The designers of this year's game decided to produce a game from a slightly
different point of view. The objective is to design and build a remotely
controlled machine that runs on an overhead track. The machine must remove
fuel rods from nuclear reactors and place them into a Multi-Tube Containment
Vessel (MTCV).
The Playing Field
The playing field is rectangular, 12 feet wide and 48 feet long. Each half
of the field has two parallel tracks, for a total of four tracks. Four teams
play at a time with each machine suspended from one of the inverted “T”
tracks. Between the two tracks on each half of the field are two nuclear
reactors. Each reactor has 6 color-coded fuel positions, 3 for each team on
that side of the field. At the start of the game each reactor fuel position
will contain a fuel rod. The fuel rod will be placed such that a hinged
radiation shield passes through the fuel rod handle. Four Multi-Tube
Containment Vessels, color-coded to match each team, are located in center of
the field. Each MTCV consists of twelve tubes into which a fuel rod can be
placed. The MTCV is initially empty. Machines must remain on their track,
although parts may be detached and placed on the reactors, MTCVs, or carpet.
However, machines may not drive on the carpet.
Scoring
At some point during the match, each team must trip their Emergency Cooling
Switch in order to score any points during a match. Each track has a switch
located near the center of the field. Machines are not allowed to interfere
with other machines’ tripping of the switch.
During each 3-minute match, teams score points by removing the fuel rods
from their portion of the reactors and by placing the fuel rods into their
MTCV. One point is scored for removing a fuel rod from a reactor. The team
owning the reactor fuel position from which the rod was removed scores the
point (independent of which machine removed the rod). Two points are scored
for each MTCV tube containing a fuel rod at the end of the match. The team
that “owns” the MTCV scores the points. Multiple fuel rods in the same tube
score only two points and rods must touch the bottom of the MTCV to score.
Ownership of a reactor position or MTCV is color-keyed to the color of the
drivers box.
If all six fuel rods are removed from a reactor, the MTCV score of each
team playing on that side of the field will be doubled. If both reactors are
cleared, the MTCV scores will be doubled again. Note that the doubling does
not affect the points scored for removing a fuel rod from the reactor.
