Q&A

At the end of a match's Driver Controlled Period, a referee instructs drivers to put their controllers down on the ground. The driver cannot put the controller down in the field because doing so may put them in violation of <SC1> and <GG4>. The driver also feels putting the controller down on the ground might be unsafe due to tripping hazards (<S1>). Also, due to concerns about damage to their controllers and/or the smart cable connection if the controller is accidentally kicked, stepped on, etc., the driver does not want to put their controller on the ground. This concern about damage to the controller is the result of a prior experience with a controller on the ground being stepped on and rendered unusable. However, the referee insists on drivers placing their controllers on the ground even after hearing the team's concern.

Does <T1> allow for the referee to require this procedure? Does this procedure fall under <T4>, and if so, should this be explained by the event partner prior to the start of matches (such as during an event meeting)?

Should a team be penalized for beginning a match prior to the start of the countdown clock or starting buzzer? If so, what is the penalty?

Starting prior to the beginning of the match gives that team a competitive advantage, albeit ever so slight. If the team who started early passes and/or scores a goal during the match, then starting early becomes score affecting? Would it be appropriate, prior to the team passing or scoring a ball, to have the offending robot disabled and the team told to put their robot back into a legal starting position before continuing with the match? Should the team be disqualified if they pass or score a ball during the match? Issue a warning and, if it happens again, disqualify the team?

<SC4>

Hello GDC thank you for your tireless work so far this season! We've seen two different interpretations of SC4 / SC1 in our region:

1. Anytime a switch meets the description in SC4 the teams should receive credit for that switch being cleared (even if it later becomes uncleared and doesn't end the match cleared).
2. A switch only counts if the switch is in a cleared position after the match ends.

Based on other scoring rules, we can see either as reasonable and justified. Which is correct?

<SC1> Violation Notes (bullet points 2 & 3) under <SC1> states: "If a team receives three Minor Violations witin the same event, all future <SC1> Violations at that event will be considered Major Violations and Disqualifications." and, "This count does not reset for any reason within an event (e.g., Qualification vs Finals Matches, one of the Team's "dropped score" Matches, etc.)."

Do shots taken after the Timer reaches 0:00 and scored during Skills Matches (Driving/Autonomous) count towards violating SC1nd a, if so, result in a Major Violation and Disqualification if the cumulative total of SC1 violations during Skills and Qualification/Finals matches exceed three (3)?

If a Team has fewer than three SC1 Minor Violations prior to participating in a Finals Match and violates SC1 in their Finals Match, does that count as a Minor Violation (does not receive a disqualification) or as a Major Violation (receives a disqualification)?

<SC1>

Per Rule SC1 "It is expected that many Rapid Relay Matches will have last-second “buzzer-beater” moments. The key moment occurs when the timer display shows 0:00. At many events, a buzzer sound will also play at T=0:00; however, the field timer display takes precedence in the event of any audio discrepancies.

If a Ball is released from a Robot before this moment, it will be allowed to finish its path and the score will be calculated once it comes to rest. However, if it is released after this moment (i.e., the Robot was still moving past T=0:00) it will not count and the Team will receive a Violation as described below."

The question we ran into at a recent competition is does SC1 apply in autonomous skills, and if so result in a violation if the ball is shot after the buzzer. In autonomous other robot movements are not expected to stop at the buzzer but instead slightly after as a player gains control of the robot, due to the potential for that robot not being near the player at the 0:00 mark. If there is expectations autonomous would not release a ball after 0:00 are there exceptions no movements should occur after 0:00 in autonomous.

Per <SC4> a switch is cleared once it has been struck by a ball and is no longer parallel with the front face of the goal wall. If a switch is cleared and then through normal game play the switch returns to the uncleared position where it remains till the end of the match, per <SC1> scoring statuses are evaluated after the match ends should the switch be evaluated based on the final position, even though <SC7>states that rapid relay is designed to be scored in real time.

