This thread will be used to publish updates to the VRC Over Under Game Manual.
Please start a separate thread in this forum for unofficial discussion of any of these changes. For any official questions, please post in the official VRC Over Under Q&A.
On June 13th, 2023, Version 0.2 of the VRC Over Under Game Manual was released, and the following changes were made:
Rescheduled the VEX U Appendix release for the June 27th manual update.
Updated the definition of Elevation Tier to clarify that Robots must be “fully above the white line” of the Height Guide to receive credit for that Elevation Tier
A status that represents an Elevated Robot’s height off of the field at the end of the Match. A Robot’s Elevation Tier is measured by placing the Height Guide vertically next to an Elevated Robot and determining which letter-labeled segment of the Height Guide the lowest point of the Robot falls within. Each white line on the Height Guide is considered to be part of the letter-labeled segment immediately below that line. In other words, the Robot must be visibly “above the line” in order to move into the next Elevation Tier. See Figure 13.
Added a note to SC3, clarifying that a Triball Scored in a Goal is not also considered Scored in that Goal’s Offensive Zone.
Revised the note in SG5 to clarify that the net cannot be lifted to score / de-score
Note: Lifting the net structure in an attempt to add or remove Triballs is considered a Violation of , and may also be considered a Violation of , and/or at the Head Referee’s discretion.
A Robot or a Student member of the Team must report to the field for the Team’s assigned Match, even if the Robot is not functional. If no Student Drive Team Members report to the field, the Team will be considered a “no-show” and receive zero (0) WP’s, AWP’s, AP’s, and SP’s.
Updated T8 to clarify that a Team that receives a Disqualification in a Qualification Match also receives a score of (0) for the Match
Added an REC Library article link to R7 to provide clarity
Updated Robot Skills Challenge Ranking 9a to Number of Triballs Scored in Goals
Minor typo / formatting fixes
Quick note on the VEX U Appendix being moved again. The reason behind the delay is due to some small, impactful changes being made to the Robot and gameplay rules. Be assured that we want to make sure that all these changes are well thought out, and bring the best possible build experience to our VEX U Teams.
The next manual update, Version 1.0, will occur on June 27th, 2023.
On June 27th, 2023, Version 1.0 of the VRC Over Under Game Manual was released, and the following changes were made:
Any portion of the Barrier that is on their Alliance’s side of the Autonomous Line (i.e. the three black PVC pipes that are attached directly to their Alliance’s Elevation Bars).
The Robot is not contacting an Alliance partner Robot that is not considered Elevated
Note: Point “a” refers specifically to the actions of the Robot who started near the Match Load Zone in question. To continue the example above if Blue Robot 2 were to launch a Triball into the bottom-left Match Load Zone after one was removed by the red Robot, this would not impact the red Alliance’s eligibility to receive the Autonomous Win Point.
Note: The Triballs which start in each Match Load Zone must be contacting the Match Load Zone at the start of the Match. However, they may be repositioned during pre-Match setup by the Team whose Robot is using the Starting Tiles adjacent to that Match Load Zone. For example, in Figure 26, Red Robot 1 would be permitted to reposition the Triball in the lower-left red Match Load Zone.
Triballs that leave the field during Match play, whether intentionally or unintentionally, will be returned to the field by being placed in a Match Load Zone nearest the point at which they exited.
a. Referees will return Triballs to the field when it is deemed safe to do so, at their discretion.
b. This action is not considered a “Match Load”; i.e., the stipulations in rule SG6 do not apply. For example, the Triball cannot be placed directly onto a Robot.
c. Incidental contact with other Triballs that are already in the Match Load Zone may occur, although referees will make a concerted effort not to do so.
d. The Triball may be placed on top of other Triballs that are already in the Match Load Zone if necessary, e.g., if Triballs are already covering the entire Match Load Zone foam tile region.
e. At their discretion, referees may also direct a nearby Drive Team Member or other volunteer to return the Triball to a specific Match Load Zone. However, this should never be done by Drive Team Members proactively without referee acknowledgment.
