I’m new to vex and applying to be a coder for my school’s robotics club. I tried searching on the internet for more advanced autonomous concepts found a tutorial on odometry and PID but outside of that everything seemed to be very simple. So I’m wondering how complicated the autonomous code has to be, and how important it is.
Autonomous is quite important in the mid-high level of competition, and it can be the difference between a win a loss. You’re definitely going to want to prioritize having a good one, but It’s not more important than a solid robot. As far as coding goes, you’ll usually be fine with just PID.
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Agreed. However, if you’re new to programming, I’d stay out of PID until you absolutely need it. Prioritize learning coding concepts, and when you get to PID, make sure you actually understand how it works. Otherwise, you’re learning nothing.
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I guess you haven’t learned of motion profiling yet: 2015 FIRST World Championships Conference - Motion Planning & Control in FRC - YouTube
pain.
Oh, I’m good with basic/more advanced concepts. I know coding outside of Vex, just a bit confused
programming auton is a very important and valuable skill to have in vex.
it doesn’t have to be very complicated though. for simple auton routes you can get decent results using only the build in PID. eventually you’ll want to work your way up to using more advanced coding techniques, but you can start really simple and get ok results.
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Firstly-- welcome to the Vex community!! 
1. How complicated does your auton have to be?
It doesn’t have to be very complicated. Usually, if you are using intentional programming, then the code is by default very easy to understand, and the concepts very simple, as you’re using clearly named functions in a very intuitive manner. You don’t have to get into scary math stuff like PID, odometry, or smooth motion unless you really want to. Even without that complicated stuff, your auton has the potential to be very good.
2. How important is autonomous programming?
Very.
It’s not necessary, but it will DEFINITELY help you win competitions. In addition, because of Covid, most competitions will probably be virtual skills, and skills is auton… Honestly, this year is probably going to be one of the most auton-heavy years especially because of the win point you get if you score a home row. That will encourage more teams to work on their autons, and so if your team is the only one without an auton that’s guaranteed to dock points from your relative scores.
Feel free to ask questions about programming on the vexforum because it’s a great community and there are some highly experienced, knowledgeable programmers here.
Good luck on your application!!
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it only has to be as complicated as you make it, as someone said earlier, if you understand the concepts it will seem a lot less complicated.
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