[DesignComp]

Originally Posted by evanperryg

The rules state that a bludger launched or ejected from an opposing robot can "ground" the shooter. How do you qualify "ejected or launched?" Is it still considered "ejected or launched" after it bounces on the ground? If not, they could only be thrown with extreme precision. If there's a time limit on when a bludger not in contact with the robot previously carrying it can take out an opposing shooter, do you honestly expect the refs to keep track of that while managing the rest of the match? Yet, since there is no qualification for "ejected or launched", then a bludger ejected from a robot 2 seconds into teleop couldn't be picked up by the oppposing alliance because it made contact with one of the robots. Hold on, a partial chokehold executed in the first seconds of auto that could decide the winner of the match? I think I remember one of those...

That said, bludgers present an extreme danger to robots. What penalties are given for teams that damage opposing robots with bludgers? How do you quantify "unintentional" bludger damage and "strategic" bludger damage? I get this is for fun, but the entire bludger dynamic combines the demolition derby and subjectivity of Aerial Assist, and the predictability of Recycle Rush.

Another thing, what happens when a snitch inevitably dies in the middle of the field? Would the alliance picking up the dead snitch still get points? How will a ref know the exact 6 foot radius around the snitch, cause there would be plenty of teams arguing with refs about it.

-Only quaffles can be grounded, and the process of clearing quaffles is detailed in the manual

-Launched bludgers must make contact with a robot before contacting the ground for their effect to take place. This has been clarified in the rules under G16. The game design committee believes that a good design will be able to utilize bludgers successfully without a high level of skill or precision. If you feel your design is incapable of this task, we suggest that you spend more time iterating.

-There are no rules supporting your idea that a bludger "ejected from a robot 2 seconds into teleop couldn't be picked up by the oppposing alliance". Unless this is a product of not reading the rules carefully, we ask that you cite the rules that would cause this statement to be true so that we can fix it.

-The game design committee does not believe that bludgers are any more dangerous to robots than prior years game pieces. Design your robots robustly and you should be fine. Intentional damage will be judged as it always has been. The idea of intentional damage is not a new innovation.

-Each alliance provides their own Golden Snitch (which goes through inspection and is regulated so that all are the same), so each alliance is responsible for their snitch not dying on the field. This is similar to the minibots of 2011.

-The 6 foot radius was chosen as an arbitrary value that the game design committee decided was a large enough space to deter robots not in pursuit of a snitch to stay away from, as well as one large enough that pursuit of the snitch could be clear and relatively easy to follow.

-All of our refs are trained in martial arts, and nobody can fight a ref's decision and win unless their robots are powder coated blue (because that's just how we roll).

I hope these answer your questions. Thank you very much for your interest in our project. In the event you still haveconcerns about the viability of the use of bludgers, we suggest that you train your drivers to dodge wrenches.