Example: A ball becomes wedged in the switch, without fully passing through the target, holding the switch in a partially flipped position. The ball is later dislodged by a robot and falls back into the field, which causes the switch to return to its starting position, and is untouched till the end of the match.

How should cleared switches be scored with respect to <SC1> and <SC7>?

Clarification of <SC1a> is requested for the following scenario:

All robot motion other than drive train has stopped (i.e. lifts, intakes, other motion is stopped). The robot is racing to the supply zone trying to park prior to the timer reaching 00:00. The robot continues driving into the supply zone after the timer reaches 00:00. a> the robot partial parks prior to the start of the buzzer b> the robot partial parks after the start of the buzzer

For scenario a, does the partial park count and is a minor/major violation issued? For scenario b, clearly the partial park doesn't count, but is a minor/major violation issued?

Does the same clarification apply to racing to removing a red block instead of parking?

<SC1b> and the violation notes only apply to blocks scored (so could apply to removing red blocks). Partial parking is not covered by a violation note. <SC1a> specifically states the intent is for all motion to cease when the timer reaches 00:00 and has a resolution for points scored after that. However, it does not mention issuing violations ("Any scoring...will not count" instead of "Any scoring...will not count and a minor/major violation will be issued"). It would seem that for things not covered by <SC1b> that the referee would simply note that the park (and the red block removal?) was after the end and isn't scored. However, the clarification https://events.vex.com/VIQRC/2023-2024/QA/1810 makes it clear that flywheel motion, even if not score affecting, at the 00:00 timer mark is a minor/major violation.

<SC1>

My team is experimenting with a robot that hangs from the vertical bar and it is right on the border of the E/F hang tier. If they hold the field perimeter in place to prevent the horizontal bar from bending the field wall inward, the vertical bar is straight and the robot is in F tier. However, with no support, the vertical bar bends/tilts and drops the robot into E tier. Is it legal to stabilize the field perimeter at the end of a match?

<SC1>

Not game rule - definition.

Supply Zone - An infinitely tall three-dimensional volume of the Field bordered by the outer edges of the red PVC pipe and the outer edges of the Field Perimeter (which coincides with the outer edges of the vertical red VEX IQ beams in 2 of the corners). A predefined number of Blocks begin the Match within the Supply Zone (see rule <SG4>). Teams can receive points for Clearing the Supply Zone, and for using it to Park Robots.

The Yellow line matches this description.

However, the pictures with the translucent green plane appear to be a little to the side, in line with the edge of the red 2x20 that is sticking out.

While it is only a small difference, should be go by the edge of the pipe or should we go by the edge of the 2x20?

Thanks!!!

<SC1> We had a match where our alliance's robot climbed on the barrier and was up for well over 5 seconds after match ended visibly not moving. It only fell once the scorekeeper walked around the field a bit (it was an elevated field so it shook). Our question is. How obvious does at rest need to be? We believe if elevation was confirmed without walking around the field it would have been scored. Here is a video of the end of the match (blue elevation bar): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gHmlfZZcCKA1O1wGxvPnSpQKGaYBFccF/view?usp=sharing

<SC1>Hello , we have a team member need to remove from the list. How can we remove the consent form from the team information and add a new one? And maybe any other steps need to do?

If a robot that is unable to pick up red blocks (e.g. clawbot) knocks a red block off a peg, does the team still get the 5 points with the block not being in a goal?

POST SCRIPT: not sure what rule is applicable, so will just pick random.

With regard to any last second scores whether it is dropping a block or parking, is it the start of the buzzer or the completion of the buzzer that the score has to be completed by? There are a few last second scores at every event that are questionable and I have never really seen it clarified. <SC1>

<SC1>The addition of SC1b to the game manual seems counterintuitive. First, in a teamwork challenge match, the Alliance partner, through no fault of their own, is penalized for a violation of the offending team. I know of no other rule where the Alliance partner is penalized because of the rule violating team. Second, teams/alliances may purposely have to play below their full potential. Also, SC1b, seems to nullify aspects of SC1.

