Closed lgarron closed 10 years ago
Allow painted colours, and 2mm tiles on Megaminx:
https://github.com/cubing/wca-documents/compare/fixes...puzzles
The WRC must balance two considerations: clear, consistent Regulations that every competitor/Delegate can interpret on their own, vs. competitor freedom to select any puzzle they like.
In general, there must be some limits to what a competitor may use. The puzzle should have similar states and physically resemble the original puzzle, a competitor must actually perform all the moves of his/her solution (no self-solving/digital cubes), and the puzzle must not give an unreasonable information about pieces by look or feel (especially for blindfolded).
In the 2014 Regulations, the WRC worked to make puzzle requirements as clear as possible by working with the existing structure of the Article 3. This is partly because of many inquiries about what puzzles are legal, and issues with inconsistent Delegate rulings (as well as Delegates knowing the latest interpretations).
The WRC considered switching to a radical "anything goes" policy based on work by Sébastien Auroux. However:
In particular, there may be disagreement on unusual puzzles, and puzzle manufacturers may produce even more puzzles with even more enhancements than they currently do. The resulting variety may make it harder for Delegates to determine what puzzles are legal. Given inconsistent rulings in the past, "Delegate discretion" is an undesirable way to handle this.
Since most competitors are interested in certain puzzles that they currently prefer for speedcubing, the WRC has decided to focus on adapting the current Regulations to allow these. Based on Delegate feedback, a speedsolving.com poll, and certain other speedsolving.com discussions, the following topics are important right now:
This speedsolving.com poll indicates that Megaminx tiles were the biggest competitor concern about the 2014 Regulation changes. (The WRC has been alerted that Megaminx poll option may contain untruthful votes, but competitors definitely care about Megaminx.)
While the WRC believes that there should be thin limits on tile thickness, it is clear that many competitors still prefer Megaminxes with thicker tiles (including several top competitors). Although this makes it easier to see parts on back sides of the puzzle, most competitors are not using this to gain a conscious/intentional advantage. Unlike other puzzles, thick tiles on Megaminx have also been more common due to the Mefferts Megaminx from the mid-2000s. In the interest of more fun for Megaminx competitors, it is reasonable to allow competitors to use these puzzles for now.
In order to keep continuity with past Regulations as well as the 2014 grace period, the WRC is reverting the tile limit to 1.5mm for all puzzles.
Slightly thicker tiles are allowed specifically for Megaminx, at the discretion of the Delegate (which is intended to cover Mefferts and similar Megaminxes).
The WRC originally removed painted/printed colors because:
However, a puzzle with properly printed/painted colors does not offer an unfair advantage -- in fact, they may provide less of an advantage than tiles. In addition, some community members prefer that competitors have this choice on principle. Since this is a fairly minor change, the WRC is adding it back.
Although it may be preferable to require a single plastic color for simplicity (easier for a Delegate to evaluate), these will not be affected for now.
While most competitors believe that they use these puzzles out of preference, it is possible to interpret these features as significant advantages compared to existing puzzles.
For "stickerless" puzzles in particular, the WRC is happy to consider future proposals that allow competitors to use their preferred "stickerless" puzzles, as long as they are carefully worded to avoid unintended possibilities of allowing arbitrary colored plastic.
The same holds for other possible allowances like pillowed puzzles.
(Previous post updated a bit to handle 1.5mm change.)
Fixed in 5035dec765237e08fbd07e5a9f0edddd1fec30de.
Current: https://github.com/cubing/wca-documents/compare/fixes...puzzles