The Vapourbot Grand Prix 2010

[alex_holt]

Re: The Vapourbot Grand Prix 2010

At arrangement, I shall be teaming up with Dan using the flywheel, to take out all opponents, starting with the current highest ranked and working down from there. Get into those safety zones if necessary.

[steven_mcg]

Re: The Vapourbot Grand Prix 2010

...

Yeah, I don't think it's 2010 anymore.

I'm sorry I keep forgetting about this thing, you guys. I know you're probably tired of hearing me say that by now, given I've been saying it for about two years now, but it's true and it's nobody's fault but mine. For all the grumbles about job woes and creative dry spells I share with you in the land of MSN, I've had a ton of time on my hands since leaving uni and there's not really any excuse for me leaving yet another big bad tournament to go unfinished, especially one as crazy-fun to write for as this one.

Thanks to the current reruns of Extreme II on Dave, I've been in a real nostalgic mood the last couple days and, after binging on some vintage RW clips on YouTube, I decided to take the plunge and dig into my VGP folder to start finishing what I started - if that makes sense. :P

I'm not going to tell you when the next round after this will be, as I'm not entirely sure myself, but I'll tell you this: I don't care if it takes me another two years, I'm getting this tournament finished the old-fashioned way. No hypos, no summaries. Full-on fights, all the way.

And speaking of full-on fights, come with me to a land Down Under. It's grand prix time. :smile:

THE VAPOURBOT GRAND PRIX 2010/11/12/WHATEVS
ROUND 7/10: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
ARENA - Ayres Ring
HOUSE ROBOTS- N/A

For this fight, Slammer VI will be using the vertical spinning disc.

Roboteers, stand by...
3...2...1...
ACTIVATE!

