"Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

It's after autonomous mode, and a robot is heading towards the human player loading zone. May a human player already have a tetra in their hand before a robot(s) enters the zone? This could be somewhat of a time saver by maybe a second or two, and in this game, every second counts.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

Yes, because the rules state that as soon as autonomous mode ends, no matter what your robot is doing or where it is, you may pick up a tetra.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

You can hold a tetra in your hand as soon as auto mode ends. Get ready to run! :D

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

If I summarize this correctly:

a) The human player can grab a tetra off of his/her stack in the human player zone and hold it during the time period between the autonomous and manual parts of the game

b) According to rule <G13>, the human player may only deliver ONE tetra to the robot at a time. Namely he/she can't pick up the whole stack and deliver it to the robot (assuming the person can hold/carry the stack and/or the robot can hold/carry the stack).

c) The robot MUST be inside the loading zone before the human player steps off the pad; otherwise the robot becomes disabled outside the loading area and cannot be loaded even by reaching and gets a still 10-point penalty (ref rule <G13>)

d) Rule <G14> also stipulates that the field attendants who attend to the auto-load stations will ONLY load ONE tetra at a time onto the loader.

e) If a robot is "greedy" and can carry more than one tetra, the robot MUST fully exit the loading station and then re-enter the loading station to receive/grab another tetra; per rule <G17>.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

That is correct.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

I'll add another comment to your list... I believe the HP must be standing in the triangle for the loading zone.. So the HP cannot be anywhere within the big HP box to load a tetra - there is a specified triangle area where the HP must stand in order to place a tetra on the robot.
I think there was a question somewhere else regarding this, so thought I'd add it here.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

Amy, regarding your comment
1) The human player STARTS on his/her pressure pad and has a stack of tetras within reach.
2) The human player then EXITS the pressure pad, which disables the robot. Hopefully, the driver has placed the robot INSIDE the on-field triangular loading zone BEFORE the person steps off the mat.
3) The human player then runs over to the loading zone area, but that area is NOT marked on the floor of the human player area. The floor is ONLY marked for the robot inside the playing field. So, yes a human could lean/stretch diagonally over the railing to load-up a tetra. See rule <S06> and <S07> in chapter 4.3.2.

ps: don't touch the robot at all and don't be leaning over the rail at any other time other than loading (but that doesn't even make sense since the robot would be disabled if you were leaning...)

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

PLEASE read team updates before answering questions. There is an identical marking on the outside of the field border where the human player must stand - from Team Update #2, page 2 and 3.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

The highlighted area above is incorrect. As per one of the updates, the human player area is also defined by a triangle on the floor.

Quote from dhitchco
a) The human player can grab a tetra off of his/her stack in the human player zone and hold it during the time period between the autonomous and manual parts of the game

I do not believe this to be true either as the autonomous mode is in effect until the player mode starts. You therefore cannot touch the tetra until after your drivers are allowed to move to the driver station.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

I understand how the HP role works. But, there IS a marking for the HP to be standing in. Update 2.

Edit - Ah g's! Two people beat me to it.. thanks!

Also, read G27 in Update2.. must have both feet in the little HP area while loading a tetra.
And no, you cannot hold a tetra during automode. A HP may only grab a tetra AFTER automode is over.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

is it possible for all three HPs to leave the station and load tetras on one robot???

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

NO. Update number two said that both feet of a human player must be in a set triangle whilst loading a tetra, I imagine that two robots are not allowed in the same loading zone at the same time. I can see that a maximum of two robots can go to human loading stations at a time.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

no but i mean all the HPs putting three tetras on one robot...

maybe I'm just reading your response wrong...

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

I suppose this would be allowed, one would just have to keep 3 people inside the little triangle outside of the filed. You would also need to remember that both other robots would become disabled once you did this.

I suppose this technically could be done, but it doesn't seem to be worth the risk ;)

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

<S08> HUMAN PLAYERS may only pass TETRAS to their team’s ROBOT when the ROBOT is in the LOADING ZONE and disabled. HUMAN PLAYERS are not allowed to pass TETRAS to, or interact with, ROBOTS of another team, even if on the same alliance. Violating this rule will result in the disabling of both the HUMAN PLAYER team’s ROBOT and the receiving team’s ROBOT.

