The official VEX IQ Robotics Competition Question & Answer system has closed for this season.
Official Q&A: VEX IQ Robotics Competition 2024-2025: Rapid Relay
2517: Clarification on “score affecting”
i would like clarification on what is considered score affecting for rapid relay? Is it only goals and switches? Passes?
In a recent finals match, a team in the winning alliance swapped controller late (with about 13 seconds to go in the match).
Per G11, it is up to the head ref's discretion if this would be considered a minor violation or if it was score affecting. It was deemed as minor since no goals were scored by the incorrect driver. However, passes were completed with the incorrect driver in control. Should passes be considered score affecting in future cases (in this particular case, there were more goals than passes so the pass points did count)? What about the wrong driver loading a ball that was later scored? Is that score affecting?
As stated in the Violation Notes for <G11>, a late Driver switch could escalate to a Major Violation if the Head Referee determines that Score Affecting actions occurred as a direct result of the Violation, "such as the first Driver scoring additional points after 35 seconds of driving."
Scoring a Goal, Clearing a Switch, and completing a Pass should all be considered Score Affecting actions.
As for the wrong Driver Loading a Ball that is later scored, per clauses E & F of <SG4> and clause g of <SG5> the improperly Loaded Ball should be retrieved from the Field immediately before it is contacted by a Robot. Per the 2nd Violation Note in <SG5>, "In accidental cases that end up being Score Affecting (i.e., an illegally-Loaded Ball scores a Goal), the first occurrence during a Qualification Match may be treated as a Minor Violation and a “final warning” for any future Violations." Although this note does not appear in <SG4>, it would be reasonable for a Head Referee to apply the same logic for that rule if a judgment call must be made.