As a footnote to all this - Ian Lewis no longer sells the Big Issue in the foyer of ASDA. Hes been replaced by someone else who by chance does not look like Simon Scott
As a footnote to all this - Ian Lewis no longer sells the Big Issue in the foyer of ASDA. Hes been replaced by someone else who by chance does not look like Simon Scott
Andrew,
You said There have been issues with the rules for season 7, as expressed by other roboteers - and many of those issues I also have concerns with as a future roboteer. ...As a future roboteer I have no interest in entering a design into a competition run by Mentorn - and havent had for some years.
As far as I can tell Mentorn are completely out of the Robot Wars business so the question of entering a design into a competition run by Mentorn is not likely to arise.
The rule set used for Series 7 and the FRA rules are very similar. The most important differences betweenthe two rule sets is that the FRA set allows a much wider choice of gas bottles and allow robots without an offensive weapon.
Sorry, John - I should have been clearer about that, it sounds too much like I have a problem with the FRA as well, and I dont.
With two possible exceptions (the raised voltage limit and the requirement for nonstatic weaponry, neither of which apply to the FRA) I have no problem with the rules for the design of robot permitted at Robot Wars. Neither of those are likely to apply to a robot I build anyway, but that doesnt stop me objecting to the rules. :-)
My rules objections to Robot Wars mostly concern behaviour of the house robots/arena hazards, particularly with respect to treatment of (usually) defeated robots. Ive never seen a copy of the rules which mentions, for example, the mercy clause so I presume theres something (possibly contractual) in addition to the building guides Ive seen posted. The same applies to remuneration. I guess theres an additional set of fight rules, rather than building rules, because Ive not seen a formal description of deadly embraces, maximum holding periods, what constitutes being unreasonably trapped on an arena hazard, and so on - yet these things are, apparently, regulated (if a little loosely).
My understanding - and please forgive me if Ive got the wrong end of the stick on this - is that group(s) of roboteers complaining before season 7 were doing so primarily because of concerns about competitor machines being trashed by the house robots for good television without adequate compensation or means to object.
I see the difference between Robot Wars and the live events as being, primarily, that in Robot Wars if you dont win, theres a sporting chance that youll have to completely rebuild your robot. Live events continue until something terminal breaks - but with a bit of luck itll only be one thing, and after repairs you can fight again another day. If not, hard luck, but at least its a fair fight in which you got trashed. I would enter a live event with the best robot I could build; I would only enter Robot Wars with the best robot I could afford to lose.
I feel that both the fact that people might be put off from entering their best robots (in many cases that means entering *at all*), and that many otherwise competent robots get made incapable of future competition as a result of a trashing by house robots (or at least that time is spent rebuilding them which could have been spent improving the design), are bad things. Bad for Robot Wars itself, bad for the live event scene, bad for the audience who want to take an interest in the engineering effort or support a particular machine, and bad for the roboteers who have spent time, money, blood, sweat and tears on their creations. Whoever at Mentorn decides that destroying machines just for the violence of it is a good thing clearly disagrees with me, whereas I believe my viewpoint is shared by a number of eminent roboteers. The regulations permitting this to take place are what I object to - and what I understand others to object to as well.
Its true that it looks unlikely that Mentorn will be behind season 8/extreme 3/anything else in the immediate future; however these are views Ive held since the early years of (televised) Robot Wars, and I have always made the distinction that Id love to build a combat robot (and probably will, soon) but not to have a house robot dismantle it for me. Therefore out of habit I tend to state the difference, even if it turns out never again to be an issue.
Since Ive always been hard on Mentorn, I should probably say that I know there are competent people responsible for Robot Wars who are sympathetic to the roboteers. However someone somewhere in Mentorn is responsible for the decision to allow these trashings to happen (and the dodgy editing, and the spoilers, and past problems with floor staff, and allowing JP to spout garbage...) so I tend to lay the blame at the company as an entity. Just so people know Im not tarring everyone with the same brush.
It was, however, high time that some roboteers stood up and said we make the show work, and were not happy with our work being trashed just for the sake of someones idea of good TV. Big hand to everyone who did.
--
Fluppet
Er, just in case that wasnt long enough, I should of course say that I greatly enjoy Robot Wars as a programme, and Im a bit wary of doing down Mentorn too much about it (especially when its like speaking ill of the dead). But Id have enjoyed it a heck of a lot more if it was run like an FRA live event with studio lights, and Im just not prepared to put my own handiwork on the line in that way.
(Sorry, Ill shut up now.)
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Fluppet
As A Razer Fan, Ive read these huge amount of posts and have had to look at both sides of the stories, and Ive come to post my opinion.
Razer, its a wonderful machine, as many of you have commented, you could say it is one of a kind by form. One of the reasons I back Razer is, because it was one of the last veteran robots from back around Series 2. For its age, it has done what many robots and roboteers have only dreamed of doing. The record is proof of that. I believe Ian and Simon dont think they are gods, but mere mortals like the rest of us. Remember Razer was not always this winning robot like a lot of you think, for the first few seaons of its battling life, it broke down. Many people dubbed it the Unreliable bot.
Now, if the Razer Team no longer want to battle in RobotWars, so be it, stop bitching about it, and all you fanatics out there, stop creating posts saying that Razer will beat all! You are starting to shit people off! But Also, on the same note, I would like to see the guys from the Shredder Team to stop posting childish remarks like big girls they are. I find that a bit below your level guys. I certainly wouldnt even at my mere age of 16 say to you guys You guys suckass, get a decent spinner because I find that morally wrong even if I was joking, its a bit like all the people who always downed Napalm, but as far as I see, Napalm should be commended for their efforts, even if they didnt get through a round. Nothing against you guys from the Shredder Team, but I just think that comment was a bit low.
I just wish for everyone to accept that Razer has finished its RobotWars competition, no more tinking about how it would fair against the new bots or the like. I support Ian and Simons decision, they made it because they wanted to.
As I finish this semi-ranting post, Im just going to say as a verteran Razer fan, Razer will always be the Inspirational figure in my roboteering mind. Plus, even though Razer is now retired from RobotWars, there is always the awesome Warhead in BB! Something that a lot of UK bots wouldnt like
Thank you for at least reading my post, whether you considered it worthy or not.
My comments being a bit low unusual for me. Still big girls they are..
its a bit like all the people who always downed Napalm, but as far as I see, Napalm should be commended for their efforts, even if they didnt get through a round.
Actually, in every single War the team have competed in, David Crosby and co have ALWAYS managed to get to at least Round 2 (including the Ex 1 Annihilator they had to pull out of)
And as for the Razer thing, its the teams decision whether they should compete or not, so shut your yappers and just enjoy the new generation of demolishers Its not like well ever forget such a terrifying machine anyway
What machine is that?
Love Dorie the Fish
oh boy, here we go again.......
Regretting this joke every day. As I was told not long ago, as I am seen as the Razer bum boy (whatever that means) my original post was taken too seriously.
I would say, unless you have met the teams, and discussed the situation with them, and been around when things developed then nobody can know the truth. Not putting anyone down with that, but its a complicated issue and involves many things that are not robotwars.
I would have said that Aaron is so far away, (in Oz) he cannot know the roboteers, but the comment You guys suckass, get a decent spinner is so uncanny I think he may know us in the UK better than we think (retort to Chris O)
ps, I know Karoline, no need to say it.....
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