So in case you haven’t seen it yet, here is the link.
I have to say, I am kind of disappointed. I feel most of the questions answered were clearly answered in the game manual. I also know some of the grey area question were not answered. Doesn’t feel like the best allocation of time.
Also, some of the answers given directly contradict the game manual. Namely the question about placing goals on the field perimeter. Apparently it is an SG9 violation, because you would be forcing the opponent into a penalty if they tried to grab the goal. By this same logic, it is illegal to score rings on alliance goals, because you could be forcing the other alliance into a SG6 penalty.
Another point, is the clarification given on SG3 was removed. I feel like before, it was cut and clear. If you contact the opposing alliance’s platform under any circumstance, it is a violation. Now, grabbing an opposing robot and dragging them over might be a G1 violation. And it also said that it is a G1 violation if you shove a disabled robot into the platform. While it might not be the nicest thing, it is no less disrespectful than stealing a mogo from a disabled robot and that isn’t illegal.
Not sure what the GDC was hoping to accomplish but it feels like a regression to me. What do you guys think?
12 Likes
I think sg3 is so thoroughly broken it would have needed a complete rework to be fixed. which the gdc has clearly resisted doing for the entire season, so I didn’t really expect it to get any better so close to the end.
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Personally, the clarifications contained in the video were fine, other than the part about nylon vs “aluminum” vex screws. First, VEX doesn’t sell aluminum screws; I have no idea where they got that idea from. All VEX screws (with the exception of thumbscrews) are made from stainless steel. Second, the clarification continues the GDC’s dance around the question of whether utilizing nylon screws solely for weight saving reasons is permissible, and it is unclear if a mechanism that would function more slowly with heavier screws is considered to “function” differently. It is unfortunate that the GDC has neglected this question, as it is the teams that will potentially suffer under an inspector’s varying interpretations of it.
Ultimately, though, I am more disappointed with how short this driver’s meeting was. At the end we were told “That’s all the rules questions we have time for.”, but surely there was more than 20 minutes of time available in the 5 weeks between when drivers meeting questions stopped being accepted and the start of the world championship. Looking back at this year’s AZ HS state championship, we were able to fit in a 30 minute live, in person drivers meeting into the event’s already busy schedule. I feel like something more comprehensive than what we got isn’t too much to ask for, especially when there are a number of questions that have been sitting unanswered on the Q&A for the last month, and I know none of the questions I submitted to the driver’s meeting were answered in this video.
21 Likes
About 1/2 of the questions came from me lol. I’m pretty sure everyone just said SG3 and the GDC said no. Also those questions were from the old game manual so nothing about last 15.
What I thought was ironic was that we had VEX Nationals (UK) during the driver meeting (1 day before and 1 day after). The outcome of the 1st day would have been very different if there was this clarification IN THE GAME MANUAL UPDATE.
1 Like
