Crescendo

Alliances score by:

  1. leaving their starting zone,

  2. scoring notes in their speaker or amp,

  3. collect and score additional notes; notes scored in an amplified speaker are worth more points than those scored in an unamplified speaker

  4. hanging onstage

  5. deliver notes to their traps

  6. Harmonizing robots, i.e. robots sharing a chain, earn an added bonus

  7. Robots earn even more points if a human player spotlights robots on a chain by scoring a note on the chain’s microphone.

Our first competition was in Lake City, MI, where we placed 24th in the qualifying matches. We made it to the playoffs as the 2nd pick of Alliance 2. We got 2nd place overall for the competition.

Our second competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 28th in the qualifying matches. We made it to the playoffs as the 2nd pick of Alliance 5. We got eliminated in our 3rd match.

Our Robot name was The Aluminum Maiden.

Charged Up!

Alliances score points by:

  1. Leaving their community,

  2. retrieving and scoring game pieces onto the grid,

  3. docking on or engaging with their charge station

Our first competition was in St. Joseph, MI, where we placed 22nd in the qualifying matches. We did not get picked for finals nor won an award.

Our second competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 17th in the qualifying matches. We got chosen as a backup for Alliance 2. We ended up winning the competition with a tiebreaker.

Our Robot name was The Grip Reaper.

Rapid React

Alliances score points by:

  1. taxiing from their tarmac and

  2. retrieving and scoring their assigned cargo into the hub.

  3. engaging with their hangar.

Our first competition was in St. Joseph, MI, where we placed 19th in the qualifying matches. We did not make it to the playoffs nor win any awards.

Our second competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 23rd in the qualifying matches. We did not make it to the playoffs nor did we win any awards.

Our Robot name was Carcass.

Infinite Recharge

Infinite Recharge is the only game to have gone twice: during 2020 and 2021. Since 2021 was an at-home challenge, we’ll only be covering 2020.

Alliances score points by:

  1. Scoring Power Cells in the Power Port

  2. Moving from the Initiation Line

  3. Completing Rotation Control

  4. Completing Position Control

  5. Hanging from the Generator Switch

  6. Getting the Generator Switch to the level position

Our first competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 27th in the qualifying matches. We did not make it to playoffs nor win any awards.

Our second competition was in St. Joseph, MI, where we placed 6th in the qualifying matches. We made it to playoffs as the Alliance 5 Captain. We got eliminated in the 2nd match of the playoffs.

Deep Space

Alliances score points by:

  1. Deploying Robots from Habitat (HAB)

  2. Preparing Rockets and Cargo Ship with Hatch Panels

  3. Loading Cargo pods into their Rockets and Cargo Ship

  4. Returning the Robot safely to the Alliance’s HAB

Our first competition was in St. Joseph, MI, where we placed 15th in the qualifying matches. We made it to playoffs as the 2nd pick of Alliance 6. We got eliminated in the 2nd match of the semifinals.

Our second competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 18th in the qualifying matches. We made it to the playoffs as the 2nd pick of Alliance 6. We got eliminated in our 3rd Semifinals match. We also won the Imagery Award.

Power Up

Each three-team alliance prepares to defeat the boss in three ways:

  1. Control the Switches and the Scale. Robots collect Power Cubes and place them on Plates to control Switches or the Scale. When the Scale or their Switch is tipped in their favor, it is considered owned by that Alliance. Alliances work to have Ownership for as much time as possible.

  2. Earn Power Ups. Robots deliver Power Cubes to their humans who then place them into the Vault earning the Alliance Power Ups. Alliances use Power Ups to gain a temporary advantage during the Match. There are three Power Ups available to teams: Force, Boost, and Levitate.

    1. Force gives the alliance ownership of the Switch, Scale, or both for a limited period of time

    2. Boost doubles the rate points are earned for a limited period of time

    3. Levitate gives a robot a free climb

  3. Climb the Scale. Robots Climb the Scale in order to be ready to Face The Boss.

Our first competition was in St. Joseph, MI, where we placed 34th in the qualifying matches. We did not get picked for playoffs nor did we get an award.

Our second competition was in Alpena, MI, where we placed 28th in the qualifying matches. We did not get picked for playoffs nor did we get an award.

Steamworks

In this season, you had to:

  1. Build steam pressure. Robots collect fuel (balls) and score it in their boiler via high and low efficiency goals. Boilers turn fuel into steam pressure which is stored in the steam tank on their airship – but it takes more fuel in the low efficiency goal to build steam than the high efficiency goal.

  2. Start rotors. Robots deliver gears to pilots on their airship for installation. Once the gear train is complete, they turn the crank to start the rotor.

  3. Prepare for flight. Robots must latch on to their airship before launch (the end of the match) by ascending their ropes to signal that they’re ready for takeoff.

Our first competition for this season was in Mishawaka, IN. While it did not count towards ranking, since we’re not based in that state, we managed to place 19th in the qualifying matches.

Our second competition was in Sault St. Marie, MI, where we placed 17th in the qualifying matches. We did not make it to playoffs nor win any awards.

Our third competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 11th in the qualifying matches. We were the 1st pick of Alliance 5. We got eliminated in the 2nd match of playoffs.

Stronghold

Alliances compete against each other to breach their opponents’ defenses, known as outer works, and capture their tower. They score points by crossing elements of their opponents’ outer works, scoring boulders in their opponents’ tower goals, and surrounding and scaling their opponents’ tower itself.

Our first competition was in Sault St. Marie, MI, where we placed 17th in the qualifying matches. We made it to playoffs as the 2nd pick of Alliance 4. We were eliminated in our 3rd match.

Our second competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 32nd in the qualifying matches. We did not make it to playoffs nor won any awards.

Recycle Rush

Alliances compete simultaneously to score points by stacking Totes on Scoring Platforms, capping those stacks with Recycling Containers, and properly disposing of Litter, represented by pool noodles, in designated locations.

Our first competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 32nd in the qualifying matches. We were chosen as the 2nd pick of Alliance 7. We got eliminated in our 3rd match of the Semifinals.

Our second competition was in Midland, MI, where we placed 26th in the qualifying matches. We made it to playoffs, being the 2nd pick of Alliance 2. We got eliminated in our 2nd match.

Aerial Assist

The objective is to score as many balls in goals as possible during a 2 minute and 30 second match. The more Alliances score their ball in their goals, and the more they work together to do it, the more points their alliance receives.

This was the first season that we were a part of.

Our first competition was in Escanaba, MI, where we placed 32nd in the qualifying matches. We did not make it to playoffs nor got an award.

Our second competition was in Traverse City, MI, where we placed 21st in the qualifying matches. We did get an award: The Judges Award.