AJWars: Era Ache

[joey_picus]

There isnt one, nor are there any Monsoon Crescents

Great job though Andy, keep the w00tiness coming. Well done to Steve

[steven_mcg]

Butter my crumpets! I wasnt expecting to do as well as that at all!

Excellent debut, AJ and commiserations to Dan and Sam. I was certain you would both batter me senseless.

[andrewj]

Thanks guys!

Krackotoa vs. Achilles vs. Orka RV

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Krackotoa starts spinning straight away, while Achilles and Orka RV head towards each other. Orka RV turns to the side of Achilles, but the skirting prevents it from getting underneath. Achilles does the same, but easily gets under the 8mm ground clearance of Orka RV and throws it over onto its back. Chris doesn€™t mind, as his invertible robot moves away before self-righting€¦ into the path of Krackotoa! Both robots smash away from each other, but hardly any damage seems to have been caused. Krackotoa continues its attack, this time meeting the front wedge of Achilles! Again, both robots repel away with no apparent damage caused. Krackotoa is starting to slow down and Orka RV takes its opportunity, driving the wedge under and using the flipper to throw Krackotoa over! Before Kody can even flick his inversion switch, Achilles is on the attack to throw it back right-way-up! The Canadian robots sneaks away while Orka RV rams into the side of Achilles and begins to drive it towards the arena wall€¦ and flips!

Achilles flies upwards, but the flip wasn€™t enough to get it over the metre high arena walls. Here comes Krackotoa€¦ right into the back of Orka RV! A nice slice has been carved into the 7mm thick Titanium armour! Krackotoa hits Orka RV again, battering it against the arena wall! Achilles gets its revenge on Orka RV by getting a flip in and sending it head-over-heels. Krackotoa has a quick swipe at Achilles and then translates away again, this time followed by Achilles. Orka RV self-rights and joins the chase. Krackotoa crashes off Achilles front wedge again, spinning it away. Orka RV gets under the back of Achilles neatly and flips it over, and Achilles quickly self-rights using it€™s T-Shaped bar. Orka RV attempts another attack but is again blocked off by Achilles skirts. Achilles again takes advantage of this is launches Orka RV into the air. Orka lands right side up, but is immediately met with another attack from Achilles, this time flipping it over€¦ and there€™s Krackotoa again! A great gash is torn out of the side of Orka RV! Orka self-rights quickly while Krackotoa turns to the side of Achilles and smashes into one of the skirts, buckling it slightly. Orka RV takes its chance against the damaged skirt, and it proves successful and the wedge gets under and the flipper throws Achilles over. Again the T-Shaped bar rolls Achilles back to its wheels.

Orka RV now turns towards the pit release target, and bumps into it, allowing the pit to lower€¦ meanwhile, Krackotoa has crashed straight into the side of Achilles, almost ripping the previously undamaged skirt completely off its hinges! The descending pit almost catches Krackotoa out, but Kody managed to steer away just in time. Achilles and Orka meet wedge-to-wedge and the superior drive of Achilles allows it to get under Orka RV with ease and starts hurtling towards the arena wall and flips! Orka RV batters against the wall and comes down with a thump, only to be rammed hard against the arena wall by Achilles on the follow-up. Achilles backs up for another drive, but sees Krackotoa approaching and gets out the way€¦ Oh! Krackotoa has ripped the whole side panel away from Orka RV!! Achilles comes in for a second ram, slamming Orka RV against the wall€¦ Krackotoa strikes again, drilling itself deep into the completely exposed innards of Orka RV! Achilles turns into Krackotoa and gets underneath, firing the flipper and hoisting the translational spinner in the air!

And Orka RV limps away! How on Earth is it still alive after that attack? Achilles goes to investigate, getting under the side nicely and flips it over! Orka RV self rights quickly as Krackotoa attacks Achilles again, this time removing the previously damaged side skirt. Krackotoa pauses for a moment, noticing that Orka RV seems to be going nowhere fast, and decides to finish it off with style, again tearing into the innards and ripping out some wiring! The short eruption of sparks seems to have signalled the end of Orka RV this time. And while some smoke starts to creep out from inside, the crowd begins to count Orka RV out€¦

