Sorry if this is a bogus question, or one of those that people are like “Check the rulebook”, but I want to write in my engg notebook that a defensive strategy could be to push other robots while they are shooting. I’m wondering if that 1) is legal at all, and 2) would the judges look down poorly upon it.
Thanks
I’ll chomp at the bait.
Emphasis mine
Judges will not look down upon a team taking advantage of a valid strategy and if you conclude this action is legal, it would be something good to include in your notebook.
Unless something has changed I think its fine
is a snow plow like thing legal where you push discs into the low goal or into a corner?
Yes but if it’s concave you can only push 3 discs at a time due to possession limit.
If there nothing making said mechanism illegal, then it is legal.
I need to go through the rulebook again, but I was under the impression that as long as you only contact three at a time it’s legal. With this understanding, it could be possible to push or move more by stacking them and then only touching the bottom disc. I don’t think there’s a transitive contact limit, and in past years with possession limits it has been possible to use the stacking technique I mentioned. Again, I need to check this, and I will update this post if I find something.
EDIT: EstaticPilot’s statement seems to be completely accurate (I would expect nothing less), and I was just hoping for loopholes. For reference: “pushing / plowing Discs is not considered Possession; however, using concave portions of a Robot to control the movement of Discs is considered
Possession.” Use this with rule SG7.
Of course, it’s the referees that are enforcing the rules, not the judges. Judges would only know you’re doing this because you have noted it in the game strategy section of the engineering notebook.
Did you even read the “bold” print statement in 9motorgang’s reply to your post???
Assuming by pushing you mean not trying to flip or break the robot, yes its perfectly legal.
And as for the refs (im assuming you meant refs not judges), Dont see why they would have a negative opinion on it, pushing is a common defensive tactic that can be applied to essentially any vex game afterall.
Let me toss my description into the ring as well.
Driving into another robot: Generally not illegal unless it results in you flipping the opponent, or performing some other illegal act.
Verdict: Ramming is a staple of defense.
Pushing: Generally not illegal to push. If you use concave elements or otherwise meet the definition of “grapple” is illegal.
Verdict: If you can push and it is advantageous to do so, by all means push away.
Special note: Ramps and wedges are often used to make pushing easier. Think battlebots. So long as you don’t flip them, it is legal.
Trapping and Pinning: These are the same thing. The moment you trap an opponent in a space of one tile or less, a pinning count starts. Pinning is on a per robot basis, so you can move from pinning one robot for 4.5 seconds to pinning their teammate with impunity, so long as you don’t break any other rules.
Verdict: Trapping or Pinning is viable so long as you do so within the rules.
Special Note: Trapping is fully legal in the last 10 seconds.
Boxing Out: Defending a position is not illegal. Denying an opponent access to the roller is legal, so long as they can escape and leave. Defending is not trapping, unless they cannot escape and go elsewhere.
Verdict: You can Box Out with impunity and it is advisable to do so when it is helpful.
Reading what isn’t and what is in the rulebook takes a while to come across this understanding. However, watching play for a few seasons, understanding the rules, and taking the Referee Certification, will best prepare you for strategizing and driving in VEX.