SCAR Match Rules
Based on SPARC Match Rules v1.3
Posted July 2024
Posted July 2024
Pre-Fight - Robot Load-In and Activation
In SCAR arenas robots will be powered at the arena entrance with the driver not standing in or on the combat area unless given special permission by the arena manager or referee. This includes all SCAR arenas that separate the combat zone from outside the arena with kick plates and safety rails.
The combat area is defined as the region of the arena where active combat occurs.
Priority for load in is as follows
Robot is placed in a stable position on the combat area with the drive wheels oriented such that when they come in contact with the combat area the direction of travel will be away from other robots, persons, and entry doors.
If the robot has a weapon that is aimable it will be aimed at the wall furthest from the arena entry door.
Powering on the robot
If the robot is being activated by a person inside the combat area, they then exit the arena, otherwise the robot is driven to the starting square from their power-on location.
Once both robots are activated and in their starting squares the arena doors will be closed and a maximum of 20 seconds will be allowed for a brief weapon/drive system test if the drivers desire.
No weapon testing of any sort will be allowed prior to the arena door being closed and secured by the arena manager or referee.
After this, the referee will ask both drivers if they are ready and the fight will begin.
In the event that a driver’s robot is not ready, they will be asked if they would like to postpone their match by up to twenty minutes or fight in their current state. Each competitor is granted one postponement per day per event, regardless of the number of robots they are competing with. In the event that the robot is not ready after twenty minutes have passed, they may automatically forfeit the match.
Post Fight Activities
At the end of the fight both robots are to cease movement and if applicable, allow their weapon systems to de-energize. Once the weapon systems have been de-energized the judges may request that one or both robots demonstrate that either their drive or weapon
system is still functional.
Demonstration of drive system functionality will be done by the robot returning to its
starting location and briefly applying power to the weapon system to show that it
is still operational. The robot should not spin to full speed during this demonstration.
Once this is completed the robot deactivation and load out procedure can begin.
Bot Deactivation and Load Out
Robots will be powered down after the competitors have driven their robot back to the arena entrance where they were loaded in. Drivers should not enter the combat area at this time, and should follow the priority as listed below. In the event of an unexpected situation the order in which robots are powered down may be altered by the referee.
Priority for load out is as follows
Deactivating a robot
the builder as differing designs may necessitate different safe shutdown procedures.
Emergency Deactivation Procedure
In the event of an emergency (for example: one or more robots on fire) the standardprocedure does not apply. The following attempts to address the vast majority of possible situations that are likely to occur:
SCAR Tournament Format and Standards
Round Robin
Modified Double Elimination
Match Frequency
Match Duration
Un-sticks
Matches will be paused to separate robots in the event that they become stuck together in the arena. Robots that become stuck together will be allowed 10 seconds to attempt to separate. If they are not able to do so an un-stick will be called for by the referee.
An unstick can only be called for by the drivers or referee and the referee has the final say on whether or not the un-stick will be granted based upon the events un-stick rules.
After a match has been paused to unstick two stuck together robots once, if the robots become stuck together again the match will be ended with the winner being determined by the Judges using the Judging Guidelines.
Modified single un-stick (Standard) - Each robot gets one un-stick but only if the opposing robot was not the cause for their immobilization. For example, if a robot were to get itself stuck on the arena wall somehow, they would get an unstick. If the robot were placed against the wall in a manner that prevented operation, (i.e., rammed into a stuck position, weapon contact causes a stuck position, lifted into position, etc.) they would not get an un-stick. The referee will determine if this applies. Only the driver of the stuck robot can call for an un-stick in this situation. As with “single un-stick” all parts of a multi-bot share a single un-stick.
No modifications or repairs are allowed during an unstick. This includes but is not limited to a robot being inverted.
Competitors are strictly forbidden from interacting with the arena to attempt to unstick their robot or influence the match. “Pinballing” poses a danger to self, competitors, and all attendees, and those found to be attempting to influence the arena mid-match will lose by immediate TKO.
Knock-outs
When a robot has ceased moving in a controlled manner but has not tapped out the referee will begin a 10 second countdown. If the robot is unable to demonstrate controlled translational movement before the countdown ends it will be declared the loser by KO.
If during this time the robot is able to show controlled translational movement or if the opposing robot attacks it the countdown will cease. This means that a “dead” robot will not be counted out should the opposing robot continue to attack and the match will not end until the match timer expires or one robot taps out.
A bot with one side of its drivetrain disabled will not be counted out if it can demonstrate controlled translational movement. Controlled translational movement is defined as being able to traverse in a manner such that the net movements of the robot are in a linear direction or outside a radius of its own size. In the case of multi-bots, the countdown will begin when greater than 75% of the mass of the multi-bot is unable to move. For multi-bots with an even number of robots (2, 4, etc…) and equal weights for each portion the team will identify which are considered to be the heaviest.
