Work For You
Making Strategy
How strategy evolves at different levels of competition and team, and other game analysis tips.
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Overview
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Goal Setting
In order to achieve success, you need to properly define what that means for your team.
Your definition of success and goals can affect what strategy is best for your robot.
The best robot may not be the best for you.
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Example Goals
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449 set their goals for this year to be a contributor to competitive alliances in playoffs (ideally up to a worlds level)
Lead a worlds alliance into Einsteins
Compete for a world championship
Reach playoffs in a regional event
Qualify for a district championship
How should your goals affect your strategy?
Every strategy is based off a teams capabilities.
Consider limiting factors:
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How should your goals affect your strategy?
Such limiting factors should contribute to a scope that will shape your match play throughout the season. (It’s OK to cut scope!!!!!!)
This may lead your team to:
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Its Kickoff!
How should you analyze the new FRC game?
It should be mentioned that, obviously, every new season has a completely different game and ruleset.
However…
There are continuities from game to game!
These certanties can be summarised and addressed in three points.
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It’s Kickoff!
How should you analyze the new FRC game?
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Three big questions on how to analyze an FRC game:
Where will you be able to intake and score them?
Strategy section 1
Will you be doing the endgame?
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Endgame
What makes valuable endgame? And why was this years not?
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Soloable RP
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Large Point Value
Sometimes a climb might be the single largest contribution a team has. Partners can make up for bad scoring, but they can’t climb for you.
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Points Fall-Off
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Less points are scored during endgame in 2025
In 2026 the game was often decided from points during endgame
Small Time and Complexity Commitment
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Conclusion
Deciding on whether or not a climb is worthwhile for you comes down to few key questions:
The answers to these may be different depending on your capabilities
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Strategy section 2
What, How will you score game pieces?
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Which game pieces will you score?
Where will you be able to intake and score them?
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Game Pieces - Overview
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Game Pieces - How should you choose?
This season, choosing game pieces is completely irrelevant and nonsensical.
However, throughout past seasons, many games have included multiple game pieces.
This question can also become irrelevant if you bypass it and say BOTH (High level, ambitious goal)
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Game Pieces - Which one?
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One game piece, one place to score, 1D approach
2 Game pieces, multiple places to score each piece, dependency through RP
2 game pieces, multiple scoring stations, dependency upon each other
Game Pieces - Which one?
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Primary objective:
Score fuel into the hub
Secondary goal:
IDK man
Primary objective:
Coral (L4 down to L1)
Secondary goal:
Algae
Primary objective:
Hatch Panels
Secondary goal:
Cargo (balls)
Game Pieces - Which one?
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(Primary objective)
(Secondary objective)
Both 2025: Algae & Coral
Specialize 2025: Coral
Niche 2025: Algae
Game Pieces - Which one?
Whatever you choose completely depends upon your goal.
For any game piece, depending upon the game, there are multiple different ways of scoring them.
Some require less mechanical complexity.
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Game Pieces - How do you want to score it?
You may not only be able score a game piece in multiple different areas, but also intake pieces in different areas.
Considering where you prefer to score is key to creating a complete alliance
Examples include:
2026 Neutral zone, depot, outpost
2025 Lollipop, reef
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Game Pieces - How do you want to score it?
Strategy section 3
How will you navigate the field?
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Cycle Paths
2024 cycles is a good example(please gabriel can I get the 2024 cycles diagram of going under stage)
Where do you maybe bump into the other team
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Obstacles
Stronghold and rebuilt
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Defense
Where are the chokepoints, where do you want to defend and where do you not want to get stuck
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Conclusion
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The three main points to take away from this talk:
Where will you be able to intake and score them?
Thank You!
Presented by the 449 data science subteam
Questions?
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Where will you be able to intake and score them?