BattleBots Thread

[The Galactic Liberal Democracy]

Witch doctor was actually good in the finals. They were shit first year though and still not deserving the next season.

Anyways, how about we say which robots shouldn't ever come back.
1. Captain Shrederator: it's just embarrassing at this point
2. Bombshell: more "fan" (judge) popularity with a lot of luck
3. Blacksmith: their design is obsolete yet the keep on coming back- more bias

Minotaur and Bronco didn't do their greatest. Are they over or was it just a bad season?
Tombstone's flight reminded me of t-wrecks or whatever that thing was.

My personal least favorite robots are the middle of the road vertical spinners that don't have original designs and aren't successful enough to justify their own existence... but I recognize that I'm probably alone there.

I don't know what the future of the Captain is, but it's clear that it can't come back the way it is now. Bronco also needs to find a way to increase its resiliency. Bombshell is just a bot with a weird track record. I'd like to see them back just because of that unpredictability. I disagree about Blacksmith. Al Kindle knows the hammer won't knock bots out and is mostly a way to make the bot entertaining. I think of them as a machine similar to Duck- built to take hits. And it works. They won three fights this year (I also thought they should have gotten the nod against Sawblaze).

I dislike them, but I also forgot their names and I don't care about them. They never achieve anything so whatever.
I hate robots that get lucky. They'll knock out someone who could have won because the driver was low skill and their robot was bad to begin with. Bombshell and Chomp never deserved places, but it was good the one time they took out tombstone.
Blacksmith isn't a duck. I agree that robust robots make for good fights, but nearly anyone can beat blacksmith and there no show. A hammer missing its target while the bots get shoved around is no substitute to the absolute havoc Duck withstands. It doesn't work.
If you want a robot that gives good fights but always loses, Free Shipping is the best. I kind of want to see Gary Gin with a good bot, but there's definitely action and skill. And a robot that sets itself on fire.
Sawblaze is great at winning decisions and they won that one by a bit. They might have gotten past Witch Doctor if the disc wasn't so low. Blacksmith couldn't take anyone in the 16.

[Kohr]

My personal least favorite robots are the middle of the road vertical spinners that don't have original designs and aren't successful enough to justify their own existence... but I recognize that I'm probably alone there.

I don't know what the future of the Captain is, but it's clear that it can't come back the way it is now. Bronco also needs to find a way to increase its resiliency. Bombshell is just a bot with a weird track record. I'd like to see them back just because of that unpredictability. I disagree about Blacksmith. Al Kindle knows the hammer won't knock bots out and is mostly a way to make the bot entertaining. I think of them as a machine similar to Duck- built to take hits. And it works. They won three fights this year (I also thought they should have gotten the nod against Sawblaze).

I dislike them, but I also forgot their names and I don't care about them. They never achieve anything so whatever.
I hate robots that get lucky. They'll knock out someone who could have won because the driver was low skill and their robot was bad to begin with. Bombshell and Chomp never deserved places, but it was good the one time they took out tombstone.
Blacksmith isn't a duck. I agree that robust robots make for good fights, but nearly anyone can beat blacksmith and there no show. A hammer missing its target while the bots get shoved around is no substitute to the absolute havoc Duck withstands. It doesn't work.
If you want a robot that gives good fights but always loses, Free Shipping is the best. I kind of want to see Gary Gin with a good bot, but there's definitely action and skill. And a robot that sets itself on fire.
Sawblaze is great at winning decisions and they won that one by a bit. They might have gotten past Witch Doctor if the disc wasn't so low. Blacksmith couldn't take anyone in the 16.

I like their fights, but that's me, and you have the right to disagree. I will just say that they're a bit more competitive than you give them credit for. Their victory over Rotator, who was a quarterfinalist a short year ago, is pretty close to a direct contradiction to not being able to take anyone in the top 16.

[The Hoenn Region]

So close witch doctor! Seeing them take out a wedgelet at a time was so hype. The bots' design is getting dialled in more and more, can't wait to see the next iteration. I reckon they should've been counted out against death roll though but hey ho.

