Okay, one more time.
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Originally Posted by rees2001
As usual the rules changed.
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The last time this rule changed was on 1/11/05. That was three days into build season... not an unreasonable amount of time.
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Originally Posted by rees2001
FIRST probably looked at the the rule & thought this was an easy fix to say in the 28x38 dimension & touching.
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"Touching" was part of the 1/11/05 ruling... long ago. 28x38 was a recent reminder of what a "base" is. In <R05>, it says that your robot must not exceed "a flat, level rectangular base 28 inches x 38 inches, and a height of 60 inches". The base is the 28x38 side, perpendicular to the 60in height, irregardless of what your robot does after the match starts.
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Originally Posted by rees2001
the rule that has the most bearing on our team is the 28x38 footprint. That rule came 6 days before ship. 6 days! We had already designed & built a robot the falls from the 28x38 to 38x60. There is no redesigning possible at that point.
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HOWEVER, your saving grace is that QA #978 also specifies "drive train". Since your base is not parallel to the floor, you most likely won't be able to use the ziptie/string method, but you are okay if your wheels touch. QA #1617 only discusses what comprises a "base", so the drive train clause is still valid.
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Originally Posted by rees2001
We figured they would catch their wording and make one last change. I am confident that they still will.
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Based on what I've said, do you still think a rule change is necessary?
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Originally Posted by Bharat Nain
Again, they confused us a little bit by saying "The intent of this rule is that you must be in the loading zone" They did not say it should be in the original 28x38 dimensions. if they had the word "touching" italicized or bolded or something it would've been much more clear to us that we had to build something that had to be TOUCHING. When they said it should be in the 28x30 box and touching, many many many many teams must have spent hours or days figuring out how to modify their drive train to fit that. I know we did.
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Based on the definition of a "base" from above, where is the confusion? Your drive train does not and never has needed to be in the 28x38 base to be legally touching the loading zone triangle, and thus in the loading zone.
The Q&A, the manual, and update #14 have consistently indicated that either something within the 28x38 base of your robot OR the drive train must be touching the loading zone triangle. I personally don't see what's left to argue.