The Vapourbot Grand Prix 2010

[steven_mcg]

A new tournament? Madness, surely? You have no idea.

1. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
- I am looking for 8 people to enter 1 Heavyweight vapourbot each.

- The weight limits for vapourbots are:
100kg for wheeled/tracked robots (eg Tornado/Mortis)
120kg for unclassable methods of motion (eg...I don't know...a hovercraft or something)
120kg for shufflers (eg Son of Whyachi)
150kg for €˜true€™ walkers (eg Mechadon)

- Clusterbots are permitted. When half or more of the parts have been eliminated, the whole clusterbot will be eliminated.
- Robots with interchangeable weapons are limited to five set-ups. All must be stated in your initial stats.
- Basic tech' rules apply for everything else.
- CHOOSE YOUR ROBOT CAREFULLY. You will be competing in large-scale melees in a variety of different arenas and terrains, so pick your entry (and any additional extras for them) wisely. Skirted boxes and FBSs for instance may do well in some battles, but not in others.

2. TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE
- The tournament will consist of ten 8-way melees. All eight robots will fight together until only one remains or time runs out.
- The robots will be awarded points based on what position they finish in, similar to the Formula One Grand Prix:
1ST PLACE = 10 points
2ND PLACE = 8 points
3RD PLACE = 6 points
4TH PLACE = 4 points
5TH PLACE = 3 points
6TH PLACE = 2 points
7TH PLACE = 1 point
8TH PLACE = 0 points
- The robot with the most points at the end of the contest will be crowned the Vapourbot Grand Prix 2010 champion.

3. ARENAS
- Each of the ten melees will take place in their own specific arena with their own hazards and traps.
- Full arena layouts will be provided before each Grand Prix, but to give you an idea of what's in store, here's a few quick hints:

THE ROBOT WARS U.K. ARENA
Home of the British Grand Prix. The classic arena we all know and love - House Robots, Flame Grill, Pit of Oblivion, Drop Zone, you name it.

THE BATTLEBOTS BATTLEBOX
Home of the American Grand Prix. The other classic arena we all know and love, complete with screws, pulverizers and the infamous Kill Saws.

THE SUMO BASHO ARENA
Home of the Japanese Grand Prix. One big platform. No hazards. No walls. No rules.

THE C&B TOWER
Home of the Canadian Grand Prix. An enclosed ring with House Robots, lifts and one big pit. Try not to lose your footing.

PORT PULVERIZOR
Home of the Dutch Grand Prix. An enclosed arena with its own little diesel shunter and crates scattered everywhere. Warning: you may get wet.

AYRES RING
Home of the Australian Grand Prix. An oval-shaped battlefield featuing spinning discs and blades. Beware of earthquakes.

BLACK HOLE LABS
Home of the German Grand Prix. An enclosed pentagon with saw blades and flywheels of all shapes and sizes, and one big surprise in the middle of it all.

AZTECH ARENA
Home of the Mexican Grand Prix, brought to us by the good people of AzTech Industries. A two-floored cube with trap doors, spikes and flame grills. Reach the upper floor to get the upper hand.

MONTY CARLO'S FIGHTING CASINO
Home of the Monoco Grand Prix. A circular arena with hammers and spinning blades. Try not to fall off, or get too dizzy.

CLOCKWORK VALLEY
Home of the Swiss Grand Prix. A two-floored arena with pits, drums and springs. Don't dwell too long in the titular valley...

4. JUDGING
Should more than one robot still be mobile at the end of a clash, a winner will be declared using the following system:

DAMAGE = mark out of 5, multiplied by 3
AGGRESSION = mark out of 5, multiplied by 2.5
STRATEGY = mark out of 5, multiplied by 2
CONTROL = mark out of 5, multiplied by 1.5
STYLE = mark out of 5, multiplied by 1
TOTAL ( / 50) = Damage + Aggression + Strategy + Control + Style

In the unlikely event of a draw, I will ask an Outside Judge to make his or her own decision on the fight. Both results will then be averaged to give a final mark.

Assuming everyone hasn't already been torn to bits, that is.

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Um, and that's it. AJ and Joey have requested spots, so get thinking about those entries. Good luck, y'all.

[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.