Team Update #7

[EricH]

http://usfirst.org/uploadedFiles/Rob..._Update_07.pdf

Revised definition of Hanging, model of retrieval hook (and tweaks to the retrieval rules, much in teams' favor), re-allowance of welding on the Minibot, deletion of <R96>, various software-related items, and miscellaneous reference-resolving/English-language editing.

Enjoy.

[Chris is me]

Fun fact - if your robot tips and that causes the minibot to be above 18 inches, your alliance loses a tower.

Talk about a double whammy.

However, Field Reset's hook being accessible to teams is a massive relief.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

I can't seem to find this image of the hook. Can anyone post a link to it?

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Fun fact - if your robot tips and that causes the minibot to be above 18 inches, your alliance loses a tower.

I'm sure that's not what they meant, but that is what they said. Sometimes you correct a rule, and then you have to correct the correction. Stand by for Team Update #8.

BTW, the DEPLOYMENT LINE is 30" above the floor - 18" above the BASE.

Hooray for the sensibility on welding.

[Mr.G]

Yet another major rules change 3 weeks in with the deletion of :

Once a GAME PIECE has been released by the POSSESSING ROBOT (even momentarily) and is HANGING (e.g. it is fully supported by the PEG), it is considered to be HANGING until the end of the match.

We had planned to just move around the game pieces by taking them on and off each peg. Using one of each game piece to do the whole rack. We think we could do one full rack this way with just our robot. Now our current design is not optimized for the new game design. Why can't they just leave the rules alone instead of constantly changing them.

Now the whole game is minibot or your loose. Our idea would have made a more even game between minibot and robot. And also better to watch.

[Grim Tuesday]

Seems like quite nice changes, as updates go. Addresses almost all the issues that people had with last week's update.

[mathking]

However, Field Reset's hook being accessible to teams is a massive relief.

Yes it is!

[zbanks]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Fun fact - if your robot tips and that causes the minibot to be above 18 inches, your alliance loses a tower.

Talk about a double whammy.

Is this really a problem? Opponent robots cannot interfere with robots while they're deploying, nevermind attempt to tip them.

Robots themselves should be able to deploy without tipping: that seems an integral part of the design?

[Tetraman]

Thank you FIRST for allowing welding on the mini-bot. I understand what the plan was, but adding welding is a massive relief on our team's shoulders and most likely others.

[nitneylion452]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

However, Field Reset's hook being accessible to teams is a massive relief.

I don't know if this is what you meant, but it seems to me that the field crew will be doing the removing of the MINIBOT, not the teams themselves.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Mr.G

Yet another major rules change 3 weeks in with the deletion of :

Once a GAME PIECE has been released by the POSSESSING ROBOT (even momentarily) and is HANGING (e.g. it is fully supported by the PEG), it is considered to be HANGING until the end of the match.

We had planned to just move around the game pieces by taking them on and off each peg. Using one of each game piece to do the whole rack. We think we could do one full rack this way with just our robot. Now our current design is not optimized for the new game design.

They'd already dealt with that by Q&A--an early Q&A had specified that it was the final location that counted towards your score. If you had noticed that, you could have saved yourself the time of designing your robot around that strategy.

They just didn't get around to dealing with the rules until someone asked again.

[TEE]

Originally Posted by Mr.G

Yet another major rules change 3 weeks in with the deletion of :

Once a GAME PIECE has been released by the POSSESSING ROBOT (even momentarily) and is HANGING (e.g. it is fully supported by the PEG), it is considered to be HANGING until the end of the match.

We had planned to just move around the game pieces by taking them on and off each peg. Using one of each game piece to do the whole rack. We think we could do one full rack this way with just our robot. Now our current design is not optimized for the new game design. Why can't they just leave the rules alone instead of constantly changing them.

Now the whole game is minibot or your loose. Our idea would have made a more even game between minibot and robot. And also better to watch.

This was addressed in questions and answers earlier, and there is another rule that specifies that scores are calculated by where the tubes are at the end of the match.

[Mr.G]

Originally Posted by EricH

They'd already dealt with that by Q&A--an early Q&A had specified that it was the final location that counted towards your score. If you had noticed that, you could have saved yourself the time of designing your robot around that strategy.

They just didn't get around to dealing with the rules until someone asked again.

QandA is not the rules.....QandA is to help people understand the rules. The rules are the rules.

Their answer in QandA totally contridicted the rules and thus ment nothing.

Untill there is a rule that says QandA is part of the rules I will never read all of them and study them. I don't have that much time.

[Bjenks548]

I can't seem to find a picture of the retrieval hook, can someone please tell me where i can find it?

[Katie_UPS]

Originally Posted by Mr.G

Yet another major rules change 3 weeks in with the deletion of :

Once a GAME PIECE has been released by the POSSESSING ROBOT (even momentarily) and is HANGING (e.g. it is fully supported by the PEG), it is considered to be HANGING until the end of the match.

We had planned to just move around the game pieces by taking them on and off each peg. Using one of each game piece to do the whole rack. We think we could do one full rack this way with just our robot. Now our current design is not optimized for the new game design. Why can't they just leave the rules alone instead of constantly changing them.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the intent of that rule was to insure that pieces accidentally knocked off of pegs would still be considered scored. The GDC (I'm guessing again) probably changed the rule because of strategies like that which go against the intent of the game.

Our team found the same strategy, but didn't design around out: we figured the GDC would realize their mistake and fix it ASAP. No one wants to watch a game where a robot just places and replaces a logo piece.