IRI Rule Changes

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

In fact, this would be highlighted in qualification matches. Many robots aren't capable of 2 ball by design, and allowing 6 balls to the teams that can do a consistent 3 ball would break qualifications, giving those teams a consistent and large lead at the beginning of nearly every autonomous.

Yeah and no triple balancing in qualifying either, u lucky widebots! Oh, wait, nevermind...sorry - flashbacks

I felt there were many "phantom" assists credited in the Newton division. Balls bouncing off of robots (often rookies) with no hint of actual possession. Sometimes I swear they never even touched the thing. I'd like to avoid that.

I'd like possession to be achieved by either.....

1. Active capture/release with a mechanism, even for a brief instant.
2. Trapping the ball against a field element or another robot.
3. Obvious herding of the ball in a direction (you travel in the same direction as the ball).

Basketball players are permitted touch passes, are they not? Soccer and hockey players can advance the ball/puck without holding it in their possession for an extended period, right? Why not robots? But all of them make some kind of intentional interaction with the game piece to direct it down an intended path. It's not like their teammates regularly bounce the thing off their skates or backs or domes as part of regular gameplay. The robot must be an active and knowing part of the transfer process.