Game Rules and Game Play - Answer Thread

[Barry]

You'll find the answers to the questions you posted about Game Rules and Game Play in this thread.

[Sheldon]

1. Do the kickstands get removed after autonomous?
2. What happens if the kickstand gets knocked over but the balls don’t fall out?

A 1. No, the kickstands remain on the field where they fell. Kickstands can be pushed but per Rule <G8> they may not be grasped or grabbed.

A 2. If the kickstand is knocked over during Autonomous and the balls are not released, the Referees will release them in the part of the match after Autonomous mode and before Driver Controlled starts. If the kickstand is knocked over in Driver Controlled period and the balls do not come out then teams may try to knock them free by driving their bots into the Center Structure (but not hard enough to cause field damage). This is not cause for a match replay since both alliances are affected equally..

[Sheldon]

The center structure seems to not have a lot of mass relative to the robots. We can picture scenarios where rogue autonomous robots cause it to move or maybe even tip over. Will there be a penalty for significantly moving the center goal structure, whether on purpose or not? Will it be reset to the original position after autonomous?

A: The Center Structure is bolted to a plate located beneath the tile floor. It is very difficult to rotate and cannot tip over. A robot would have to be very strong and try very hard to move this structure. Robots that intentionally try to move this structure will be in violation of Rule <G8>.

[Sheldon]

We are wondering about the situation that more than likely will come up during end game. The manual states "Balls Controlled by a Robot are considered to be part of the Robot. Driving through more than the maximum number of Balls is acceptable as long as they are not collected, guided, herded, etc". However, in the end game teams can score points by moving the goal. If a team moves a goal with more than 5 balls which have already been scored in the goal are they in control of those scored balls or just the goal? Will they receive a penalty for moving the goal with balls in it?

A: Balls scored in a Rolling Goal are not considered as being controlled by the robot and do not count toward the 5 ball limit.

[Sheldon]

1. Can you latch on to the base of the rolling goal while picking up balls and scoring them in the attached rolling goal?

A: The rules allow teams to grasp, grab, or latch onto the base of the Rolling Goals. There is no rule prohibiting scoring of balls while the robot is latched onto the goal, providing no other rules are violated.

[Sheldon]

1. During the autonomous period if the blue alliance removes the red kickstand (either accidentally or intentionally) do they get points for releasing both kickstands or just their own? Is there a penalty assessed if the opposite alliance's kickstand is knocked over before they have an opportunity to "kick it".

2. Regarding the kickstands: Can you confirm that any knocked over kickstands are removed from the floor between autonomous and teleop? Also, can you confirm that kickstands are removed manually after autonomous if no bot knocks them out.

A: 1. If a Blue Kickstand is removed during the Autonomous period the bonus goes to the Blue alliance regardless of which color alliance robot knocked it down. There is no penalty for knocking down the opposing alliance's kickstand.

2. Kickstands are not removed from the field. They remain as obstacles that robots must navigate around or over. If Kickstands are not removed during the Autonomous period they remain in place and can be removed during the Driver Controlled period by the robots.

[Sheldon]

Balls that are "stuck" in the center structure are not manually released into the field correct? Based on that, can a bot bump the center structure in an effort to dislodge the balls that are stuck (without actually touching the balls) or would that be considered a violation of either rule GS2 or G8?

A: Yes, robots may bump the Center Structure to dislodge stuck balls providing this action does not result in damage to the Center Structure.

[Sheldon]

We have a question about RG11, which states "Game elements launched by Robots should not have a velocity greater than that required to reach a maximum of five (5) feet (1.5 meters) above the playing field surface". If balls are travelling within a robot faster than the limit but exit the robot at a slower velocity, will that robot be in violation of RG11? That is to say, if balls are being propelled through the robot, are not able to escape, and never exceed 5 feet in height while inside the robot, is it considered "launching"?

A: The rule is intended to prevent balls from injuring people outside the field. If a robot has a mechansim that launches balls, the Inspector will require that the team demonstrate the ball trajectory by launching a ball and measuring the highest point the ball reaches. If that point is above 6 feet, then the bot will not pass inspection until the mechanism is modified to comply with the rules.

[Sheldon]

If a robot were to slide a piece of plexi-glass completely under a rolling goal to the point where not part of the rolling goal is touching the foam floor, would that be counted as an "off the ground" score of the rolling goal?
Last year a robot was though to be off the ground if a piece of paper could be slid underneath it. But as there is nothing to hang the goal from, the only criteria is to get it off the ground. If there is a piece of material completely underneath it, it would be off the ground, but only by as much as a few millimeters.

A: The definition for Off The Floor states that the Rolling Goal must not be in contact with the tile floor. It does not stipulate how to achieve this or how high the goal is off the floor. A Rolling Goal sitting fully on a plastic sheet would satisfy the requirements of being off the floor. Remember that Rule <G7> requires that robots cannot intentionally detach pieces so the plastic sheet would have to be firmly attached to the robot. Attachment via a thin cord or string is an entanglement risk and is not legal.

[Sheldon]

We would like know how the competitions will enforce the rule on the number of balls a robot can control at one time. We need two clarifications:

1. If the robot is controlling a rolling goal with more than 5 balls in the rolling goal, are those balls in the rolling goal considered under the robot's control?

2. How will the judges or inspectors enforce the rule that the robot cannot control more than 5 balls? 2 years ago, during the bowled over game, the inspectors would actually attempt to put more than 5 balls in the robot. This year with two different sized balls, we are wondering how they will determine this.

A: 1. Balls scored in a rolling Goal are not considered as being controlled and do not count toward the 5 ball limit.
2. There will be no capacity test this year. Refs will observe the robots to determine if a robot is violating the 5 ball limit.