Driving in Reverse???
 

How far can we go back wards with out getting a penalty? Our team is trying to get all the calculations down for an arm but if we're trying to hurdle the ball and we drive back a little to reposition will we be penalized?

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

You can go back (clockwise) as much as you wish.
You will be penalized if you are to cross any line (finish or lane marker) thereofre, you can stay in a selected 1/4 of a field without getting penalized.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

Do you have a rule that specifically quotes that?

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

My interpretation of this is you are only penalized when you break the plane of the quadrant located "behind" you (considering forward to be the counter-clockwise direction). From this one may infer that a robot is able to move freely within any given quadrant as long as you don't break the plane of the previous quadrant.

<edit>
Also, <G23> takes care of the "what if I was pushed into the previous quadrant" question. You cannot be pushed into a penalty. If you are pushed, the penalty is excused.

</edit>

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

It is just that, your interpretation. If you read the rule:

Quote:
<G22>Direction Of Traffic – ROBOTS must proceed around the TRACK in a counter-clockwise direction. Once a ROBOT has CROSSED a LANE MARKER or FINISH LINE, it shall not break the plane of the line by moving in the clockwise direction. A PENALTY will be assigned for each infraction.


The red emphasis is mine. It states clearly at the beginning that the rule is about direction of travel and then states the direction. It then goes on to clarify that you cannot go back and forth over the line to score. It then states that there will be penalties. There is nowhere in the rules that it says that you can travel in a clockwise direction for any reason.

I can see your point but we have always asked FIRST to clarify certain things and when they do then we question them. The only way to know the real answer is to ask the GDC. Remember the safety issue and the effects of collision if we get robots going backwards.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

There is also nowhere in the rules that it says that you can't.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

Isn't that inferred by <G22> stating "ROBOTS must proceed around the TRACK in a counter-clockwise direction."?

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

How about this !

Moving backward and driving backward is different, right ?

What if you drive forward across your start/finish line, and drive backward over the other start/finish line.

The CG of the object is moving counter clockwise, but the robot is tank drive forward, then backward, then forward, etc.

Just to be clear it is forward in you lane, backward in the other lane, but the CG is counterclockwise ?

Eh ?

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

But then it mentions that it means not to cross lines in a clockwise direction. Your direction of movement will be difened not by the location of your robot, but by when you cross which line.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

YES!
Ginnaly someone ehre mentions my idea for this game!
those are exactly my thought of the best drivig system for this year.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

"Proceed" doesn't necessarily mean "always move".

It could mean that you just must make your progression around the track (quadrants) in the counter-clockwise direction.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

As the RULE states : ROBOTS must proceed around the TRACK in a counter-clockwise direction

There is no mention of the way the robot points, just the direction of travel based on the field layout.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

then there is another rule (i dont have a manual handy cuz im in my house sorry no quote) that says that you must cross the opponents finish line before you cross your own

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

Guys we mean like if you place the ball over the over pass but then have to back up to get your arm mechanism from over the overpass. will they really penalize us for that? I mean we're not allowed to get caught on any field elements so whats the answer?

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

No penalty. You haven't crossed the finish line yet, so no penalty there, and you probably won't need to go clear back to break the plane of the lane marker, so no penalty there.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

This seems like a perfect question for the Q&A system. I agree that arms designed to move up and down on only one side of the robot (re: not completely around in 180+ degrees of motion over the robot) will require some forward AND backward motion on the track to achieve hurdling, or putting a ball on an overpass*.


*Is there an official term for putting a ball on an overpass btw this year? We haven't found one so we just chose to call it capping, and decapitating (for taking a ball off the overpass) while discussing the rules last night.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

There are no official "keywords"(you know, the ones in all caps), just being "supported by the overpass".

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

Ok I haven't read everything here but I think that you can only go (a) far enough to retract your arm or (b) to the marker between the red and blue homestretches.

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

...and so can I interperet the rule to say that it is unlikely I will have a robot that can "pop" the ball off from underneath? (Given that the "popping" mechanism would probably be md-bot?)

--Mark

Re: Driving in Reverse???
 

You can do that if you want. No rules against it, and you wouldn't have crossed the line yet.