engineering

Reefscape

Reefscape is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Reefscape rather than just read about it. In short: Reefscape, stylized as R≡≡FSCAPE and officially known as Reefscape presented by Haas for sponsorship reasons, was the FIRST Robotics Competition game for the 2025 season. The game is themed around exploring a coral reef as part of the FIRST-wide FIRST Dive season, which focuses on ocean exploration and conservation.

Key takeaways

Reefscape belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Reefscape to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Reefscape from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Reefscape, stylized as R≡≡FSCAPE and officially known as Reefscape presented by Haas for sponsorship reasons, was the FIRST Robotics Competition game for the 2025 season. The game is themed around exploring a coral reef as part of the FIRST-wide FIRST Dive season, which focuses on ocean exploration and conservation. Kickoff took place on January 4, 2025 and was broadcast on YouTube, including at local kickoff events featuring multiple teams. The game is inspired by a concept submitted to the 2021 Game Design Challenge by Team 1318 - "Issaquah Robotics Society". Game play centers around robots scoring PVC pipes (called Coral) and playground balls (called Algae) into goals on their side of the field. At the end of the match, robots move to a truss structure called the Barge and climb metal Cages to earn additional points.

Field and Scoring

Reefscape is played on a 27 feet (8.2 m) by 54 feet (16 m) field covered in grey carpet. The field is surrounded by low polycarbonate walls on the long sides and taller alliance station walls on the short sides. The two Algae Processors on the long sides are also protected by a wall made of plastic mesh. The field is divided in half by the Barge truss, with each half including an alliance's Reef and Processor. The Barge includes each alliance's Net and six Cages, three for each alliance. Alliances work to score Coral on their Reef, located at the center of their side of the field. Alliances can also score by retrieving Algae from their Reef and scoring them on their Barge. Algae can also be scored in the Processor for the opposing alliance's human player to place in the Barge.

Game Pieces There are two game pieces in Reefscape: Coral and Algae. Coral are 4 inches (100 mm) diameter COTS PVC pipes with a length of 11.875 inches (301.6 mm). Algae are custom-produced green rubber playground balls with a diameter of 16 inches (410 mm). Robots can carry a maximum of one of each game piece at a time during a match.

Player Areas

Alliance Stations There are two alliance stations on the short sides of the field, one for each alliance. Each station is divided into three smaller driver's stations where the teams that make up the alliance control their robots. In addition to the standard e-stop button, each driver's station includes an autonomous stop (a-stop) that can be used to stop a robot during the autonomous period. Once the autonomous period ends, the a-stop expires and returns control of the robot to the team.

Human Player Stations The only type of human player station in Reefscape in the Coral Station. The four stations (two per alliance) are located at the corners of the field and are used to introduce Coral into the field. Robots can navigate to the stations using an AprilTag mounted at the top middle of each station. Additionally, while the Processors are not fully classified as human player stations, human players can be stationed at them to score processed Algae into the Nets.

Scoring Areas

Reefs The two Reefs (one per alliance) are hexagonal structures located at the center of their alliance's side of the field, 12 feet (3.7 m) from the alliance station wall. Each Reef has 12 vertical pipes extending 6 feet (1.8 m) from the field carpet with three sets of Branches where Coral can be scored. Coral can also be scored in six slanted troughs located at the base of each Reef. The first set of Branches extends to 2.875 feet (0.876 m) above the carpet and are angled up at 35 degrees. The second and third sets extend to 3.969 feet (1.210 m) and 6 feet (1.8 m) respectively, with the second set angled up at 35 degrees and the third set vertical to the carpet.

Barge The Barge is a metal truss structure that supports the two Nets and six Cages. It is 29.17 feet (8.89 m) wide, 3.67 feet (1.12 m) deep, and 8.42 feet (2.57 m) tall and is supported by two legs just outside of the field wall. The truss structure that supports the Nets is 5.17 feet (1.58 m) above the field carpet.

Nets The two Nets (one per alliance) are suspended from the top of the Barge and are made of knit polyester mesh with a sewn cord border. Each Net is 4 feet (1.2 m) wide by 12 feet (3.7 m) long and is suspended so the lowest point is 6.34 feet (1.93 m) above the field carpet.

Cages The six Cages (three per alliance) are 2 feet (0.61 m) ft tall by 7.38 inches (187 mm) wide rectangular structures made of welded metal. The Cages are hung from the Barge truss by metal chains in two different positions based on the strategy of each alliance. The deep position is the default and is 3.5 inches (89 mm) from the field carpet. On the other hand, the shallow position is 2.45 feet (0.75 m) from the carpet. The Cages are left in their existing position following each match unless an alliance requests changes to the positions of their Cages.

Processors The two Processors (one per alliance) are integrated into the long sides of the field wall near the legs of the Barge truss. Algae scored into an alliance's Processor can be scored into the opposing alliance's Net by that alliance's human player.

Events The 2025 regular season is divided into six weeks, with many events occurring simultaneously during each week. After the end of the regular season, teams that have qualified compete in the FIRST Championship in Houston. Starting this season, regional teams will qualify using a modified version of the existing district points model. While some teams will still qualify at individual events, others will qualify on a weekly basis starting Week 2 via a pool of all non-qualified regional teams ranked by number of points.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

FIRST Championship

FIRST Championship Results At the championship event, teams are randomly divided into 8 divisions, each named after a pioneer of STEM. The following table show the winners of each division, who moved on to compete in the Einstein Tournament.

Division Winners

Einstein Tournament Bracket As with all other events this season, the Championship playoff follows a double elimination format. All matchups are best-of-one with the exception of the Finals, which is a best-of-three series.

Einstein Finals

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Reefscape

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Reefscape claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Reefscape before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Reefscape ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Reefscape

In research: Reefscape appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Reefscape in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Reefscape is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics FIRST Robotics Competition games, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, Robotics competitions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Reefscape outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Reefscape in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Reefscape means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Reefscape out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Reefscape in simple terms?

Why does Reefscape matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Reefscape?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Reefscape.