Match Arrival Process¶
Because of the precise timings around matches, it's important the process of competitors arriving to matches is well defined.
Note
Whilst this is aimed at documenting the competitor-facing process, some volunteer steps are included. For specifics, see match scoring roles.
1. Competitors arrive to staging¶
Teams must arrive at least 3 minutes before the start of their match. If possible, they should turn up even earlier, without being in the way of previous matches.
Shepherds should fetch teams in advance, however teams should not depend on this. In particular, if teams are not in their pit, they won't be searched for.
Only 1 competitor from each team should be allowed into the staging area.
Teams must have a battery and hi-viz to enter staging. This indicates that they have passed both the safety and regulations checks.
When let into staging by the Head Shepherd, competitors will be instructed which corner they will start in, and told to stand at the corresponding part of the in staging desk.
2. Competitors assemble in staging¶
Once in staging, competitors should stay at the in staging desk unless instructed to move.
At the in staging desk, teams will:
- Receive a flag, and attach it to their robot
- Connect the competition mode USB
- Turn their robot on
If the robot fails to boot, competitors can restart it. They should not make any other changes to their robot.
Warning
When the competition mode USB is inserted correctly, it will light up with the corresponding colour. Check that the USB is inserted correctly.
The robot is in a ready state when the "comp" LED on the brain board is lit up. Badgers will ensure robots are ready, and assist with resolvable issues.
3. Placing robots in the arena¶
Once the previous match is scored, Scorers will reset the arena and competitors are instructed to place their robot in the corresponding starting zone.
Where possible, competitors should travel around the arena rather than through it, to stay out of the way of volunteers resetting the arena.
Robots must be placed according to the rules. This usually means anywhere within the corresponding starting area, facing any direction. If a robot extends out of this area, it must be moved back.
Once a robot is placed, the competitor should wait by the robot, outside the arena, prepared to press the start button
4. Starting the robot¶
When the clock hits 0, teams should start their robot. Commentators and screens can be used. Teams must not start their robot early, else they will be disqualified from the match.
If a robot doesn't start immediately, competitors may repeatedly press the start button. Competitors may not restart their robot. Restarting a robot may result in disqualification. If the robot does not start after a few seconds, it must be left.
Once a robot has started successfully, competitors should move to the designated waiting area. It may be necessary for the arena-side volunteers to remind competitors to move once their robot starts.
5. End of match¶
At the end of a match, the arena should be filled with a red glow.
Competitors should not move from the waiting area.
At this point, Scorers will score the match.
6. Collecting robots¶
Once scoring has finished, Scorers will instruct competitors to leave the waiting area and collect their robot. Once collected, the robot should be placed on the out staging desk.
At the out staging desk, the flag and competition mode USB should be removed and left on the table.
7. Leaving staging¶
Once teams have returned the flag and competition mode USB, competitors may leave staging. Competitors should not hang around staging after their match has finished.
Warning
Badgers should check for flags and competition mode USBs before the robots leave staging, to avoid needing to search for them and impacting competition matches.