You have been challenged to an Item Gathering contest!
Official Item Gathering Rules
Item gathering contest is a head-to-head competition to see who's robot can gather the most LEGO cubes to it's own "home base" as it can before time runs out. (see prizes/trophies)
Robots: Robots must be constructed of official LEGO elements or their generic equivalent. The onboard computing device must be one or a combination of the following: Cybermaster, MicroScout, CodePilot, Scout or the RCX programmable brick. There is no limit as to how many or how few computing units a robot employs. Homebrew sensors and multiplexors are allowed, all other modifications to LEGO elements or their generic equivalent is prohibited. A single contestant may enter multiple robots if that contestant has the building and computing means to do so.
Question: Are multiple autonomous bots permitted as long as all units fit within the 18" box? It wasn't clear if the multiple bots clause allowed multiple entries per person or multiple bots per entry (or both).
Answer: Yes. The clause was meant to allow multiple bot entries per person, but a single robot entry is legal as long as it doesn't violate any of the "robot" rules.
Question: Would it be legal for a robot to seperate itself into 2 or more smaller robots during the match?
Answer: Yes.
Robot Control: All robots are to act autonomously, that is to say, robots must operate without human control during a match.
Weight: There is no restriction on robot weight.
Size: At the start of a match the robot must fit into a square box of 18 inches to a side, with no height limitation. Parts of the robot may extend outside this region after a match has started.
Playfield Details: The playing field is a flat, raised, 48"x96" surface made from particle board. There will be 2 "home bases" painted on the playing field. The home bases will be 18" square, one will be white, and the other black. These colors will be flat, that is, non-glossy. The rest of the surface will remain the default color of the particle board material. The bases will be located equadistant from the 3 edges of the field closest to them (see image). There will be a line ~1/2" thick around the entire edge of the playing field. This line will be silver (reflective) in color. There will be no "walls" to the playing field. It will be randomly decided at the beginning of each match which side of the table each contestant will place their robots on. (Light Sensor Readings)
Cube Details :The LEGO cubes are built out of standard LEGO bricks. There will be a total of 32 cubes on the field. The color will be red.
Instructions for building your own cubes: Take six 2x4 stud bricks, and assemble them into a cube (2 per layer, three layers, alternating orientation for each layer).
Prohibited Items and Actions: This is a head-to-head competition, as such, some "physical" play is expected from bots. That being said the following applies: a robot may not spray any material on the field or on their opponent, or in any way deform the field. Robots are not allowed to use any flying components or projectiles. Robots may not electromagnetically interfere with the other robot or its sensors. Overt attempts to damage the opponent's robot, over and above the expected ramming and pushing, are not allowed.
Question: Would it be legal for a robot to distract it's opponent by placing decoy blocks on the field?
Answer: Decoy cubes that are not red in color are legal. Decoy cubes that are red in color would be illegal.
Question: Would it be legal for a robot to place other sorts of items on the field?
Answer: Other items left on the playfield is legal, as long as they conform to the rules of what a robot can be made of (official LEGO elements or their generic equivalents).
More Questions Concerning Decoys: What about decoy blocks that were partially red?
What about putting items on the playing field that are red or partially red, but are not the same dimensions/shape as the blocks?
Or must anything placed on the field have no red in it at all?
If so, does this include the bots themsleves (including any bots that a bot may spawn during the bout?)?
If not, what if, instead or placing red blocks or items, a robot were to have appendages or tethered assemblies that were red or red blocks?
Since placing red decoy blocks is illegal, what if, instead, a robot were to have appendages or tethered assemblies that resembled red blocks?Answer: Decoy cubes can have red in them but cannot be made to duplicate game cubes. Red decoy cubes are fine as long as they are easily differentiated from actual game cubes (for scoring purposes). So decoy cubes built to the exact specs of real cubes cannot be used, but decoy cubes with one brick that is not red are fine. What I am most concerned with is being able to actually count up the points at the end of a bout. If your bot drops 10 decoy cubes that are duplicates of game cubes, then really all you have done is added 10 more points to the game, which I don't think you want to do.
Allowed Items and Actions: Collecting the LEGO cubes by any means available. Robots may hoard, scoot, push, toss, kick etc. the LEGO cubes around the play field. Aggressive physical play towards the opponent is acceptable. Pushing the opponent off the field is allowed. Stealing the opponent's gathered items is allowed. Remember, the bot with the most cubes on it's homebase at the end of the round wins.
