Appendix D - Rule Violations

This appendix is intended to provide additional guidance regarding rule Violations within the VEX IQ Robotics Competition, and offer further explanation on how Violations may be interpreted and enforced during Matches. It is designed to promote consistency in officiating and to help Teams better understand how actions on the Field may impact scoring, Match outcomes, and referee decisions.

All Violation notes to denote special circumstances or provide additional clarifications have been consolidated into this section such that they may be easily referenced. If no Violation notes are found in a given rule, then it should be assumed that the below “default” definitions apply.

This appendix does not supersede any existing rule, but instead serves as a secondary resource to aid in their application.

Violation - The act of breaking a rule in the Game Manual.

• Minor Violation - A Violation which does not result in a Disqualification.

  • Accidental, momentary, or otherwise non-Score Affecting Violations are usually Minor Violations.
  • Minor Violations usually result in a verbal notification from the Head Referee during the Match, which should serve to inform the Team that a rule is being Violated before it escalates to a Major Violation.

• Major Violation - A Violation which results in a Disqualification.

  • Unless otherwise noted in a rule, all Score Affecting Violations are Major Violations.
  • If noted in the rule, egregious or strategic Violations or intentional actions that result in Violations may also be Major Violations.
  • Multiple Minor Violations within a Match or Tournament may escalate to a Major Violation at the Head Referee’s discretion or as specified in a rule. Minor Violations carry over into Finals Matches unless otherwise specified within a rule.

• Score Affecting - A Violation which improves an Alliance’s score at the end of a Match.

  • Multiple Violations within a Match can cumulatively become Score Affecting.
  • When evaluating whether a Violation was Score Affecting, Head Referees will focus primarily on any Robot actions that were directly related to the Violation.
  • Determining whether a Violation was Score Affecting can only be done once the Match is complete and the scores have been calculated.
  • To determine whether a Violation may have been Score Affecting, check whether the Violation directly contributed to increasing the score of the Match. If it did not increase the Alliance’s score, then the Violation was not Score Affecting, and it was very likely a Minor Violation.

Violations of <GG>, <SG>, and <RSC> rules that occur during a Robot Skills Match should only affect the outcome of that Match and should not be considered when determining whether a Violation has been repeated during the event.

Violation Notes by Rule

Specific Game Rules

SG1

1. The Match will not begin with any conditions in this rule unmet. If a Robot cannot meet these conditions in a timely manner, the Robot will be removed from the Field and rules R2D and GG3 will apply until the situation is corrected. In most cases, they will not receive a Disqualification, but should receive a Minor Violation and will not be permitted to play in the Match.

SG7

1. Teams are responsible for their own actions. Violations that involve a Loader and Robot from opposite Teams will be given to both Teams.
2. It is expected that most Violations of this rule will be accidental. In accidental cases that end up being Score Affecting (e.g., an illegally-Loaded Scoring Object is scored in a Goal), the first occurrence during a Qualification Match may be treated as a Minor Violation and a “final notice” that any future Violation will result in Disqualification for the Match.
3. Any Score Affecting Violation during a Finals Match (accidental and intentional) must be treated as a Major Violation.
4. Repeated, intentional, or egregious Violations may escalate to a Major Violation at the Head Referee’s discretion. One example of an egregious Violation would be placing a Scoring Object directly onto a Robot without ever contacting the Load Zone.

General Rules

G1

1. Any Violation of G1 may be considered a Major Violation and should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Teams at risk of a G1 Major Violation due to multiple disrespectful or uncivil behaviors will usually receive a “final warning”, although the Head Referee is not required to provide one).

G2

1. Potential Violations of this rule will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. By definition, all Violations of this rule become Score Affecting as soon as a Robot which was built or programmed by an Adult scores points in a Match.

G4

1. Teams believed to be in Violation of this rule should be reported to the Judge Advisor, Head Referee, or Event Partner for further investigation in coordination with VEX Robotics. Based on the investigation the Team may be removed from further Matches, have their Robot Skills Match scores removed, and/or be removed from consideration from judged awards.
2. Violations of this rule will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, as noted in G1 and G2.

General Game Rules

GG1

1. Major Violations of this rule are not required to be Score Affecting, and could invoke Violations of other rules, such as G1, G2, or G4.

GG9

1. In most cases, accidental Field damage should only be considered a Minor Violation.
2. Egregious, intentional, or repeated accidental/Minor Violations may escalate to a Major Violation at the Head Referee’s discretion.

GG10

1. This rule is intended to allow Teams to fix damaged Robots or help get their Robots “out of trouble.” Strategically exploiting this rule may be considered a Minor Violation or Major Violation at the Head Referee’s discretion.

GG11

1. At a minimum, any Violation of this rule is considered a Minor Violation. Whether it escalates to a Major Violation or not is dependent upon the Head Referee’s judgment regarding prior Violations and any Score Affecting actions that were a direct result of the Violation, such as the first Driver scoring additional points after 35 seconds of driving or a Driver also serving as a Loader in the same Match.

GG12

1. Because scoring that happens after the Match is not counted, all Violations of GG12 should be recorded as Minor Violations.
2. If a Team receives three Minor Violations within the same event, all future GG12 Violations at that event will be considered Major Violations and Disqualifications.
3. This count does not reset for any reason within an event (e.g., Teamwork Matches vs Finals Matches, one of the Team’s “dropped score” Matches, etc.), but does not include Violations that occur in Robot Skills Matches or Practice Matches.

Robot Rules

R4

1. A Team that circumvents a Robot rule for a competitive advantage should receive an immediate Disqualification for the current Match.