OVERDRIVE Rules/Scoring Questions

[Matthew2c4u]

well, shows i need to read the booklet more
So do u think that you can take the ball and bump it hard with your robot over the overpass, or do you think that u cant use powerful throwing mechanisms for safety reasons, is there a height limit on the field, is it to dangerous to throw the trackball i think the robots could take damage from a flying trackball there pretty heavy to fall from a big height.etc

[Ragnarokae]

Originally Posted by Matthew2c4u

well, shows i need to read the booklet more
So do u think that you can take the ball and bump it hard with your robot over the overpass, or do you think that u cant use powerful throwing mechanisms for safety reasons, is there a height limit on the field, is it to dangerous to throw the trackball i think the robots could take damage from a flying trackball there pretty heavy to fall from a big height.etc

I don't think that there is anything in the rules saying we can't throw... but it would take a powerful robot to do that. I mean, the ball is 10 lbs...

I'll recheck the rules though. Just for you. (JK)

[Ragnarokae]

Originally Posted by Ragnarokae

I don't think that there is anything in the rules saying we can't throw... but it would take a powerful robot to do that. I mean, the ball is 10 lbs...

I'll recheck the rules though. Just for you. (JK)

The only objection that I could find is that it might be deemed as an unsafe operation of the robot.

<S01> If at any time a ROBOT'S operation or design is deemed unsafe, it will receive a PENALTY and be disabled for the remainder of the MATCH. If the safety violation is due to the ROBOT design, the Head Referee has the option to not allow the ROBOT back onto the TRACK until the design has been corrected. An example of unsafe operation would be uncontrolled motion that cannot be stopped by the drivers.

[Taylor]

I would say that robots are meant to throw trackballs. In the animation, one bot looked like a catapult; a robot can't be in contact with the ball when it scores (either by land or by air); bumpers and robustness are mandatory, and trackballs that leave the playing field are reintroduced ASAP without penalty. I'd say the GDC are expecting some high-flying trackballs.
On the other hand, I don't think we'll be designing a trebuchet that fires from a distance of 20'....

[abeD]

I had another rules/strategy question:

Your not allowed to block people and impede traffic but can you go full speed and make yourself the width of the track much like they do in real racing (nascar formula 1, etc), and make someone make a move to pass you..From the rules I guess you can't but if this is a race that is a legitimate racing strategy.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by abeD

I had another rules/strategy question:

Your not allowed to block people and impede traffic but can you go full speed and make yourself the width of the track much like they do in real racing (nascar formula 1, etc), and make someone make a move to pass you..From the rules I guess you can't but if this is a race that is a legitimate racing strategy.

80" limit horizontally. If the track is less than 80" wide, there's a problem. But it's not. It's more than 10'. It won't work.

[Kyle_Solo]

Originally Posted by Matthew2c4u

is it to dangerous to throw the trackball i think the robots could take damage from a flying trackball there pretty heavy to fall from a big height.etc

They mentioned making sure your robot was robust enough and even showed a falling ball damaging a bot in the animation, so I think it would be fine to shoot a trackball.

[Ragnarokae]

Originally Posted by Kyle_Solo

They mentioned making sure your robot was robust enough and even showed a falling ball damaging a bot in the animation, so I think it would be fine to shoot a trackball.

I would say that "falling" and "throwing" are very different.