Game Rules - Answer Thread

[Air Jordan]

Section 1.5.4 End Game Pull-up - Touching a High Zone churro

Q: If a robot is hanging fully supported by the pull-up bar but is touching/leaning against the cliff low bar as well as the mountain high-zone churro, is it a valid hang? We know it can legally touch the cliff lower bar, but what about one of the lower churros? or does the robot have to be completely free of contact with the upper mountain churros for a successful hang?

A: A Robot touching a churro located in the Mountain High-Zone is not eligible to earn points for performing a Pull-up. The Robot is eligible to earn points for Parking in the High Zone.

[Air Jordan]

Section 1.5.4 End Game Pull-up - Touching a Mountain Leg

While hanging during the end game is the robot allowed to touch the side bar?

A: Yes, a Robot touching the Mountain leg support in the Cliff Zone (i.e. above the Mountain High Zone) is eligible to earn points for a Pull-up.

[Air Jordan]

Section 1.5.2 Autonomous Period - Robot emergency stop

During the autonomous period, it is possible that a robot would need an emergency stop where it may be impossible for the FTA to safely turn off the robot. Last year, the Field Control System program had the emergency stop ability. May teams use their driver station to emergency stop their robot during the autonomous period and not re-start until tele-op?

A: Any member of the Drive Team may use their Driver Station to stop the execution of their Robot's opmode during the Autonomous Period without Penalty if unexpected Robot behavior is a safety hazard. Unexpected Robot behavior in itself is not sufficient justification for the Team to stop their Robot's opmode; the Robot must be a safety hazard. A Robot that was stopped during the Autonomous Period to prevent damage to itself, other Robots, people, or the Playing Field may participate in the Driver-Controlled Period. The Drive Team should notify the Head Referee and Field Technical Advisor after stopping the execution of the Robot's opmode during the Autonomous Period.

The Drive Team may not use a Driver Station to stop their Robot during the Autonomous Period as a game play strategy. If the Referees believe that stopping the Robot was a game play strategy, they will apply rule <G25> for Egregious Behavior and the Robot may not participate in the Driver-Controlled Period.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;GS9&gt; Blocking Access - Intentionally Moving Debris to Block Access to the Mountain

Post #8 of the official Game Rules Q&A thread says

This warning is specific to depositing Debris into a Mountain Climbing area, and this warning does not discuss whether or not this also applies to the floor area immediately in front of a Mountain Climbing area.

Q: Can teams intentionally deposit/push/plow debris on the floor immediately in front of opposing alliance Mountain entrance areas to make it difficult for the opposing alliance to enter their Mountains, or is this also considered Blocking Access to their Mountain entrance similar to the warning cited above?

A: Robots may intentionally deposit/push/plow Debris on the Playing Field floor immediately in front of the opposing Alliance's Mountain entrance Area; subject to the limitations of the Debris Possession/Control rule <GS7>.

Referees will closely watch Robots for violations of the five Debris Possession/Control rule when they are intentionally moving Debris to block the entrance to the opposing Alliance's Mountain Climbing Area.

Robots that are clearing Debris away from Blocking Access to their Alliance's Mountain Climbing Area are not subject to the five Debris Possession/Control rule <GS7>; provided that the Debris is not moved to block the Playing Floor entrance Area of the opposing Alliance's side of the Mountain or to Score in a Floor Goal.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;GS9&gt;Blocking Access - Mountain Goals

Assume the blue robot has an arm with a piece of cardboard the size of a mountain goal.

Q1: If the blue robot places this blocker right above red mountain goal such that no debris could enter. Rule GS10 says this is shared space so no penalty there. Rule GS9 does not call out the mountain goals for blocking access. Is it a legal or illegal to block the debris from entering one mountain goal?

Assuming Q1 is illegal.
Q2: What if the blocker only covers, 1/2 of the red mountain goal. Is this no longer a violation?
Q3: What if the blocker fully covers above the red mountain goal, but it is 4 inches above it. So access if possible below it. Is this ok?

Thank you,
team 5073

A: The actions described in all three questions are not allowed. The consequences described in rule <GS9> for Blocking access will be applied to Robot mechanisms and/or strategies that Block Access to Scoring in an opposing Alliance's Mountain Goal.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;GS6&gt; Robots Grasping Game Elements - Mountain churros (i.e. metal bars)

Is a robot allowed to grab a metal bar on the ramp and pull itself up?

A: Yes, rule <GS6> allows Robots to grab the Mountain churros (i.e. metal bars).

[Air Jordan]

1.5.1.b Pre-Match - Robot contact with the Playing Field Wall

Team 8154 here, just wanted to know about the specific rules on the start of a match, and how our robot should be placed on the field. In the game manual, section 1.5.1 b, it states:

Robots must be in contact with the Playing Field Wall that is along the boundary of their Alliance Station.

