[EricH]

Originally Posted by 1075guy

...Far as I'm concerned theres no real need for all this lawyering of this rule.

You get FIVE functions to work with. Buttons 1,2,3,4, as well as what to do if no button is pushed.

Which to me, you could have something like

No Action: Run laps around the track, dead reckoning, using sensors, however you like.
Button 1: Get trackball from position 1
Button 2: get trackball from position 2
Button 3: get trackball from position 3
and Button 4: go to other side of track, and wait for one of buttons 1,2,or 3

WRONG. Read Update 3, particularly the fifth paragraph, quoted below.

Originally Posted by Update 3 paragraph 5

The actions that the Robot takes in response to the messages received should be repeatable and predictable. In practical terms, this means that when the RoboCoach presses Button #3, Action #3 always occurs. Robot responses that are time-dependent or message sequence dependent are not allowed. For example, programming the Robot so that it initiates Action “A” if Button #3 is pushed during the first five seconds of the Hybrid Period, and it initiates Action “B” if button #3 is
pushed during the second five seconds of the Hybrid Period, etc. would not be allowed. This time-dependent context for the message interpretation is equivalent to the ability to send more than four single, unique messages, and is contrary to the intended RoboCoaching concept.

(emphasis mine)
This is closest to the situation you describe. I thought there was something more specific in there, but there isn't. I would say that having a "time-dependent context" (say, a "if no command received for x seconds do this") also violates the intent.

Please, don't make the GDC make a rule about "No command will be counted as a signal and limit you to three buttons." Partly because that will be unenforceable, partly because it isn't needed with the current rules.