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

Ooh, great final!

...Is it too early to start calling Bite Force the GOAT? Definitely up there with Hazard, Ziggo, Biohazard, Vlad etc.

My quick reaction to the fights.

Really glad to see Death Roll back up their season with a win over Minotaur. This really hasn't been Minotaur's season, but they'll probably be better next time around.

Tombstone doing what they do best. I thought Whiplash might be too quick, but once they started coming apart after the first hit, there was only one way this would end.

Dominant performance for WD. Once again, their weapon being out in front allows then to completely negate the forks of their opponents. I expect to see this design feature on a lot more bots next year.

Bite Force being predictably dominant. Lockjaw being predictably combustible.

It's a shame Death Roll lost its weapon, but that thing has been so durable all season. I don't think WD should have been counted out, they were moving in the same way Bite Force was against Hypershock - struggling, but clearly able to move their bot where they wanted. I think it's pretty clear that WD won the decision too.

Bite Force KO-ing Tombstone in under a minute was a shock for me. We've never seen Bite Force take on a lop level horizontal before, and I thought its weapon brackets would be vulnerable, but nope, they just chopped through Tombstone's thickest bar in the first hit.

I didn't think WD would stand a chance against Bite Force, but this was closer than I expected. WD definitely had the advantage for the first minute, but the strength of Bite Force is that is can come out worse from several exchanges and then just land one hit that wins the fight. I have never seen a robot which has the poise, stability, agility, strength, reliability, durability, and damaging weapon of Bite Force. How does anyone beat that thing!?

Good luck to the bots next season - they'll need it

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

I'm back with another Excel screenshot because I'm too lazy to make proper tables!

I've used a top secret formula to rank all the robots over the last two seasons. Hopefully I'll be able to use this same formula going forwards. I'm sure many of you will have complaints at my rankings, but I can assure you that I don't care.

35 robots are in the rankings (assume all others have 0 points), but I've only included the top 20 in my screenshot.

[Kohr]

I'm back with another Excel screenshot because I'm too lazy to make proper tables!

I've used a top secret formula to rank all the robots over the last two seasons. Hopefully I'll be able to use this same formula going forwards. I'm sure many of you will have complaints at my rankings, but I can assure you that I don't care.

35 robots are in the rankings (assume all others have 0 points), but I've only included the top 20 in my screenshot.

(Image)

I like rankings. I also like tables.

So clearly, to get points you have to make the tournament, and the base point level for that is 3. I must figure out how this works...

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

I'm back with another Excel screenshot because I'm too lazy to make proper tables!

I've used a top secret formula to rank all the robots over the last two seasons. Hopefully I'll be able to use this same formula going forwards. I'm sure many of you will have complaints at my rankings, but I can assure you that I don't care.

35 robots are in the rankings (assume all others have 0 points), but I've only included the top 20 in my screenshot.

(Image)

I like rankings. I also like tables.

So clearly, to get points you have to make the tournament, and the base point level for that is 3. I must figure out how this works...

Good try, but it's more complicated than that

[Kohr]

We got season 5!

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

We got season 5!

Yes! Great news!

[Ameriganastan]

We got season 5!

Woot woot!

[Kohr]

News about the upcoming season includes that Bronco, Bombshell, Blacksmith, and Yeti won't be there, Beta, Ghost Raptor, Chomp, and Icewave will be back, Apollo (under a different name) and Ripper will be showing up, and that there will be 20 two-and-a-half hour long episodes.

[Ameriganastan]

Blacksmith, Bronco and Bombshell all gone?

Thank God.

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

Unfortunately Battlebots has been postponed due to COVID-19

[Ameriganastan]

We not have the next season for a while, but at least we got Jomboy breaking it down.

