<SG4>
Horizontal expansion is limited until the Endgame. Robots may not expand beyond a horizontal area of 18” x 18” at any point during the Match prior to the Endgame. A Robot that expands early in a head-to-head Match and cannot rectify the Violation cannot participate in further gameplay and will not receive points for tiles Covered in the Endgame. There are no horizontal expansion limits during the Endgame. However, any Robot that comes in contact with anything outside of the field during the Endgame period or due to an early expansion, including the floor or the outside face of the Field Perimeter, will automatically receive a Disqualification for that Match under rule <S2>. Violation Notes:
Teams can prevent an accidental or momentary expansion that does not result in an <S2> Violation from becoming a Major Violation by immediately moving to rectify the Violation, and / or removing themselves from gameplay (e.g., parking in a corner of the field without impacting gameplay for other Robots). Even if an expansion was accidental, it can still be considered a Major Violation if the Head Referee judges that the expansion was intentional, strategic, and / or Match Affecting. Examples of Major Violations could include, but are not limited to: A Robot utilizing an expanded mechanism to manipulate Discs A tipped or expanded Robot blocking access to an opponent’s Low Goal A Robot forfeiting Driver Controlled gameplay (i.e., “accidentally” expanding early) in order to get a head-start on the Endgame