I have a question about Vex Worlds 2019 that I would like to ask on Robotics.SE. It's not really related to robot hardware or software, but about a robotics competition.
I've looked at https://robotics.stackexchange.com/tour, https://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic, and https://robotics.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask, but none of them mentioned robotics competitions.
Are these types of questions okay to ask, or are they considered off-topic?
I agree with my fellow mods. If the question is otherwise on-topic for robotics then it's fine. As we say in What topics can I ask about here?
if your question generally covers …
- a specific robotics design problem
- the theory and simulation of robotic systems
- a sensor for a robotic system
- the writing algorithms for robotic systems
… then you’re in the right place to ask your question!
(emphasis mine)
As an example, questions about getting to the venue, who will be exhibiting, how much local hotels cost etc. would all be off topic. Questions about how to solve a problem related to competition rules would be fine. Questions about the rules themselves would probably not be on-topic, depending on precisely what you need to know.
As it is, I would suggest that you post your question, and we can work out whether we think it's a good fit for robotics and whether we are happy for more questions like it in the future. That's how the scope of a stack exchange site is expanded or restricted.
In any case, you are always welcome to pop over to Asimov's Corner since you have chat privileges.
I'd say it depends. If the question is about a specific robotics question related to the competition, then go for it. But if the question is an open ended design question, then that is not a good fit. Also, if the question is about specific rules of the competition, I'm sure you could find a more appropriate place for that.
I would bet a lot of us have participated in or judged a robotics competition. Probably if you have a question specific to that robotics competition, your best bet would be to contact the organizer or your local competition lead.
If you've got a more general question, that is still answerable (strategy to maximize score, how to prepare, etc.) then that's probably an okay question, provided you give the competition criteria, your approach, and your reasoning.
If you're looking to spitball ideas, brainstorm, etc., then it's probably off-topic for the site but would be welcome in chat. Please note that this is a small community and chat is usually slow; you should be expecting answers in hours to days there.
You can also just ask here and we can try to help direct you to the appropriate resource.
