FIRST Tech Challenge 2026-2027 · BIOBUZZ
12,375 matches played so far…
We are the students and mentors of the three FTC teams at NCSSM. We built a physics simulator of this season's game, ran thousands of matches in it, and changed one thing at a time. This is what we learned, and the tools that we used, for any team that wants them.
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Ten lessons
What to build, what to practice, and how to plan a match. Each lesson gives the advice, the numbers, and something to try at practice.
Read the lessons →79
Match Lab
Configure an alliance and see its likely scores and its chance of beating an opponent. All 79 setups that we tested are there, with a dot for every match.
Open the lab →2:30
Simulator
Watch four robots play a full match on the official field, or drive one with a controller. Configure each robot, and then review and annotate the match. Best on a laptop: the field model is 17 MB.
Start a match →Four numbers to start with
-150points per match when a launcher is 3 times less repeatable. Nothing else that we tested comes close.
-82points for an alliance that runs no AUTO. Two solo routines that ignore each other lose 52.
73%of TELEOP is driving, and 5% is launching. A shorter trip buys more than a faster shooter.
+6+2.7points for every kilogrampound that you leave off the robot. Top speed bought nothing.