Cage or no cage?

Okay all.
As we all know if you went to the winter tour Nottingham event, RR put a cage up around the arena, but is it a one-off thing?
Even if it is, well be taking a vote on what we think.
Its your oppinion as a roboteer and spectator.
Me, i think no cage.
1-It gives you a bad veiw of whats happening.
2-It blocks some of the best hazards out, the hammer and OOTA.
What do you think?

well as a flipper team i think no cage
but if it a vote i would vote for cage you ask why well a 10 second fight is no good for spectators and the cage does not realy afect the side of the spectator,
what i would like to see is no smoke and full lights as i could not see trying to drive never mind the spectators

(Message edited by jct on October 29, 2008)

i think cage much better fights, now teams with flippers have to drive a bit better to make there weapon affective ie throw people out the arena

my vote-CAGE

This is very interesting, post your views/comments on here, but an offical roboteers poll will go live this weekend where all roboteers part of the system and attend the events can answer simple yes/no to certain questions. One of which is Cage or No Cage - with live results. Keep the comments coming in here - we are here to move the sport/hobby into the future, so your comments are vital and important.

Mr Stu
http://www.RoamingRobots.co.ukwww.RoamingRobots.co.uk

Phew, thats a relief!
I thought that youd be fuming, Mr Stu, but turns out in doing you a favour! XD

Id vote for keeping the cage, like John said it makes for better fights if they dont end after ten seconds because someones gone out of the arena...also in my opinion the dominance of flippers in live events was starting to get slightly ridiculous, so the cage can only be a change for the better :)

i think the cage is a good thing, and i like the new kind of walk way with the barrier that rises out of the floor, something i think might be a good idea is to drive the robots on one at a time and whilst that is happening the commentator entroduces each one. but for the feathers because there is so many it might be a bit hard to do with 18 or so in the arena at the same time.

i remember last year when i was sitting in the stands and whilst all the robots are waiting to start a fight the commentator is shouting out all the names, it was impossible to know which robot she was talking about.

yeh but then you have a bit of a safty issue....

that could be done with a bull pen, but Im for the cage does raise some issues thou

Well, the cage could make for an interesting fight your correct that was, flippers flipping the other robots in the cage and causing some real damage, but i think that there should be a small gap for where the hammer can go, i like that hammer!
(P.s. computers fixed, yay!)

I like the cage for a few reasons.

It really is no fun getting the robots built and sorted out, driving all the way to an event to get dumped out in every fight and having a grand total of thirty seconds driving. The cage means that at least we get to compete a bit more, drive a bit more and try out to see what works and what doesnt. Even in the case of Beast vs Hydra (which went very badly from our point of view) it gave us chance to see what needed bolting down a bit more, what broke and what didnt. Probably good for the crowd too.

It means that robots have to become more reliable because the fights are lasting longer.

One thing I would say is that for roboteers the viewing angles are very poor. Those areas which have good viewing angles generally are full of people intent on watching the fight and it can be difficult to get a spot around these areas. Maybe a sensible solution to this is to create the driving position at the entrance doors where you just have Pete and drivers. This also means that if there is a problem Pete can instruct people rather than calling Stu to call cease. It wasnt a problem with Cylon catching fire but it did take a while between Pete asking and cease being called.

Andy

Thats a good idea, a drivers podeum.
That way, only those who are driving get a good veiw of the arena, while those just watching get an okay-ish veiw.
Good idea, andy.

got to second andys comments that you can drive for an eternity for seconds of driving. cage is a very good idea and i think has transformed the way we fight. at notts there were hardly any ootas. but there were some nice longer fights which would have lasted a lot less with no cage. stops flippers from dominating and makes for a better fight even if its not in envys favour. i will be spending winter modding envy for 2009. i expect a good year and so does thor :)

Drivers position should be near the doors, im sorry but thing which was annoynig me at the weekned was roboteers standing and being in the way. its never been a problem befor. Maidstone - new rule - do as your told! LOL. There will be special driver areas and special viewing area. Do not get in the way of someone drivnig and give space to drivers. Also do NOT enter the Arena Control Area.

And i blame Pete for the fire thing. If theres a fire, you say fire a bit louder down the walkie talkie. I could barely hear him till the 3rd time, normaly you shout fire if theres a fire. lol.

