Recently videos of teams ramming the center goal have become a very interesting topic
I can’t find anything in the manual specifically preventing this
Video showing the flaw
Timestamp: 3:50
I understand that refs may rule this as field damage yet it could also be argued that this is an intentional gameplay feature and getting clarification on this to either rule this as field damage or as a functional game feature may become very important in matches
I have also heard it argued that this can’t be clarified as field damage because if a team even slightly hits it while trying to score or driving around the field there the chance or replicating the event show in the video
I totally agree with you all howerver since what is considered field damage is at the refs descresion getting this clairified and offically deemed field damage or not field damage may become very important.
Ok, you seem to like posting on a topic you answered. The Head Referee will make determination if field damage has occurred, and if it was intentional or not. Evidence of field damage include: bending support structure so the field element is outside of the ±1" tolerance, ripping of field tiles, breaking pieces of goal plastic so to change its no-longer functioning as intended…
There is no need to get clarification of field damage. EPs and Head Referees know how to identify it, if needed, make repairs (EPs have that discretion under Tournament Rules).
If you are really looking for Official clarification, the question must be posted on the Official Q&A by the adult registering the team, an EP, or Head Referee.
I really don’t understand what are you expecting GDC to clarify.
This rule about not damaging field elements has been around since the first season of VRC.
And for the past more than 1 decade, I don’t recall any referees or teams having issue with this rule.
And one reason that GDC is appreciative (I believe they are) about SG having super early season event (ie. Blank’s Beginnings) is that to certain extent, we do helped to test out the rules.
And as what @TibTy has mentioned and also as one of the points that I have highlighted in the other post, there is no damage to the field elements despite all the crashing on the goals.
And I believe no referees has ever rule scratches on field elements as damage to field elements.
My apologies if I seemed rude that was not my intent, The reason I have been responding to this post alot is because I have had diffrent people asking me if this is legal as I manage the rules for our team/organisation and I have 0 idea how to respond and in the past I have seen ramming into game objects ruled as field damage.
You’re not going to get an official ruling here. As mentioned earlier, if you think this is somehow unclear, the best avenue is the official Q&A. As it seems like you may not be an adult, if you are a student on a team, generally at events, the Head Referee will have a Driver’s meeting, which usually includes a portion where the participants can ask the Head Ref questions about their particular interpretation of rules.
My personal opinion aligns with Meng’s; I think the click-bait-y titles on some of these videos are causing more drama than is warranted in this particular case.
No worries, did not think rude, just confused why such a pressing issue. Not every situation is written into the Game Manual, like what to do when someone bleeds on field tiles (our district has blood protocols for that, so does not need to be written in Game Manual), is that a violation worth issuing a warning? (It could be deemed a safety issue with the team’s robot having sharp edges.)
I think if you hear referees warning teams about not damaging field elements during a match, that is because they are trained to do that so team;s can correct their match play before serious consequences.
Drill a small hole at the end of the crack to prevent it from propagating further. From the looks of it, I’d bet this crack does not prevent the goal from acting pretty much as normal, and suspect that it could still be used for practice.
Call/Email Support if it gets worse/fails completely.
Anyone still remember Skyrise? The Skyrise tower broke in the middle of the stacking and were falling apart?
lol…. I remember the decision back then was the sections that broke and fell off were just taken as not score.
The Tipping Point Balance Platform was incredibly flimsy too; I remember those corners being very breakable…these goals at least seem quite a bit stronger.