10€¦ 9€¦ 8€¦ 7€¦ 6€¦ 5€¦ 4€¦ 3€¦ 2€¦ 1€¦

Orka RV has gone, and Krackotoa plans to kill Achilles off in the same manner, grinding against the side panel. But Alex€™s robot is proving to be a tough nut to crack and tenaciously turns its wedge into Krackotoa, firing the flipper and throwing the Canadian bot over. Krackotoa translates away, with Achilles not far behind it. Krackotoa is spinning around madly and unpredictably, and Achilles is notably backing off a little as the translational speed begins to crank up€¦ and unleashes power! Achilles swings across the arena towards the corner, while Krackotoa begins to dance around, now starting to become a blur as Alex carefully drives Achilles around the arena floor spike. Achilles lines itself up to go right at Krackotoa€¦ or at least it did, but Kody seems to have completely lost control as his robot starts swirling round like a spinning-top all over the place at an unbelievable speed! Krackotoa starts edging towards the pit, and Alex decides to take a chance and guns Achilles towards Krackotoa€¦

What an impact!!! Sparks scatter all over the place as Achilles and Krackotoa take flight! Krackotoa thuds into the arena wall with a huge bang, while Achilles gets turned inside out in a maddened spin€¦ and look at that damage! You can€™t see it? Well a canyon has been torn into the side of Achilles! Krackotoa edges away from the wall, clearly shaken up from the attack, but Achilles seems to have received the same treatment as Orka RV, as it stands static in the middle of the arena. Once again, the crowd begin the count€¦

10€¦ 9€¦ 8€¦ 7€¦ 6€¦ 5€¦ 4€¦ 3€¦ 2€¦ 1€¦

CEASE!

Krackotoa goes through to Round 2!

[andrewj]

Flank Attack 2: DT vs. Nitro-Gene 5.0 vs. Lethal Weapon

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We begin with the sound of revving up petrol engines, as Lethal Weapon starts to spin up. But Tony doesn€™t get chance to move his robot as Nitro-Gene 5.0 quickly goes in for the attack. The side skirts of Lethal Weapon prevent it getting under though, and Lethal Weapon quickly bursts away. But it doesn€™t get far before being blocked off by Flank Attack 2. Nitro-Gene 5.0 swoops in and slides straight under Flank Attack. Alex decides to turn his attention towards the English robot and Lethal Weapon makes a get away. Nitro-Gene 5.0 drives towards Flank Attack again, this time going straight between the claws and meeting the scoop! Before the claws can close, Nitro-Gene fires its flipper and launches Flank Attack a few feet in the air!

Flank Attack crashes back down, just as Lethal Weapon launches an attack! The horizontal spinning disc thunders off the inside of one of the claws and then collides with the scoop. This time Alex is quicker on the trigger, and the jaws wrap around Lethal Weapon! The claws grip firmly€¦ and tear right into the 3mm Titanium/Vanadium alloy of Lethal Weapon! Two huge holes have been carved into each of the sides of Lethal Weapon, and Flank Attack starts to push it across the arena and right over the flame grill. Lethal Weapon doesn€™t want to hang around there too long! Flank Attack turns, looking to drive Lethal Weapon elsewhere€¦ and that place is into the oncoming Nitro-Gene 5.0! The flipper sweeps under Lethal Weapon and fires, nicely hoisting both Lethal Weapon and Flank Attack right over and separates them.

Lethal Weapon flees as Flank Attack gets its claws either side of Nitro-Gene 5.0 and begins to crush€¦ but the sloping 3.25mm Hardox panels just aren€™t giving way. None the less, Flank Attack has a nice grip on Nitro-Gene and begins to push it, eventually crashing against the pit release! With the pit descending and the grip maintained, Flank Attack turns Nitro-Gene round and heads towards the chasm of doom. But there€™s Lethal Weapon! The spinning disc collides with the side of Flank Attack, causing all three vapourbots to scatter away. Paul looks relieved as he backs his robot away from the pits edge, as Lethal Weapon thunders into the side of Flank Attack once again! Nitro-Gene suddenly flies at Lethal Weapon, breaching the skirts and begins to push it across the Pyramid of Pain€¦ and flips! Where on Earth did that attack come from?! Moments ago it looked consigned to the pit, next minute its charged at Lethal Weapon, shoved it across the ring and launched it out of the arena!

