I have the honor and privilege of being the Head Referee for this year's CAGE Match and am happy to share the rules changes that we've made for Recycle Rush. We've been inspired by many of the other off-season events and the changes they've made and also have had the benefit of seeing how those changes have played out. Without further ado:
- Transport Configuration will NOT be enforced.
- Yellow totes may be scored as if they were gray totes on scoring platforms. Recycling Containers will score on stacks that have yellow totes.
- Teams may re-arrange elements within the staging zones, as long as elements are completely contained within the staging zone at the start of the match.
G6-1DRIVE TEAMS may not use any object to prop the CHUTE DOOR open.
VIOLATION: FOUL. If extended or repeated, YELLOW CARD. If egregious or strategic, RED CARD.
G14Teams may tether to the ROBOT before or after the match if needed to help with setup and/or removal of the robot from the FIELD. However, tethering must be done so safely.
VIOLATION: if unsafe operation occurs, RED CARD.
G24ROBOTS should not cause TOTES, RECYCLING CONTAINERS, and/or LITTER to completely transfer from their side of the FIELD, or from the STEP, onto the opposite side of the FIELD.
VIOLATION: If repeated, YELLOW CARD. If egregious or strategic, RED CARD and offending ROBOT will be DISABLED.
G27ROBOTS may not contact anything outside the FIELD.
VIOLATION: Offending ROBOT will be DISABLED.
Reasoning behind the changes:
- With the pits right next to the field, the transport configuration shouldn’t be an issue. Please remember that you still have to be able to bring the robot into the gym through a standard sized door and setup and teardown time restrictions will still be enforced on the field.
- Allowing yellow totes to score doesn’t make them a waste during failed coopertitions and eliminations.
- Easing staging zone setup will make field set-up easier and less confusing for teams/volunteers.
- The G6-1 change makes yellow cards only for extended/repeated offenses for propping open the chute door. We expect a lot of rookie human players and don't want to harshly punish new drive team members for not knowing the intricacy of how to avoid this penalty.
- The G14 change is for team Phyxt-Red-Cards. <3 (sorry for the inside joke, it's a entertaining/great story if anyone wants to hear it.)
- The G24 change eliminates nuisance penalties for accidentally having objects transfer sides of the field.
- The G27 change eliminates disabling for human players double-tapping noodles (which are harmless/not dangerous)