Honestly, I’m a HUGE fan of the game this year. I think it added a lot of game strategy that has been somewhat lacking in the past few years.
My only complaint is G16.
The NULL TERRITORY is safe. A ROBOT whose BUMPERS are breaking the plane of or
completely contained by its NULL TERRITORY and not breaking the plane of the opponent’s
PLATFORM ZONE may not be contacted by an opposing ROBOT either directly or transitively
through a POWER CUBE, regardless of who initiates the contact. A ROBOT forced into breaking
the plane of an opponent’s NULL TERRITORY resulting in it being wedged underneath the
SCALE is not a violation of this rule.
While I completely understand the intentions behind it to make scoring on the scale possible at all, I believe the way that it has been implemented could be vastly improved. The fact of the matter is that in some cases it is strategically beneficial to force a tech foul in a very non graciously professional manner.
And I think that there is a simple solution.
The NULL TERRITORY is safe while holding a cube. A ROBOT whose BUMPERS are breaking the plane of or
completely contained by its NULL TERRITORY and not breaking the plane of the opponent’s
PLATFORM ZONE may not be contacted by an opposing ROBOT either directly or transitively
through a POWER CUBE, regardless of who initiates the contact. A ROBOT forced into breaking
the plane of an opponent’s NULL TERRITORY resulting in it being wedged underneath the
SCALE is not a violation of this rule.
I’m not saying it’s anywhere near perfect, but it will stop the cases of once a team has placed a cube on the scale, when they are leaving the null zone and hit an opposing alliance member, forcing a tech foul even though it in no way impacted the game. Just as the rule is at the moment, it’s too strict on teams that get hit and fouled for no reason at all and I think that right now before district champs is a good time to slightly change rules.
I know this isn’t the be all end all for this discussion so please let me know what you all have to say.
Every game has “protected areas”…this year your NULL, Exchange and PC zone are protected.
Everyone has known this since 1/2/18
I see no issue here. Penalties assessed if the other alliance violates them in certain specific ways.
Can you imagine if the call went to " holding a cube and breaking the plan and not in opp. platform and touching a bumper " and the added confusion that would create?
I was holding it…
In a game where the points are directly based on time, getting hit leaving the null zone slows a robot down. That few extra seconds could be the tie breaker on fields like Einstein.
That would also open up new forms of defense where a robot just sits in the null zone and prevents cubes from being grabbed or placed.
^
I agree with Tom and Nathan. Rules about the protected NULL TERRITORY (as well as the POWER CUBE ZONE, EXCHANGE ZONE, and the PLATFORM ZONE during the endgame) control the kind of defense that is allowed, and the kind of offense that robots are designed for.
Field-side volunteer conversation between matches:
Judge: I am inspired by these kids! I just love the excitement that shows on their faces during competition. But the game itself is hard for me to follow. I can’t tell which alliance is ahead or understand why the robots are doing what they do. I see the referees waving flags and pointing at the robots. What are the penalties for?
**Referee: ** We love that excitement, too. I agree the game is hard to follow. As referees we try not to notice which alliance is ahead. We have to focus on what the robots are doing. The fouls we call are mostly against robots that are in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing. Sometimes you’ll see us counting, with a chopping motion; that’s when a robot has a time limit by which it must stop what it is doing and move away, or else get a foul called.
Judge: Are there a lot of rules? How do you learn them?
**Referee: ** There are a LOT of rules. Some of them are similar from year to year, like the one against pinning. Others change from year to year, and many are very specific to this year’s field or game pieces. It is hard to learn them all. I sometimes need to ask our Head Referee about how a particular rule applies to what I just saw a robot do. That’s why you saw me give a “thumbs down” signal after that last match ended.
**Judge: ** Thank you! We rookie Judges don’t get much training about the game.
Referee: You’re welcome, and thank you for volunteering! Your Judge Adviser doesn’t have enough time to explain the game, and this whole thing is really not about the game. We just use the game…
Judge: … to hook the kids! That part I DO understand.
Emcee: “And we are green on the field! Drivers, behind the lines!”
Referee: (standing up) Gotta go!
The problem I see with this is many times a team might drop a cube they’re trying to place and attempt to recover it and place again, this would allow an opposing team to prevent said team from recovering the cube.
Additionally, it also creates a potential for opposing robots to pin a robot up against the switch, possibly entangling them in it or even flipping the robot over, as soon as the team places their cube on it. Granted G16 does not prevent this sort of behavior but it gives a VERY strong motivation to avoid situations where it would be possible.