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Obstacle Course

Where to find this
Community Page > My Groups > Select a group > Leaderboards > Create a new Obstacle Course leaderboard

Obstacle Courses are a dynamic competition format in Gaggle. By combining No-Fly Zones, Waypoints, and Navigation Tasks, you can create custom flight challenges that reward skill, accuracy, and planning. This document covers how to set up an Obstacle Course, the detailed scoring rules behind it, and the two scoring methods supported: Best Flight and Best Task.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Definitions
  3. Scoring Methods
  4. No-Fly Zone (NFZ) Scoring
  5. Waypoint Scoring
  6. Navigation Tasks Scoring
    1. Sampling & Scoring Details
  7. Penalties and Score Multipliers
  8. Example Structure for a Single “Obstacle Course” Task
  9. Implementation Notes
  10. Creating an Obstacle Course in Gaggle
  11. Tips and Best Practices

1. Introduction

An Obstacle Course in Gaggle transforms routine flights into thrilling challenges. Pilots collect waypoints, navigate precise routes, and avoid no-fly zones to maximize their scores. This format is perfect for informal meetups, club competitions, and even large fly-in events where organizers want to blend fun and friendly rivalry.

Key Features:

  • Integrates waypoints, no-fly zones, and navigation tasks in a single challenge.
  • Supports real-time scoring, so participants and spectators can follow progress.
  • Provides flight replays for post-flight analysis and improvement.
  • Offers two scoring methods to suit different competition styles.

Meetups
When an Obstacle Course is created as part of a meetup, all pilots—regardless of subscription status—can participate and submit flights for scoring. This opens up Obstacle Course fun to everyone in your group.

2. Definitions

2.1 No-Fly Zones (NFZ)

A No-Fly Zone is any area a pilot must avoid. These can represent restricted airspace, safety hazards, or any regions where organizers wish to penalize entry.

  • Penalty Factor: Each NFZ typically has a penalty multiplier (e.g., 50% total score reduction) applied if a pilot enters that zone.
  • Shape: NFZs can be polygons (for complex shapes) or circles (for simpler, quick setups).

2.2 Waypoints

A Waypoint is a point on the map that pilots aim to pass through.

  • Each waypoint has:
    • A center coordinate (latitude/longitude).
    • A radius in meters.
    • A point value awarded when a pilot’s track enters that radius.

2.3 Navigation Tasks (Curves and Legs)

A Navigation Task is a series of legs (straight or curved) that pilots attempt to follow precisely.

  • Legs: Each leg has a fixed set of points, distributed along its path.
  • Corridor: Each leg has a maximum allowed deviation from its centerline (corridor width).
  • Scoring: Accuracy within that corridor rewards points (see 6. Navigation Tasks Scoring).

2.4 Score Updates (Scoring Log)

During flight:

  • Hitting a waypoint logs a waypoint hit event.
  • Entering a no-fly zone logs a penalty event.
  • Following navigation legs accurately logs incremental navigation points.

At the end of flight, the system sums these events and applies any applicable penalties or multipliers.

3. Scoring Methods

Obstacle Courses support two main scoring methods, each affecting how waypoints and navigation tasks are tallied across multiple flights.

3.1 Best Flight

Under Best Flight scoring:

  • Each pilot’s best single flight is taken as their final leaderboard result.
  • Waypoints: A waypoint only contributes to the pilot’s overall result if it’s scored in the flight that Gaggle determines to be the pilot’s best.
  • Navigation Tasks: The navigation task points come entirely from that same single flight.
  • How Gaggle Chooses the “Best” Flight:
    Gaggle evaluates the final score of each pilot’s flights (including waypoints, navigation tasks, and penalties). Whichever flight yields the highest total becomes the “best flight” on the leaderboard.
    • A pilot’s best overall flight might not have the absolute highest navigation-task-only score if the sum of waypoints plus fewer penalties leads to a better overall total.
    • Gaggle does not combine different parts from multiple flights. It’s a single “all-or-nothing” flight.

3.2 Best Task

Under Best Task scoring:

  • Waypoints: A pilot can only score each unique waypoint once during the entire competition. Even if they hit the same waypoint in multiple flights, only the first hit (or highest partial hit) counts—usually just a binary “hit.”
  • Navigation Tasks: Each navigation task is evaluated separately across flights. The pilot’s highest navigation-task score for each segment is summed to form their final total.
  • Penalties: Still applied per flight. An NFZ or backtracking penalty in one flight only affects that flight’s score.

4. No-Fly Zone (NFZ) Scoring

  1. Objective
    Prevent flight through restricted or hazardous areas.

  2. Description

    • A pilot’s position track is continuously checked against NFZ boundaries.
    • Entering an NFZ triggers a penalty factor.

  3. Special Rules & Penalties

    • Immediate Penalty: Once entered, a penalty factor (e.g., 50%) is applied to the flight’s score.
    • Stacking Penalties: Multiple NFZ intrusions can further reduce the flight’s total.
    • Common Penalty Range: Often 10% up to 100% deduction.
    • Always Per Flight: Penalties are only applied to the specific flight in which they occur.

5. Waypoint Scoring

  1. Objective
    Reward pilots for reaching specific geographic points.

  2. Description

    • Each waypoint has a center coordinate and a capture radius.
    • When a pilot’s GPS track is within that radius, the waypoint is considered “hit” or “collected.”

  3. Scoring Nuances

    • Per Flight: In a single flight, the same waypoint typically can’t be scored multiple times.
    • Best Flight Mode:
      • Only waypoints from the pilot’s best-scoring flight are counted.
    • Best Task Mode:
      • Each waypoint is scored once for the entire event. Re-hitting the same waypoint in later flights doesn’t add more points unless special rules allow it.

