Q&A

Thanks all for Automate session June 22, nothing like breaking the game on our first spin - several questions ...

#5 Da Rules - SC2 A Pin is considered Placed if it meets all of the following criteria: i. The Pin is partially or entirely nested with a Goal, or with a Cup that is partially or entirely nested with another Placed Pin. ii. Each Goal and/or each half of a Cup nested with that Pin contains a maximum of one Pin half. (See Figure SC2-2.) b. A Cup is considered Placed if it meets the following criteria: i. The Cup is partially or entirely nested with a Placed Pin.

<SC2>

Da Question - SC 2 Placed scoring criteria has “partially” seated as a requirement unless specifically split – does count as scored, does this mean that the paritially seated / gray cup that partially covers a colored pin is NOT scored while still being partially visible or?

In the rulebook, <SG10> states that "Placed Scoring Objects cannot be removed from neutral Goals.". <SC2> clearly identifies an example of a position a pin may take on a stack which is not Placed, shown in Figure SC2-2 (pin placed horizontally on a cup without either half of the pin being entirely contained within the concave portion of the cup).

We wanted to ask about the legality of the following:

(a) Removing a Pin that is not Placed, such as a Pin positioned similarly to the one shown in Figure SC2-2.

(b) Removing a Cup which is similarly balanced horizontally on top of other game elements without being placed.

(c) Removing a Cup which is balanced on top of another Cup without a pin in between (or, similarly, a Pin balanced on a Pin with no Cups in between).

(d) Removing a Placed cup which is not affecting the score of the game (ex. transparent part facing downwards, with no pins above, thereby not adding or subtracting points from the game.

(e) If it would be a major violation to accidentally knock over protected scoring elements in an effort to reopen an alliance or neutral goal for scoring by removing a game element that was positioned on the goal but not Scored/Placed.

(f) Rule <SG9> states that "Robots may not directly or indirectly interact with the opposing Alliance-colored Goals", and clarifies that this includes adding and removing scoring objects. Would stacking a horizontal game element as seen in Figure SC2-1, or any unplaced game elements as stated above count as interaction with these goals? By definition, this is not Placed, and it is not an action of descoring, but it forces the opposing alliance to take time to reopen their own alliance's goal for scoring.

(g) If it would be a violation of <SG6> for one of these game elements to fall onto a bot already possessing 1 pin and 1 cup in the action of removing it from the goal.

Thank you so much!

<SC2> states: "A Block is considered Scored if it meets all of the following criteria: a. The Block is in contact with the inside surface(s) of the plastic trough of a Goal. b. The Block is not in contact with a Robot of the same color as that Block. c. The Block is not in contact with the Floor."

Is the "plastic trough" the entire plastic structure of the goal? Does contacting an inside edge or corner constitute contacting an inside surface? i.e, are all the blocks in the following image considered scored?

(Left: image of Blocks Scored in Center Lower Goal, right: close up of Block contacting only an inside corner of the plastic trough)

Is "contact with the Floor" Transitive? i.e, is a block scored if it satisfies all the criteria but is being supported by an unscored block that is touching the floor, or a stack of blocks that are touching the floor? Below are some examples, where if the red blocks are removed, the blue blocks will fall out.

Per rule <G9> it states that

b. Drive Team Members are not permitted to break the plane of the Field Perimeter at any time during the Match, apart from the actions described above. c. Transitive contact, such as contact with the Field Perimeter that causes the Field Perimeter to contact Field Elements or Scoring Objects inside of the Field, could be considered a Violation of this rule.

and per rule <SC2c> it states that

c. Any rule Violations, Major or Minor, during the Autonomous Period will result in the Autonomous Bonus being awarded to the other Alliance. If both Alliances violate rules during the Autonomous Period, no Autonomous Bonus will be awarded.

Examples:

• Red1's Drive Team breaks the plane of the field while pointing to strategize with Red2's Drive Team near the end of the Autonomous Period.
• Blue1's Drive Team is against the field wall and bumps the field perimeter very minorly which shifts a ring slightly on the field.
• Red2's Drive Team is against the field wall and bumps the field perimeter which causes the ring on the Alliance Stake to become more firmly Scored on the Alliance Stake.
• Blue2's Drive Team is against the field wall and bumps the field perimeter which causes the ring on the Alliance Stake to become Descored from the Alliance Stake.
• Red1's Drive Team breaks the plane of the field while pointing to strategize with Red2's Drive Team after the end of the Autonomous Period while the Autonomous Bonus is being calculated.

Should any of these actions happen during or after the Autonomous Period from an Alliance, would this be considered a Violation that should affect <SC2c>?

At a local competiton in a finals match

The blue alliance scored 4 blue rings total: 2 rings on 2 separate mobile goals.

The red alliance scored 3 red rings total: 2 mobile goals had one ring each and the red alliance stake had 1 ring scored.

We counted the score as red:9 blue:8

The referee awarded the blue alliance the autonomous bonus stating that top rings do not count.

Is there something more we can bring to the referees attention besides sc2?

<SC2>

can you pull back your catapult manually while loading<S1>

<RSC7>Here are a couple of questions regarding running teams during a skills match. As per the update on November 1, teams are supposed to be disqualified for coming into contact with anything outside of the field during endgame.

1. How do we mark team as disqualified during a skills match? As of December, Tournament Manager does not include an option to disqualify a team during a skills match. The definition of disqualification says that “A Team that receives a Disqualification in a Driving Skills Match or Programming Skills Match receives a score of zero (0) for that Robot Skills Match” Do I simply modify their score to be zero on everything?

2. Also, does the definition of breaking the field perimeter include the top of the field walls, or only the outside? (Would a team be in violation of S2 if a part of their robot is touching the top of the field wall, but not the outside perimeter?)

3. How strict are we supposed to be regarding the expansion rule before endgame (e.g., 18” exactly or 18” +/- 1”)? Many teams may have intake rollers that break 18” during operation. There were also some teams with string that would sway outside of the 18” during driving. (One team also had a piece of metal partially detach and stick outside of 18”). Should we keep a sizing tool at the skills field to show teams what part of their robot would violate the 18” rule during operation?

4. Being able to eyeball the size of a robot on the field is slightly subjective and might cause problems with newer volunteers. What is the best method for teaching them how to spot a violation?

5. Finally, how do we resolve a dispute of a robot going oversize and entering endgame early? Depending on how strict we are supposed to be with the expansion limit, this will be a point of conflict. As per the manual, “The Head Referee has final authority regarding all Robot rules”. Is this only for the designated Head Referee for the event, or does this include everyone that has been certified as a Head Referee by REC?

<S2>Can your string launcher go over the white support beam without touching the basket? The game manual says that the white support beam is not part of the high goal.