Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

If yes, what's your favorite (in general, or by class, whichever)?

Registered: Feb 2000
Location: El Segundo,CA
Posts: 374

They all have their good matches. The spinning ones work well, verticle (Backlash) or horizontal (Ziggo) You also may like www.srl.org

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

Yeah, the spinning ones are my favorite, although I am also partial to BioHazard. My husband like Vlad--we both hate Buddy Lee don't Play in the Street.

Anyway, thanks for the reply and the link. I'll check it out later when I'm not "working."

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Pleasanton, CA
Posts: 253

Battlebots and Junkyard Wars...

Battlebots are cool...The heavyweights with catapult-type hammers/wedges are my favorite.

We've also gotten addicted to Junkyard Wars, where they build various things (with motors...) in a day then they have to race against each other. Good clean fun with junk

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Queen of Parts

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

My wife and I both love BattleBots!
My problem is that my favorite bots look really cool, but are pathetic in the ring, er, cube.

There were a couple made by the same fellow (who's name escapes me at the moment).
One looked like the giant metallic crab of death, with curved feet. The other was a worm build of rotating triangular segments.
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SURREAL SAGE SEZ: It's like the difference between seeing a beautiful new star in the winter sky and actually being *close* to a supernova. It's the difference between the beauty of morning dew on a cobweb and actually being a fly.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: at work...
Posts: 736

I like battlebots, but I wish there were more innovative bots out there -- too many of them are just wedges on wheels. How about some bots that spit out fast-drying glue, or use magnetic crane arms to lift opponents off the ground, or send out jamming signals to interfere with the opponent's remote control? That would make things more interesting! =)

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 239

Yes, I too like (the guy whose name I can't remember either). That crab thing was very nice. The worm/snake would have done better if he could get his speed up, so that he could get off the spike strip.

Unfortunately, Rob, most of those suggestions are against the rules, such as glue and RF jamming. (although, I agree, it would make things more exciting). Also against the rules are anything explosive/flammeable, liquified gases, and high voltage. Magnets are not against the rules, but you have to remember that some 'bots use a lot of plastics, and I think parts of the floor are metal, and you don't want to end up sticking your own 'bot to the floor.

It seems to me that the 'bots that can turn quickly do the best, not even necessarily the ones that move fast in a linear fashion (though that certainly helps). If you can turn fast and bring your weapon into play, you have the advantage. I think that's why the spinning 'bots do so well--their weapon faces every direction. Of course, the downside to that was shown in spectacular fashion by (I think, don't quote me) Mauler, who lost a weight and spun itself out of control in the first round. Oh well. It's a great idea.

I see a common thread here. The shows that I have to watch are:

Battlebots
Junkyard Wars
Iron Chef
Simpsons
X-Files

Don't see much of "Robot Wars" anymore (Go Lister!), but I think "Battlebots" is more entertaining anyway.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Midwest
Posts: 232

I have to confess to being a robot wars fan. I also would like to see a little more variety. I thought they had a vertical limit on jumping(which means jumping is allowed, except not too high), so why haven't we seen anything that could jump around instead of drive around?

I also would like to encourage a little less mayhem (do we really need saws in the floor?), and root for a more accurate way to keep score. Perhaps each robot could declare specific contact areas for offensive attacks, and put pressure sensors on them. With each hit, the force of contact could be recorded, and totalled up at the end of the match. We might see some air piston activated rams, or force absorbing skins as a result (my robot is a jumping pillow, maybe?). You'd try to avoid contacting the other robot's offensive areas, and hit its defensive spots with your offensive weapons.

With all this pondering, here's my idea for a robot wars winner...

Kelvar skin. Padded. Ball shape. Weighted drive module will always roll to bottom when ball is rolled. Better yet, internal gyros and shifting weights would allow movement without any mechanical contact with the floor. Offensive weapons? How about a spherical array of self firing pistons. Except when aiming down, they would fire whenever their tip was touched. This would hit any opposing robot as soon as it hit the ball. It could be used to push the ball away from walls and other hazards. Specific sets of three could be extended to provide a stable tripod base. Any piston that happened to be aimed straight down could be used to jump the robot as the enemy approached. What better way to defend a speeding attack than to jump over it?

Just a thought.

Dave ;-)

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 239

See, original thinking. I applaud that. Battlebots could benefit from that kind of thinking. Of course, your ball would have to be 6 feet in diamter by the time you got all the pistons firing around the edge and the drive mechanism inside all that, but still. That's why although I personally don't like 'bots like Buddy Lee Don't Play in the Street (and what kind of name is that anyway? I'll bet they named their son Mortimer Gomez), they built a true original that actually sustained a lot of damage and still operated.

My idea would be to take that 1/4" Lexan wall of the arena and make that, oh, say, a foot thick, or two feet, then get rid of some of the rules, like no high voltage (you now have to ground your hull), explosives/flame, or other more dangerous means of destruction. Spikes and saw blades just don't cut it (no pun intended) with some of these more armored 'bots--the weapons just bounce off, and end up breaking themselves.

All this is hypothetical anyway, I suppose. Have I created a 'bot and fought in the ring? No, I don't have that kind of disposable cash. <sigh> I would if I could.

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Soul Raven - "Sm� hjerne, stor gl�de"
Wherever you go, there you are.

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

quote:

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Originally posted by DBrown

I also would like to encourage a little less mayhem (do we really need saws in the floor?)

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location:
Posts: 53

camera

me and my friends once talked about how fun it would be to have robot battle like ten years ago. below are stuff we came up with which Battlebot don't have;

1. camera eye/monitor. you control it by looking at monitor which is showing view from your robot. lose your cam, lose your site, lose the game
2. outside ring. and not a flat ring, but bumpy, sandy, with some walls and stuff (think MX course)
3. powered by gasoline engines!!!
4. fight till one of them stop moving
5. bet... and occasional police interruption....

sounds little crude? but I like it that way...!

u-key

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Chandler, AZ
Posts: 289

Re: camera

quote:

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Originally posted by u-key
1. camera eye/monitor. you control it by looking at monitor which is showing view from your robot. lose your cam, lose your site, lose the game
2. outside ring. and not a flat ring, but bumpy, sandy, with some walls and stuff (think MX course)

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Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Enumclaw, Wa
Posts: 268

I AM! I'm watching it right now. I like LIghtweight the most.

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