Is it considered to be a violation of <G11> "You can't force an opponent into a penalty" if in competition for the center platform one robot tips, which causes it to violate <SG2> a) that states that a robot must return to 18" height when outside of the expansion zone. In other words, is it considered to be forcing a robot into a penalty if the opposing alliance's robot is more than 18" when tipped over (not intentionally) in a battle for the center platform, or is this protected as part of Note 1 of <G12>?
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Official Q&A: VRC 2018-2019: Turning Point
149: Tipping off platform leading to a violation of SG2
Answered by Game Design Committee
Let's look at the specific verbiage of G11:
<G11> You can’t force an opponent into a penalty. Intentional strategies that cause an opponent to violate a rule are not permitted, and will not result in an infraction on the opposing Alliance.
Pushing a Robot off of the Center Platform, such that it accidentally or momentarily ends up expanded beyond 18" tall, is not the same as intentionally forcing an opponent into a rules violation. A better example of forcing an opponent into an 18" height violation would be to grab an expandable Robot mechanism and lift it up beyond 18".
Conversely, if a Robot falls off of the Center Platform and momentarily ends up expanded beyond 18" tall because of its fall, and does nothing else to affect the match in this expanded state, then it would also not receive an SG2 violation; at most, it should only receive a warning.