FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

Greetings, teams! Today’s blog today is all about the Audience Display and is our annual sneak peek at a few of the graphics you’ll see on the big screen at your events. Please remember that team numbers, names, ranks, cards, performance, events, or descriptions are for illustrative purposes only!

Match Preview

The screen shown prior to the start of the match is the “Match Preview” screen. This screen introduces the teams in the upcoming match. This is the only place that a team’s nickname is shown, reflecting information provided to FIRST via the Team Dashboard in the Team Registration System. This screen provides information about the team such as team number, team avatar, team nickname, and their current rank in the tournament (if the team has played any matches thus far). During Playoffs this screen changes slightly to reflect alliance information, including backup robots, and the current number of matches that have been won by each alliance.

Real-Time Scoring

Once the match is ready to begin and while the match is running, the “Real-Time Scoring” screen is displayed in the lower 20% of the screen, below the live match video. This screen provides information that reflects the current status of the match, such as team information (including cards), match progress, game timer, real-time score, and match/event information. Each alliance has multiple stats being tracked in the Real Time Scoring:

Hub Scoring: Counts indicate the number of alliance cargo scored in the upper and lower hubs as two stacked trapezoids symbolizing the hubs. In Qualification Matches, progress toward the cargo bonus is tracked by the alliance-colored bubble, symbolizing cargo, and is followed by the threshold indicator. If a quintet is earned in the Autonomous Period, the threshold indicator shows “/ 18” with a yellow background, otherwise it shows “/ 20” with a white background. The number inside the bubble is the progress made towards the cargo bonus (i.e. cumulative number of cargo scored in both hubs). In Playoffs, when the cargo bonus isn’t used, its indicators are replaced by FIRST and FIRST Robotics Competition logos.

Ranking Point (RP) Status: When the cargo bonus is achieved, the bubble is capped with a green checkmark, and a yellow dot appears above the alliance score to indicate an RP has been earned. Neither hangar points nor the hangar bonus are reflected during the match. These scoring components are reflected in the final Match Results screen.

Match Results

Once the match details have been finalized by the Head Referee, the “Match Results” screen is shown. The Match Results display contains a wealth of information. During Qualification matches each team is displayed with their team number, team avatar, card(s) issued to them during the match, their new ranking, and how that rank changed versus their prior ranking; during Playoffs this information is combined for the alliance. If a team receives cards during the match, a graphic is shown to indicate the card and any additive card promotion due to card accumulation (in the example below for Qualification Match 7, 624 had a yellow card carry, and earned a yellow during the match, and in the Match Results the yellow promoted to a red).

Badges celebrate completion of tasks that earned Ranking Points (RP) in Qualification matches (but aren’t worth more points in Playoffs); the cargo bonus is represented by a cargo icon, the hangar bonus is represented by a hangar icon, and match outcome is represented by a trophy. Earned badges are emblazoned with the alliance color, unearned badges are shown without color. In Playoff matches, the RP area is replaced with the number of wins the alliance has won in that series (Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals). Additionally, points earned for the taxi, cargo (combined for auto and teleop), hangar, and any penalty points accrued because of opponent rule violations are displayed. “High Score” text is shown when a new local tournament high score has been achieved. “WIN” indicates the winning alliance (or “TIE” if the match ends with equal score). Detailed results information for each match can be found on the FRC Events webpage.

Be sure to also watch the Match Results screen during Qualification and Playoff matches for special cut-scenes that complete the RAPID REACT presented by The Boeing Company story, once again brought to you by our good friends at AutomationDirect.com!