Redirecting with an inclined top

[RC Dawson]

The ball should return to the playing field in the same general area. One estimate I read from a team that attended the Manchester Kick Off was four feet from the base of the tower. Of course, it's a bit of a scatter plot, but even so, the ball return is ON THE CENTER LINE. If part of a single robot is on or across the center line, no other robot from that alliance can be on or across the line at the same time. Parking and redirecting...being incredibly passive...seems ineffective and would cut the playing surface available to the rest of the alliance in half!

If the top doesn't move and a robot simply drives underneath the ball return at the right time to redirect the ball...it seems fair to me.

The whole deal about touching or crossing the center line certainly influences strategy.

Thanks for all the replies.