How It Works
Cup Conquest is a robotics competition where teams design, build, and program robots to stack cups, score points, and compete in timed matches. The game emphasizes strategy and engineering skills suitable for middle school students.
Match Format
Autonomous Period
0:15Robots operate using pre-programmed code only — no driver control. Teams earn points for leaving the Starting Square, scoring the preloaded Cup, and parking in a Diamond Parking Area.
Driver-Controlled Period
2:15Drive Team Members control their Robots, moving Cups from Feeder Stacks onto Scoring Plates in the required alternating color pattern.
Endgame
final 0:30 of Driver-ControlNot a separate period — the final 30 seconds of Driver-Control. Teams can place Black Cup Caps to double a Plate's score, move Scoring Plates into Starting Squares, and park Robots.
How Points Add Up
| Phase | Objective | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomous | Each Robot that leaves its Starting Square | 2 |
| Autonomous | Each preloaded Cup scored | 3 |
| Autonomous | Each Robot parked in a Diamond Parking Area | 5 |
| Driver Control | Each correctly scored Cup on a Plate | 1 |
| Endgame | Valid Black Cup Cap — doubles that Plate's Cup points | 2× |
| Endgame | Each Scoring Plate fully inside a Starting Square | 5 |
| Endgame | Each Robot parked in a Diamond Parking Area | 3 |
| Bonus | All four Plates hold at least three correctly scored Cups | 7 |
| Bonus | Five or more Cups on one Plate (repeatable per Plate) | 3 |
| Bonus | Every Cup from a Feeder Stack correctly scored (repeatable) | 5 |
Key Rules
- No robot-to-robot contact or defensive play — Cup Conquest rewards engineering and strategy, not combat.
- Each Match pairs two Alliances (Red vs. Blue), each made of two Teams working together on one field.
- Cups must be scored in a strict alternating color pattern on each Plate — matching the fringe color, then alternating.
- A Black Cup Cap doubles a Plate's Cup points — but two Black Cups on the same Plate cancel the multiplier.
- Bonus points reward spreading Cups across all four Plates, tall stacks, and fully-scored Feeder Stacks.
The full Game Manual (Sections 1–9, plus violation guidelines) covers every rule in detail and is included with Teacher Resources.