Double-Zoning Question

I know this may sound like I’m lawyering the rules, but at least to me, this feels like a scenario that will realistically happen a lot-
If a team is double-zoning and as their opponents are descoring their goal by traveling underneath it, the team stops double-zoning, what happens to the team that was descoring the goal(assuming they are still under the goal)? Is this now a violation? If so, major or minor? Are you expected to anticipate your opponent’s movement and move out in time?

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SG8b, …is prohibited. This includes staying inside of an opponent’s goal after they end their Double-Zone status.
SG8c, This rule applies to intentional and unintentional interactions…

Basically, it’s your responsibility to make sure you aren’t in the goal once they stop double zoning. It’s a penalty no matter what.

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Its a good question, especially when combined with “you can’t force an opponent into a penalty”. If I had to ref a game today, I’d probably announce both when a double-zoning starts and ends. If a team is de-scoring when the double-zoning ends, I’d be OK with them if their next action was to get out of the illegal state and only consider it an infraction if they continued to attempt to de-score.

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This is a good question to ask once the qanda opens

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I fully agree with this. You are taking a risk by de-scoring.

Remember offensive robots get the benefit of the doubt.

Additionally, “you can’t force opponent into a penalty” may not applicable as you didn’t force the opponent to not get out. All you were trying to do was play the game!

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Do you think there’s going to be a way to bait double zoning?
Like to purposely do something to make the opponent double zone in order for the alliance to descore triballs?
Or vice versa, where one of the alliance robots purposely double zones to bait the opposing team to descore and then quickly ending double zoning to force a penalty on the opponent?

I’m not sure about Over Under, but in Spin Up, you are not allowed to intentionally force a penalty on another robot.

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Technically the rule which states that you cannot force an opponent into a penalty wouldn’t be applied because it was the opponent’s choice to start descoring.

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also its gonna be hard to ref that if a robot is touching the barrier, it is no longer double zone anymore. like if the other team is descoring, then you just have to drive to the barrier and they would not be allowed to descore anymore.

Ah yes, the game of respite for the refs could easily also turn into an ice skating competition in hell. Just imagine trying to make calls that are that close while looking at things in two opposite directions. And there will always be people that argue calls…

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Since its so easy to end double zoning (touching the bar), I think it would be smart to focus on scoring more than your opponent, rather than trying to descore. It will probably take a while to descore triballs because they have to be forced in and out (goal is shorter than the triball). I’m sure we will see descoring somewhat frequently, but probably not every single match.

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This being said, you definitely need a quick way to descore like a bar with a motor or else there’s no reason for a team not to doublezone. It’s less of you need it to be better but you need it to prevent double zoning.

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