How Could I Improve...

[bartmanhomer]

How Could I Improve...

So what the big deal then? My robot have a strength and weakness and I really dont care how the outcome goes. You win the match, you win the match, you lose the match, you lose the match. I just here to have fun and enjoy myself.

[bartmanhomer]

How Could I Improve...

AJ, if your robot have a strength and weakness why not just post it? Im not against you nor that Im not even obessessed of beating you but I really think its fair that every robot show their strength and weakness.

[andrewj]

How Could I Improve...

Why? As I said, because I think it defeats the object of what we are doing here. Telling your opponent how to beat you takes away all the credability and work you have put into a design. If I truely beleive my vapourbots had any weaknesses, I would have fixed them. So there is no purpose of me trying to nitpick for weaknesses. That is everyone elses job.

I will be looking forward to your opinions on my upcoming virtully indestructable vapourbot.

[bartmanhomer]

How Could I Improve...

I dont think its wouldnt ruin your whole creditibily. But hey dont take my word for it.

[alex_holt]

How Could I Improve...

I think the issue is not that robots arent supposed to not have weaknesses its that a good design should have other things mean the weakness doesnt matter.

To take an extreme example - Aarons gyrate robot had card armour I believe but it wasnt as big an issue in that design because it would kill thigns before they got a chance to attack the armour.

At the opposite end of the scale, I designed Achilles progressivly improving with my losses to account for whatever took it out each time where practical. The result? If you include hypotheticals its had six places in the top 3 of tournaments, and ten heat wins. Yet after all that, just as in its very first fight it is going to suck on producing a damage score in a judges decision purely because it doesnt have the means to do it.

When I design a vapour, I design it to make it cool by my view. As a stat writer, your job is essentially to demonstrate and try to persuade the writer that its as cool and awesome as you think it is.

Perhaps its easier to think of them as limitations rather than weaknesses.

[andrewj]

How Could I Improve...

That is a better take on it all. But what if your robot is designed specifically as an all rounder? Do you state a weakness of it might not damage as much as something with just one big weapon? As I design my vapourbots to be good in all departments rather than taking sacrifices elsewhere, they dont really have weaknesses as such. As I said, if anyone wants to point out any realistic weaknesses in my vapourbots, feel free and I will add them to the stats.

[paulc]

How Could I Improve...

D.V.D (Death Via Drum)

€ WEIGHT: 100kg

€ ARMOUR: 5mm Hardox for the body. 6mm Hardox for the scoop.

€ SHAPE: An invertible box shape with triangular sides and rear.

€ MOTORS: 2 x LEM130€™s at 36V = 18HP

€ LOCOMOTION: 4 Vulkanised Wheels on top and bottom ala Big Nipper.

€ DIMENSIONS: (L) 70CM (H) 23CM (W) 70CM

€ COLOUR: Black for the scoop and drum, white for the body.

€ WEAPONRY: At the front is a 15kg drum, made of Titanium with 3 sharpened tool steel teeth. The drum is powered by 2 x LEM130€™s on a ratio of 1.5:1, giving a spinning speed of 6500rpm! 65kj of energy per hit, and if flipped, the drum can be reversed to help it spin the right way - upwards. Behind the drum, there are massive amounts of shock-proofing to avoid self-destruction.

€ SPEED: 13mph

€ GROUND CLEARANCE: The ground clearance is the same all the way around, due to no skirts or wedge - its 6mm all around.

€ STRENGTH: Good all-rounder.

€ WEAKNESS: Low speeds.

Can someone analyse this?

[kodster]

How Could I Improve...

I see something wrong. You claim 6mm hardox for a scoop that I dont see on there.

[dinowarrior]

How Could I Improve...

Well, whilst this is here...Id like to know if theres anything I could do to improve my robots. As it stands, my current Team Dinowarrior stands as this...

