allowed. The ability to cut aluminum and polycarbonate also shows how FTLC is just like FRC!

Some FLL element include LEGOS! Yay, we like Legos!!! They even gave us a little Lego man, isn't he cool!?! Let's put him on the bot because we can, he's part of the $900 dollar kit our director broke his back to buy us! Yays!!! Legos...

What FIRST did was to kill FTC as we knew it and to invent FTLC. The good old FTC is still here, it just got renamed to VRC with good old IFI who have been royally slapped in the face by either Lego or FIRST, I really can't tell.

Now if your coming from FLL you probably love this more than anything because it's a 500% beefed up version of what you were already doing. However if your were on FTC/FRC then you probably liked the fact that Vex allowed you to do more complicated stuff than FRC while you got more hands on time, a long build time and a more dynamic competition.

If that's the case then your on the short end of the stick and will either suck it up and do FTLC or beg your director to start a VRC team.

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NOW, the issue of the game. Welcome to the first, FIRST Tech Lego Challenge game: Face-Off (Oooo... "scary" title). This game is as wacky as the many FLL games but lacks the hidden political views of FLL with the simple sports like game elements the FRC games use.

Thats it! Go play (once your motor controllers from HiTonics decide to show up)...

You can love me or hate me, this is nothing more than my view. I dono about all of you guys but I'll be at both VRC and FTLC. I'll just enjoy one more than the other.

-Smith