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Thread: BBC Robat Wars Rules Debate

  1. #1

  2. #2
    Modifying your robot during a competition has become one of the staples of modern robot combat, and disallowing the practice is next to impossible on account of being able to distinguish between a repair and a modification (eg. a side panel gets ripped off, is replaced with a side panel made of a better material to counter their next opponent. Is that a modification or a repair?). I also feel that it adds another layer to the design and ingenuity aspects of many builders, and can give chances to machines that would otherwise struggle helplessly against their opponents. Not to mention the machines that have interchangeable weapons built into their design. Examples of which include Tornado from the classic series, Ghost Raptor in Battlebots S1, Bombshell in S2, Big Nipper, and hell, those are just the prominent ones. I'd estimate that half of the machines you see fighting have interchangeable weapons. Removing them would just be impossible.

  3. #3
    Depends of the what the rules say and the judges say and if the opponent rises a complaint for example Tornado VS Hypno Disc.

    In that case Team Hypnodisc said that the interchangeable weapon that Team Tornado was going to use originally was a defensive item not a weapon and the Judges agreed and they had to swap it. Tornado still won but it is a example.

    TBH as long at it still falls withing the size and weight set out by the rules it should be fair game, and it could of ended up like Concussion which lost due to it wheel guards.

  4. #4
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    Looking at the RW ruleset, the rules for interchangeability only refers really to weapons (there is a very vague statement about armour as well in rule 2.6...

    2.6 Interchangeable Weapons
    If interchangeable weapons are used, the weight is measured with the heaviest set-up in place. Please see rule
    12.11 for interchangeable weapon & armour restrictions.
    ...(aside from the fact that in v3.3, there is no rule 12.11 and would appear to actually refer to 14.3) so I'd allow this provided that with the modification in place, the robot still meets the dimension/weight limits and safety. I suspect it would be an unfair comparison between the original and rebooted rule-sets as they were written at different times.

    Now with the above said, the FRA rulset makes a distinction...

    2.5 Interchangeable Panels
    If interchangeable panels or weapons are used, the weight is measured with the heaviest set-up in place.
    Is Carbide's addition of a chain guard classed as interchangable? I wouldn't have thought so, it was welded on and it couldn't have weighed that much either (as so to be over the weight limit).
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Ocracoke View Post
    Is Carbide's addition of a chain guard classed as interchangable? I wouldn't have thought so, it was welded on and it couldn't have weighed that much either (as so to be over the weight limit).
    It is quoted as 110kg but IIRC they have 2 bars one of which is heavier and removable Plastic top Armour to shield against axes. Plus do they weigh each bot before each match or is just a one time thing. Reading from some old team web sites people used to bolt on more armour when fighting hypnodisc and would be overweight if they where weighed but Team Hypnodisc just saw it as a challenge.

  6. #6
    Ocracoke's Avatar
    Team Kaizen

    It is quoted as 110kg but IIRC they have 2 bars one of which is heavier and removable Plastic top Armour to shield agiesnt axes.
    I did wonder about that. Either the addition (in the event that Carbide weighs exactly 110kg) meant they were forced to use the lighter bar or that 110kg figure is rounded up (note that in the rebooted RW series, all weight figures seem to be whole numbers off the top of my head) so perhaps the addition (say ~500g?) meant they were still under the weight limit with the heavier bar.
    Team Kaizen - Build Diary for all the robots

    AW: Amai, Ikari, Lafiel, Osu, Ramu
    BW: Shu!, The Honey Badger
    FW: Azriel
    MW: Jibril, Kaizen

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  9. #9
    To be honest flails are a uncommon and Nuts 2 got lucky (not taking it away from them loved watching them beat carbide). Really hope Nuts 3 goes "pro" and becomes a really powerful flail spinner as it's huge reach and unpredictable weapon. It was fantastic to watch it reach 3rd/4th place

  10. #10
    Nothing wrong with tacking extra bits of armour on from scrap material, so long as the robot remains in weight. Rapid borrowed a sheet of HDPE from us to bolt onto the top of their robot for fighting Terrorhurtz, and Vulture added things that weren't part of the submitted design. All tha matters is whether it's still in weight or not.

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