Data Sheet

Page 14

VEX Classroom Competition “Swept Away”

Additional Field Options

Additional Game Options

Although the VEX Classroom Competition field perimeter snaps together as a tool-less assembly there

are 0.205” diameter holes in all of the pieces. If a user plans on leaving the field assembled for an

extended period of time, standard VEX screws and nuts (#8-32) can be used to bolt the field components

together.

The field is also designed to fit on top of two (2) 4 ft x 8 ft pieces of plywood laid side by side. All of the

field brackets have bottom flanges with holes in them; these holes allow users to screw the field down

onto the plywood.

This document provides a detailed foundation set of rules and specifications, it is a “recipe” for a Swept

Away competition; however this is not the only correct recipe. The VEX Classroom Competition and the

Swept Away game are specifically designed to scale to the needs and circumstances of participants. It is

easy to modify rules to tweak the way the game is played.

Game Rules Modifications

The Swept Away game itself can be changed to suit your needs. A few possible adjustments are

described below, but these are only a small sample of what is possible:

 Add an autonomous period at the beginning of each match where human operators have no

control over their robots.

 Remove the Goals from the center wall.

 Block the slots in the wall.

 Only use Footballs OR Only use Soccer Balls.

 Use different game objects.

 Increase the height of the wall.

 Change the point values for the balls.

 Play each match 2 vs. 2

 Modify the seeding or tournament structure.

 Etc…

As long as the game rules are adequately described to teams ahead of time, a tournament can modify

almost any aspect of the competition. Larger and more wide-spread tournaments & competitions should

post any changes they are making to this basic set of rules so teams know how that competition will differ

from what they are used to; in a single classroom environment or a smaller scale competition, this is not

as important.

Major deviations from the “foundation” set of rules and field specifications listed above may have

undesired results on the game play, but that is just part of the fun!

Robot Construction Rules Modifications

As long as some key robot construction rules are in place it is possible to modify the rules to suit your

needs and circumstances. It is recommended that some limit be placed on the quantity of motors &

servos allowed, as well as the control system and battery used. Beyond that there are a number of ways

to adjust the rules (modifying the maximum robot starting size, etc).

One of the most common ways to modify the rules is to scale up or down the list of allowable robot parts.

There are very successful competitions that only allow teams to use a single Protobot kit for robot

construction, and there are very successful competitions that allow their teams to custom fabricate

whatever parts they want; there is a broad spectrum of options. It is important for each competition to be

tailored to best suit its participants.