Category Settings
A category combines a course with competition rules, and it is the unit participants actually select and play. You can create multiple categories on the same course with different rules such as time limit and punch method.
A course defines where participants go and in what route structure. A category defines the rules under which they play that course. If you are unsure, also read Understand the event structure.
Basic settings
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Category Name | Name shown to participants, required |
| Subtitle | Supplemental description for the category |
| Description / Notices | Competition rules and notes |
| Course | Choose the course used by this category |
Competition time settings
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Competition Duration (h:m) | The competition time limit. For Fixed Order, the same field is labeled Maximum Play Duration (h:m) |
| Overtime Penalty Per Minute | Point deduction per minute when the time limit is exceeded (0–1000). The overtime is rounded up to whole minutes (even 1 second over counts as a full minute). Valid for Score / Score (start anywhere); not shown for Fixed Order |
The maximum play time at which play is forcibly ended is derived from the time limit and cannot be set separately: for Score / Score (start anywhere) it is the time limit plus 1 hour (minimum 8 hours); for Fixed Order it is the time limit itself. When it is exceeded, the participant's app shows "You have exceeded the maximum play time.", play is forcibly ended, and the record becomes DNF.
Changing the time limit or penalties affects results that are already in progress or already finished.
Punch settings
The punch method is chosen under Punch Actions at Controls.
| Method | Description | Default reaction distance |
|---|---|---|
| Manual Punch & Photo | Tap the button, open the camera, and record with a photo | 40m |
| Manual Punch | Record by tapping the button | 20m |
| Auto Punch | Records automatically when the participant enters the spot range | 40m |
| Auto Punch & Manual Finish | Controls are auto-punched, but finish is recorded manually with a button | 40m |
Use the following as a guide when choosing a method.
- Manual Punch & Photo — Suited to events where passing a spot is recorded with a photo. This method is also recommended when you use quizzes (see the caution below)
- Manual Punch — Records passing with a tap of the button only, without taking a photo
- Auto Punch — Records a spot just by approaching it, so it suits MTBO (mountain bike orienteering), where the phone is hard to operate, and events where you want to follow running participants with live tracking. Recommend a smartphone armband to participants
- Auto Punch & Manual Finish — With Auto Punch, a participant who has punched at least one control finishes without confirmation on entering the finish range. Choose this method to prevent participants on score courses from finishing unintentionally when they pass near the finish point
By default, punch reaction distance uses the per-punch-action default (the default reaction distance in the table above), and can be changed to 10m (not recommended), 15m (not recommended), 20m, 30m, 40m, or 60m. The punch reaction distance is the distance from the center of the spot at which the participant becomes able to punch.
GPS can have an error of several meters to several tens of meters, especially indoors, underground, or near tall buildings. If the punch reaction distance is too narrow, participants may have difficulty punching even when standing right in front of the spot. As a guideline, use 20 to 40 meters in open outdoor environments and 40 to 60 meters where GPS accuracy is likely to be poor.
For categories that use quizzes, Manual Punch & Photo is recommended. Only with this method does the spot's details screen, with its Quiz button, open automatically right after the punch. Quizzes also work with Manual Punch, Auto Punch, and Auto Punch & Manual Finish, but participants must tap the spot on the map themselves to open the details screen and answer (Punch Method Guide — Quiz Punch). On iPhone, the app shows "No quiz setting" in the description of these methods, but you can still assign quizzes and participants can still answer them.
The punch method here decides what happens after a punch (taking a photo, a quiz). Whether a spot is punched by QR is decided separately by the "QR Code Punch" (QR mode) in the event settings (per-spot overrides are also possible; for details see QR Code Punch). The two combine independently: for example, with "GPS + QR (both required) × Manual punch + photo", the camera opens after you scan the QR. However, on spots whose QR mode is QR only or GPS + QR (both required), Auto Punch (automatic recording when the participant enters the range) is disabled, and participants must always scan the QR code. For how it looks to participants, see the Punch method guide.
If you set even one Bonus QR (Event management screen) on a score-type course, a QR scan button appears on the play screen even if that event has "QR Code Punch" turned off (so participants can scan the Bonus QR).
Team settings
Turning on Play as a Team (Score combined) when creating the category enables team competition mode: points from spots visited by team members are combined. The team size cannot be set at creation and defaults to 3; afterwards you can change it to 2–999 with Maximum team size on the category edit screen.
The following constraints apply.
- Team settings can only be specified when the category is created. They cannot be enabled or disabled afterwards
- Not available on Fixed Order courses (Score / Score (start anywhere) only)
- Auto Punch cannot be selected as the punch method. It is removed from the options in the app (the Web still offers it, but the app does not honor it)
- Bonus QR cannot be used (nothing is added even if a participant scans one). Combo Bonus works in team events and is added to the team score
For the full operation, including Team Number guidance, participant instructions, and reading results, see Set Up Team Play.
Mass start
If you set a start date and time, the category uses mass start mode. Participants can prepare to start from about five minutes before the configured time.
Turn on Set Mass Start Time and enter the start date and time (on iPhone in two fields, Mass Start Date and Start Time; on Android and the Web in a single field). Enter the time in the device's time zone. For how the participant app behaves around the start time (preparation from 5 minutes before, automatic start within 60 seconds, late starts), see Join an event — Timing, start, and finish rules.
The participant app loads the start date and time when the play screen is opened. If you change it afterwards, the change does not reach participants who already have the play screen open. Participants who have already prepared to start do not get the change even if they reopen the play screen. If you must change it on the day, ask participants who have not yet prepared to start to close and reopen the play screen.
