Competition Guidelines

Teams consist of 2 students within the grade range for their division.

In order to qualify for prizes, intact teams must attend the final stage of the competition at the University of Arkansas.

Sponsors are asked to view the presentations prior to their submission to ensure that all required components are present and that audio accompanies the presentation. It is recommended that animations and special effects are kept to a minimum due to issues in loading and viewing the file. Sponsors are included in the prize money for this purpose.

Any Roller Coaster Tycoon game can be used for game play necessary for assemblying the digital presentation. Remember that the problem being studied is NOT the problem for any of the game scenarios – it is the engineering requirements for the IE Challenge Competition. Games can be played on PC’s, tablets, and smart phones. Depending on the game you choose to play, costs vary from free to around $20. For android phones, download the free app for Roller Coaster Tycoon Touch or Roller Coaster Tycoon 4, or the $5.99 Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic. For Apple products, Roller Coaster Tycoon Touch and Roller Coaster Tycooon 4 are also free, and Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 and Tycoon Classic are $4.99 and $5.99.

If using Chromebooks, not all games are compatible. Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic will download and run. More of these games will be tested soon, and working ones will be listed for your convenience. Check with your tech department if using school chromebooks, as many have policies about downloading games. Please ensure you can run the game on your devices early in the process!

Timeline

September to early January – Download the game or install the app. Play the game to make sure it will run on your system. Print or access the scoring rubric and begin game play. Keep a record of your actions in the game and how they affect the park rating, customer satisfaction levels, profitability, etc. as addressed in the rubric.

Late January – February 9, 2018 – Register by having both team members complete the registration survey.

Mid to Late February – Build your Power Point or Google Slides presentation. Explore Screencastifyfor Google Slides or the YouTube tutorialfor Power Point to ensure no difficulty with recording your presentation. Do not wait until the deadline date in case you have technical difficulties!