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

Battlebots is back

Just a quick update post regarding the main news stories and gossip from the last few months.
- Battlebots 2020 has been filmed and will probably be broadcast in December
- Despite some noticeable COVID-based absences, this will be considered a full normal season just like the others
- Paul Ventimiglia has sold Bite Force and is in the process of building a new version. Therefore, the champ will not defend its crown
- Most foreign teams will not be there, including Cobalt, Minotaur, and Monsoon. However, some have been able to make it, including Beta, Black Dragon, and End Game
- There are a larger number of new teams than originally expected, as teams have had several more months to finish their robots
- Among those new robots is SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, which is 14 feet wide, Aegis, a flipper bot armoured entirely in kevlar, and Perfect Phoenix, essentially a repainted version of Paul Ventimiglia's Brutality, which won the non-televised 2009 tournament
- There is a new rule allowing walker robots to have double the weight limit of other robots. Chomp has taken advantage of this and is entering a six-legged 500lb bot with an axe on a rotating turret
- IceWave and Ghost Raptor return this year after absences
- Bronco is also back after saying that they wouldn't be participating in the 2020 season. The SOW team were originally going to enter with just Hydra and new robot Fusion, but SOW itself is now listed as a competitor, though this may be only for exhibition fights
- Tombstone has shown up with 10 different weapon bars

The full list of competitors is here, and there is a compilation of test box footage here

[Atheris]

Battlebots is back

Just a quick update post regarding the main news stories and gossip from the last few months.
- Battlebots 2020 has been filmed and will probably be broadcast in December
- Despite some noticeable COVID-based absences, this will be considered a full normal season just like the others
- Paul Ventimiglia has sold Bite Force and is in the process of building a new version. Therefore, the champ will not defend its crown
- Most foreign teams will not be there, including Cobalt, Minotaur, and Monsoon. However, some have been able to make it, including Beta, Black Dragon, and End Game
- There are a larger number of new teams than originally expected, as teams have had several more months to finish their robots
- Among those new robots is SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, which is 14 feet wide, Aegis, a flipper bot armoured entirely in kevlar, and Perfect Phoenix, essentially a repainted version of Paul Ventimiglia's Brutality, which won the non-televised 2009 tournament
- There is a new rule allowing walker robots to have double the weight limit of other robots. Chomp has taken advantage of this and is entering a six-legged 500lb bot with an axe on a rotating turret
- IceWave and Ghost Raptor return this year after absences
- Bronco is also back after saying that they wouldn't be participating in the 2020 season. The SOW team were originally going to enter with just Hydra and new robot Fusion, but SOW itself is now listed as a competitor, though this may be only for exhibition fights
- Tombstone has shown up with 10 different weapon bars

The full list of competitors is here, and there is a compilation of test box footage here

TOMBSTONE HAS 10 DIFFERENT WEAPON BARS? Oh, lordy! I can't wait to see how Tombstone's going to rip and tear his way into victory this season.

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

TOMBSTONE HAS 10 DIFFERENT WEAPON BARS? Oh, lordy! I can't wait to see how Tombstone's going to rip and tear his way into victory this season.

Here is the post.
9 Weapon bars in the photo, and Ray has confirmed that the 10th was on the robot at that time.

[Kohr]

Battlebots is back

Just a quick update post regarding the main news stories and gossip from the last few months.
- Battlebots 2020 has been filmed and will probably be broadcast in December
- Despite some noticeable COVID-based absences, this will be considered a full normal season just like the others
- Paul Ventimiglia has sold Bite Force and is in the process of building a new version. Therefore, the champ will not defend its crown
- Most foreign teams will not be there, including Cobalt, Minotaur, and Monsoon. However, some have been able to make it, including Beta, Black Dragon, and End Game
- There are a larger number of new teams than originally expected, as teams have had several more months to finish their robots
- Among those new robots is SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, which is 14 feet wide, Aegis, a flipper bot armoured entirely in kevlar, and Perfect Phoenix, essentially a repainted version of Paul Ventimiglia's Brutality, which won the non-televised 2009 tournament
- There is a new rule allowing walker robots to have double the weight limit of other robots. Chomp has taken advantage of this and is entering a six-legged 500lb bot with an axe on a rotating turret
- IceWave and Ghost Raptor return this year after absences
- Bronco is also back after saying that they wouldn't be participating in the 2020 season. The SOW team were originally going to enter with just Hydra and new robot Fusion, but SOW itself is now listed as a competitor, though this may be only for exhibition fights
- Tombstone has shown up with 10 different weapon bars

The full list of competitors is here, and there is a compilation of test box footage here

Thanks for the rundown. I'm excited!

