1999 - Double Trouble

The Game:

Teams earn points by lifting and keeping "floppies" (pillow-like objects) off the ground. A team can triple its score by having its robot climb onto the "puck", a wheeled platform, and double its score again by keeping said puck on their opponent's side of the field. 

New and Interesting:

Gameplay was 2 vs. 2 – alliances of multiple teams were introduced for the first time. Every game since then has featured alliance play. 1999 saw the rise of the modern seeding system: qualifying rounds; followed by alliance selection, where top-seeded teams create alliances; then elimination to produce a winning alliance. Both members of the winning alliance are considered equal winners – a policy that continues today. 

The Competitions: