[robocup-humanoid] Referee Box and rule suggestions

[Marcell Missura]

Hello,

I noticed that the referee box automatically changes from Ready to Set  
after 15 seconds. As a result of earlier discussions on the mailing  
list the rules were updated to allow 15 to 30 seconds for automatic  
positioning. Wouldn't it make more sense for the referee box to switch  
to Set after 30 seconds, so that positioning attempts will not be  
interrupted too early?

The referee box is implemented in such way, that every player in a  
team has a unique number starting from 1. In case of a substitution  
the entering player must be assigned with the number of the leaving  
player. Also the well readable number on the body has to be taken care  
of. I believe this will result in problematic situations. Is it  
possible to change the referee box so that all potential players can  
be registered before the game? In a KidSize game this would make three  
players plus two potential substitutes numbered from 1 to 5. In case  
of a substitution the referee can set the leaving player to inactive  
and the entering player to active and the game can continue without  
interruption. I believe this is not a very big change to the user  
interface and the communication protocol doesn't need to be changed at  
all.

And as changing the communication port shortly before the game can  
lead to malfunctions, I also suggest explicitely declaring the  
suggested port 3838 as the official referee box port that is to be  
used, unless technical reasons are preventing it. Communication other  
than the referee box should be prohibited on this port to discourage  
teams from tricking each other by broadcasting fake referee box packets.


cheers
Marcell Missura