6. Navigation Tasks Scoring

  1. Objective
    Reward pilots for accurately following a defined route (or “leg”) from start gate to end gate.

  2. Description

    • Each navigation leg has a total point value (e.g., 100 points).
    • A corridor width around the centerline determines whether pilots are “on course.”
    • Flying outside the corridor yields zero points for that segment.

  3. Scoring

    1. Divide the Leg into Samples
      • The leg is split into sample points, each worth a fraction of the leg’s total.
    2. Measure Distance to Centerline
      • If the pilot’s distance is within the corridor, partial or full points are earned for that sample; otherwise, zero.
    3. Sum All Samples
      • The leg’s final score is the sum of those sample points.
    4. Start & End Gates
      • Scoring begins once the start gate is crossed, ends at the end gate.

  4. Backtracking & Early Exits

    • Turning around mid-leg typically invalidates or penalizes that portion.
    • Leaving the corridor early can also apply a penalty or zero out the leg.

  5. Across Flights

    • Best Flight: Only the single best-scoring flight’s navigation points matter.
    • Best Task: Each leg’s best score across all flights is combined.

6.1 Sampling & Scoring Details

How Gaggle Generates and Score Sample Points

  1. Generate Sample Points

    • For each leg, we create a “centerline path” and place sample points (or hidden gates in a way) at regular intervals (e.g., every 100 meters, but it can be less for smaller corridors. Determined by min(corridorWidth / 2, 100.0)).
    • Each sample point records its latitude/longitude, distance along the leg, and which leg it belongs to.

  2. Match Pilot Track

    • As the pilot flies, we track their progress (cumulative distance) and only compare them to sample points in a small look-ahead/look-behind window.
    • This prevents awarding points from sections of the route far behind or ahead of the pilot.

  3. Distance & Proximity Fraction

    • Let d = distance between pilot’s GPS position and the sample point’s centerline location.

    • Let R = half the corridor width.

    • If d <= R, then:

      proximityFraction = 1 - (d / R)

      otherwise proximityFraction = 0.

  4. Sample Scores

    • Each sample has a base value:

      sampleValue = legPoints / numberOfSamplesInLeg

    • So:

      sampleScore = proximityFraction * sampleValue

  5. Summing & Finalizing

    • We add up all sample scores in that leg.
    • Backtracking or exiting early can reduce or cancel the leg’s score.

7. Penalties and Score Multipliers

  1. Flight-Wide Penalties

    • NFZ intrusions or severe violations might reduce the entire flight’s final score.

  2. Leg-Specific Penalties

    • Backtracking or leaving a leg’s corridor can reduce that leg’s score alone.

  3. Stacking

    • Multiple penalties combine (e.g., entering two NFZs might stack to a large reduction).

  4. Always Per Flight

    • Each flight’s penalties are confined to that flight.

  5. Simple Formula Examples

    • NFZ as Subtractive:
      Total Score = (NavTaskScore + WaypointScore) - (1.0 - nfzPenalty)
    • NFZ as Multiplier:
      Total Score = (NavTaskScore + WaypointScore) * (1.0 - nfzPenalty)
    • Pick whichever method fits your event rules.

8. Example Structure for a Single “Obstacle Course” Task

Name: Obstacle Course Navigation

Objective
Combine multiple skill elements—waypoints, navigation legs, and NFZ avoidance—into one cohesive contest.

Description

  1. No-Fly Zones

    • Circular or polygonal areas to avoid.
    • Entering triggers a penalty (e.g., -50%).

  2. Waypoint Task

    • Set of waypoints with assigned values.
    • Under Best Flight, only the best flight’s hits count.
    • Under Best Task, each waypoint is unique across the event.

  3. Navigation Task

    • Series of legs; pilots earn partial/full points by staying within a corridor.
    • Best Flight: Score from one flight.
    • Best Task: Best leg scores across flights.

9. Implementation Notes

  • Flexible Scoring: Adjust corridor widths, waypoint values, or penalty percentages to match desired difficulty.
  • Multi-Leg Complexity: Combine multiple curves/legs with NFZs to create interesting challenges.
  • Flight Replay: Encourage pilots to study replays for skill improvements.

10. Creating an Obstacle Course in Gaggle

  1. Navigate to Group Leaderboards

    • Community Page → My Groups → Select a Group → Leaderboards

  2. Create a New Leaderboard

    • Tap Create Leaderboard.
    • Choose Obstacle Course as the leaderboard type.

  3. Choose Scoring Method

    • Best Flight: Only the best single flight score.
    • Best Task: Aggregate each best task score across flights.

  4. Add No-Fly Zones (Optional)

    • Tap + → No-Fly Zone.
    • Define circle/polygon, set penalty factor.

  5. Add Waypoints

    • Tap + → Waypoints.
    • Define Radius and Score.

  6. Add Navigation Tasks

    • Tap + → Navigation Task.
    • Define start gate, route legs, corridor width, and total points.

  7. Press Back & Save

    • Once saved, your Obstacle Course is ready.

Meetup Usage
No subscription required—perfect for club events.

11. Tips and Best Practices

  • Plan Layout & Safety
    Align tasks with real-world airfield constraints and local rules.

  • Real-World Restrictions
    Incorporate actual no-fly areas for realism.

  • Corridor Width Tuning
    Extremely narrow corridors can frustrate novices; adjust for your audience.

  • Live & Spectator-Friendly
    Share the live leaderboard link so others can follow the action.

  • Improve Over Time
    Encourage pilots to watch flight replays, learn from mistakes, and refine their strategy.

Need More Help?

  • See our Release Notes for the latest on Obstacle Courses.
  • Join Gaggle’s Discord for community support and new ideas.

Happy Flying!