And Andy - Pete has to instruct me not just the roboteers to cease as i have to kill the arena effects. dont want anyone walking near/on the arena flipper etc and it goes off for whatever reason. Its normaly not a problem, just walkie talkie needs turning up, never had a problem before.

As most of you now know, we have lots of cameras and screens about, so we only need another screen for the roboteers like at robot wars to watch the fights.

Interesting comments about the cage, keep them coming....

Mr Stu

(Message edited by stu on October 29, 2008)

The cage certainly makes the fights last longer, so more interesting for the audience, but the downside is there will be more judges decisions rather than clear wins.
Id like to see a robot sized hole somewhere in the caged side of the arena so you can still get an O.O.T.A.

By the door? Where the many cameras were put up and Major damages ramps were and other such obstacles that were in the way. Meaning if we stood by the door we would be about 2 meters away from the arena, is that practical? Effects are important but the drivers being able to see is more important. More light next time as well please, I couldn€™t see anything in the arena.

True, the roboteers are more important, if it wasnt for us, then there wouldnt be a show.
So, more lighting and less efects.
Plus, maybe have the music away from where we drive, i dont know if its just me, but when theres loud music blaring in my ear, i find it hard to concentrate.

Matt, You need a lesson in basic business principles, The event organisers job is to put on a show for a paying audience, you as a roboteer are part of that show, as is the lighting, music, effects etc. How do you think the event organiser can fund things like the hire of the venue the costs of building, maintaining and transporting the arena the costs of lighting and sound equipment, the list goes on.... answer...ticket sales

Yes I would love to fight in an arena iluminated with several thousand watts of lighting without the distraction of loud music but as a spectator sport it would be a very poor show.

Simply put... poor show = poor ticket sales = no money for the event organisers = no events = no were for you to drive your robot!

So beleve me Matt NO roboteer is more important than the need to put bums on seats.

Hmmm... havent seen the cage yet but Im always for more safety. :wink: I only wonder what it does for visibility.
As in visibility for the audience, the robot-drivers, the judges, and even the hapless photographers like yours truly - who has been kicked off her spot before by irate roboteers demanding a good spot from which to drive their robots.
So, Im most fervently in favour of a designated area for robot-drivers ! Im also in favour of a designated spot for roboteers who want to watch the fights and, if it would be possible, even a designated and scratch-free spot for photographers and filmers (maybe we could order such a spot for an event in advance please ?).
I know, its a long list. But it would do away with so many of the practical problems...

If we cant see Geoff, probably means that the audience cant either. I believe John Lear has all ready mentioned this above though. The effects are fine but there is no point having them if nobody can see the robots-which is what they came to see in the first place.

Simply put... No robots= poor show!= poor ticket sales= no money for event organisers= no events!

Don€™t get me wrong, I know that all event organisers work extremely hard to put on events for us so we can drive our robots and they can make a mint through ticket sales, I appreciate this event organisers and thank you for keeping the hobby going for so long!

but what kind of show will there be if nobody can see whats going on in the arena? Audience or Roboteer?
Its all well and good having great effects and sound which looks and sounds fantastic to the audience but how many bums on seats will there be if the roboteers are driving blind? surely if there was a case to say nobody is able to control there robots because of the effects then the show is put in jeparody.
Lucily this isnt the case, and as a long time fan of Roaming Robots I can say Ive never had a problem seeing what i was doing in the arena (it is just bad driving) my point is simply the Roboteers are as important as putting bums on seats

I believe the chicken came first, no wait, was it the egg? Anyone see the parallel with this discussion?

No one group is more important than any other.

I havent seen the cage but I am very interested by it if it makes for longer fights.

Stu, not going to argue about the fire thing. Wasnt a big problem as it was but Im sure were all aware of the dangers of a fire taking hold (which it didnt). It was supposed to be constructive, not generate a debate on blame.

One of the reasons I suggested by the doors as a viewing area was because its a position which has no cage and should be kept relatively clear anyway. Its also at the front of the arena normally so Angela can grab the roboteers if she wants to talk to them.

Andy

Okay, now were debating about 2 things, cage or no cage, and roboteers or audience.
Why is it that all forum treads have to be like flowers?

