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The Q&A is closed for the 2021-2022 season. Any rule changes or clarifications pertaining to the 2022 VEX Robotics World Championship will be included in the April 5 Game Manual Update. Teams attending VEX Worlds who wish to pre-submit questions for the driver's meeting should have received a contact form via email; if not, please contact your REC Foundation Team Engagement Manager for more information.

Official Q&A: VRC 2021-2022: Tipping Point

Usage Guidelines All Questions

1011: Question about Goals Under Platform

Shivakumar Venkataraman
23-Jan-2022

I have a question about an alliance goal getting under the platform due to two robots (alliance and opponent) interacting with the alliance mobile object. Per the clarificaiton of the game rules. published below in the offical Q&A if the goal gets there accidentally, it is on the opponent alliance to get the goal out. Is that accurate?

How should the referee determine this action as accidental and it is the repsonsibility of the opponent or should this always rule against the opponent since the offensive and defensive robot are trying to interact with the same goal.

In a tournament the rule interpretation seemed to be inconsistent with this approach, would like an official clarificaiton of this.

https://www.robotevents.com/ar/VRC/2021-2022/QA/803

There is a question posted earlier as well - which doesnt have a response. https://www.robotevents.com/VRC/2021-2022/QA/982

It would be super useful for the game design committee to answer this question as this is causing immense confusion at each tournament.

I have added two match videos, it would be great for GDC to comment on whether any violation occurred during either of these two matches so that we can interpret the rules accurately for future events.

Case 1: https://youtu.be/uM_wgthR4yE (potential violation occurred between 1 min and 1:15 second) - is it a violation? Case 2: https://youtu.be/1TFTQnUXm-M (is it a violation by the red team in interacting with the yellow mobile goal)

SG3  
Answered by committee

I have a question about an alliance goal getting under the platform due to two robots (alliance and opponent) interacting with the alliance mobile object. Per the clarificaiton of the game rules. published below in the offical Q&A if the goal gets there accidentally, it is on the opponent alliance to get the goal out. Is that accurate?

This is not entirely accurate. An answer has been posted to Q&A 982 since this question was posted that hopefully further clarifies this type of interaction.

The relevant portion of SG3, point "d", reads as follows:

d. Placing a Mobile Goal on or under the opposing Alliance’s Platform, at any point during the Match is considered a minor violation of this rule that, at a minimum, will result in a warning.

Both of the videos posted involve interactions that require in-the-moment Head Referee judgment calls; we will comment on them based on what we can see, but acknowledge that the video is from a different perspective than what the Head Referee sees, there is no context of previous Match interactions, we have the benefit of pausing and rewinding (which they do not), etc.

Case 1: https://youtu.be/uM_wgthR4yE (potential violation occurred between 1 min and 1:15 second) - is it a violation?

From this angle, it appears that the blue Mobile Goal in this video was pushed into its position under the Platform by the blue Robot (most notably, because the red Robot does not appear to have the ability to drive sideways unless being pushed). Therefore, it would likely be considered a G14 circumstance, wherein a Team cannot force an opponent into a penalty.

Case 2: https://youtu.be/1TFTQnUXm-M (is it a violation by the red team in interacting with the yellow mobile goal)

From this angle, it appears that the blue Mobile Goal in this video was placed under the Platform by a blue Robot during the Autonomous Period. SG3-d only prohibits placing Mobile Goals under opponents' Platforms. Then, the only time it is contacted by the red Robot is while the red Robot is being pushed into that position by a blue Robot, which again, invokes G14, as described in Q&A 982.