In the event of a simultaneous knock-out both robots will be placed in their standard orientation on the combat area by the arena marshal/referee and allowed an attempt to demonstrate controlled movement. If both robots are able to function the match will resume.
If one robot is able to function that robot will be declared the winner. If neither robot is able to function the match will go to the judges.
Should the battery of a robot become exposed the match will be halted and the robot with the exposed battery will lose by TKO.
Death Zones/Push-outs
If the arena is equipped with a Death Zone/Pit/Push-out or similar hazard a robot entering this area in a one on one match will result in the end of the match and a loss for the robot that first entered the area. In a rumble any robots entering the area will be eliminated from
the rumble and are to cease the operation of weapon systems immediately.
In the event that both robots enter the death zone simultaneously they will be returned to the combat area and the match will resume. A robot that places its opponent in the death zone must be able to do so without also becoming stuck itself. If it is not able to separate from the other robot this will be treated as simultaneous entry.
Pinning/Lifting
Any robot performing a ‘stationary pin’ is limited to 5 seconds. An ‘active pin’, defined as either moving or doing something like sawing while pinning is limited to 10 seconds. After the allotted time has elapsed, the robot in control must release the opposing robot. If the
robot in control is not able to release the opposing robot then the match will be halted and the robots will be separated.
“Release” is defined as complete physical separation such that both robots are able to freely move away from their current location.
Refusal to comply with the referee’s request to release the opponent when the robots are not stuck together will result in forfeit of the match.
Tapping Out
At any time during a match the robot operator may choose to tap out. Once an operator has tapped out combat will cease and the opposing robot will be declared the winner.
Tapping out is done either by informing the referee that you are tapping out verbally or by using a designated tap out button or similar object should one be available.
In SCAR arenas robots will be powered at the arena entrance with the driver not standing in or on the combat area unless given special permission by the arena manager or referee. This includes all SCAR arenas that separate the combat zone from outside the arena with kick plates and safety rails.
The combat area is defined as the region of the arena where active combat occurs.
Priority for load in is as follows
- Least dangerous bot being activated by someone inside the combat area
- Most dangerous bot being activated by someone inside the combat area
- Least dangerous bot being activated by someone outside the combat area
- Most dangerous bot being activated by someone outside the combat area
Robot is placed in a stable position on the combat area with the drive wheels oriented such that when they come in contact with the combat area the direction of travel will be away from other robots, persons, and entry doors.
If the robot has a weapon that is aimable it will be aimed at the wall furthest from the arena entry door.
Powering on the robot
- Transmitter is turned on.
- Weapon covers are removed.
- Main power is turned on.
- If separate, weapon power is turned on. This applies to both a separate power loop and non-electrical power systems. (i.e. pneumatics)
- Weapon locks are removed.
If the robot is being activated by a person inside the combat area, they then exit the arena, otherwise the robot is driven to the starting square from their power-on location.
Once both robots are activated and in their starting squares the arena doors will be closed and a maximum of 20 seconds will be allowed for a brief weapon/drive system test if the drivers desire.
No weapon testing of any sort will be allowed prior to the arena door being closed and secured by the arena manager or referee.
After this, the referee will ask both drivers if they are ready and the fight will begin.
In the event that a driver’s robot is not ready, they will be asked if they would like to postpone their match by up to twenty minutes or fight in their current state. Each competitor is granted one postponement per day per event, regardless of the number of robots they are competing with. In the event that the robot is not ready after twenty minutes have passed, they may automatically forfeit the match.
Post Fight Activities
At the end of the fight both robots are to cease movement and if applicable, allow their weapon systems to de-energize. Once the weapon systems have been de-energized the judges may request that one or both robots demonstrate that either their drive or weapon
system is still functional.
Demonstration of drive system functionality will be done by the robot returning to its
starting location and briefly applying power to the weapon system to show that it
is still operational. The robot should not spin to full speed during this demonstration.
Once this is completed the robot deactivation and load out procedure can begin.
Bot Deactivation and Load Out
Robots will be powered down after the competitors have driven their robot back to the arena entrance where they were loaded in. Drivers should not enter the combat area at this time, and should follow the priority as listed below. In the event of an unexpected situation the order in which robots are powered down may be altered by the referee.
Priority for load out is as follows
- Most dangerous bot being deactivated by someone outside the combat area
- Least dangerous bot being deactivated down by someone outside the combat area
- Most dangerous bot being deactivated down by someone inside the combat area
- Least dangerous bot being deactivated down by someone inside the combat area
- In the event that a robot is not able to drive to the door due to incapacitation or damage, they will be last to exit the arena regardless of how dangerous the robot is. Drivers may enter the arena at this time to deactivate and remove their robot as stated below.