ORKA MK4

Weight: 100 kilos
Body Shape: Behemoth
Speed: Some 15mph
TC: 0
GC: 2mm, 0mm at front.
Wheels; 6 inner
Armour; 7mm titanium
Power; 3x 12v batteries, powered by a couple of Magmotors
Colour; Black with white patches
Weapons; A Behemoth like bucket scoop, made from titanium, and quite capable of lifting 300 kilos. It has a claw like device to grab an oppodent, like the claw on Mantis. The scoop is pnumatically powered, and has about 45 odd flips.
Srimech: It has a dorsal fin on top used for self-righting
Inspiration; Ive always liked Orcas. Adding the K made it sound more dangerous.
Strengths; Weapon
Weaknessess: Hard to turn


DIE-CERATOPS RE-INVERTUS

Weight; 100 kilos
Body Shape: Wheely Big Cheese
Speed; 15mph
TC; 0
GC; 0mm at front, 3mm at sides and back.
Wheels; 2 inner, sticking out only slightly,
Armour; 8mm titanium
Power; 3x 12v batteries, powered by a couple of Magmotors
Colour; Green, with Killer Carrot style wrinkles, mouth and eyes. One of the eyes has a plaster over it, the other is a black eye. A few bandages are painted on this time.
Weapons: A huge Wheely Big Cheese style flipper, capable of flipping a tonne or so.
Srimech; As the name suggests, the robot runs inverted. Bars prevent side strandings, and the back is rounded, so stranding THAT way is outta the question. The flipper works upside down.
Inspiration; Ive always liked Dinosaurs. This is a pun of Triceratops. The Invertus part is pretty obvious.
Strengths; The ability to work upside down and still be able to use its weapon, now easier to control.
Weaknessess: Facing more agile vapourbots


CYCLONE FORCE 2.5

Weight; 100 kilos
Body Shape; Storm 2 without the wedge (at first, see set-ups for more detail)
Speed; 25mph
TC; 0
GC; Side is 0mm due to skirts. Back is 2mm. See set-ups for front GC
Wheels; 6 inner
Armour; 11mm Titanium.
Power; Similar stuff to what Storm 2 uses.
Colour; A blue-ish grey tone all over.
Weapons; The robot has 5 set-ups...
SET UP 1...A lifter device, similar to Storm 2. In theory, it can lift 190 kilos. The front makes a wedge and results in a 0mm GC. However, the wedge is useless upside down.
SET-UP 2...A pair of Kan Opener style claws, with about 4 tonnes of pressure at the tip. Front GC for this and Set-up 3 is 1mm.
SET-UP 3...A Disc-O-Inferno style disc, reaching speeds of up to 3000rpm and with similar damage capability to this dangerous bot (I mean, look what it did to Panic Attack).
SET-UP 4...Two 30cm long spikes, which, combined with the speed of the robot, can easily penetrate weaker armours (Id say anything 4mm thick or less, minus Steel, is in a bit of trouble).
SET-UP 5...The most risky approach, A simple bucket scoop, like X-Terminator. The scoop is static, but can get underneath virtually zero ground clearance. Its front is 0mm.
Srimech; The robot runs inverted, the sides are protected by the skirts and back stranding is impossible. Set-ups 2, 3 and 4 work upside down.
Inspiration; The original Cyclone was named because it is the name of a storm and it sounds threatening. The force came later, after it became a pusher.
Strengths;Raw power
Weaknessess;Lack of control, Set-ups 1 and 5 do not work upside-down.


