<SC3>
A Scoring Object can be Connected to another Scoring Object to form a Stack. To qualify as Connected, the resulting Stack must be roughly vertical (i.e., the Stack goes ‘up’ and not sideways) and cannot be in contact with a Robot.
• Scoring Objects can be Connected in two ways: up from the Floor or Standoff Goal, or up from a Beam.
• A Pin is Connected if it is fully nested (see figure SC3-1) with another Scoring Object and neither the Pin nor the resulting Stack is touching a Robot.
• A Beam is Connected if it is fully nested to one or more Connected Pins and/or the Standoff Goal and is not touching a Robot. A Beam cannot be Connected to another Beam. A Beam may be Connected to up to three (3) Pins simultaneously if all Pins are fully nested with the Beam. Each Pin that is Connected directly to a Beam is considered to be part of a separate Stack, and a Beam may count as a color in up to three (3) Stacks simultaneously.
• A Stack that meets the requirements of the other clauses in this rule and is resting on one of the following Field Elements in a way that is more “up and down” than sideways should generally be considered as roughly vertical:
• Floor
• Load Zone
• Any part of the Standoff Goal
• The VEX IQ pieces that are attached to the Floor around a Square Goal
• A Stack that is leaning on / supported by a Scoring Object that is not part of the Stack or a Field Element other than those listed above should not be considered roughly vertical and should not count as Connected or a Stack.
• Robot contact with a lower Stack in a multi-Stack structure has no impact on the higher Stacks in that structure for the purposes of clauses D & E. See <SE9> for an example.
Figure SC3-1: Examples of nested and non-nested Pins.Note: Scoring Objects cannot count as Connected or Placed in Goals if they are not vertical. Scoring Objects that end the Match ‘knocked down’ or ‘tipped’ within the Field, or that are not Connected to other Scoring Objects, can only count toward the 2 points earned for a Robot that ends the Match in contact with 2 or more Scoring Objects. Note 2: A pair of Scoring Objects is considered fully nested if there’s no perceptable gap between the two objects, and neither object is being pushed away from the other by an external force or surface.
Significant Q&As:
• Q&A 2664 - Multiple scoring scenarios; Beam on floor generally leads to non-nested Pins
• Q&A 2669 - Scoring example with a Beam supported by the perimeter
• Q&A 2679 - A Beam can earn points if it’s Connected to the Standoff Goal with no Pins
• Q&A 2716 - Examples to clarify “fully nested” and “roughly vertical”
• Q&A 2878 - A “U-Beam” structure that’s sitting on the floor is usually not nested and worth 0 points
• Q&A 2881 - A “U-Beam” structure that’s sitting on a Load Zone (or the bottom of the Standoff Goal, or the IQ pieces around a Square Goal) can potentially be fully nested and count as Connected Scoring Objects and Stacks
• Q&A 2917 - If multiple objects in a single Stack are contacting the Floor, it can’t be considered ‘roughly vertical’ and is worth 0 points
• Q&A 2986 - An unscored object on top of a Stack doesn’t affect the Stack; A Stack leaning on an unconnected Pin or a Starting Pin Support isn’t Connected or Stacked
• Q&A 3009 - If a complex multi-Stack structure isn’t nested to the Standoff Goal, the objects in those Stacks may still count as Connected or Stacked, but they count count as Placed on the Standoff Goal
Game Rules Index