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Access and Discovery

This page explains how contestants enter the platform, navigate challenge categories, and understand challenge accessibility before starting runtime.

Scope​

  • Sign-in context and top navigation behavior
  • Challenge category discovery and challenge selection
  • Challenge detail inspection and file access
  • Requirement-aware locking and eligibility checks

Sign In and Contest Context​

Contestants authenticate using the provided username/password pair.

After login, the layout provides a persistent context bar:

  • Active navigation tabs (Challenges, Instances, Scoreboard, Action Logs, Tickets)
  • Team/user identity in the top-right profile area
  • Contest countdown (Starts in or Ends in) when event timing is active

Discover Challenges by Category​

Contestants open the Challenges page to browse category groups (for example Web/Pwn) and then choose a challenge from the expanded list.

Challenge list and detail panel

Inspect Challenge Detail​

When a challenge is selected, contestants can inspect:

  • Challenge metadata (pts, Time, Attempts, Deploys when deploy is required)
  • Difficulty and solve count
  • Description and PDF problem statement preview
  • Downloadable attachments in [ATTACHMENTS]
  • Runtime and submission panels

Requirement-Aware Access​

Challenge access is not only UI-driven; it is policy-driven:

  • If prerequisites are unmet, the challenge can appear as locked.
  • Requirement checks are validated before full challenge access.
  • Hidden or restricted challenge states are enforced server-side.

Attachment Handling​

Contestants can access official challenge artifacts directly from challenge detail:

  • PDF files are rendered in the built-in viewer for quick reading.
  • Non-PDF assets are downloadable through the attachment list.
  • File access remains controlled by challenge visibility and requirement status.

Challenge Discovery and Visibility Rules​

Participant goal: Locate relevant challenges quickly and understand access conditions.

Operational steps

  1. Open challenge catalog and review available items.
  2. Filter by category, difficulty, or topic.
  3. Read challenge brief, files, and expected outputs carefully.
  4. Check prerequisite and event-phase visibility conditions.
  5. Choose target challenge aligned with team strategy.

Expected result: Faster challenge selection with lower context confusion.

Team Membership and Mode Constraints​

Participant goal: Ensure all actions are recorded under the correct team identity.

Operational steps

  1. Verify account-team linkage before submitting any answer.
  2. Confirm role scope (captain/member) for team operations.
  3. Validate teammate visibility in shared context.
  4. Resolve membership mismatch via support if needed.
  5. Proceed only after team context is consistent.

Expected result: Team scoring and activity mapping remain accurate.