As the Regional and District competitions come to a close, we turn our thoughts to the 2015 IRI. We always have the benefit of a season of play, so we can make small changes to the rules to enhance the game (if / when we need to).
We are open to suggestions - but remember the goal is not to create a new game, or negate the hard work done by teams to design and build robots and strategies to play Recycle Rush.
No noodle throwing till the final 30 seconds
Make autonomous less of an all or nothing kind of thing, like points per piece rather than points per set?
And something that reverses the timing of when noodles can be thrown (i.e last 20 seconds).
Remove the chute door, and make the upside down totes in the landfill right side up.
6 coop tote stack worth 60 points.
Maybe flip the last row of totes in the landfill to be right-side-up, like the rest of them. This will result in extra usable game pieces on the field, and wont detract from anyone’s existing strategies.
EDIT: Andrew beat me to it
End game of having your robot fully supported by the scoring platform.
Multiple container sets in autonomous.
No yellow card associated with G6-1.
Allow getting out of transport configuration in queue (which some events are allowing already).
Allow yellow totes to be scored as grey totes in teleop.
No throwing noodles, period.
Change entire playoff structure back to traditional tournament with best of 3 scoring.
A couple of changes I’ve had on my mind for Rumble in the Roads this season:
-Drop the set requirements in auto. 2 points per robot, 2 points per tote, 3 points per can (allow more than 3 cans to be scored), and 20 for the stack (overwrites tote points).
-Only allow noodles to cross the step in the last 30 seconds and remove the 20 second restriction for noodles over the alliance wall.
-Exempt the yellow totes from being penalized for transferring over the step, except in playoffs.
Edit: Looks like I’m not very creative, everyone already posted my ideas 
Get rid of G23; put a caveat in G24 for yellow totes from teams attempting a coop set/stack.
No noodle throwing.
Remove the totes from the bump, and fill it with RC’s. Keep the noodle throwing, IMO. Agree with others about flipping the upside down totes.
Make the staging area go the entire width of the field, and allow alliances to place unlimited yellow totes, RCs, and robots in this area in any configuration they desire.
I would love to see what great teams could do with a few more RC’s to play with.
I also agree on the no noodle throwing and eliminate the over the wall in the last 20 seconds.
Change tote scoring.
Make a stack of 1 tote worth 1 point. A stack of 2 totes worth 4 points. A stack of 3 totes 9 points. A stack of 4 12 points, A stack of 5 15 points, and a stack of 6 18 points. That way teams have some incentive to make stacks without caps. Because with totes only worth 2 points there are diminishing returns in adding more totes to the field.
Oh yeah and no yellow card on G6-1. You can keep the foul though, thats fine. And red card if egregious or repeated.
Go back to the best of 3 tournament setup for playoffs, and remove fouls for transferring yellow totes across the step. Stacks greater than 6 should count, in the spirit of 1671’s practice day 10-stacks at the Sacramento Regional. Autonomous should be worth more, maybe double the current point values.
Bring back the noodle agreement.
Bring Aerial Assault robots, play that.
Bring FLL robots, play that.
Bring Lunacy robots, play that.
Flip the upside down totes, remove the step, and place the RCs on top of the totes while making it illegal to cross over the tape line marking the opposing team’s landfill.