We would like to place our robot with one wheel touching the wall, so that it faces outwards diagonally. Is this allowed? Thank you.

A: Any part of a Robot (excluding Pre-loaded Climbers and the Alliance Flag) touching the Playing Field Wall satisfies the setup requirement specified in Section 1.5.1.b. One wheel touching the wall satisfies this requirement.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;GS7&gt; Debris Possession/Control Constraint - De-Scoring Debris from the Floor Goal

Post 72 stated that, " Debris that are in a Scored state In the Floor Goal do not count towards the five Debris Possession/Control constraint while a Robot is in the act of Scoring additional Debris."

Q: Would this also apply to an opposing team that is de-scoring debris that are In the Floor Goal?

A: Robots that are de-Scoring Debris from the Floor Goal are subject to the five Debris Possession/Control rule <GS7>.

[Air Jordan]

Section 1.5.4 End Game Pull-up - Touching objects In the High Zone

Can you please clarify? Post 73 seems to allow non-supportive contact with the Mountain High Zone Goal area (which would include the churros) (as long as it is fully supported by the Pull-Up Bar, and would remain supported if the Goal were removed) while still qualifying for the pull-up score. Post 76 seems to explicitly prohibit touching the Mountain High Zone Goal churros. These posts seem to conflict, or is the distinction the GDC is making specifically related to the churro?

A: There is no conflict between Posts #73 and #76. Post #73 allows contact with the Mountain High Zone Goal because the Goal extends into the Cliff Zone. Post #76 states that a Robot touching a churro located in the Mountain High-Zone is not eligible to earn points for performing a Pull-up. Contact with objects In the High Zone Area are not allowed for a valid Pull-up; except for the exclusion for the High Zone Goal.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;GS6&gt; Robots Grasping Game Elements - Climbing the Mountain

Q1: At our last league competition we were told that robots could not pull themselves up the mountain until they were completely in the mountain mid-zone. I have looked in the game manual and I can not find any such rule. Is this climbing restriction correct?

Q2: We were also told that robots could not pull from the cliff low bar or the bar directly below the cliff low bar. Again, I don't see any such rules posted in the game manuals. Is this climbing restriction correct?

Our pulling arm is long enough to reach the upper bar in the high-zone when parked in the lower-zone.

Please clarify the restrictions for climbing the mountain.

Thanks

The Robot climbing restrictions described in the questions are not valid.

A1: Robots may start pulling themselves up the Mountain from any location on the Mountain and/or Playing Field Floor.

A2: Robots may grasp, grab, attach, etc. to the Mountain, including the churros (i.e. metal bars). See rule <GS6> for the complete details.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;GS13&gt; Mountain Scoring Constraints - Cliff Pull-up Bar

In post #85 the GDC states:

"Robots may start pulling themselves up the Mountain from any location on the Mountain and/or Playing Field Floor. "

Q1: Based on this answer, is it correct to assume that our robot does not need to be completely above the 2" tape at the bottom of the mountain when we first make contact with the cliff pull-up bar when attempting to hang in endgame.

Q2: For example, during endgame our robot would deploy a hook, via a linear slide, to the pull up bar then use a winch to pull our robot up the mountain and into a hanging position on the cliff. However, our drivetrain would not be above the 2" tape at the bottom of the mountain at the time our hooks first make contact with the pull up bar, but the drivetrain would be above the tape once we start winching the robot up the mountain.

Thanks,
Team 5414

A1: The question in post #85 concerns restrictions for climbing the Mountain. There is no reference in the question to performing the End Game achievements. The answer in Post #85 would have been different if the question asked about performing an End Game Pull-up.

Robots attempting the Pull-up achievement during the End Game are required to comply with rules <GS10>, <GS11>, <GS13>, <GS18>, <GS21>, Section 1.5.4, etc. Rule <GS13> requires robots to be Completely On the Mountain and the Robot's drivetrain must only be in contact with the portions of the Mountain above the two inch tall buffer Area that is defined by white gaffers tape located at the bottom/entrance to the Mountain Ramp to attach to or be Supported by the Cliff Pull-up Bar.

A2: The actions described in the question violate Rule <GS13>.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;G11&gt; Drive Team Coach Interference - Touching the Android device (i.e. smartphone)

My reading of rule G11 is that the coach may hold the phone during the driver-controlled portion of the match. At a recent qualifying tournament, we were warned that a penalty would be assessed if the coach touched the phone during the driver-controlled period of the match. Subsequently, we lost phone connection with the robot in two separate matches through what now seems to be a intermittent plug connection problem at the driver control phone.