And just like our last two Grand Prixs, everyone runs straight for the middle of the ring - everyone, that is, except for Delirium Tremors and Eye of Ran. The two spinners have each ducked into a 'safety zone' to get their weapons up to speed in relative peace. They're certainly having a more peaceful time than Flick of the Wrist, who is currently being ganged up on by both Richter and Slammer! Martijn had been hoping for a repeat of his victory in Japan last time, but the current points leader is having a hard time pushing anyone out the way with everyone smushed together in one big scrum! Richter and Slammer ignore their spinners in favour of just knocking and nagging Flick of the Wrist from all sides, while O.I.D. ends up on Killobite's wedge after dodging an attack from Axeon. The Canadian's crusher gets a hold of O.I.D, but barely moves a few feet before Axeon starts whaling on it with its hammer. This particular scuffle is marked by the return of Delirium Tremors, who ploughs straight into the trio like a scuffle-seeking missile!
CRRRASH!
The three robots are all knocked aside, with poor old Axeon nearly taking a tumble straight over the edge of the ring! Killobite has fared no better - not only is it sporting some ugly scars from the spinning drum, but O.I.D. has wriggled free and nipped off to bother the others. Delirium Tremors doesn't look back, however, and takes shelter in another 'safety zone' to recharge.
Meanwhile, Eye of Ran rejoins Flick of the Wrist, who has had just about enough of Richter and Slammer's pestering and decides to do something about it - but not before taking a nasty hit from Eye of Ran's blade.
CRRRASH!
The current points leader gets knocked aside, as does Richter in the wrong place at the wrong time. Slammer takes advantage of the break-up and attacks Eye of Ran instead, having a nibble at the low-slung spinner's sides. Alex's fun is short-lived, however, when Flick of the Wrist charges back in and knocks Slammer across the arena, over the edge and out of the Aussie GP!
On the other side of the ring, Axeon and Killobite are sizing each other up, a tense face-up rudely interrupted by O.I.D. barging in and slicing up Killobite's bum! Killobite swings round to retaliate, giving Axeon a free shot with the hammer! Axeon grapples the crusher and tries to drag it over to the edge when back comes Delirium Tremors for another showdown!
CRRRASH!
The drum-on-wheels parts the duo like the Red Sea and once again nearly sends Axeon skydiving off the rock! Andy quickly recovers, however, and takes a glancing blow from O.I.D. as it chases after Delirium Tremors, now recovering in the northern 'safety zone'. Matty notices too late and tries to return to the freedom of the arena, but AJ has him cornered! Axeon ploughs into the revving Delirium Tremors and smashes it into the vertical spinning discs at the rear! Matt's machine tries to crawl over Axeon, but a few sharp blows of the hammer tell him he's not going anywhere for a while.
Speaking of while, it's anyone's game at this point! Flick of the Wrist and Richter continue to badger each other in the middle of the ring, while Killobite plays 'tag' with O.I.D. and tries to scoop the spinner up once more. As for Eye of Ran, Joey has ducked into a 'safety zone' to rev up and his timing couldn't be better...
Hark, is that a didgeridoo I hear floating on the wind?
Indeed I do, and you know what that means?
ROCKQUAKE!
Within seconds, the arena floor has begun to slowly tip and sway this way and that, like a ship adrift on stormy seas. Only O.I.D. seems remotely comfortable as even the sturdier rammers like Flick and Richter seem a little seasick out in the open. Killobite seems even worse and is finding it hard to drive to a 'safety zone' to regain its composure. O.I.D. obliges with another smack on the rear, while Flick stumbles over in their direction and decides to take the opportunity to dump Killobite out too. Kody tries to dodge the onslaught and succeeds, briefly, before Daniel barges in and decides to do it himself. Over goes Richter and down goes Killobite in one big push!
Finally, the swaying begins to subside for now, as Eye of Ran slips back into the middle of the arena, clipping O.I.D. along the way. O.I.D. narrowly avoids an attack from Flick of the Wrist by ducking into a 'safety zone', closely followed by Richter. The two clash briefly in the narrow space, before Richter gets the upper hand and slams it into the twin spinning drums at the back. It seems that Daniel's pulled an Axeon on him!
And speaking of Axeon, it seems that Delirium Tremors has finally escaped Axeon's assault and crawled over the German GP champ back into the main arena. Matt's machine is looking rather the worse for wear, though. Between Axeon's axe and the spinning discs, it's a wonder the drum's still working at all! But it is - just about - and even manages to clip Flick of the Wrist on its way into another 'safety zone'. Flick follows in hot pursuit, smelling another kill. Delirium Tremors tries to dodge, but Flick proves too quick and sweeps the drum-on-wheels away from the 'safety zone' and over the edge!
Meanwhile, Axeon and Eye of Ran are dancing in the arena centre, just as Flick decides to cut in with some moves of his own.
And speaking of music, what's that I hear overhead?
Oh, right. The didgeridoo.
Here we go again!
The robots take the shakes a bit better this time. Flick certainly seems more stable as it barges Eye of Ran, whose low-slung frame seems to make it steady as a rock. Axeon too seems steady as it ploughs Eye of Ran aside and catches the corner of Flick. Martijn attempts an escape, but Axeon's front wedges slip straight under the Dutch machine and down comes the axe on Flick's noggin! The two push and struggle on the wobbling floor, allowing Eye of Ran to deliver a quick smack with its blade before Axeon gets the upper hand! With careful steering and a quick burst of speed, Axeon shoves the struggling Flick to the arena's edge and dumps the VGP leader out of the fight before swinging back towards the middle...
Aaand getting knocked over the side by Eye of Ran's big blade. Whoops.
Three remain, though not for much longer, it seems. Richter has been dominating O.I.D. since we last saw them and Jack's juggernaut isn't looking good at all. That shell of O.I.D's may be good ol' Hardox, but between Richter's 'eggbeater' and the twin spinning drums, it's certainly been scuffed and scarred up a treat. Even worse, O.I.D's insides seem to have been shaken up good and proper, as the disc has slowed to a crawl, along with just about everything else! Richter dishes out a couple more nasty blows before realising that O.I.D. isn't actually moving anymore and nips back into the main arena, as the official timer counts down Jack to his first bronze of the season.
1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10!
Then there were two and...
WEEOOWEEOOWEEOOWEEOOWEEOO...
Streuth! Another flamin' didgeridoo!
Richter rejoins Eye of Ran in the middle of the ring as the arena floor once again begins to shimmy and shake. The two size each other up, Richter's high traction proving just as steady against the wild wobbling as Eye of Ran's low frame. Daniel attempts a side-on assault, but Eye of Ran's height and wedges are making it tricky to bludgeon effectively. More than once, Joey manages to steer the spinner underneath Richter's tapered shell and shunt it that bit closer to the edge. This doesn't stop Richter from inflicting a few horrible body scars in the process, of course, and Eye of Ran is starting to look pretty scuffed as the floor once again starts settling down. The blade isn't getting much chance to rev up and cause damage, either, but Joey doesn't seem deterred, namely because his wedges and skirts are doing so ruddy well without it at the moment!
Want proof? With time running out and the battle drawing ever closer to the edge of the ring, Richter clips a corner of Eye of Ran with one more big charge. The blow knocks Eye of Ran aside, but slows Richter's 'eggbeater' down in the process. As Daniel begins backing up to rev up some more, Eye of Ran twirls around and heads after the Monoco GP champion. Richter tries to escape, but Eye of Ran catches a corner and sweeps around to scoop right underneath Daniel's demolisher. Mr Stickler barely has time to let out a cry of Stone the dingoes! before Richter is sent rocking off the rock by the all-seeing Eye of Ran!

CEASE!

EYE OF RAN II WINS THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2010!

