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Official Q&A: VRC 2022-2023: Spin Up

Usage Guidelines All Questions

<SG7><SG9> Four Disks and Appropriate Actions

Christopher Morris
19-Dec-2022

As a referee, I would like some clarification on <SG7> and <SG9> as they pertain to actions that a robot can take to removing the fourth disk.

  1. If a robot is in possession of four disks, would it be considered match affecting if they intentionally shot a disk out of the field to get their disk count back down to three. *This is assuming that they are only able to remove a disk by shooting it out rather than removing it from their intake. * Had they not been able to remove the fourth, they would have to avoid all aspects of gameplay and thus it would change the outcome of the match. Granted, if this occurs at the end of the match, it may not be considered match affecting, but it would depend on the final score.

1a) As an example, say a red robot is right against the field perimeter at the start of driver control and in possession of four disks. This robot shoots one out of the field so that it can continue gameplay. This is initially a warning per <SG9> for removing game objects from the field. At the end of the match, red wins. From watching the match, if the red robot had to have refrained from gameplay due to possessing four disks the outcome would have been different, thus match affecting. Would the red robot be DQ'ed in this scenario?

  1. If a robot picks up a disk from a low goal and it is the fourth disk that they would be possessing, where is the appropriate location to remove the disk? (Back into the low goal or into the neutral tiles on the field)

  2. If a robot in possession of four disks shoots one disk out into a low or high goal and scoring it, would it automatically be considered match affecting as it is an intentional violation by not going to remedy the possession of four before continuing gameplay per <SG7>?

3a) What about if a robot picks up a fourth disk while proceeding to rotate a roller? This will probably be more of a case-by-case basis, but it is something that is being seen more and more recently as some teams have their intake tied into their roller mechanism.

Thank you for your time,

"Cowboy" Chris

SG9   SG7  
Answered by committee

Thank you for your questions. We'll start by saying that all of your scenarios are extremely context-sensitive hypothetical interactions. The most straightforward answer we can give is to remind Teams that any Robot that ever picks up a 4th Disc is in Violation of rule <SG7> and will incur penalties based on the Head Referee's discretion.

As to your scenarios:

Scenarios 1 & 1a: It is impossible to determine whether these Violations of both <SG7> and <SG9> are Match Affecting without the larger context of the Match. Generally speaking, a Robot in Violation of rule <SG7> should take immediate actions to remove the extra Disc. If those actions break another rule, the two Violations should generally be considered separately.

Scenario 2: Rule <SG7> does not specify where an extra Disc should or should not be placed when removed, although teams should consider point "b" of the red box following rule <SG7>: "Their strategies during a Match mitigate the possibility of controversial rulings (e.g., they do not attempt to score any points while Possessing four or more Discs)."

Scenario 3: As stated in the first Violation Note of rule <SG7>, "Any intentional Violation by an Alliance who wins the Match will be considered Match Affecting." Point "b" of the red box, included in our response to Scenario 2, also applies.

Scenario 3a: In most cases, this will probably be an accidental and quickly remedied Minor Violation. As with many Violations, the Head Referee will have to consider the larger context of the Match when determining the appropriate penalty for a specific Violation.