Deactivating a robot
- Weapon system is disabled. This includes any applicable weapon locks, power
the builder as differing designs may necessitate different safe shutdown procedures.
- Main power is turned off.
- Transmitter is turned off.
- Weapon covers are reinstalled.
Emergency Deactivation Procedure
In the event of an emergency (for example: one or more robots on fire) the standardprocedure does not apply. The following attempts to address the vast majority of possible situations that are likely to occur:
- One robot is burning and the other is mobile
- The mobile robot is to move to the wall furthest from the arena entry door and align its drive wheels parallel with the wall. If the robot has an active weapon it is to immediately begin dissipating stored energy (spinning down, release for spring actuated weapons, etc.) and if possible, bring it next to or into contact with the wall it is aimed at.
- Once the working robot is in position the arena marshall will enter the arena and extinguish the fire, then if possible, remove the robot from the arena.
- The operator of the non-burning robot may then proceed with normal load out procedures.
- One robot is burning and the other is immobile:
- If the immobile robot has an active weapon it is to immediately begin dissipating stored energy. (spinning down, release for spring actuated weapons, etc.) If the robot retains some degree of mobility but cannot move in a reliable manner it will attempt to angle itself such that any weapons that are aimable are aimed at the wall furthest from the arena entry door.
- Once the arena is able to be entered safely the arena marshall will enter the arena and extinguish the fire, then if possible, remove the robot from the arena.
- The operator of the non-burning robot may then proceed with normal load out procedures.
- Both robots are burning
- Both robots will, if applicable, immediately attempt to dissipate any stored energy systems and will attempt no other actions.
- Once the arena is able to be entered safely the arena marshall will enter the arena and extinguish the fire, then if possible, remove both robots from the arena.
- One or more robots are burning during a rumble
- All mobile, non-burning robots will move to the closest arena wall that is not used to access the arena and begin dissipating stored energy.
- All immobile robots will immediately begin dissipating stored energy and will perform no other actions unless they are able to rotate such that they are able to angle any aimable weapon systems at the wall furthest from the arena entry door.
- Once the arena is able to be entered safely the arena marshall will enter the arena and extinguish the fire, then if possible, remove the robot from the arena.
- If there is time left, the match will be allowed to resume.
- One or more robots are acting erratically/stuck on:
- The operator(s) of the robot(s) will turn off their transmitters to attempt to activate the robots failsafe.
- If this works, then normal load out procedures will resume.
- In the event that the robot(s) are still acting erratically the robots will be allowed to drain their batteries until they are safe to approach.
- Should a robot in the arena still be fully functional, no weapon system be active on the malfunctioning robot and all involved operators agree to it the operator of the still working robot may attempt to pin and prop up the malfunctioning robot such that its wheels are no longer in contact with the ground. The operator of the malfunctioning robot will then be allowed to power off their robot. Once powered off they will exit the arena and the robot that was pinning the malfunctioning robot will be allowed to go through normal load out procedures. The malfunctioning robot will then complete its load out procedures.
- Emergency Match Stoppage Procedure:
- In the event of an arena breach, damage to the arena that renders it unsafe, or any other event that is otherwise judged a safety risk by event staff the match shall immediately be halted. For sufficiently large or loud arenas there should be a system in place to allow any event official to quickly act to stop the fight either by triggering a notification system or having direct communication with an official that does that won’t be impacted by distance or arena noise.
- It is strongly encouraged that there is both an audible (alarm, buzzer, air horn, or similar) and visual (arena lights off, flashing red lights, a deployed curtain, or similar) indication that the fight has been stopped to ensure that competitors are aware of the issue immediately. It is the responsibility of the team to ensure that the driver or another team member iswatching and/or listening for these indicators.
- If a competitor continues to fight after the referee has called for the fight to be stopped they will be disqualified. Repeated infractions will result in removal from the tournament.
- It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that they respond promptly to the call to stop fighting.
- Once fighting has ceased the robots will be deactivated. The deactivated robots may be left in place or moved to a safe location in or around the arena until a determination about the status of the fight is made. No work may be done on the bots during this time. The source of the safety issue will then be inspected to determine the appropriate action.
- Once the issue has been resolved a determination will be made as to whether or not the fight will resume. If possible, the fight will resume from the point where it was paused. If resuming the fight is determined to not be possible due to a safety concern or other issue the fight will be judged up until the point where it was stopped.
- The safety of the crowd, competitors, and crew must always be considered when determining if any additional measures need to be taken beyond resolving the immediate safety issue.
SCAR Tournament Format and Standards
Round Robin
- Standard format for classes with 7 or fewer robots entered
- Each robot faces each other robot in the weight class a single time. The robot with the greatest number of wins is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the winner of the match between the two robots is declared the winner.
