Section 1: Choose How You Will Learn and Deploy
You can read every Telemark lesson and run its simulators without installing development software. Local setup is only needed when you are ready to build and deploy code to a physical Robot Controller.
Install Android Studio if you want an early introduction to the full project workflow commonly used by advanced teams. It is not required to begin this curriculum. If installation, Gradle, or SDK configuration becomes a serious problem, stop troubleshooting and continue with Telemark's built-in simulator. You can return to Android Studio later with help from your team.
For Telemark Lessons and Simulators
You need a modern browser, a keyboard, and an internet connection. The simulator runs Java-style FTC code in the browser against simulated hardware. It does not install an app on a Control Hub.
For a Physical Robot
Choose the workflow your team uses:
- OnBot Java: Write Java in the Robot Controller's browser editor. Android Studio and a local JDK are not required.
- Android Studio (optional head start): Preview the full FTC SDK project, Git, third-party libraries, and code-review tools used by many advanced teams. FIRST currently requires Android Studio Ladybug 2024.2 or later for the official project.
- A team-provided web workflow: New browser-based alternatives are emerging. Follow your team's instructions if it uses one, and verify that it can build and deploy against the current FTC SDK.
Sections 2 through 7 document the Android Studio path. They are optional and can be skipped whenever setup gets in the way of learning. Section 8 explains the first OpMode in either environment.
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