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AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2010 RESULTS:
1. EYE OF RAN II = 10 points
2. 9.9 ON THE RICHTER SCALE = 8 points
3. O.I.D. = 6 points
4. AXEON 4.0 = 4 points
5. FLICK OF THE WRIST = 3 points
6. DELIRIUM TREMORS = 2 points
7. KILLOBITE SIGMA = 1 point
8. SLAMMER VI = 0 points

Congratulations to Joey McConnell, Daniel Stickler and Jack Orr!

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Seven is the lucky number for some, but who's gotten luckiest seven rounds in? To the leaderboard!

TOTAL RESULTS (7/10):
1. 9.9 ON THE RICHTER SCALE = 47 points
2. FLICK OF THE WRIST = 46 points
3. AXEON 4.0 = 40 points
4. KILLOBITE SIGMA = 34 points
5. EYE OF RAN II = 24 points
6. O.I.D. = 20 points
7. SLAMMER VI = 15 points
8. DELIRIUM TREMORS = 12 points

Well, tie me kangaroo down, sport! It looks like we've got a new leader! Dan had better not get too comfy, though - there's only one point separating Richter and Flick, with Axeon only a few points behind them. With the points starting to spread out a little more, there's no telling what might happen next as we enter the final few battles.

Oh, apart from Round 8. Obviously.

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THE VAPOURBOT GRAND PRIX 2010
ROUND 8/10: THE MEXICAN GRAND PRIX
ARENA: AzTech Arena

Welcome to sunny Mexico, and the hottest arena in the VGP - literally! AzTech Industries is one of the most advanced robotic combat research facilities in all of the Americas, and the arena they've provided for grand prix number eight neatly showcases their specialist subject - FIRE. :twisted:
Modelled on the ancient Mayan temples from equally ancient adventure serials, the AzTech Arena is the pinacle of AzTech's patented deathtrap technology and research into fire-based demolition. This enclosed, two-story warzone is littered with dangers; from the clusters of pneumatic spikes designed to punch underbellies and puncture tyres, to the twin trap doors which open and close at random intervals, to the white-hot flame grills mounted on both floor and wall alike designed to boil paint and burn electronics to a crisp. And you guys thought the ending to Raiders... was grizzly.
On top of all that, the second floor is guarded by another of our special guest House Robots, The Servant's Apprentice! Consider this Lian's consolation prize for narrowly missing out on qualification. Hopefully he's not feeling too vengeful towards you all. :wink: Anywho, he and the Servant's Apprentice are guarding another one of those lovely golden buttons. That's the master trap switch, which is connected to every single trap in the arena. It may be worth your time to slip away from the battle and try your luck activating it. There's a reason AzTech's researchers call it Montezuma's Revenge...

El Painto picca:


If there's anyone still here, sorry for the umpteen millionth time, thanks to Lian for giving me permission to use the Servant's Apprentice and I will see you all next time.

[kodster]

Re: The Vapourbot Grand Prix 2010

Hmm, near the bottom. Looking grim, but let's see what we can do here, shall we...

Tactics - lift the forks and go right for that golden button! Ground clearance is good enough to get over the ramp, I believe

Additional tactic - grab the house robot and shove him into the button. Sorry Lian. :P

More additional tactics - bite anybody that tries to stop me

Even more additional tactics - bite in general

Quite spiffing Mr McG! I pity thee, however, for all the dust ye had to swiff away from thy thread...

[majinb]

Re: The Vapourbot Grand Prix 2010

tactics: When the button hasnt been pressed yet, flip thing, in particular near the hazards. I cant see any designs that would be totally crippled by a flip, but non-invertible machines still prefer to not be flipped. Self-righting is time consuming and while on their back they cant do a thing, so flipping is the name of the game.

Additionally, when flipping stuff onto the hazards, I might create a situation where opponent A is on top of a hazard while opponent B is pressing the big button for me, imediately either spiking, burning, or pitting said opponent. This is why I myself must be weary of the hazards, or above tactics may just be turned against me.

With the hazards activated... pit, pit, PIT! Get under, lift, flip, whatever is needed, but ram those things down the pits!

[andrewj]

My tactics for this round will be to clamp my opponents with the axe and pin them on top of the flame grills. Then, when the trap doors open, I will take the opportunity to push my frazzled foes out of the round.

I will also try to lure my opponents over the pneumatic spikes - if I can pin them down over the spikes when they fire it could cause damage to base plates and tyres.

[alex_holt]

My tactic will be to be the second bot to go for the golden button (while the house bots are occupied with whoever went first) and otherwise picking on whoever looks to be flagging at any particular moment.

Such class in my tactics!

EDIT: I will be using the reinforced armoured wedge setup, possibly because I dont remeber using the thing and it needs to be taken out its fictional box.