BIOBUZZ Game Strategy
Before building a ROBOT or choosing ROBOT concepts it is important to analyze the game strategy and figure out which tasks matter most. To do this, we evaluated every scoring action based on its difficulty and point value and set clear goals for teams with different experience levels.
Technical Difficulty Rankings
To begin our process, we read the official season rules, identified all six scoring actions, and rated each one on a difficulty scale from 1 (easiest) to 5 (hardest).
TASK DIFFICULTY DESCRIPTION/TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
LEAVE EASY Requires basic software to drive the ROBOT away from the FIELD wall by the end of AUTO.
PARK EASY Requires simple driving software to stop inside the LOADING ZONE by the end of AUTO and TELEOP.
SCORING ELEMENT in GARDEN EASY Requires only a basic floor pusher to move SCORING ELEMENTS into the GARDEN. But while easy to do, SCORING ELEMENTS in the GARDEN are not secured, so other ROBOTS can push them back out and undo your POINTS.
Bottom NECTAR MEDIUM Requires an intake to pick up SCORING ELEMENTS from the floor and a lifting mechanism to place NECTAR inside the FLOWER.
Own a FLOWER MEDIUM Requires an intake and vertical lift to place SCORING ELEMENTS higher in the FLOWER. It is harder than Bottom NECTAR, because you must secure top positions while competing against the opposing ALLIANCE.
HIVE TIP HARD Requires an intake to pick up SCORING ELEMENTS, a mechanism to feed SCORING ELEMENTS to the SHOOTER and an accurate shooting mechanism to launch SCORING ELEMENTS high into the HIVE.
Difficulty and Value Combined Rankings
After this we combined MATCH Points (MP) and RANKING POINTS (RP) of every task with our technical difficulty ratings into a single overview table. Below is our combined breakdown of task difficulty, Looking at the table above shows two simple decisions and one big choice:
  • First, LEAVE and PARK should be High Priority for every Game Strategy because they are easy to do and help earn RANKING POINTS (RP).

  • On the other hand, GARDEN scoring should be the Lowest Priority. Even though pushing SCORING ELEMENTS on the floor is easy, it gives low points, no RPs, and opponents can easily push pieces out to erase your score.
Our biggest decision was to choose between HIVE and FLOWER scoring. Placing SCORING ELEMENTS into FLOWERS is easier than shooting into the HIVE, but FLOWERS do not give direct RPs like HIVE TIPS do.

Below is the detailed table comparing these two scoring methods:
FLOWER HIVE
MATCH Points 84 pts maximum 4 bottom NECTARS + 8 SCORING ELEMENTS in an owned FLOWER Around 600 pts maximum Up to 30 TIPS. Just 5 TIPS give 100 pts (more than all FLOWERS combined).
Scoring Periods Final 60 seconds of TELEOP Scoring NECTAR earlier results in a MAJOR FOUL. Entire MATCH duration Both AUTO and TELEOP.
Can points be stolen? Yes. You must quickly place the BOTTOM NECTARS for 5 pts each. Opponents can place their NECTAR on top to steal FLOWER ownership. No. As soon as you tip the HIVE, the 20 MATCH Points are permanently added to your score.
Cycles Needed 2 scoring cycles Needs 8 SCORING ELEMENTS to fill a FLOWER completely. Since a robot holds up to 4 SCORING ELEMENTS, this takes 2 scoring cycles. 2 scoring cycles Needs 8 POLLEN or 6 NECTAR to tip the HIVE. Since a robot holds up to 4 SCORING ELEMENTS, this also takes 2 scoring cycles.
Based on our comparison, launching into the HIVE is technically harder than scoring into FLOWERS, but it provides much greater strategic advantages.

For these reasons, HIVE TIPS should have a higher priority than scoring into FLOWERS. However, it is still useful for teams to be able to score into FLOWERS because it gives valuable tactical options — such as depositing POLLEN into FLOWERS to reduce the SCORING ELEMENTS on the FIELD and limit the opponent's ability to make TIPS.
Different Level Strategies
Since building a shooter requires different technical skills, we created 3 strategies based on team skill levels:
Level Description Strategy
BEGINNER Cannot build a shooter, or the shooter mechanism is not consistent. The team should focus on scoring into the FLOWERS only.
INTERMEDIATE Can build a shooter reliable enough to make at least 5 HIVE TIPS per MATCH. The team should focus on HIVE TIPS only.
ADVANCED Can build a fast and precise shooter capable of making at least 8 HIVE TIPS per MATCH. The team should TIP the HIVE and switch to FLOWERS when strategic opportunities arise.