Tony and Paul both look stunned, but Alex looks something else€¦ Flank Attack is not moving smoothly at all. Nitro-Gene goes in to have a closer look, and it becomes apparent that Flank Attack is moving in circles. One of the hits from Lethal Weapon has locked up the one wheel against its own wheel guard! Flank Attack starts spinning viciously on the spot€¦ Nitro-Gene is hesitant, but decides to ram it€¦ and gets stuck between the claws! The jaws close and grapple Nitro-Gene again, now can Flank Attack manage to edge towards the pit? Flank Attack begins to drive backwards and forwards in an arc, and is progressing forwards! Nitro-Gene€™s flipper opens with force, but it is of little use. But Nitro-Gene is driving itself and fighting back! And it seems to be getting the upper hand as Flank Attack is slowly turned towards the pit€¦ and now Flank Attack is fighting back itself! Nitro-Gene suddenly has a burst of energy and drives both robots to the pits edge€¦ and smoke starts funnelling out of the top of Nitro-Gene! But it€™s still going€¦ and down goes Flank Attack! The jaws finally let go and Nitro-Gene backs slowly away, leaving Flank Attack in the pit.

CEASE!

Nitro-Gene 5.0 goes through to Round 2!

[andrewj]

The May Tracks Has You vs. No Consequences vs. Back to Rock III

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And we€™re off, with No Consequences beginning its translation. It doesn€™t get very far before being rammed by both The May Tracks Has You and Back to Rock III! The May Tracks Has You gets under the side nicely and throws No Consequences clean over onto its back. As the huge lifting arm begins to self-right Joey€™s robot, Back to Rock III moves in with a big push, shoving No Consequences onto the flame grill. The May Tracks Has You glides in and under Back to Rock III this time, again using the flipper to good effect to throw it onto its back. No Consequences has already self-righted and is already starting to spin up. Leaving Back to Rock III to self-right, The May Tracks Has You instead goes after the yellow robot again.

This time No Consequences dodges the oncoming attack, before turning back in to strike The May Tracks Has You. Not a lot of damage seems to have been caused, but the attack has allowed Back to Rock III to catch The May Tracks Has You and get its revenge from earlier, rolling the English robot over with the lifter. No Consequences is dancing away again, and Back to Rock III makes its way to the dance floor€¦ Martijn doesn€™t seem to fear No Consequences, as he drives his robot straight at the translational spinner! The box rush stops both robots in their tracks, just as the robot with tracks scoops under No Consequences again, trying to damage it with the spiked wedge. Before it gets chance to flip, Back to Rock III barges into the side of it, causing sparks as the front saw blade meets the side skirting. Once again, No Consequences scrambles away as Back to Rock III lifts The May Tracks Has You into the air. The bot from Gainsborough slides off the lifter and reacts quickly to throw Back to Rock over again.

Back to Rock III self rights quickly thanks to its geared lifting arm. But then gets crashed into by No Consequences! Joey looks slightly happier to have finally got a good attack in, putting a nice dent in the rear end of Back to Rock III. Full of confidence, No Consequences turns towards The May Tracks Has You and clatters off the front wedge. Back to Rock III is waiting and thuds into No Consequences, completely stopping the spinning motion. This allows The May Tracks Has You to launch an attack, getting under No Consequences and flipping it into the air. The lifting arms starts to self-right No Consequences as Back to Rock III hits the pit release. Joey quickly gets away from the pit lowering right below his robot and starts spinning away, while The May Tracks Has You heads for Back to Rock III. The two robots drive at each other head to head, and The May Tracks Has You proves to be the lower of the two, as Back to Rock III rides up the wedge and gets trapped on the front spikes.

The May Tracks Has You senses an opportunity and travels towards the arena wall€¦ but No Consequences comes in to attack! The hit knocks The May Tracks Has You and Back to Rock III apart and causes a few sparks. No Consequences continues to spin at a medium medium speed and goes for the front wedge of The May Tracks Has You. One of the spikes has lost its tip after that attack! No Consequences stops spinning but is still in control, as it manoeuvres its lifting arm spikes under the skirts of The May Tracks Has You and begins to lift€¦ just as Back to Rock III begins to lift No Consequences! The May Tracks Has You topples over, followed by No Consequences, and Back to Rock III begins to push No Consequences towards the corner of the arena and onto the spike! The spike licks out quickly, projecting the inverted No Consequences a foot in the air! The May Tracks Has You joins in the fun and flicks No Consequences back over right way up, but onto the spike again! The spike operates again€¦ and oh dear, that didn€™t sound too good€¦ Back to Rock III takes its turn, beginning to lift No Consequences up. The May Tracks Has You whizzes in underneath and scoops up No Consequences, firing the flipper€¦ and sending it tumbling over the nearby wall!