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

Confirmation of Return

Battlebots will be back for 2020 on December 3rd. There is also now a (slightly bizarre) teaser trailer.

[Kathol Rift]

Battlebots is back

Just a quick update post regarding the main news stories and gossip from the last few months.
- Battlebots 2020 has been filmed and will probably be broadcast in December
- Despite some noticeable COVID-based absences, this will be considered a full normal season just like the others
- Paul Ventimiglia has sold Bite Force and is in the process of building a new version. Therefore, the champ will not defend its crown
- Most foreign teams will not be there, including Cobalt, Minotaur, and Monsoon. However, some have been able to make it, including Beta, Black Dragon, and End Game
- There are a larger number of new teams than originally expected, as teams have had several more months to finish their robots
- Among those new robots is SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, which is 14 feet wide, Aegis, a flipper bot armoured entirely in kevlar, and Perfect Phoenix, essentially a repainted version of Paul Ventimiglia's Brutality, which won the non-televised 2009 tournament
- There is a new rule allowing walker robots to have double the weight limit of other robots. Chomp has taken advantage of this and is entering a six-legged 500lb bot with an axe on a rotating turret
- IceWave and Ghost Raptor return this year after absences
- Bronco is also back after saying that they wouldn't be participating in the 2020 season. The SOW team were originally going to enter with just Hydra and new robot Fusion, but SOW itself is now listed as a competitor, though this may be only for exhibition fights
- Tombstone has shown up with 10 different weapon bars

The full list of competitors is here, and there is a compilation of test box footage here

Ah, dang it. Minotaur was my favorite. And Bite Force was my second favorite. The Chomp news is interesting though. I’m curious to see how that functions. It won’t stand up to any horizontal spinners, but it might work against grapplers. We’ll see.

[Kohr]

New season starts tonight! It's about time!

[Crysuko]

New season starts tonight! It's about time!

I just hope it gets posted online, I don't get american channels

[Pencil Sharpeners 2]

I'll also be waiting for it to be shoved on Youtube by an account that will inevitably get deleted within days. I'd be happy to throw money at Discovery to be able to watch this, but there's still no option in the UK

Anyway, there are so many fights I can't be bothered to go in-depth with them all, so here are just a few talking points:
- How will Fusion do in its debut? The testing videos looked pretty deadly, and the horizontal/vertical combo could be difficult to defend against. However, the Whyachi team brought Falcon last year, which also had two powerful weapons... and was rubbish. The Madcatter matchup is designed to allow Fusion to show what it can do against a weak opponenet, so let's see what they've got.
- How improved is Bloodsport? I've seen build images for the last few months, and the collection of weapons they have looks frightening, but do they have the power to back it up? Especially against Skorpios which has killed horizontals in the past.
- Can Captain Shrederator win... anything? I remember when this robot was near-unbeatable about 10-15 years ago, but the shell spinner design has not aged well. Hopefully they'll get some luck this year, but I doubt they'll have any against Lockjaw.
- What will Smee(etc.) do? This thing looks ridiculous, but has had some amount of success with a similar design at smaller weight classes. As with Fusion, it's got a pretty easy first matchup against Sharko.
- How good is the new End Game? When I first saw the new design, I thought that the spinner-killer front was a useful addition, but it's going to get the ultimate test in its first fight. Last year there would have been no question that Tombstone would win this, but Eng Game might put up a decent fight now.

[Ameriganastan]

I see Endgame is the inaugural sacrifice to Tombstone this season.

And will Captain Shrederator ever go away? It is a suck bot.

[Kohr]

Dang, that hammer saw on Sawblaze has some serious KO power this year. Look out.