Endgame Sequence Design

Your endgame mechanism works in the shop. It fails at competition. This guide covers why that happens, how to design the sequence, how to program the trigger, and how to practice the endgame as a standalone drill until it's automatic.

Endgame fails at competition almost always for the same three reasons, none of them mechanical:

• The trigger is time-based but the driver is watching the wrong thing. If you rely on a countdown timer you're glancing at, you'll miss it when you're focused on defense or scoring.
• The endgame sequence isn't a practiced drill. It works in a calm shop. Under match adrenaline, with 30 seconds left and an opponent in your face, untrained sequences collapse.
• The sequence assumes a specific robot position that match chaos doesn't guarantee. If your hang requires being at a specific field location, but you're defending an opponent at 1:45, the sequence fails before it starts.

Choose one and commit to it. Don't mix them.

• Time-based with strategist call: Strategist watches the clock and says "endgame, now" at 1:45. Driver begins the sequence on that word — not when they decide to look at a clock. This is the most reliable method because it offloads the cognitive load from the driver.
• Score-based: If the team is ahead by N points, execute endgame. If behind by too much, continue scoring instead. Strategist makes this call. Requires the strategist to track the score accurately in real time.
• Opportunistic: Driver executes endgame whenever they find themselves in position with 20+ seconds left. Requires no coordination but demands driver judgment under pressure. Use only if your endgame is fast (under 5 seconds).

Map your endgame sequence to a dedicated button combination — not a single button. Single-button endgames trigger accidentally. Two-button combos don't.

COPY// Two-button endgame trigger — hold R2 + press A
void opcontrol() {
  while (true) {
    // Normal driver control...
    chassis.opcontrol_tank();

    // Endgame: hold R2 + press A to trigger
    if (master.get_digital(pros::E_CONTROLLER_DIGITAL_R2) &&
        master.get_digital_new_press(pros::E_CONTROLLER_DIGITAL_A)) {
      runEndgameSequence();
    }

    pros::delay(10);
  }
}

void runEndgameSequence() {
  // Example: drive to zone, deploy hang
  chassis.pid_drive_set(-12, 110);   // back toward hang bar
  chassis.pid_wait_quick_chain();
  chassis.pid_turn_set(180, 90);
  chassis.pid_wait();
  hangMotor.move_absolute(1800, 100); // deploy hang mechanism
  pros::delay(1500);
  hangMotor.brake();
}

The endgame must be drilled in isolation before it's drilled in a full match simulation. Here is the progression:

1
Cold-start reps from the endgame zone: Robot starts at the position where the endgame begins. Driver executes the full sequence on command. 10 reps. Target: 100% success rate before moving on.
2
Triggered reps from anywhere on the field: Robot anywhere. Strategist calls "endgame" at random. Driver must reach the zone and complete the sequence. 10 reps. Target: 90% success rate.
3
Full match simulation with endgame: 2-minute match against a partner robot or defense simulation. Execute the endgame at real time (1:45). 5 matches. Log how many times endgame scores vs misses.
4
Stress reps: Driver is running cycles. Partner robot plays light defense. Strategist calls "endgame." This is where sequence discipline breaks under distraction. The goal is to replicate match conditions.

• You're in a different field position than expected: Add a second endgame route for when you're on the wrong side of the field. Shorter, simpler, guaranteed to at least park.
• Defense disrupts the sequence start: Practice the endgame with a partner applying light contact. Your sequence must tolerate being bumped.
• The driver doesn't hear the strategist call: Establish a non-verbal backup — the strategist taps the driver's shoulder. At noisy events, voice alone isn't reliable.
• The mechanism times out or stalls under load: Test the endgame under load — with the robot at full weight, after driving 90 seconds. Motor temperature at match end is different from a cold start in the shop.