Visibility settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Public | Visible to participants and playable |
| View Only | Visible but not playable. Useful for checking a category before publication |
| Invisible | Not shown to participants |
Location settings
| Item | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Location Tracking Mode | Standard (default) / Smart 1 / Smart 2 | GPS recording frequency. Standard is the most detailed and accurate, but consumes more battery |
| Current location display | Always show current location / Show only when the current location button is tapped (default) / Disable the current location button | Behavior of the current location button on the participant screen |
Advanced current location button settings
This is a handicap setting that puts a "cost" on the current location button, so you can make participants compete using only a compass or the map. The settings appear progressively in the following order:
- Set Current location display to Show only when the current location button is tapped (this is the entry condition; the items below do not appear with "Always show current location" or "Disable the current location button").
- Turn on Use advanced locate button settings.
- The following three items (each a per-use value) appear:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of uses (0 = unlimited) | How many times the current location button can be used. Set 0 for unlimited |
| Time added per use (minutes) | Time added to the play time each time it is used. Entered in minutes (internally converted to seconds when saved). 0 means no time is added |
| Points deducted per use | Points subtracted from the score each time it is used. 0 means no deduction. Not shown on Fixed Order (point) courses, because it has no effect there |
The point deduction is valid on courses other than Fixed Order (point) (Score / Score (start anywhere), etc.). On Fixed Order, the score is determined by the number of spots visited, so the deduction item is not shown and has no effect. The added time and the usage limit, however, are valid on all courses.
If you set a usage limit or added time, or a deduction on a non-Fixed Order course, an orange border (the "this has a cost" sign) appears on the participant's current location button. When a usage limit, a deduction, or added time is configured, a confirmation dialog appears on tap before the location is shown (if a usage limit is set, the remaining count is also shown, and choosing "Cancel" does not count a use). After the usage limit is reached the button can still be pressed, but the location is not shown — only the message "You have reached the usage limit" appears, and the count does not increase. For details, see the In-event controls guide.
For categories in team competition mode, the advanced current location button settings are not shown at all and cannot be configured.
These settings are valid only for standard events (Fixed Order / Score / Score (start anywhere)). They are not applied for permanent events and similar. Also, if all three items are set to 0 (the default), the current location button behaves normally with no cost.
Differences between location tracking modes
The app shows the following explanation on the settings screen.
- Standard — Always collects location at the shortest possible interval. Ideal when you need real-time live tracking or highly accurate route logs
- Smart Battery Saver 1 — When a participant moves beyond a certain distance from the nearest spot, the app automatically lengthens the update interval, then returns to high frequency once they are back within range. Suitable for long-duration events
- Smart Battery Saver 2 — If they move well beyond that distance, the interval is extended even further to maximize power savings
Selling paid courses (Organizer Plan)
In the category edit screen, you can choose a price tier for a paid course under Price type. You can check the sales status in the Paid Course Sales History card on the event management screen.
- How long buyers can play — Buyers can play as many times as they like for 30 days from the day of purchase. Plays on paid courses do not count toward the daily play slots, so there is no limit on how many people can play per day
- Changing the price — You can change the price type later (there is no limit on how often). People who have already bought the course can keep playing for 30 days from the day of purchase after the change. If you change it back to Free, the category becomes subject to the daily play slots, and anyone can download the registered PDF
- Payments to the creator — When a course priced at 300 yen or more is purchased, about 70% of the purchase price minus 120 yen is paid to the course creator. Payment is made by bank transfer once the total amount payable reaches 5,000 yen (the bank transfer fee is deducted). To receive payments, apply through Apply for payment in the category edit screen. The application is only for receiving payments; you can sell the course without applying
Paid course sales settings are available only to organizers using the Japan App Store / Google Play. On stores outside Japan, the Price type item does not appear in the category edit screen.
Other settings
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| From entry number / To entry number | The Entry Number range used by this category. When set, the number entered at QR check-in is checked against the range (for example, Men's Solo 101–199, Women's Solo 201–299). The category cannot be saved if the range overlaps another category. A participant who checks in with a number outside the range sees "This number is outside the selected category's entry number range." |
| Upload PDF file (Organizer Plan) | Uploads a printable map (PDF) for this category. For a free category, everyone who can see the category can download it; for a paid category, only purchasers receive it. Not available on the Web |
| Course (assignment) | The course assigned to the category. Only courses of the same course type as the category can be selected. You can also create and edit courses from here |
The category's Course type (Score / Score (start anywhere) / Fixed Order) can only be chosen when the category is created and cannot be changed on the edit screen. To change it, create the category again.
Tallying results by gender or for parent-and-child classes
There are two ways to produce results for each class, such as men / women or parent-and-child. Split the categories if you want to show a ranking table for each class; use one category and split the Entry Number ranges if you mainly want to show the overall ranking.
| Split into categories | One category with separate number ranges | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Create a category for each class and assign the same course to all of them | Use a single category, decide the number range for each class, and tell participants (for example, Men 101–199, Women 201–299) |
| How rankings appear | The leaderboard and results list are separate for each class | Everyone appears in one ranking table. To see the results of a class, filter the results list by an Entry Number range and sort it by Ranking |
| Number check at check-in | With each category's From entry number / To entry number, a number that does not fit the class is rejected at check-in | Only the range of the whole category can be checked |
| Best suited for | Awarding prizes for each class. Using a different time limit or rules for some classes | Mainly showing the overall ranking. Many classes, when you do not want to add more categories |
For filtering the results list, see Results and Data Export — Number of results shown and filtering.
Related pages
- Check the overall structure first: Understand the event structure
- Configure spots and courses: Course and spot settings
- Manage applications and reception: Application and approval management