INTO THE DEEP Season Kickoff Recap
The moment we’ve been waiting for is finally here! Last Saturday, we gathered in the school cafeteria to watch the official game reveal for the 2025-2026 FTC season: INTO THE DEEP.
Game Overview
This year’s game challenges teams to score game elements in various underwater-themed zones. Here are the key game objectives:
Autonomous Period (30 seconds)
- Start from designated positions on the field
- Navigate to collection zones
- Score in high and low goals
- Park in the observation zone
Driver-Controlled Period (2 minutes)
- Collect game elements from the field
- Score in tiered goals (higher = more points)
- Defend strategic positions
- Endgame climbing challenge
Our Initial Strategy Analysis
After the reveal, we broke into subteams to analyze different aspects of the game.
Build Team Analysis
Marcus led the build team in identifying key mechanisms we’ll need:
- Drivetrain Requirements
- Need for precise positioning (favors mecanum or swerve)
- Must handle the field obstacles
- Speed vs. pushing power tradeoffs
- Scoring Mechanisms
- Reach height needed: 24-36 inches
- Multiple scoring positions require flexibility
- Speed of cycling will be crucial
- Intake Design
- Game element geometry and weight
- Collection from floor vs. human player station
- Holding capacity considerations
Programming Team Analysis
Sofia’s programming team focused on autonomous potential:
- “The autonomous period is worth a significant portion of points this year”
- Computer vision will be essential for detecting game elements
- Path planning needs to handle obstacle avoidance
Strategy Team Analysis
Anya and the drive team looked at match strategy:
- Alliance coordination will be key
- Defending high-value scoring positions
- Endgame timing decisions (climb early vs. score more)
Next Steps
Based on our analysis, here’s our roadmap for the next few weeks:
| Week | Focus |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Drivetrain prototype and testing |
| Week 2 | Intake mechanism prototypes |
| Week 3 | Lift/scoring mechanism development |
| Week 4 | Integration and software development |
| Week 5 | Driver practice and autonomous tuning |
Prototype Palooza
This weekend we’re hosting our annual “Prototype Palooza” - a full-day workshop where we’ll build and test multiple mechanism concepts. Each subteam will create at least two different prototype approaches, and we’ll evaluate them based on:
- Reliability
- Speed
- Ease of manufacturing
- Maintenance requirements
Join the Discussion
We’re posting regular updates on our Discord server. If you’re a team member and haven’t joined yet, ask a lead for the invite link.
For other teams: we believe in the FIRST principle of Coopertition. If you want to discuss strategy or share ideas, reach out! We’re always happy to help rookie teams get started.
Let’s make this our best season yet! Go team!