Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Thanks for the explanation. I cant wait to get to do the same with the noodle agreement!

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Tethered mini bots. So long as they all share 1 battery, 1 PDP, etc you can make as many connected mini bots as you want.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Why stop at minibots? You could have multiple full size bots stacked to the limit sharing a power source LoL

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

The only thing I've seen for #1 so far is G7, but that's just for pre/post match.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

I'm pretty sure it's legal to make a giant crane in the center of the field... That would be one awesome robot.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Provided it doesn't go over 78 inches. Hmm, I just noticed, no metric equivalents this year.

Regarding transporting tall stacks, you might fall afoul of this rule:
Questionable if a container toppling off the top of a stack and onto a volunteer outside the field is still in "control" of the robot - but do you want to take that risk?

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

My mind just exploded, a robot with no wheels
and
your alliance partners feeding TOTES to the.... Cranebot!!!!!!

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Our team, with limited engineering resources this year, probably is not going to take these risks. However, there are several awesome teams out there who could build an awesome crane. You don't need to drive or anything....

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

I just noticed a potential heartbreak for alliances. Since average scores determine qual winners one bad match completely sinks you.

G5 gives a foul for 2 HP in an alliance zone, and an additional foul for every tote put on the field during that time.

G6 gives a foul for touching the tote and chute door at the same time.

A team that didn't read the rules could put all 30 totes on the field while violating both these rules, racking up 61 fouls and -366 points. With this all happening to the side the other alliances might not notice until the end and find out they got 0 points.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

I'm ~90% sure that either a referee or field crew member would inform the offending teams of their errors rather than simply allowing penalties to accumulate.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Cranebot? If you really want your mind blown, consider the fact that nowhere in the rules does it say the robot has to be in contact with the floor...I predict this is the year we see robots go airborne.

We've never been told about fouls until after matches, and we've learned to sit tight and be ready to send someone into the question box after a match for clarification. Not every team has developed that practice...at events you go to, do refs/field crews typically seek out teams during/after matches to talk about fouls? We do that for alliance partners, I'm just curious if event crews do that, also.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Last year, our human player was reminded mid-match by (I don't know if it was field reset or a referee) about the rule preventing him from extending past the tape on the barrier. Had that not happened, we would have ended up with quite a lot of penalties that match.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Referees DO signal that fouls are happening, as they happen. Watch for the flags to go up; refs will often point at the offending robot.

During practice, it's not uncommon for SoCal refs to flag down a flagged team and let them know what penalties they picked up during the practice match. During qual matches, the Head Referee will inform the MC what the fouls were and the MC will announce them.

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

At the very least, there would have been a ref waving a flag and pointing at the person committing the foul when they did it.

Depending on the game, it's sometimes possible for a ref to quickly say something to the person committing the infraction. Aerial Assist was a bit unique in that regard - it was so dependent on split-second entry from the refs that they had to stay at their tablets through the entire match.

My personal approach as a head ref: if a team's behaviour during the match suggests to me that they don't understand the rules, or if they keep getting the same foul over and over, I'll try to make a point of talking to the team. Of course, the match schedule and everything else going on sometimes doesn't allow me to do this.

At least at the events I've been to (Ontario and Quebec), it's standard practice for the head ref to give the MC/game announcer a summary of all the fouls, and these get announced when the final match score is displayed. Do other areas not do this?

Re: Odd things the rules allow, and should probably be changed
 

Here in Texas, we do get the flag wave, as well as the announcement from the MC, however newer teams don't always know to keep an eye/ear out for that, but I've never seen a ref or field crew come to talk a team about a foul...I've seen field crew stop an unsafe robot before it enters the field, but I've never seen an interaction during the match, and I don't think I've ever seen foul discussions/explanations other than the MC announcement and in the question box.