Visibility for roboteers and audience are a priority for the organisers who ever they are.
A designated area for the drivers would be a very good idea
I have not been able to make any event with the cage but I think it is a good idea that will develop in time.
To add another idea would it be possible to have a platform behind the main stage for the robots (for the next fight) to be prepared, so you have a robot in door and an out door the idea is to speed the transition from one fight to the next.
Just a thought!!!

My god why do things always blow out of the water.

Haha like the idea Rob - a Terrorhurtz shapped hole? :talker:

Stu, not going to argue
Errrr was not arguing? Just stating what sadly happened in that one and only instance. So give over Andy.

Matt, You need a lesson in basic business principles, - dont paternise Matt he has a valid point.

Matt sadly the music speakers were close to the laoding door which are not nromaly but the venue were moving the seating around which sadly messed things up on the day which is why we had delays.

Tom lol and they can make a mint through ticket sales - If only. LOL!

Hey Babs -
Hmmm... havent seen the cage yet but Im always for more safety. the cage is not for safety, the polycarb can cope with that, but to keep bots in for longer fights as im sure you know. As for nice polycarb for pictures etc - we got you some nice new Polycarb just for you babs for you to take some lovely pictures at maidstone. :rofl:

SO - the cage - yes no? LOL!

Mr Stu

Yes

Cage YES

matt thats kind of the idea behind a forum.....it grows

I havent seen the cage but I am very interested by it if it makes for longer fights.

You never know, you might get lucky and find that Robochallenge have added a cage to their arena which might help stop Hornet throwing itself oota :)

On a serious note, I agree with the fact that no group is more important than the other. Roboteers need the event organisers and the event organisers need the roboteers - simple. We depend on each other, thats how this sport works and succeeds. Although some of the celebrity attention is enjoyable - getting asked for autographs, photos etc - as soon as the roboteers genuinely believe they ARE celebrities (and Im talking about the trashy celebrities here that think everyone loves them) then comes a slippery slope that will cause rifts and arguments.

Not trying to insinuate that anyone in this community is like that, everyone is perfectly sane and down-to-earth here :)
But if it was to happen then that is when it would become clear that no group is more important than the other

I like the idea of the cage. Havent seen it first-hand but its an attempt to keep things fresh and improve the quality of fights for the audience and that is what is beneficial in this sport.

As for roboteer viewing, with most people on 2.4GHz, why not mingle with the audience and control your robot from the audience perspective :)
Yes I know there would be various safety issues such as communication if sudden deactivation was required, but just imagine how special it would be for that little kid in the audience to have a roboteer sitting next to them whilst controlling their robot in that fight

i like your thoughts jamie i just might go sit in the crowd in a white board if its ok with saftey. if i can make just 1 person smile it makes me so happy.

I think that the cage is a great idea, the fights certainly last longer which can only be a good thing (unless THZ is in the arena:lol:)

last year at the XFM event we all sat in the audience and drove the robots from there. The view into the arena was great and it was nice to sit down and drive for a change.

seeing as alot of the rr events include the fold out seats the crowd is split into sections so maybe in a white board one robot per section gets everyone involved then...

Id agree on the audience thing, surprised that hasnt been done much before to be honest :)

Maybe in a white board fun fight with 3 or 4 robots, that could be an option. We already have the emergancy stop sound, so roboteers known when to stop if needed. Could give it a go at Maidstone, would be fun.

Audience split 2 teams, 4 robots, 2 per team, drive from audience. :proud:

Mr Stu

Good idea.
How many sections of the audience + One robot per section + crowd cheering for robot= fun fight!
But, if you where to drive from where the audience is, that might be a bit distracting, THE LOUDER YOU SHOUT THE BETTER YOUR ROBOT FIGHTS! as if, the louder you shout, the worser your bot fights more like, you could go deaf, have the controll being plucked at by kids, patting on the back, ect.
Maybe, behind the area where the arena is, but in line with your crowds section.

no cage = robot wars = 2002 = failure = tv dont want us

cage = roaming robots = 2009 = we will c what happens!

True |:-\

Cage yes.Cameras restricted to allow better driving positions yes, in the feather weight fights at Nottingham the smaller drivers struggled to find a space as one side was full of cameras
Maybe an elevated platform for either drivers or cameras?