Hi Jennifer,

Unfortunately, if they don't remove the yellow pipe, they will not be able to do "M10 - PIPE REPLACEMENT" at all, as the blue pipe has to be in full/flat contact with the mat to score.  If their program which does the pipe replacement mission also does other missions, and the team thinks it is a possibility that their robot won't reliably get the yellow pipe out of the way, I would suggest writing a backup program that cuts out the pipe replacement mission.  That way, in the moment, the technicians can make the decision to change programs during the match and can still get the other points that program intended to do if they weren't able to remove the yellow pipe.

Also, if they have time, they can always run a program again.  If, for example, their robot missed the grabbing the yellow pipe, but it is still in place, they could try again.  That is part of the strategy that the technicians can think about.  It is important for them to know all of the rules and how many points each mission is worth so they can make those risk/benefit decisions on the fly.  Have them think through different scenarios and what they would do.  "If X happens, and we have time, we can try Y or Z."  Although, sometimes things just happen that you didn't plan for, and that is part of the game, too.  If they know that a program is not always reliable, it is good to have a backup plan.

Good luck to your team!

Best,

Sonya