Q&A

<RSC3>

RSC3, bullet iv indicates a Pin in contact with a Robot at the end of a Match does not score points.

What if a Pin is inside a Cup and the Robot is contacting only said Cup? Is it scored or not?

Is it legal for the Loader to hold multiple Pins in one hand or arm and load them one at a time with the other hand granted the other pins are not breaking the plane of the field (SG6), or must the Pins waiting to be loaded remain on the floor at all times?

For Skills matches, do the Pins need to be set up exactly as shown in Figure RSC3-1 (including the color order and not stacked), or can the Loader rearrange or stack them in a different color order before the match starts?

Thank you!

<RSC3><RSC3>, "the Robot and Field are set up the same as for a Head-to-Head Match (e.g., the Robot must meet the requirement of <SG1><SG1>)" <RSC3><RSC3>

b. "The robot must start the Robot Skills Match in a legal starting position for the red Alliance."

Just wanted to clarify that teams are to be in legal starting position, based on requirements of SG1, the height and width of the robot should be measured from the field tiles while starting the Skills Match. If propped up on a preload or the parking barrier, it needs to be in legal starting position (18"x18"x18") as placed before beginning of the skills match.

1. For example, a robot is placed on top of a preload or on top of the barrier and placed so it is inside the Parking Zone. The robot must be in legal starting position (18"x18"x18") from the tiles to the top of the robot, and would include the preload or barrier underneath the robot?

2. Also, are there any limits on robots starting a skills match upside down or placed on its side?

Thank you!

<RSC3><SG1>[<FO>] (https://www.vexrobotics.com/mix-and-match-manual#fieldover)

When setting up the pins for either teamwork or skills matches, must each pin be horizontally rotated exactly like the game manual images show? In other words, do the pin notches have to all be aligned with the black lines on the field floor, or is the rotation of the pins irrelevant?

I haven't seen any robots yet that rely on the pin notches to be oriented in a particular way, but it is conceivable that some teams' autonomous code might expect the pin notches to be oriented a particular way.

Another consequence of this requirement is that field resets take additional time to make sure all pins are rotated correctly.

<RSC3><T6>

I have a potential participant this year that has color blindness and has expressed hesitation about joining this year due to this limitation. Would it be possible for us to use sharpie or light colored paint patterns to help him better be able to differentiate the different color in pins during competitions?

<RSC3><RSC3>We were doing a scrimmage and a team pointed out that according to SG1 & RSC3, there is no specified rule saying they can't start fully in the park zone. They were able to position their robot in a legal start position so that they were already parked, started skills, and called stop time as soon as the match started. I couldn't find any specific ruling against this, so it seems to me this is a free 15 points. Is there a rule I've blanked on, or is this an allowed strategy for now?

<SG1><RSC3>

Question about Skills matches:

1. Can the team choose which colour preloaded pin to use (e.g. red or blue), or does it have to be red?
2. Where is the Driver Station for Skills? Does the driver have to stay on the red side, or can they move around to the blue side as well?
   • If the driver has to stay on the red side can the loader/ second driver move out of the red side to give direction and offer advice to the driver?

<RSC3>

Per <RSC3> Parts (a) and (b) seem to conflict with each other in wording.

Can you please clarify which zone is the "Pickup Zone" and which area is the "Loading Station"? (a) states " ... anywhere in Starting Zone 1 (ie., the one closest to the Pickup Zone)" (b) states " ... Robots must begin in the Starting Zone 1 (ie., the one closest to the Loading Station)"

In this case, is the "Pickup Zone" referring to behind the Goal Wall where the Loaders would "pickup the ball for reloading?" Or does it refer to the zone where robots can pick up the balls from the field?

Apologies if the wording is clear but my brain is conflating the two zones inaccurately.

Accroding to <RSC3>, during Skills setup:

In addition to the Preload, Teams may place a second Ball anywhere in Starting Zone 1 (i.e., the one closest to the Pickup Zone) to begin the Match.

We see two possible interpretations:

1. Mandatory: the team must (implicit) place the second ball and it may be placed anywhere in the Starting Zone, or
2. Optional: the team may choose not to place the second ball at match start, possibly waiting until sometime after the timer starts - or even never. If so, it would be good to clarify whether the 2nd ball would start Loader-controlled: to be loaded Rapidly or not depending on whether the Loader chooses to place the ball during a Rapid Load period.

Movitation for inquiry: We have a team that wants to delay placing the second ball until after the match timer starts, and they want to confirm that it's OK for the Loader to hold onto the 2nd ball on match start in order to wait for an autonomous routine to move their robot to a desired location first.

As a side note, the Head Ref Certification Test includes a question in Unit 7 that asks, "How many Balls begin the Match on the Robot or on the Field for a Robot Skills Challenge Match?"

The accepted answer is: "2; one on the Robot, and one in Starting Zone 1"

If placing the 2nd ball at Match start is optional, then the question should be slightly updated.

<RSC7>Here are a couple of questions regarding running teams during a skills match. As per the update on November 1, teams are supposed to be disqualified for coming into contact with anything outside of the field during endgame.

1. How do we mark team as disqualified during a skills match? As of December, Tournament Manager does not include an option to disqualify a team during a skills match. The definition of disqualification says that “A Team that receives a Disqualification in a Driving Skills Match or Programming Skills Match receives a score of zero (0) for that Robot Skills Match” Do I simply modify their score to be zero on everything?

2. Also, does the definition of breaking the field perimeter include the top of the field walls, or only the outside? (Would a team be in violation of S2 if a part of their robot is touching the top of the field wall, but not the outside perimeter?)

3. How strict are we supposed to be regarding the expansion rule before endgame (e.g., 18” exactly or 18” +/- 1”)? Many teams may have intake rollers that break 18” during operation. There were also some teams with string that would sway outside of the 18” during driving. (One team also had a piece of metal partially detach and stick outside of 18”). Should we keep a sizing tool at the skills field to show teams what part of their robot would violate the 18” rule during operation?

4. Being able to eyeball the size of a robot on the field is slightly subjective and might cause problems with newer volunteers. What is the best method for teaching them how to spot a violation?

5. Finally, how do we resolve a dispute of a robot going oversize and entering endgame early? Depending on how strict we are supposed to be with the expansion limit, this will be a point of conflict. As per the manual, “The Head Referee has final authority regarding all Robot rules”. Is this only for the designated Head Referee for the event, or does this include everyone that has been certified as a Head Referee by REC?