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Set Up Team Play

Team Play is a category type where multiple people cooperate and compete by score. Because the joining flow and how results appear differ from standard play, it is easier to operate if you think not only about category settings but also about participant guidance and result confirmation.

Which categories can use it​

Team Play is mainly used with score-based categories.

  • Score
  • Score (Free Start and Finish)

It cannot be used on Fixed Order courses.

Setup flow​

  1. Prepare a score-based course in Course and spot settings
  2. Create a category in Category settings
  3. Turn on Play as a team (score-combining mode)
  4. After creating the category, change the Maximum Team Size in the category edit screen if needed (the default right after creation is 3 people; you can set 2–999)
  5. If needed, also configure mass start and application operation
  6. In participant guidance, clearly describe Team Numbers and the start method
Team play setting is only at category creation

"Play as a team (score-combining mode)" can only be specified when creating the category and cannot be turned off afterwards.

What to explain to participants​

How Team Numbers are decided, whether a simultaneous start is required, when connectivity is needed, and other things to tell participants or decide in advance are covered in Operations Guide — Guidance for participants — Team Play events.

Team Number operation​

In Team Play, participants join the same team by entering the same Team Number.

Common patterns​

  • The organizer assigns Team Numbers in advance
  • Each team decides its number on the day
  • Team Numbers are guided separately from Entry Numbers

Common points of confusion when explaining the rules​

  • Scores are combined at the team level
  • Even if multiple members visit the same checkpoint (spot), the score is counted only once
  • The team start time is based on the first member who starts
  • The team finish time is based on the last member who finishes
  • Time limit checks and penalties are calculated from the team's elapsed time between the team start and finish times (staggered starts make the team's elapsed time correspondingly longer)
  • Even if a member retires (DNF) partway, the app treats the team as finished once no member is still playing and at least one has finished. While any member is still playing (including someone who forgot to finish), the team result is not settled
  • A retired member's points count toward the team score only for visits made before the team finish time. Retired members do not count toward the capacity, so another member can join with the same team number instead. If your event uses a different rule, state it clearly in advance

These are common questions on the event day, so it helps to make them clear in advance guidance and the briefing.

Settings that do not work in team mode
  • Pause controls: team time does not deduct pauses, so if a course with a pause control is assigned to a team-play category, the pre-publish check warns "Pause spots are not supported in team mode." Assign a course without pause controls
  • Use advanced locate button settings (usage limit, deduction, added time): these have no effect in team mode and are not saved
Team events and bonus points

Combo Bonus works in team events too, and it is reflected in the team's score, ranking, and Team Results CSV. Bonus QR cannot be used in team events. Note that in team score adjustments, the score used as the baseline for the adjustment does not include Combo Bonus (see Results and data export). For how to set it up, see Course and spot settings - Combo Bonus.

Checking and exporting results​

Team results can be exported both as a team-level CSV (Export Team Results) and as a per-member CSV (Export Individual Results) (event managers only). You can also give a team an arbitrary name (menu Update Team Name on the team detail screen; the team's members and event managers can change it).

For result screen operations, see Results and Data Export; for operational points such as checks before awards and explaining DNF, see Operations Guide — Guidance for participants — Team Play events.