Inspiration/innovation in weaponry

[Tim The Plumber]

and that's the reason why some hammerbots like beta and chomp experiment with magnets and such to keep them to the ground.

Is the floor steel? Always? If so then my design just changed... one day I'll build it...

[Eventorizon]

Is the floor steel? Always? If so then my design just changed... one day I'll build it...

In full combat, the floor is now steel. We can't way always but it would be crazy if it didn't.

As for spikes... they just don't work. Doesn't matter if its electric or pneumatic, you can't put enough energy behind them to make an impact. This comes up repeatedly, but just look at how spikes were abandoned from the first series through to the last. No one ever used them.

You will impart far more energy into an opponent with a spinner. But you loose ~50% in a horizontal due to Newton's Third Law, and I'd guess you loose 20% in a vertical as your opponent flies away from you (though that matters less).

It's annoying but there is a reason why the weapons have narrowed down to a select few. I don't think the weapons will change, but how you use them might. Bombshell's adjustable horizontal is a perfect example, taking out Cobalt (Basically Carbide) with almost no damage at all.

This doesn't mean you can't innovate, but I'd suggest trying to innovate the way robots are built, so they can take and dish our more punishment rather than trying to come up with new weapons. Or honing the current weapons, to match your opponent: For example, never fight a bar spinner with a disc.

[Runsler]

Is the floor steel? Always? If so then my design just changed... one day I'll build it...

As far as i am aware at least on battlebots the floor was steel, with a thin layer of rubber-ish stuff on it. that's why beta and chomp still jumped when they hammered, magnets didn't work.
Rumors say at least for beta a vacuum pump instead of magnets is in planning/testing... but i have no idea if that is true, would wonder if the weight used for it is worth it.

anyway, with magnets you always have to make sure they are used according to the rules, so no damage to the other bot through them.

[Eventorizon]

As far as i am aware at least on battlebots the floor was steel, with a thin layer of rubber-ish stuff on it. that's why beta and chomp still jumped when they hammered, magnets didn't work.
Rumors say at least for beta a vacuum pump instead of magnets is in planning/testing... but i have no idea if that is true, would wonder if the weight used for it is worth it.

anyway, with magnets you always have to make sure they are used according to the rules, so no damage to the other bot through them.

BB had painted the surface with a thick layer of grippy paint, about 1/8in thick. That was reason 1 why the magnets didn't work. Reason 2 is the competitors were told the floor was 3/8in steel. Actually it was 3 layers of 1/8in. Big difference. The layers just separated when the magnets pulled on then, weakening field and rendering them useless.

Beta's vacuum pump has been and gone. It drew so much power that they couldn't even run the weapon if they had the fan spinning (to much air resistance in the gears or something).

Magnets are they way to do it. I believe the UK arena's floor is 6mm steel. Its not as thick as BB's but it is one uniform layer. Its also backed by 1in thick ply so it won't deform. As for the no damage to other robots, some fairly small magnets on the bottom of a robot won't be an issue. They would take offence if it was a massive magnet on the end of a spike to go in and mess up their electronics.