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Official Q&A: VRC 2022-2023: Spin Up

Usage Guidelines All Questions

Picking up a fourth disc after calling for ref to stop skills run

323E
8-Mar-2023

<SG7> says, "Possession is limited to three (3) Discs. Robots may not have greater-than-momentary Possession of more than three (3) Discs at once. Robots in Violation of this rule must immediately stop all Robot actions except for attempting to remove the excess Disc(s). A Robot that is in Violation of rule <SG7> and cannot rectify the Violation cannot participate in further gameplay and will not receive points for tiles Covered in the Endgame."

In the definition of Skills Stop Time says "The moment when the Match ends early is defined as the moment when the Robot is “disabled” by the field control system. See the “Skills Stop Time” section for more details."

<RSC7> says, "In Robot Skills Matches, the Endgame period may begin early without penalty if a Robot violates <SG4> or <SG5> prior to the last 10 seconds of the Match."

Scenario and question 1: A robot is doing a programming skills run. They suddenly realize that their robot is going to pick up a 4 disc. They yell "Stop", but it takes the skills ref a short time to disable the robot. In that time, the robot picks up a 4th and 5th disc, thus ending with more than three discs. They do not score with the discs. Does their endgame count.

Scenario and question 2: In the same vain, a team is doing a programming skills run. Their robot picks up a fourth disc, so they yell "stop!". But the disc shots and scores in the time it takes the ref to press the button and disable the robot. Should the programming run be disqualified and receive a score of 0?

Scenario and question 3: Really this is the same question, but during a programming skills run, a robot gets a disc shoved into their intake right as they are trying to turn the roller. They immediately yell stop, but the roller gets turned and is scored by the time the ref has time to disable the run. Should the run be disqualified and receive a score of 0?

Question 4: Do the answers to questions 1 through 3 change whether or not the team has informed the ref or TM operator that they are going to call a stop time?

Robot Skills Challenge  
Answered by committee

As described in the "Skills Stop Time" section in Appendix B of the Spin Up game manual, Teams who intend to stop a Skills Challenge Match early must opt-in by verbally confirming with the scorekeeper referee before the Match. If the Team does not opt in prior to the Match, the scorekeeper referee is not obligated to stop the Match clock at any particular time (regardless of input from the Team) and no Skills Stop Time will be recorded. In all Matches, whether or not a Team has opted into a Skills Stop Time, all actions taken by the Robot before the field is disabled will be subject to Minor and/or Major Violations if rules are broken.

If the event is utilizing a V5 Brain or the TM Mobile app for Skills field control, a Drive Team Member can elect to start and stop the Match. In this situation, all Robot operations will cease when the field is disabled. If neither of these field control methods is available, Teams must prearrange a verbal and visual signal that will be used to end the Match early, and the game manual recommends that the Team give the scorekeeper referee notice that the signal is approaching.