Human players are costing points

[schaffin]

I know that in one of our matches, we got 4 penalties for another team's human player's hands crossing into the field while using the tongs to grab balls.

[lafawnda]

yea that happened in the mwr...most of it was throwing the empty cells into play. I agree that it could be nerves, maybe people at the outposts don't always realize that they pick off the wall instead of from the bucket

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by IndySam

There were also a lot of foot faults.

I actually had to chase down and drag back too the station an adult rookie team coach who inexplicably darted out of his station and ran over to the carts for something. I told himm to not ever leave the lines of the drivers station during a match. He honest had no idea. Alot of teams seem to be that way. They hav e no idea about the rules and I really think that is part of scouting: do teams understand and follow the rules? It's one thing to rate how productive your team is. It's another when the only thing you are contributing is a plethora of penalties.
Fred Needel had an interesting observation that I wholeheartedly agree with. It should be mandatory that rookie teams are pared off with a veteran team. If at the very least to make sure they understand the rules and procedures of what to do at an event. It stuns me how some teams come completely unprepared to a regional that goes beyond just the robot.. They are almost always late to queing, forget equipment constantly so they're not ready to run. They don't organize the kids who are mostly left to figure it out themselves and when they hit the field alot of them didn't even know what goal to score in. I just find that unacceptable. Teams had six weeks too download and absorb the rules, the least they can do was do that.

[railerobotics]

Our payload specialist received a penalty for throwing two balls at once, and it lost us the semi finals in Kansas City.

We did not find this until today.
http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=11772

What's done is done, but I hope in the future regionals the refs know the rules better.

[harleywhite]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

It should be mandatory that rookie teams are pared off with a veteran team. If at the very least to make sure they understand the rules and procedures of what to do at an event.

Honestly I think it should be the team's job the know the rules and procedures. A veteran team shouldn't have to be responsible for another team. As a member of a veteran team, I know it would add a whole lot more work that we would have to do, and we don't have the time or man power to do it.
We were pared numerous times with rookie teams at MWR. Some didn't know rules, others didn't have bumpers, and a few had robots that had to rebuilt. We spent a lot of our time helping trying to help them out.
I'm all for helping teams out, but I think its unfair to shove responsibilities on to another team especially with this year's game and all the complications that come with it.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by harleywhite

Honestly I think it should be the team's job the know the rules and procedures. A veteran team shouldn't have to be responsible for another team. As a member of a veteran team, I know it would add a whole lot more work that we would have to do, and we don't have the time or man power to do it.
We were pared numerous times with rookie teams at MWR. Some didn't know rules, others didn't have bumpers, and a few had robots that had to rebuilt. We spent a lot of our time helping trying to help them out.
I'm all for helping teams out, but I think its unfair to shove responsibilities on to another team especially with this year's game and all the complications that come with it.

Well the reality is this: You can either help them learn the game or watch them play the role as an anchor and drag teams down to the bottom of the standings with them.

[coldfusion1279]

Perhaps it would be helpful to notify all the head refs.

I have not been at a drivers meeting in 4 years (since I was a member of the team) but perhaps the refs could quickly go over the important human player rules as well. It should only take another couple of minutes.

Do they include this information in the drivers meeting already?

Human players have been really helpful on our team. Ours is great. Personally, the game isn't my favorite because of the huge reliance on human player accuracy. But the floor is fun!

[Protronie]

Let's not be too hard on the human players. Yeah they should have known this and that and could have done this and that but its just the first week and now that the first games of the season are out of the way and everyone has seen the game being played I'm sure everyone will be watching videos as the pop up on you tube ect.. and teams playing next week are telling the PS what mistakes to avoid.

Good luck for the rest of the season!

-p

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by coldfusion1279

I have not been at a drivers meeting in 4 years (since I was a member of the team) but perhaps the refs could quickly go over the important human player rules as well. It should only take another couple of minutes.

Do they include this information in the drivers meeting already?

At the New Jersey Regional, the head ref, Sky, did clarify and remind drive teams of the rules regarding Payload Specialist actions and the penalties they may incur; this took up the majority of the meeting.

[GBIT]

Originally Posted by Kristian Calhoun

At the New Jersey Regional, the head ref, Sky, did clarify and remind drive teams of the rules regarding Payload Specialist actions and the penalties they may incur; this took up the majority of the meeting.

They also touched upon them at GSR

[jack.j.191]

Originally Posted by rsisk

Would you mind posting a copy of your driver's test?

TIA

Here is the 2009 X-Cats Driver Test

Some aspects have been changed to focus on Human Player Aspects of the game.

[MarcusF]

It's not enough to just wait to throw them, they can't even touch them before the last 20 seconds.

did I miss that in the rules?

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Almost every HP at the regional I went to this weekend cost their team points.

I wasn't paying attention to penalties.

[IndySam]

Originally Posted by MarcusF

It's not enough to just wait to throw them, they can't even touch them before the last 20 seconds.

did I miss that in the rules?

<G22> Exchanging EMPTY CELLS - When an EMTPY CELL exits the CRATER via a FUELING PORT, it is retrieved by the PAYLOAD SPECIALIST and stored on the CELL RACK. During the last 20 seconds of the MATCH, each EMPTY CELL in the FUELING STATION may be exchanged for a SUPER CELL. Once an EMPTY CELL has been exchanged for a SUPER CELL, it can not re-enter play. Violations will result in a PENALTY.

[DavidB]

At Jersey there were a ton of human player penalties, most of them were from people ignorant of the rules. I am one of the two human players on my team and neither of us got a penalty.

Here are the main penalties I saw:

1. Tossing Empty cells - it has to go through the hole

2. When delivering Empty cell the human - Your hand can not enter the field
players hand went through the hole in anyway

3. Getting out of the chair before the match - you have to stay seated

4. Not using the tongs

5. The tongs extending on to the field - The tongs like your hands can
not enter the field


6. Tossing Super cells without empty cells - Need the empty cell

7. Tossing Super cells before last 20 seconds

8. Tossing wrong Super cell - You have to toss the super cell directly across -
from the empty cell you put on the rack
This is what I was told so I'm not sure how many
penalties occurred in regard to this, but double
check with your refs.

A lot of teams lost because of their human player. I saw close wins become huge defeats just because of penalties (sometimes as many as five penalties). So make sure you talk to your alliance partners because these penalties add up very fast.

DavidB