Question: Hoarding includes being able to store blocks internally? That is, I could build a harvester that places the blocks into a storage bin within my bot, which is then dumped into my home area right before time expires?
Answer: Yes.
Does the rule allowing blocks to be tossed override the no projectiles rule? Both are mentioned.Answer: Tossing cubes is allowed if they are tossed as a means of getting them back to the home base, not if they are being used as flying weapons against the opponent bot.
Question: May a robot alter a block (add parts to it)?
Answer: No.
Question: May a robot attach blocks to one another?
Answer: No.
Question: May a robot tether the blocks that it has put onto its home base, to itself?
Answer: Yes, but if they leave the home base area and then time runs out they won't be counted as points.
Programs: You should download your program to slot 5 on the RCX. This will make it possible for remote starts of both robots via the remote control. Use of non LEGO firmware and or programming environments is acceptable.
Match Rules: A match is best of 3 bouts. Each bout will last a maximum of 5 minutes.If after 5 minutes, both robots have collected the same number of cubes, a 2 minute tie-breaking bout will commence.
Bout Start: The robots are placed on their assigned home base, facing in any direction. A referee signals the start of each bout. The operators will indicate to their robots the start of the bout and the clock is started. Each robot should have a 5 second delay after the operator pushes start before the robot starts to move.
Bout Progression: The robots search the play field for cubes until the time runs out. If a robot leaves the play field, either voluntarily or by force, it may rejoin the game after a 30 second count has expired. Any cubes that the fallen robot may be carrying with it that have "left" the bots control go in the "minus" pile for that bot. Cubes that the bot has in it's control will remain in it's control.
Bout End: The bout is over when the time elapses.
Match End: The match is over when one robot has won 2 of the 3 bouts.
Scoring: The score for a round will be determined by the number of cubes entirely or mostly on a robot's starting home base minus the number of cubes the robot has pushed off the play field. The robot with the highest score wins the round.
This will be a double elimination style tournament. This means that if a bot has lost a match, it goes into the "losers" bracket, where it has another chance at winning. If a bot loses a second match, it is out of the tournament. When the tournament winds down to the final two bots, the top "losers" bot will have to defeat the top "winners" bot twice in order to win the tournament (see diagram).
Question: In order to count as a score, must the blocks be on the table, or do they need to just be within the boundaries of the home square? That is, if my bot collects the blocks interally, must it dump them on the table for them to count, or does it just have to park within the home square?
Answer: Yeah, on the table. So if you have some inside the bot when time runs out they won't count at all.
Question: What about blocks that are in the robot's posession, but have not been dropped off at it's home base? Do those count neither for, nor against the robot?
Answer: That is correct, if the cubes are not on the home base when time runs out, or have not been knocked out of the ring, then they don't count. So in other words, any cubes left on the play field, or in a robot's possesion but not on the robot's home base when time runs out, do not count.
Question: What constitutes a block in a robots possession vs. it being on it's home base? Must the block not be touching the robot at all for it to be considered on the home base?
Answer: On the home base means that the cube is directly sitting on the play field surface, on the colored region that marks the home base. If a side of the cube is touching the robot, but the bottom of the cube is directly on the colored patch, then this will count. However, a cube that is in a "tray" (for example) that the robot is carrying around with it that has a bottom and sides, and the tray has been positioned on the colored region of the home base this cube will not count.
Question: Will a cube stacked on top of one or more other cubes be counted if these other cubes are counted?
Answer: If a cube is on the home base region, and other cubes are sitting on top of it (but not connected to it i.e. attached) then yes, they will count. If the bot has assembled a tower of cubes by attaching them together via the interlocking stud system then no, they will not count (although this would be a pretty cool feat).
Repairs and Reprogramming: During a match no changes in programming or construction of the robot is allowed, though minor repairs or battery replacements are allowed. There will be a maximum of one minute between bouts for these repairs. Reprogramming is allowed when the robot is on the sidelines (not actively in a bout or match).
Reprogramming capabilities are not guaranteed to be available at the event venue. Come prepared with your program(s) already downloaded to your RCX. Bring a laptop and your IR-Tower if you anticipate having to reprogram during the event. You never know when the hosts IR-Tower will refuse to work :(
Good luck,
Jona