LEPROSY INFECTION

Weight; 100 kilos
Body Shape; Tetanus Booster
Speed; 18mph
TC; 0
GC; 2mm
Wheels; 4 inner, top sticking out. Wheel flaps are situated either side of the wheel to protect them.
Armour; 7mm titanium
Power; 3x 12v batteries, powered by a couple of Magmotors
Colour; A disgusting shade of lime green.
Weapons; A very large, very dangerous vertical drum, capable of reaching speeds of 4000rpm. The teeth on the drum are curved upwards so they can flip as well as damage and very sharp at the tip. There is a reason for this...
Srimech; The robot is invertable. Bars along the side and back prevent stranding. The wheel flaps, both on top and bottom, are set so the robot can still run inverted without getting stranded. Once upside down, the teeth of the drum gouge out robot parts.
Inspiration; Named after the disease which causes the skin to flake and fingers and toes to drop off...namely because the robot does something similar. The basic idea came from an episode of The Simpsons.
Strengths; Drum, control is pretty good
Weaknessess; Wheels may be vulnerable to axes


MEGA MASHER 2

Weight: 100 kilos
Body Shape: Minion
Speed: 12mph
TC: 0
GC; 0 at front, 1mm at sides due to skirts.
Wheels; 4 inner.
Armour: A nice 3mm of steel
Power: Similar stuff to what Tornado uses.
Colour: Red and yellow.
Weapons; The front is a wedge, and the back has a nasty vertical disc, powered by its own motor and spinning at 2000 rpm. It can probably flip as well as damage. A side Minion style bar comes out from the side.
Srimech: The aforementioned bar rights the robot, even though it can run inverted.
Inspiration; This is probably the only robot I have where I have had no inspiration. It just came as a good name.
Strengths: Power, weaponary
Weaknessess: A little bulky, not as heavy as the body would suggest.


Y4

Weight: 99 kilos
Body Shape: T-Minus
Speed: 16mph
TC: 0
GC: 2mm, but the flipper blade reaches 0.
Wheels: 2 semi outer (that means theyre protected)
Armour: 5mm titanium
Power: The usual 3x 12v batteries and couple Magmotors for power.
Colour: Grey
Weapons: An extremely powerful flipper (Try 300 kilos+). Can perform about 30 or so flips before it starts weakening.
Srimech: The flipper acts as srimech. It can also be used as gymnastics. A light flip will knock the robot back over, but pressing hard on the button will send the robot into a 540 degree spin before landing, or a Matador style bound in mid air. All prperly controlled, of course.
Inspiration: A quote from a cartoon. Taz-mania, I believe.
Strengths: Powerful flipper, very entertaining.
Weaknessess: Semi exposed wheels.


AXE-O-LOTL

Weight: 100 kilos
Body Shape: Comengetorix
Speed: 20mph
TC: 0
GC: 2mm
Wheels: 4 inner
Armour: 3mm steel all around.
Power: Same stuff as Storm 2 and Cyclone Force uses.
Colour: Has interchangable panels. One set is pure black, the other pure white with pink tinges.
Weapons: A very nasty axe, with the power of Dominator 2. The head is diamond tipped, and the whole weapon is VERY persistant. It can fire about 40 times in one fight.
Srimech: The axe rights the robot. The robots body is designed so it cant be side stranded.
Inspiration: My favourite amphibian, the axolotl.
Strengths: Powerful weaponary
Weaknessess: Obviously a limited CO2 supply.


OBLITERATION

Weight: 100 kilos
Body Shape: Revolutionist
Speed: 5mph
TC: 0
GC: 5mm all the way round. It has to be.
Wheels: 8 inner (4 on top, 4 below)
Armour: 7mm titanium
Power: It drives on 3x 12v batteries plus a couple of Magmotors. For the weaponary, the power matches Phrizbee.
Colour: Dark blue with tinges of black and brown.
Weapons: This robot is a full body spinner. The teeth are increibally sharp. It spins at about 500 rpm, and does damage similar to Phrizbee.
Srimech: Unusual for a FBS, this robot runs inverted.
Inspiration: It sounded cool. It also sounds like a ride at an amusment park, if you ask me.
Strengths: Body! Need I say more?
Weaknessess: Rather slow.


