Little-known rules for 2008

[jgannon]

I'm sure that a lot of people will find these to be pretty fundamental, but I was surprised at the number of teams this weekend that were unfamiliar with these rules.

You can start your robot anywhere in your home stretch, so long as you are touching either the player station or the fence, and not touching each other. You cannot start your robot on the left side of the field (as viewed from the player station), nor do you have to cram all three of your robots flush against the player station.

Your robocoach should be looking directly at your robots when standing forward in the robocoach station. If you have to crane your neck to see your robot, you're in the wrong place. Also, your coach (the team member with the yellow dot on their badge) should not be in the robocoach station... particularly not the remote station.

You cannot grasp the opponent's ball, even as a method of removing their ball from the overpass. You also cannot grasp another team's robot, even if they forced themselves into your gripper. You are responsible for anything that happens with anything you stick outside of the starting envelope.

You cannot rear-end an opposing robot that is in the act of HURDLING. If you turn them, tip them, or otherwise interfere with their attempt, you will incur the wrath of the referees.

When you are fully within a quadrant of the field, you cannot break the plane of a line in the clockwise direction. This includes hybrid mode. This includes reaching your gripper over the lane divider into the previous quadrant. This includes your bumpers.

If you have any horizontal extension on your robot that can fit through a chain-link fence, please consider modifying it. I don't know that there is a rule specifically outlawing parts from passing through the corner fences, but you will undoubtedly incur a penalty under <S01> if you impale a robocoach.

Considering the cost of a penalty in relation to the average match scores so far, it's easy to see that adhering to these rules will greatly increase your chances of winning matches. Best of luck to all teams.