Frank has little time to recognise the achievement as Back to Rock III starts gnawing away at the side skirt with its saw. The tracked robot turns and guides its flipper blade under Back to Rock III and once again gets it trapped on the spiked front wedge. The May Tracks Has You has one goal in mind, and that is to dispose of Back to Rock III properly this time! Frank steers his machine towards the pits edge and flips€¦ but Back to Rock III is well and truly embedded onto those spikes! The May Tracks Has You flips again, this time freeing Back to Rock III, but allowing it to escape. Someone can be heard shouting €œbut€¦ no one escapes the May Tracks€ from the control booth, as The May Tracks Has You makes light work of flipping Back to Rock over again. Frank goes for another flip, but Back to Rock self-righted very quickly and turned away from danger. The two go for another wedge-to-wedge charge€¦ and this time Back to Rock III gets under! The lifting arm raises The May Tracks Has You slightly off the ground and the Dutch robot surges forwards, dumping The May Tracks Has You into the pit stylishly.

CEASE!

Back to Rock III goes through to Round 2!

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And that concludes Round 1, hope you enjoyed it.

AJWars: Era Ache
Round 2 Draw

Nitro-Gene 5.0 vs. Mornington Crescent
Krackotoa vs. Back to Rock III

Tactics, predictions and Bolognese are welcome!

[majinb]

Good fight andrewj (w00t I won!), and joeychevron thinks so too!

Joey says:
If you're posting add that I say it's a very w00ty fight and not too disappointed about going out since it was gonna happen anyway, I was doomed the moment I saw the draw

[kodster]

Quite the Round 2 we have here...

Nitro-Gene 5.0 vs. Mornington Crescent

I think Paul might snag a JD, but it's close.

Krackotoa vs. Back to Rock III

Kill it. Avoid arena walls. Kill it. Avoid pit. Kill it. Avoid any other hazards, and did I mention kill it?

Good luck Marti, and nice fights, AJ, quite more than standard.

[steven_mcg]

Whoops, really should get some tactics in.

AJWARS: ERA ACHE
SEMI-FINAL
MORNINGTON CRESCENT VS Nitro-Gene 5.0

Try to outmanouever it and attack the sides. I should be able to cause some lovely damage to the skirts with any luck. Dance away from the flipper and batter it until it dies, loses a drive or goes to a judges decision.

As for the other semi, I'll pick Back to Rock to spring a surprise and pit Krackotoa.

Good luck, Paul, not that you need it. :P

[andrewj]

Tactics from Paul:

Nitro-Gene will have the skirts off to increase mobility and give Steven less chance of damaging me.
Just go on an all-out attack, keep his spinner down, and try to OOTA or pit him.

Nitro-Gene 5.0 vs. Mornington Crescent

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Finally Round 2 is underway, with Mornington Crescent revving up its dual spinning rings. Nitro-Gene 5.0 rockets across the arena quickly at its top speed of 20mph and slams into Mornington Crescent head on. The lower ring has built up enough momentum to shrug Nitro-Gene 5.0 aside. Paul turns his robot on the spot looking to get under Mornington Crescent, but Steve senses the danger and drives away. The rings begin to reach their maximum speed as Nitro-Gene 5.0 approaches again. The English robot hits Mornington Crescent hard, and creates a few sparks, but neither robot seems to have been affected. Mornington Crescent turns and brushes side to side with Nitro-Gene, pinging it away. The attack couldn€™t do much to the angled side panels, but it has allowed Mornington Crescent to get away and continues to spin the two shells up. Nitro-Gene 5.0 pursues, and quickly catches up, being 8mph faster that its oppodent. Again Nitro-Gene attacks with a box rush, this time with the flipper arm, slipping under the 8mm ground clearance of Mornington Crescent. The flipper arm fires and throws the 100kg Mornington Crescent 4ft in the air!

Mornington Crescent clatters back to Earth, skimming off the surface of the arena floor with one of its spinning rings. But it seems to be okay, and gets going again. Nitro-Gene 5.0 looks to attack and drives at Mornington Crescent. The flipping arm gets under again, but the teeth on the lower ring of Mornington Crescent propels it away, leaving Nitro-Gene flipping thin air! Mornington Crescent then unleashes a great attack, running into the side of Nitro-Gene! Both robots spin away from each other, with Mornington Crescent thwacking into the wall. Nitro-Gene shakes off the attack and the two drive towards each other again. Nitro-Gene slides under and the flipper fires, launching Mornington Crescent towards the wall and sends it tumbling over! That was a quick and quite impressive win.

CEASE!

Nitro-Gene 5.0 goes through to the final!

Sorry about the delay and quality, I€™ve had more things to do than I expected. Will try and finish this off in the next few days.