To add on to the above, I agree that having such a sole focus on Command-Based is doing a large disservice to those teams that do not make use of it, and can also force students into a mindset of believing Command-Based to be the only option. However, I do believe having Command-Based be required at at-least some level, its a very useful thing, as it forces the student to learn more about the options available to them.
Personally, I’d say to leave Level 3 either largely unchanged, OR add more requirements to include BOTH Command-Based and Timed Robot Understanding and expand the compare and contrasting criteria. Regardless of which you go for though, I’d also leave out the and evaluate the advantages the former has.
bit as this does give the connotation that Command-Based is ‘better than Timed Robot’, which is both wrong and antithetical to the goal of expanding knowledge for the badge participant.
Now level 4 is a different beast. and personally I’d say “reduce” the first requirement to simply “Program a full Competition Robot” and don’t include any requirement of Command-Based or TimedRobot.
For the second Level 4 requirement, I say we turn that into “Advanced Robot Programming” and change it into another “Pick One” to “expand” the base competition robot code requirement above, and have Command-Based and Non-CB options.