The Year 2000 Game: Robo-Pinball
The object of the game is to have your robot earn more points than your opponent within a 90 second game. Points are earned by depositing foam balls in one or more goals located on the game board. Your robot is given one ball prior to the start of the game, and may obtain others at dispensers located on the board. The various goals have different levels of difficulty and point values. You can earn bonus points by shooting balls through a hoop goal from the other side of the table.
The board and specific game rules are described below. See the web page of the current game for a description of the contest format, the general contest rules, and the robot construction rules, which do not change signifcantly from year to year.
The Game Board & Rules
Goals—Balls—Ball Dispensers—Scoring—Play
The game board is a 6 foot by 8 foot nominally flat surface. One half of the board is painted flat black and has white lines to aid navigation; the other half is painted flat white and has black lines.The board has 5 inch high walls at all four sides, except where the side goals are located. The walls are painted to match the table surface. The green stars represent the starting lights in the board; the robots begin there. The various features of the board shown in the diagram are explained below.
The three-point goals are located on the sides of the board and consist of a 12 inches wide by 7.5 inches deep bin. The floor of the bin is about 1/8 inch below the table surface to help prevent balls from rolling out. The walls of the bin are 4 inches high. The center of the bin along the edge of the game board is marked by a lighted LED embedded in the table surface, 8 inches from the edge, within the line on the board.
The five-point goals are centered on the table, straddling the black/white division of the table. Each goal has a holding area of 5.5 inches by 23 inches. The floor of the bin is about 1/8 inch above the table surface. The common wall of the two goals is 3 inches high, and the opposite wall is 1.5 inches high. The other two sides are 2.5 inches high and extend out into the playing area 6 inches, as shown on the diagram.
A 12 inch diameter circular hoop goal is located at each end of the table. The plane of the hoop is perpendicular to the table surface and at the edge of the table. The center of the hoop is on the center line of the table, about 12 inches above the surface. A light beacon, shining out toward the center of the table, is located below the center of the hoop, about 5.5 inches above the table surface. The back of the hoop is made out of net so that balls projected into the goal will tend not to bounce out. A ball remaining in the hoop goal/net at the end of the game is worth 7 points. A bonus of 5 points is awarded if the ball is shot through the hoop as described under Scoring. Top
- The balls are Hasbro Ballzooka Nerf Ballistic Balls, approximately 1.5 inches in diameter, colored flat yellow. All balls are inert and have identical mechanical properties.
- One ball may be placed in each robot at the start of a game. Four additional balls will be placed in each ball dispenser. Robots may collect balls from either dispenser during the game.
- The balls may not be altered or destroyed in any way.
- The two ball dispensers each contain four balls at the start of the game. Balls are released by illuminating a light sensor located 4 inches above the table surface, in the wall at the edge of the table.
- Balls will be dispensed from a height of approximately 6 inches above the table surface, at the edge of the table, directly above the activating light sensor.
- The position of the ball dispenser and its light sensor along the edge of the game board is marked by a lighted LED embedded in the table surface, 8 inches from the edge, within the line on the board. In addition, two magnets are located under the board, 6 inches apart centered on the dispenser and sensor. The magnets are 3/8 inch wide and 2 inches long, and are mounted perpendicular to the edge of the board, 1-1/2 inches in from the wall. Top
One point will be awarded for each ball, from any source, that your robot causes to cross the game board center line, from your side to the opposite side. This point is only awarded the first time that a ball crosses the line.
The appropriate number of points, 3, 5, or 7, will be awarded for each ball that remains in one of your goals at the end of the game. It does not matter which robot caused the ball to enter your goal. A robot's goals are those on the opposite end of the board from where it starts, e.g. the goals for a robot starting on the white side of the board are on the black side of the board. The coloring of the goals on the diagram indicates this relationship.
A bonus of 5 points will be awarded for shooting a ball into your hoop goal at the end of the table. To receive the bonus points, your robot must cause a ball to go through the hoop while the front-most wheel or tread of your robot is behind the centerline of the game board (away from the goal).
The machine with the most points wins the game. If there is a tie, the judges will decide the winner based on which robot that has more balls nearer to its goals, or declare a double win. If no points are scored a double loss will be awarded. Top
- The contestants will have 60 seconds to place their machines on the game board from the time the judges call them. The robots may be placed in any orientation within the starting area, which is a circle 18 inches in diameter centered on the start light.
- The game will be started by the judges turning on the starting lights, located underneath the table in the center of each robot's starting circle, for the first one second of the game.
- False Start Rule: A robot that fails to start as expected will be awarded a loss, and may be removed from the table at the judge's discretion. The remaining robot will be awarded a win if it scores at least one point, otherwise a double loss will be awarded.
- The powered portion of a game will last 90 seconds. Software will be provided to cut off power at the end of 90 seconds. Any machine that continues to supply actuator power after 90 seconds will lose the game.
- The game ends when both robots and all game pieces come to rest.
- The judges will propose to terminate a game early if neither robot appears to be making any progress. Top