So no, you can't.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

You could also pick the tetra up with your foot and hurle it into the air, catching it in you teeth. This would allow you to have free hands to do other such activities.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

hmm i must have skipped over that rule... thanks...

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

What if...... Your alliance has a disabled robot? Can the human player of the disabled robot pass tetras to the human player loading tetras onto the robot in the loading station? Not much of a time savings here I admit.


There should be something that the human player can do if their team's robot is not working, other than sit on the field.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

You have to keep in mind that in order to load more than one tetra onto a robot via the HPZ, the robot has to back off the loading zone, then reenter it. This is going to involve the HP having to step back on the pad, then do the whole process again. They'll be grabbing another tetra in the process (you could probably do it in one motion; step on the pad and while the driver is backing off then parking it again, grab a tetra, then step off the pad to deliver the tetra when the robot is in position).

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

The human players this year MUST become "robots" themselves.

1) They can't jump up and down excitedly on the pressure mats
2) They can't run into each other as the three human players try to feed their robots at the TWO manual loading stations. namely, don't criss-cross in your human player paths.
3) The human players CANNOT do anything to the other human players even on the same alliance. No handing-of tetras, etc. Each HP is dedicated like a "robot" to his/her OWN robot and ONLY receives instructions from his/her driver....

If your team's robot becomes disabled for some reason, the LAST thing you want to have happen is to have the HP LEAVE that pressure pad. The HP should just sit there and "freeze" until directed to do elsewise.....

This will NOT be easy to CONTROL........

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

Really? HPs can't handoff tetras? Even if one stack of 6 goes down, and you want to get another tetra from your alliances stack of 6, they can't hand it to you? Or at what times are you not allowed to handoff tetras? (I don't recall reading this anywhere, but I could have missed it)
I know that my HP cannot place a tetra on your robot, but I don't remember anything about HPs not handing off tetras to each other.

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

Amy,
you may be correct; I slightly mis-read rule <S08>. But I also can't find anything about the STARTING inventory (your assumption of six?) tetras in each human player station.

Rule <S08> only states that I cannot pass a tetra to your ROBOT, nor can I interact with your ROBOT. It says nothing about my human player "interacting" with your team's human player except that I can't stand on your pressure pad per rule <S10> nor does it say anything about taking inventory from team #1 to team #2, etc.

But, obviously, if you are taking inventory of tetras from a fellow team in your alliance, you'll NEED that human player to pass it to you, such that you and the other player don't move off of your own pressure mat.

In summary, section 3.3 stipulates that the match starts with 40 tetras, and rule <G04> says that the alliance can pre-load ONE robot with ONE tetra; therefore leaving 39 tetras in four (4) diffeent loader stations.

I haven't done the detailed math, but even the shortest distance between a loading station and a goal (my own end zone) is about 15'. So, to cover that round-trip in 2 minutes (without doing anything else), my robot would have to travel at about 3 feet/second in order to stack the six goals from the human loading station (including a 'swag' for the manual human running back & forth also).

SO....yes, it's possible that any one robot's inventory of the (assumed) six tetras might be depleted. The alliance robot that travels to the far end of the field will surely NOT use up its starting inventory.

I'm also ASSUMING that if the human players need more inventory, that the field attendants might run some extras over to your human players from the extras at the auto-load stations.

Interesting ideas here.............

Re: "Triple Play" Human Player Question
 

That's what I thought. I think HPs can interact, as far as passing tetras to each other. I suppose I can go the 2ft to get a tetra from the other guys stack, but could potentially be a timesaver if they pass it to you.

I got the 6 per stack from another thread, or a Q/A answer. But I recall that the autoloaders had maybe 2 stacks of 8, and the HP stations had 3 stacks of 6... something of that nature... Ok, it's in Update 2, section 3. And it also corrected to say each team starts with 41 tetras.

It's also been stated in an Update, and in another thread, that FIRST will try to have the attendants keep about an equal amount of tetras on each side, so that neither the HP nor the auto loadzone get completely depleted. So no need to assume... :)