CRASH BANDI-BOT 3

WEIGHT: 100 kilos
Body Shape: A box with a wedge at the front and an inverted wedge at the back. About a metre long, point 3 of a metre wide and point 2 of a metre high.
Speed: 16mph.
TC: 0.
GC: 4mm all over except wedge, which meets at 0.
Wheels: 4 inner.
Armour: 8mm Titanium.
Power: 3x 12v batteries, with good old Magmotors.
Colour: Orange.
Weapons: The mini wedge sports a nasty flipper. Underneath said flipper is a spike which allows Crash to attack if the flipper misses. Also, the back wedge (see below).
Srimech: Crash runs inverted, and the sides stick out to prevent side-stranding. When upside down, the wedge at the back allows Crash to continue attacking.
Inspiration: My old video-game friend, Crash Bandicoot.
Notes: Says WOAH! whenever you hit his face (painted on his flipper) thanks to a sound-system inside. WOAH!, of course, being Crashs catchphrase.
Strengths: Very manuverable.
Weaknesses: Tengu! Crash STILL hasnt forgiven him after the last time they met.


SPRING-BOK!

Weight: 100 kilos
Body Shape: Firestorm.
Speed: 12mph
TC: 0.
GC: 0 at front, 3mm at sides.
Wheels: 2 inner.
Armour: 8mm titanium, covered in 2mm orange fur.
Power: 3x 12v batteries, powered by a couple of Magmotors.
Colour: Orange, thanks to the fur.
Weapons: A launch pad. Heres how it works...basically, the robots drive up the wedge, then the front panel, which is attached to four large car springs, fires outwards. A miniture piston device is attached to the panel to prevent it getting fired off, and also re-sets it. Should that fail, it does have a back-up plan (see notes).
Srimech: Two arms that extend around the side of the body, a bit like that of Philliper, only bottom hinged rather than top hinged, act as the Srimech.
Inspiration: Its named after an antelope.
Notes: This is the re-make of the former comedy yet highly sucessful robot Fluffitor, who won a previous Children In Need special. Has an in-built police siren which it activates if the going gets tough. The idea is that the oppodent will think hes about to be arrested then run off.
Strengths: Experience, unique weapon.
Weaknesses: Untested, Flammable, back-up plan probably wont work.

----

I have made a few modifications already to Cyclone Force and Axe-O-Lotl, namely beefing up their armour. The thing is that Im sure theres other things that I could do to improve them, but Im just unsure what works and what doesnt, so any suggestions, preferably from someone who knows what theyre doing, would be nice.

I must stress that Spring-BOK! is first and foremost a comedy robot, so he doesnt matter so much.

[joey_picus]

How Could I Improve...

*tries desperately not to sound like an annoying little idiot*

For all the pneumatic weapons, say what gas powers it - Nitrogen is more powerful and can use higher pressure but the power decreases and you cant store as much as CO2.
Be slightly more specific about the Magmotors; for almost all of them you should be fine with S28-400s.
Say what powers the electric weapons, rather than just a motor you could use LEM130s for the drum and discs (although this isnt my area of expertise so may be wrong). For Obliteration, it would help if we knew precisely what sort of spinner it is - Im assuming it spins in place with its drivetrain as thats the only way I can see it working inverted. Also, 5mph seems somewhat slow for spinning with.
Also, for Axe-O-Lotl and Y4, clarify what exactly powers the weapons - Im assuming its pneumatics because you give a set number of uses, but it doesnt state that in the stats.

*realises he failed*

[dinowarrior]

How Could I Improve...

You have failed a bit...5mph is Obliterations speed, not his weapons. And hes a full body spinner.

[joey_picus]

How Could I Improve...

How is he invertible, then?

[dinowarrior]

How Could I Improve...

I dont know, how is Gyrobot invertible?

Basically, theres your answer.

[joey_picus]

How Could I Improve...

Id call that a rim spinner, as opposed to an FBS, but that does answer my question.

[kodster]

How Could I Improve...

Invertible FBSs arent really FBSs at all. They are called ring spinners.