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

Usage Guidelines

When first reviewing a new robotics game, it is natural to have questions about situations which may not be immediately clear. Navigating the Game Manual and seeking out answers to these questions is an important part of learning a new game. In many cases, the answer may just be in a different place than you first thought. Or, if there is no rule explicitly prohibiting something, then that usually means it is legal!

However, if a Team is still unable to find an answer to their question after closely reviewing the relevant rules, then every Team has the opportunity to ask for official rules interpretations in the VEX Robotics Competition Q&A System.

All responses in this Q&A system should be treated as official rulings from the VEX Robotics Competition Game Design Committee, and they represent the correct and official interpretation of the VEX Robotics Competition Rules. The Q&A system is the only source other than the Game Manual for official rulings and clarifications.

To ensure that the GDC is able to provide answers at the level of quality expected by our teams, we ask that you please review these suggestions prior to hitting "Submit".

Note 1: The Q&A system is for rules clarifications only.

• For event, registration, or other competition support questions, please contact your REC Foundation Manager.
• For questions related to judging and/or awards, please visit the official Judging Q&A.
• For VEX technical support, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
• For game questions, suggestions, or concerns outside of specific and official rules questions, contact [email protected].

Note 2: Only registered teams may ask questions in the Q&A system.

• In order to ask a question, you must be logged under a RobotEvents account that is either an Event Partner, or a Primary, Secondary, or Financial Contact for a team that is registered in the current VRC season.
• If you wish to ask a question but are not one of these, check with your teacher or other team leader responsible for managing the team account. If you are a volunteer, such as a Head Referee, check with the Event Partner for the event at which you are volunteering.
• If you are the Primary Contact and have any questions about this process, please contact your REC Foundation Manager or [email protected].

1. Read and search the manual before posting.

• The Q&A is not a replacement for the official VRC Spin Up Game Manual. Many, many of the questions asked each year could be answered by simply pressing Ctrl+F and searching the manual (or using the search feature in VRC Hub). The VRC Game Manual is a relatively short document and a valuable tool - please use it!

2. Read and search existing Q&As before posting.

• This is a corollary to the first item. As the season goes on, we tend to see a great deal of repetition in the Q&A posts. This repetition clutters the forum and makes it harder to find the real precedent-setting posts in here. If everyone followed items 1 and 2 before posting, we would see a significant reduction in the number of posts, which makes it much easier to follow item 2!

3. Quote the applicable rule from the latest version of the manual in your question.

• Often, you'll find that by quoting the rule, you'll answer your own question. Similarly, if your question can be answered by a direct quote from the manual, that is all that we will answer it with - so, you can save yourself the time and waiting by checking the manual first!

4. Make a separate post for each question.

• If you have three questions on three separate topics, please, make three separate posts. This may seem like extra work, but it makes it much easier for the community to find specific topics later. If you have multiple questions that are all highly related, then feel free to ask them all as part of one post, but please bear in mind point 5:

5. Use specific and appropriate question titles.

• The more specific your question title, the easier it is for people who are searching to find relevant posts.
• "Scored", "multiple G12 questions", and "this happened at an event" are all very poor titles. "Does SG4 apply in Driver Skills", "Is paint a non-functional decoration", and "Do Discs count as Scored if they're not fully in a Goal" are all better titles.

6. Questions will (mostly) be answered in the order they were received.

• We know that your question is important to you, and you want the answer as soon as possible. Most questions submitted by Wednesday evening will be answered on or before Friday of the same week. Most questions that are submitted on Thursday or Friday will be answered on or before Friday of the following week.
• However, some questions may take additional time to review internally, and responses may take longer during high-volume times of year. In order to ensure the consistent quality of all answers, there are no guarantees that questions will be answered before a given date. Therefore, if you need an answer before your competition, we would advise posting it 1-2 weeks in advance, not the night before, to ensure a higher likelihood of a response.

7. This system is the only source for official rules clarifications.

• Please do not privately contact the Game Design Committee to ask for rules clarifications. They will simply point you to this Q&A system or ignore the inquiry entirely. This includes via email, social media, forum private messages, etc. This policy exists primarily to make sure that all rules clarifications are posted publicly for all Teams, Head Referees, and Event Partners to learn from equally.