Intentionally using a Triball to interfere with the Match Load Zone that is used for an opponent’s Autonomous Win Point may be considered an example of exploiting G17 for strategic gain. If the opponent has already successfully retrieved their Triball when the Violation occurs, then this will be considered a Minor Violation of SG9, and the Autonomous Win Point is not affected (per SC7). If the opponent has not retrieved their Triball, then this will be considered a Major Violation. Intentional, strategic, or egregious violations, such as intentional contact with an opposing Robot while contacting the foam tiles past the Neutral Zone, will be considered Major Violations.
Added SG11d, stating that Robots may not contact the Short Barriers adjacent to the opposing Alliance’s Elevation Bars during the last thirty (30) seconds of the Match
Updated T9 to provide clarity regarding when Time Outs may be used
Each Elimination Alliance gets one Time Out. Each Alliance may request one (1) Time Out during the Elimination Bracket. The Time Out will be served prior to the Alliance’s next upcoming Match. Alliances must request their Time Out between Elimination Matches, as permitted by the Head Referee and Event Partner; they may not use their Time Out during a Match, for another Alliance’s Match, or after they have been eliminated.
“Be prepared for minor field variance. Field Elements and Triballs may vary from specified locations / dimensions; Teams are encouraged to design their Robots accordingly. Please
make sure to check Appendix A for more specific nominal dimensions and tolerances.
a. Field Element tolerances may vary from nominal by up to ±1.0”
b. The opening of the Goal between the PVC pipe and the foam field tiles has a dimensional tolerance of +0.25"” / -0.00"“.
c. Triball weights may vary from nominal by up to ±20 grams.
d. Triball placement at the beginning of Matches may vary from nominal by up to ±1” (25.4mm).
e. The rotation of Triballs is not specified.
f. The only placement requirement for the Triballs that begin in each Match Load Zone are that they are contacting the Match Load Zone (i.e. the gray foam tile). See SG1.”
In the Robot Skills Challenge, the standard definition of Match Affecting does not apply, since there is no winner and loser. When evaluating whether a rule Violation should be classified as a Major or Minor Violation in the context of this criteria, the term “score affecting” can be substituted for “Match Affecting”. A Violation is considered “score affecting” if it results in a net increase of that Team’s score at the end of the Match.
Note: The remaining VEX U robot rules will be released in a future game manual update. For the purpose of early-season designs, prototyping, and scrimmages, the rules from the 22-23 VEX U Game Manual may be used.
The next manual update, Version 2.0, will occur on August 1st, 2023.
On July 11th, 2023, an unscheduled update (Version 1.1) of the VRC Over Under Game Manual was released, and the following changes were made:
The next manual update, Version 2.0, will occur on August 1st, 2023.
On August 1st, 2023, Version 2.0 of the VRC Over Under Game Manual was released, and the following changes were made:
Provided no other rules are violated, and the items do not pose any safety or field damage risks, the following examples are not considered violations of G8:
-Materials used before or after a Match, such as a pre-Match alignment aid, or a carrying case for
Robots / Controllers
-Strategic aids, such as a whiteboard or clipboard
-Earplugs, gloves, or other personal accessories
Teams may use a maximum of two (2) legal VEX pneumatic air reservoirs on a Robot. The Air Tank 200mL (included in the 276-8750 V5 Pneumatics Kit) and the legacy (pre-2023) reservoir are both considered legal reservoirs.
Note: From a rules perspective, parts found in the V5 Pneumatics Kit (276-8750) and legacy (pre-2023) pneumatic parts may be used interchangeably. This rule will be updated shortly with a link to an updated Legal Pneumatics summary in the VEX Library, which includes additional pneumatics information.
Every Qualification Match and Elimination Match must be watched by a Head Referee. Head Referees may only watch one Match at a time; if multiple Matches are happening simultaneously on separate fields, each field must have its own Head Referee.
Updated T11 to address using PVC to replace a damaged section of a Goal
Updated figure 41 to fix the position of misaligned Triballs
Minor typo / formatting fixes
The next manual update, Version 2.1, will occur on October 3rd, 2023.