Scenario: Prior to the end of a match Alliance A-B has scored 2 level 2, uniform goals. The third goal is also uniform and just shy of reaching level 2. Instead of partially parking (5 points) Team A decides to take the blocks they have already accumulated and score them into the third goal for the purpose of having three level 2, uniform goals (10 points more than the highest common level of 1). With just seconds left in the match, Team A positions their robot to dispense the blocks into the third goal; vertically extends the block collection mechanism to it's desired height beginning to dispense blocks via gravity flow prior to the match timer going 00:00; and, ceases to control the robot (driver and program control). However, prior to all of the blocks being dispensed from the robot the timer turns 00:00 signaling the end of the match and blocks continue to gravity flow into the goal.

Under the above scenario, would all blocks deposited into a goal not count according to SC1b? I realize, at this time, there are two questions in Q&A that have not been answered that address some, if not all, of my concerns.

<SC1>

Rule <SC1> states all scoring will take place after everything comes to a rest and that a pre-programmed routine violates the spirit of this rule. We held our first event and even though robots stopped their forward motion and were partially parked in the supply zone, they had flywheels/intakes still moving, but not score affecting as they were raised in the air.

There was some disagreement on how to interpret this rule. Because the next sentence states scoring which takes place while still in motion, wont count. Some felt the flywheel motion isn't scoring affecting and was fine, and some felt this rule means all motion must stop - period.

I would like clarification as there were multiple teams that had these pre-programmed flywheels/intakes and I want to make sure this is handled properly at future tournaments.

I have a question about a conflict between the answer given in Q1697 and <SC1>. Part of the answer from the GDC stated, "Points scored during a Score Affecting violation should not be removed from the final score for an Alliance Partner that was not Disqualified." However, <SC1> a. states "Any Scoring which takes place after the Match due to Robots continuing to move will not count." My question involves three scenarios we recently saw at an event:

(1) Robot was in the process of unloading Cubes into Goal 1 at 0:00; the driver had placed the controller down and the Robot did not move. Cubes continued to fall into the Goal. It was not clear exactly how many Cubes were in the Goal before time ran out.

(2) Robot was in the process of unloading Cubes into Goal 1 at 0:00; the driver had placed the controller down and the Robot continued to lift, allowing more Cubes to rise above the top of the Goal and fall in. It was not clear exactly how many Cubes were in the Goal before time ran out.

(3) Robot was in the process of unloading Cubes into Goal 1 at 0:00; the driver had placed the controller down and the Robot then drove forward until it became Partially Parked.

What should the ruling have been in each of these circumstances, given the apparent contradiction between <SC1> and the Q&A response quoted above? Would any of these scenarios merit a DQ for egregious score-affecting violations? Should the points scored after 0:00 been counted? Should the points have been counted, but only for the alliance partner?

If a robot is dumping a full load of blocks into the scoring zone when the time ends and multiple blocks continue to fall in after time ends, how is the score determined if it is too hard to tell how many blocks fell after time ended? Any blocks still in contact with the robot shouldn't be counted that can be impossible to determine in some instances. Is there any penalty for continuing to dump after the buzzer or are the blocks just removed from the zone? <SC1>

<SC1> [Far] before the first rule, the Definition of High School Student and Middle School Student are presented. This has come up once, where you Team members were already in 8-12. But there's a different category not addressed. "Academically or Intelligently Gifted (AIG)" students (as early as 7th grade) take High School Math 1 and/or Math 2. They technically study in Middle School, but are taking the academic classes of a High School. Some of them have already completed summer camps for VRC, but by the current rules (it appears) they are precluded from participation in VRC. Are these classes (towards a High School diploma) sufficient to "play up" and register in VRC?

At the end of each Over Under match, will the field electronics be turned off (such that each hanging robot needs to have a lock to stay in the hanging position)? Or will the electronics stay on until the score is calculated?