Crossing, Damaging defenses question

[cca5448]

Does a defense count as crossed regardless of which direction it is crossed? In other words, can I cross a defense going towards the opponent, then cross back across either the same or a different defense to damage the latter?

[Mike Schreiber]

Does a defense count as crossed regardless of which direction it is crossed? In other words, can I cross a defense going towards the opponent, then cross back across either the same or a different defense to damage the latter?

3.1.3 DEFENSES and the OUTER WORKS

A DEFENSE is CROSSED by a ROBOT when that ROBOT
■■starts free of contact with the DEFENSE and completely in the NEUTRAL ZONE
■■traverses the DEFENSE such that its BUMPERS go fully between the adjacent SHIELDS/GUARDRAIL,
and
■■ends up fully contained by the opponent’s COURTYARD.

Emphasis mine. Please read the rules.

[Boltman]

Does a defense count as crossed regardless of which direction it is crossed? In other words, can I cross a defense going towards the opponent, then cross back across either the same or a different defense to damage the latter?

Damage is one way (towards opponent) , but you can exit back to neutral the other way then cross and damage again heading toward the opponent a second time.

[cca5448]

Thanks.. I was looking for that info and figured it was only one direction.
Considering whether it makes sense to build a bot focused on breaching defenses and delivering boulders to an ally in the opponent zone, then crossing back to neutral for another boulder, rinse and repeat. While you would not necessarily score many points like this (although you could score the low tower like this), you would increase the probability of creating a full breach for 1 QP, and I think would lead to a strong probability of alliance selection if you were very good at this, rather than being a jack of all trades, master of none.

[rich2202]

IMHO, a robot that is great at crossing defenses is not necessarily a fast robot. So, the shooting robot will be spending a lot of time sitting around.

In theory, this teaming might work:

1) Shooting robot
2) Low robot that can go back and forth quickly with boulders via the Low Bar
3) A 3rd robot that focuses on breaching defenses (the low robot can help the 3rd robot breach the draw bridge/gate defense)

[SuperBK]

Since the drawbridge and Sally port open TOWARDS the neutral zone, they will have to be opened with either a tricky mechanism to pull them open, or by crossing another defense and pushing them open from the opponent's courtyard, then holding them open so another robot can cross right?