Modified Double Elimination
- Standard format for classes with 8 or more robots entered
- All robots start in the winner’s bracket. The losing robot in a winners bracket match will move to the loser’s bracket. The losing robot in a losers bracket match is eliminated from the tournament.
- In this format, the robot that “wins” the losers bracket will need to defeat the robot that “wins” the winners bracket once to win the overall event.
Match Frequency
- Robots weighing between 150g and 3lb will be given a minimum of 20 minutes between matches.
- Robots weighing 12lb or greater will be given a minimum of 30 minutes between matches.
Match Duration
- The standard match duration for 150g robots is 2 minutes.
- The standard match duration for robots weighing 1lb or more is 3 minutes.
- The standard match duration for a rumble in any weight class is 5 minutes.
Un-sticks
Matches will be paused to separate robots in the event that they become stuck together in the arena. Robots that become stuck together will be allowed 10 seconds to attempt to separate. If they are not able to do so an un-stick will be called for by the referee.
An unstick can only be called for by the drivers or referee and the referee has the final say on whether or not the un-stick will be granted based upon the events un-stick rules.
After a match has been paused to unstick two stuck together robots once, if the robots become stuck together again the match will be ended with the winner being determined by the Judges using the Judging Guidelines.
Modified single un-stick (Standard) - Each robot gets one un-stick but only if the opposing robot was not the cause for their immobilization. For example, if a robot were to get itself stuck on the arena wall somehow, they would get an unstick. If the robot were placed against the wall in a manner that prevented operation, (i.e., rammed into a stuck position, weapon contact causes a stuck position, lifted into position, etc.) they would not get an un-stick. The referee will determine if this applies. Only the driver of the stuck robot can call for an un-stick in this situation. As with “single un-stick” all parts of a multi-bot share a single un-stick.
No modifications or repairs are allowed during an unstick. This includes but is not limited to a robot being inverted.
Competitors are strictly forbidden from interacting with the arena to attempt to unstick their robot or influence the match. “Pinballing” poses a danger to self, competitors, and all attendees, and those found to be attempting to influence the arena mid-match will lose by immediate TKO.
Knock-outs
When a robot has ceased moving in a controlled manner but has not tapped out the referee will begin a 10 second countdown. If the robot is unable to demonstrate controlled translational movement before the countdown ends it will be declared the loser by KO.
If during this time the robot is able to show controlled translational movement or if the opposing robot attacks it the countdown will cease. This means that a “dead” robot will not be counted out should the opposing robot continue to attack and the match will not end until the match timer expires or one robot taps out.
A bot with one side of its drivetrain disabled will not be counted out if it can demonstrate controlled translational movement. Controlled translational movement is defined as being able to traverse in a manner such that the net movements of the robot are in a linear direction or outside a radius of its own size. In the case of multi-bots, the countdown will begin when greater than 75% of the mass of the multi-bot is unable to move. For multi-bots with an even number of robots (2, 4, etc…) and equal weights for each portion the team will identify which are considered to be the heaviest.
In the event of a simultaneous knock-out both robots will be placed in their standard orientation on the combat area by the arena marshal/referee and allowed an attempt to demonstrate controlled movement. If both robots are able to function the match will resume.
If one robot is able to function that robot will be declared the winner. If neither robot is able to function the match will go to the judges.
Should the battery of a robot become exposed the match will be halted and the robot with the exposed battery will lose by TKO.
Death Zones/Push-outs
If the arena is equipped with a Death Zone/Pit/Push-out or similar hazard a robot entering this area in a one on one match will result in the end of the match and a loss for the robot that first entered the area. In a rumble any robots entering the area will be eliminated from
the rumble and are to cease the operation of weapon systems immediately.
In the event that both robots enter the death zone simultaneously they will be returned to the combat area and the match will resume. A robot that places its opponent in the death zone must be able to do so without also becoming stuck itself. If it is not able to separate from the other robot this will be treated as simultaneous entry.
Pinning/Lifting
Any robot performing a ‘stationary pin’ is limited to 5 seconds. An ‘active pin’, defined as either moving or doing something like sawing while pinning is limited to 10 seconds. After the allotted time has elapsed, the robot in control must release the opposing robot. If the
robot in control is not able to release the opposing robot then the match will be halted and the robots will be separated.
“Release” is defined as complete physical separation such that both robots are able to freely move away from their current location.
Refusal to comply with the referee’s request to release the opponent when the robots are not stuck together will result in forfeit of the match.
Tapping Out
At any time during a match the robot operator may choose to tap out. Once an operator has tapped out combat will cease and the opposing robot will be declared the winner.
Tapping out is done either by informing the referee that you are tapping out verbally or by using a designated tap out button or similar object should one be available.