Q: We would like to have the coach hold the phone during the driver-controlled period and assure the plug remains firmly attached. Is this allowed by rule G11?
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<G11> Drive Team Coach Interference – During the Driver-Controlled Period, Robots must be remotely operated only by the Drivers using the Team’s Driver Station and/or by software running in the on-board Robot control system. The first instance of Coach interference (e.g. touching a Gamepad) will result in a warning, with any following instances resulting in a Major Penalty and/or Disqualification. During the Driver-Controlled Period, Drive Team Coaches and/or Drivers are allowed to hold the Team’s Driver Station Android Device and interact with it to select an Op Mode, view information displayed on the screen, and initialize, start, stop, and reset the Robot.

A: Yes, rule <G11> allows any member of the the Drive Team (including the Coach) to hold and operate the Driver Station Android device (i.e. smartphone) during the Driver-Controlled Period.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;G24&gt; Match Replay - Rescue Beacon unexpected behavior

As per http://ftcforum.usfirst.org/showthre...192#post23192:

"Yesterday the beacons were crazy, they constantly went wild, even with no one of the mountains or touching the field perimeter that I saw"

It was found that the AndyMark rescue beacons can malfunction due to static effects, at least on some fields/setups. If a rescue beacon malfunctions during the autonomous phase of a match, how will pressing the buttons be scored, especially if the beacon "resets" and is still randomizing when the team approaches and interacts with it?

A: If a Rescue Beacon exhibits unexpected behavior during the Autonomous Period, Referees will record the Score of the Rescue Beacon based on their real time observations during the Autonomous Period. Referees do not have to wait until the end of the Autonomous Period to record the Score for Rescue Beacons that appear to malfunction. If the Referees are not able to discern the correct Score for the Rescue Beacon, the Driver-Controlled Period will not be played. Drive teams will remain at the competition Playing Field, the Playing Field will be reset, and the Match will be immediately replayed starting with the Autonomous Period.

The Game Design Committee anticipates that the unexpected behavior of the Rescue Beacons will be eliminated by retrofitting Rescue Beacons with an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) prevention upgrade developed by AndyMark. Instructions for installing the ESD prevention upgrade will be published soon. FIRST will require official tournaments to use Rescue Beacons that have been retrofitted with the ESD prevention upgrade.

[Air Jordan]

&lt;GS6&gt; Robots Grasping Game Elements - Grasping the Mountain side walls and Parking

According to rule <GS6>, grasping the mountain is not a penalty. Does this mean:

Q1: A robot could be constructed that attaches to and climbs up the metal sheets/walls on the left and right sides of the mountain, provided no damage was done to the structure?
Q2: If the the answer to Q1 is yes, then if the robot were to park, while on attached to the wall above the mountain mid-zone, but not touching any churros, would it receive points for being on the mountain high zone?

Thanks!

A1: Yes, subject to the limitations of the game rules. For example, the following rules may come into play: <S1>, <S2>, <GS9>, <GS10>, and <GS11>. Robots should be careful not to damage the Zip Line Triggers, the Zip Line Climber release cords, and the Mountain Goals.

A2: Yes, Robots are Scored based on the lowest zone they are On. There is no requirement for a Robot Parked on the Mountain to be in contact with a churro.

[Air Jordan]

Section 1.5.1.f Pre-Match - Pre-loaded Climbers

We have a question about rule:

1.5.1 Pre-Match

f. Teams may pre-load up to two Climbers per Robot. The pre-loaded Climbers must be in contact
with a single Robot and they may touch the Playing Field. Teams may elect not to pre-load some
or all of their Climbers. Climbers that are not pre-loaded are placed by field personnel in a
random location and orientation, lying flat, and Completely Inside the corresponding Alliance
Floor Goal.

At our first event the above rule was used to place climbers that were not used by robots on the field. At our last event this was not done. The climbers that were not used were left on the totes next to the field. We specifically redesigned our robot to pick up the unused climbers and then were not able to use many of them. We approached the lead official by using the question box and were told the above rule was changed by the Q and A forum and that the previous event did not correctly follow the rule. The lead official said he would show us where this rule was changed but never did. I searched the game rules section of the forum and did not see anything about this specific rule. Can we have some clarification of the rule. Was this rule changed from the Q and A forum? Please direct us to the post number or page number that the change is detailed on.

A: Climbers that are not pre-loaded will be placed by field personnel in a random location and orientation, lying flat, and Completely Inside the corresponding Alliance Floor Goal as specified in Section 1.5.1.f of the Game Manual Part 2. The setup procedure for the pre-loaded Climbers has not been modified by posts to the Game Q&A Forum.