Number of Balls
 

My team has been searching for the total number of balls throughout the rules and can't find it. Is it twelve (up to two balls per bot at the start) or are more added later? Thanks!

Re: Number of Balls
 

One of the rules clarifies it, I forgot which one off hand. There are balls on the ramps as well, making a total of 18 balls in play.

Re: Number of Balls
 

My team has been looking for it too, but unfortunetly have not be able to find it any where. We are assuming 12 for the time being.

Re: Number of Balls
 

If anyone happens upon the rule, please let us know, one of our people who have gone over the rules think that the balls don't start on the center ramp. Do you at least remember which of the five manual sections it was in? Thanks!

Re: Number of Balls
 

G05 "Each Bridge will be preset with two Basketballs. Basketballs allotted to Robots that are not used, will be preset on the Coopertition Bridge. Violation: Match will not start until the situation is corrected"

so that's 2 balls per robot = 12, plus 2 balls per bridge = total of 18 balls.

Re: Number of Balls
 

I agree with Austin; our conclusion was 18 balls.

The rules are, however, vague on what counts as each robot starting with a ball (can you just put it on top of a flat part of your robot, for example?).

Re: Number of Balls
 

From what I read, there are a max of 2 balls in each robot at the start and 2 balls on each of the alliance ramps making a total of 16. If there aren't 2 balls in each robot, the balls that remain go on the center ramp.

Re: Number of Balls
 

RoboBawler,

There are two on each BRIDGE, not just alliance bridge. See [G05].

Re: Number of Balls
 

Aha! 16 balls total. Rule [G05]:

Each Bridge will be preset with two Basketballs. Basketballs allotted to Robots that are not used, will be preset on
the Coopertition Bridge.

So each robot will have up to two balls, and two more will be placed on each the red and blue bridges. If any robot wants to have less than two balls, the rest will go on the center/Coopertition bridge. Thanks for all the comments!

Re: Number of Balls
 

See that the Coopertition bridge gets two to start with, PLUS additional, unplaced balls. So 18.

Re: Number of Balls
 

I think that there's a distinction between the alliance and coopertition bridges, and none naturally start on the Coopertition bridge. I talked with our rules analyzer, who indicated that it seems like 16 because of this distinction between the bridges.

Re: Number of Balls
 

But the Coopertition Bridge IS a Bridge, and [G05] specifically states that "Each Bridge will be present with two basketballs."

Look at the explanation of [G06], in which it says that Bridges are illuminated if balanced (which implies this includes the Coopertition Bridge is, as expected, a Bridge.).

I agree it is vague, as there aren't any definitions this year, but it's common sense that a Coopertition Bridge is a Bridge, but is different from Alliance Bridges. I believe the GDC may have overlooked clarifying this. Reference [G14]. It is unlikely that ONLY refers to Alliance Bridges.

In other places, they specifically state Alliance Bridge [G25], or Coopertition Bridge [G41], if there is a specific bridge.

Re: Number of Balls
 

I would agree with this. If you look everywhere else in the rules, if they mean a particular bridge, they specify which bridge the rule applies to.

However, this is a question that we won't be able to answer for sure until the Q&A opens.

Re: Number of Balls
 

The animation has 6 balls, two on each bridge.

Re: Number of Balls
 

I do not see anywhere in the rules that says there are, or are not any balls already in the human station either. So there could be more.