Rule about being in the key
 

We know that if you are in the key no other robot can interfere with you but we wanted to know if it means just any part of your robot or the whole robot has to be in the key

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

Emphasis mine.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

Were aware of that, but is it while your ENTIRE robot is in the key, or just some part?

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

It says "contact" with the key so as long as the bot is touching the key they are protected from being hit.

Any part of the bot.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

I could see refs calling it if the shooting robot is over the key but a wheel/appendage is not physically touching the ground inside the key. You may want a clarification from a ref or might be covered in drivers' meeting.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

Brandon, by the letter of the rule, while some part of your robot is touching the key, you are protected from contact from your opponents.

There isn't really any grey area on this one - touch the key with a wheel, a bridge manip, an appendage, a ziptie, etc, and you're protected.

________


IMO, if the GDC intended for this rule to be interpreted this way, they would've said something like: "
Robots may not touch an opponent Robot breaking the vertical plane defined by the edges of it's Key, Alley, or Bridge." That's just my interpretation based on how the GDC seems to write rules, though as you may know, they can change over night.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

This rule is pretty much identical to a rule from Triple Play. You had to physically touch the protected area then, so you're going to have to physically touch the protected area now. I recommend a few zipties hanging down from the edges of your robot. If the refs see something like that on your robot then they'll start assuming you're in contact with the key once the edge of your robot goes over it.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

As Kevin mentioned, zip-ties! Or anything else "dangling" beneath your robot's corners to help ensure contact.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

Better hope they can't reverse direction and end up outside your frame perimeter-you'll have more than one appendage deployed :rolleyes:

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

so a good strategy is to hang out by the key and then bump into an opponent's robot as they go by. they get the penalty--easy way to score some points.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

See, that's why you inset them a little and trim them to barely long enough to touch the floor. And then assume the refs give you the benefit of the doubt that they're touching. If I have spare time at regionals, I'm probably going to wander around with a bag of zipties and flush cutters and make everyone's lives easier and less stressful.


Also, you forgot that if they extend below the bottom of your wheels at any moment, they're the new bottom of your robot and your bumpers might suddenly be out of the bumper zone.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

*cough*
More like an easy way to score some red cards, amirite?

Yeah, if you do this, they're going to red card you on about the third or fourth "accidental" bump. And the second bump in subsequent matches.

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

Thanksbro. The kids were wondering and apparently couldn't find it in the manual, and I usually leave my account open for them, so that was them haha.

Thanks everyone!

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

Just remember, there are many defensive strategies that they can still do. They can block your shots. They can obscure your camera's vision. They can generate noise that interferes with your sensors (though there may be other rules against this, I'm just not sure). They can block your drivers vision as to where the robot actually is. And so on...

Re: Rule about being in the key
 

Pretty sure this wouldn't be legal.

The other things you mentioned are up for debate though, may get called for the same violation considering it says "interfere with the operation of other Robots." One could say if you build a robot that is a giant wall to block the view of the operators you could have a "part" that "interferes" with the "operation" of that robot. But, like I said, its debatable.