IRI - 2015 Rule Modification Ideas?

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by Jay O'Donnell

I think that this is just part of the game. Placing your stacks in such a way that drivers can still see, or using vision on the robot, is a very important aspect of Recycle Rush.

True, but I hope that at IRI, there's a few matches where teams just straight up fill up the scoring platforms end-to-end. 148 can easily fill up over half a platform by themselves, and I imagine with another amazing Feeder Station robot they could fill up the entire close platform.

[Adam Freeman]

Lets just trim each match down to the 15s auto period.

We can all work all summer long to create either the most awesome "Wave-like" tote stack / can grabbing machine... or the worlds fastest and baddest Recycling Container yanking device.

The rest of the match is just a pain in the butt to play anyways, lets trim the fat and do what is most exciting.

I was most excited about every Division Playoff and Einstein match at the beginning, usually just the first 0.5-1s.

We could probably play a lot more matches, or get done faster for more time for extracirricular activities.

-Adam

[Paul Copioli]

Here are my serious suggestions:

1. Get rid of serpentine (a long staple of IRI)

2. Go back to wins and losses in both regular and playoff matches. There is precedence for this in 2003 and it was much better. Even if it is just for the playoffs, then that will still be better.

3. Go to 2 v 2!

4. As a result of #3 above, reduce the number of teams attending.


#3 is the most exciting for me because this reduces the need for all of the cans and makes that race less influential without significantly changing the game. It also makes an alliance really weigh the trade-offs between auton and cans.


and one not so serious suggestion:

All day Friday are mentor matches. Only Saturday are student drivers allowed to drive.

[BrendanB]

After watching matches this weekend I would suggest the following:

Remove the step. Flip the upside down totes while filling the now vacant step space with totes. Create a rule that you can not cross over the white tape line defining their side of the landfill zone. Small penalty for minor infractions yellow/red card for if strategic/knocks over a stack.

Consider placing a special tote(s) in a randomized position in the landfill in the center line of totes that is a bonus tote when scored.

Place 8 RCs on the scoring platforms.

Increase totes count to 42 (or more) totes behind the alliance station.

With more totes available consider placing a scoring platform on the sides of the landfill for more scoring space each for their own alliance.

With Co-op removed allow yellow totes to be used in stacks.

Litter can only be scored in Recycling Containers or remove litter altogether.

Just a few different ways to change up the game.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Half joking suggestion that hasn't been completely thought out.

Tote Scoring: 2^(level -1)

It would take some of the weight of the can race off. Though it's a major change and it definitely hurts can specialists.

[Richard Wallace]

Originally Posted by Paul Copioli

... and one not so serious suggestion:

All day Friday are mentor matches. Only Saturday are student drivers allowed to drive.

If there is a robot left to drive. Many mentors are not good drivers.

[notmattlythgoe]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Half joking suggestion that hasn't been completely thought out.

Tote Scoring: 2^(level -1)

It would take some of the weight of the can race off. Though it's a major change and it definitely hurts can specialists.

This is something that should have been done initially.

[Bennett548]

I'd prefer that each tote is worth [level of the bottom-most point of the tote] + 2
1 tote stack (level zero)=2
2 tote stack=2+3=5
3 tote stack=9
6 tote stack=27

Makes canburglars not as powerful, rewards taller stacks.
(and this is coming from a mentor on a team that specializes in canburgling, and can only do 5 stacks, for now)

[Thad House]

Make strategic violations of G7 a red card and make the landfill extend the entire width of the field.

[Bob Steele]

If we wanted to limit the "can grab/game over in 250 milliseconds" games... not saying we necessarily want to...

It would be simple to only allow a single can grabbing robot for each team with a maximum of 2 cans grabbed in auto.

We could still see the grabber races... but it would not determine the outcome of the game unless a team could move down and do the other 2 at the beginning of teleop.... (if the other team did not go for them)

Just a thought...

[nuclearnerd]

Originally Posted by Thad House

Make strategic violations of G7 a red card and make the landfill extend the entire width of the field.

Wait, what? I know you were talking in the Can Burgler thread about ways to place the robot on (or over) the step without being in the Landfill Zone, but as far as I can tell, the Glossary of the manual has the Landfill Zone extending the full width, from guard rail to guard rail. What am I missing?

[Thad House]

Originally Posted by nuclearnerd

Wait, what? I know you were talking in the Can Burgler thread about ways to place the robot on (or over) the step without being in the Landfill Zone, but as far as I can tell, the Glossary of the manual has the Landfill Zone extending the full width, from guard rail to guard rail. What am I missing?

"Bounded by, but does not include, the STEP, GUARDRAILS, and a 2 in. line of White gaffers tape running between
the GUARDRAILS on either side of the FIELD. Each LANDFILL ZONE is an infinitely tall volume that extends 4 ft. 3 in. from the edge of
the STEP towards their ALLIANCE WALL." Game manual page 9. Also Q&A #52 says the game manual overrules the glossary.

And since the field definition includes the Guardrail, which includes the metal structure, that means the the outside of the field isnt the polycarb like we always thought, but its actually the outer edge of the guardrail. So when refs put the ref stations super close to the guardrail, or on the bottom part of the guardrail, they are actually putting the stations inside the field.

All of this means is that there is a 4 inch area on either side of the field where there is no landfill. So as the rules are right now its legal to go around.

[nuclearnerd]

Originally Posted by Thad House

All of this means is that there is a 4 inch area on either side of the field where there is no landfill. So as the rules are right now its legal to go around.

I figured you had something like that worked out (either that or you had a robot that balanced on the vertical sheet of the step ). I think that's an easy hole to mend - everyone expects the field boundary to be the polycarb.

[Kevin Leonard]

Originally Posted by Thad House

"Bounded by, but does not include, the STEP, GUARDRAILS, and a 2 in. line of White gaffers tape running between
the GUARDRAILS on either side of the FIELD. Each LANDFILL ZONE is an infinitely tall volume that extends 4 ft. 3 in. from the edge of
the STEP towards their ALLIANCE WALL." Game manual page 9. Also Q&A #52 says the game manual overrules the glossary.

And since the field definition includes the Guardrail, which includes the metal structure, that means the the outside of the field isnt the polycarb like we always thought, but its actually the outer edge of the guardrail. So when refs put the ref stations super close to the guardrail, or on the bottom part of the guardrail, they are actually putting the stations inside the field.

All of this means is that there is a 4 inch area on either side of the field where there is no landfill. So as the rules are right now its legal to go around.

That's actually genius.
I so wish you used those in division finals, it would have been an incredible sight to see, even if it meant my team wouldn't have made Einstein.

[Thad House]

Whats also funny is that the field definition has had the same wording for years. So technically the field hasn't ended at the guard rail since at least 2013, but probably earlier.

Even better is that the Auto zone DOES extend the width of the field, just not the landfill...

We wanted to pull it out in the finals, but we would have lost 225, who was really necessary. Its main purpose was to allow us to win the can wars in the semis if we needed to advance.