Active Weapon Rule?

[SamO]

I don't know because I'm not an event organiser, but doesn't appear to be to much of a problem.
Not sure though

[maddox10]

Event organisers are still free to put their own restrictions to the event. If those organisers use the active weapon rule, it means less machines can participate.

On the other hand, what is an active weapon?

[typhoon_driver]

Watch the crowd during a box on box match. Their faces say it all

[Liftoff]

Event organisers are still free to put their own restrictions to the event. If those organisers use the active weapon rule, it means less machines can participate.

On the other hand, what is an active weapon?

That's interesting Mario! Back home there is the active weapon rule, and most competitors who want to get round it and still build a rambot just added a spinning drill bit or cutting disc to their machine, and there you are... active weapon!

[teamstorm]

......if they did choose to do this, the FRA would not allow them to host the official championships, it would have to be their own tournament.

A brilliant move by the FRA - alienate their one FW events organiser. The FRA says that it issues guidelines, and it's up to the Event Organisers to choose how the implement - I'm sorry but if RoboChallenge want to make that choice that's up to them, if the FRA really wants to alienate them - I would say that would be a very bizzare step to take.

FWIW I agree with the concept of the active weapons rule for the feathers, they need all the help they can get for spectacle - a drill box vs a drill box is boring. HOWEVER I would say that a newcomer on their first year CAN run a push-box as the sport needs an easy entry point, that then encourages people to innovate and grow.

Ed

[typhoon_driver]

If you want to run a box then run it at any other event. The champs should have weapons

[psychostorm]

As I have pointed out before:
Robochallenge already have a way of kicking out all the dull boring boxes. It's called the entry list. All robots are allowed to an event at the invite of the event organiser. They can just refuse the entry & refund the fee.

[Ellis]

I'd be less worried about the crowds being bored for one fight than potentially putting off new blood, because they can't enter a simple first robot with the big boys. Part of the attraction for us was that we could make a robot powered by drill batteries and made out of any old anything, and still have a chance to beat a champ. Taking that away may further slow the flow of newcomers.

Perhaps a compromise? A rambot that does under 10mph can't weigh any more than 8 or 10kg?

[Eventorizon]

Some wont like this but what about qualifying? Robotwars did it to pick the best and most entertaining machines so that it made a good show.

As the champs are held at GSL, an event where the sport gets seen by thousands of people, you need it to look its best. Each machine should have its own data sheet and probably a video too, showing it off under its ideal conditions and highlighting its unique features.

The advantage of this is that it doesn't rule out any specific weapon type or put limits on the designs. It also means that if you can impress the EO's with your hardox box that can push 50Kg or can hit something so hard it flys over a wall then you can get in.

Being selective about the machines means you can also better choose the type of competition and how its arranged. A 32 machine field with 8x 4 way fights would be an incredible spectical and really make people think about their design as it might not just have to face of a spinner but a spinner, flipper and axe all in the same fight!

(Note: There will probably be flaws in this somewhere)

EDIT: Side thought... as others have rightly pointed out, the only Class 1 arena is RoboChallenge's. No other events allow spinners/should have unless it matches or exceeds that spec. The box's get far more events to test their metal. The champs should be the best of the best.

Also, I think that any driver who has got into the top 4 should be on the panel that helps choose the machines in the event of qualifiers. They all might be able to choose a wild card machine that didn't make the initial cut, but one that has caught their eye, giving younger builders and creative design a chance even if its just a box.

[grant_ploughbot]

Ceri, not sure what you mean by the above comment? No one is or has been refused entry to any of our events (other than 1 particular welsh man!).
We at Robo Challenge want to increase the diversity of featherweights and were looking into various ways of achieving that. One of them was the possibility of an active weapon rule, however our favoured option that was put to the FRA was a weight restriction for non active weapons. We put forward limiting the weight of pushers to 10kg (which is very easy to build to) which still allowed newcomers to build and compete without an active weapon, but gave a good 3.6kg's of extra weight if you had a weapon. We felt this was fair and would help people think more about building something different and entrrtaining.
The problem is that whenever anything like this goes to an AGM, the result is always in the favour of what's easiest for the roboteer and not what's favourable to the future of the sport.

As an EO we can run whatever rules we like, we don't because we like to keep them the same over all event's - depending on how things go in the future though we may look further into the above rules we proposed.

[psychostorm]

Ceri, not sure what you mean by the above comment? No one is or has been refused entry to any of our events.

That's what I mean. You want everyone at your event with a weapon but you as a particular rule do absolutely nothing in your existing ability.

Instead, you are trying to get the FRA to implement an entire weight class wide change, upsetting everything else in the process to improve your two events a year. All for you both to be polite & not turn anyone way.

Doesn't Sport happen whether someone watches it or not? If it does, surely that means the new competitors are the future of the sport & the Audience would be a commercial interest?

(other than 1 particular welsh man!).

Not following that sentence at all.

[craig_colliass]

So glad we are having this debate again

[cavecrusher]

It also means that if you can impress the EO's with your hardox box that can push 50Kg or can hit something so hard it flys over a wall then you can get in.

Been there, done that.

I hope Robochallenge is not starting to promote the biggest brushless/full pressure phallus competition. Because that's what this is turning into, especially with the current OOTA-arena configuration.

I'll wait and see if I can still enter BonX in a RoboChallenge competition in 2014..

[grant_ploughbot]

As I said, we are not changing any rules for next years champs so you have nothing to worry about .

Ceri, I think your completely missing the point of the whole idea behind our proposal! Were not trying to upset everything to improve our shows at all. It will have a lot more benefit to HW events than it will to our's - however it's all about improving and progressing the sport as a whole and not just 2 events a year.

[PJ-27]

Few things to consider:

The FW UK champs is not for crowd entertainment, it's unique from the other EOs in that sense.

We want to get as many people as possible involved in the sport, the more that attend the champs the better. Forcing an active weapon rule may alienate new comers, and even vets (like Tiny Toon, Satanix, Bonx etc)

On the other hand, allowing people to build Ubür defensive boxes that'll usurp highly engineered aggressive robots will alienate event vets and they may stop attending.

At the end of the day there's a decent diversity in robot design in the FWs, and if an Ubür box can defeat a monster spinner then maybe it's time to look at the spinner design.
As spinners have become more and more powerful/effective, they've become more popular. Conversely people see this, either build their own, or try to design something that can beat it. It's the natural evolution of things, and it's true in any competition.

I don't think EVERYONE building boxes is an issue we're going to have.