BattleBots Season 2

[Cory]

Originally Posted by mman1506

Can't believe Ghost Raptor got the wild card over Disco Inferno. Ghost Raptor fared about as well as a plastic lawn chair in its fight.

Oh well... Awesome episode anyway.

My personal opinion while at the event was that any of last year's semifinalists would get a wildcard if they lost, as long as the damage was repairable. Was not surprised at all they got one.

[IKE]

Originally Posted by Christopher149

In the intro video for Rotator, did the earlier robot(s) of his look like FRC robots? (telling from the large, red alliance light on the robot)

I thought so as well, but I did not recognize the robot. I remember 2002 still had the lights, but when did they go away? I was not active 2003 or 2004, and I know by 2005 we didn't have to package one of those.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by IKE

I thought so as well, but I did not recognize the robot. I remember 2002 still had the lights, but when did they go away? I was not active 2003 or 2004, and I know by 2005 we didn't have to package one of those.

The last season of the rotating light was 2003. I remember not understanding the raucous applause when Dave Lavery chucked it in the trash on-air during Kickoff 2004 (the first exposure I had to anything from FIRST besides the Will Smith video).

[Christopher149]

Originally Posted by Cory

The pacing and editing this year is SO much better than last year so far.

I seem to remember (hazily) them sometimes going to commercials between announcing and the match, or even after the countdown light hit green. So glad that once we see robots in the cage there is no break until after the match ends.

[XaulZan11]

Originally Posted by Cory

It's like 30s per match tops. That doesn't come close to adding up to enough time to add another match.

It feels like wasted time because you're a hardcore viewer but they need that kind of stuff for the average viewer. It also builds up the fight a little bit.

The pacing and editing this year is SO much better than last year so far.

I'm willing to concede that I'm not the viewer who would value that stuff, but it was 2 minutes and 27 seconds from the time they went to the field (and announced "Its Robot Fighting Time") to the time they powered on the robots for the first match of episode 2.

It won't stop by from watching, but I find it a little redundant that they spend a few minutes with the taped behind the scenes story of one of the teams, then spend another few minutes in the studio previewing the match and then spend another few minutes introducing the teams (again) and showing them walk into the arena.

I do agree the pacing is much better this year.

[FiMFanatic]

Am I the only one that finds this way too comparable to the last season? The same bots will generally win....so it is almost like watching re-runs.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by FiMFanatic

Am I the only one that finds this way too comparable to the last season? The same bots will generally win....so it is almost like watching re-runs.

Despite what fiction trains me to hope for, studying physics tells us that there are relatively few efficient/effective ways to destroy a BattleBots opponent. So... absent rules that force contestants to build something exotic, plus more rules that would give an exotic bot a good chance to win, the tried-and-true designs from the experienced builders are very likely to dominate.

For a comparison, ask yourself how often in USA football an exotic/trick play is attempted and succeeds. Not very often. Also ask yourself how often a rookie coach or a team that did poorly in their previous season wins a division? Not very often.

But ... people still enjoy watching football and rooting for their favorite team, even if that team is a perennial also-ran.

Maybe robot battles would be more interesting if the robots operated for only 10 seconds out of every minute? During the 50 seconds the robot would be "still" in each minute, the drivers could react to their opponents previous moves, could activate/deactivate subsystems, etc.

• The matches would last longer.
• Armchair quaterbacks and backseat drivers would have many more opportunities to shout at their TVs.
• You could get a cold drink from the fridge without missing too much of the action.
• Commentators like Madden (or Dave Lavery ) could share their wisdom with us.
• Sponsors would become more interested in covering the bots with NASCAR-style ads.
• Etc.

Without some sort of radical change, BattleBots is going to be much more like a boxing match that ends quickly than a soccer match that ebbs and flows for 90 minutes; and even with radical changes, construction experience, and driving experience will always be very valuable.

Blake

[XaulZan11]

Originally Posted by gblake

Also ask yourself how often a rookie coach or a team that did poorly in their previous season wins a division? Not very often.

From 2002 to 2013, a team went from last in their division on year to winning it the next year.

[gblake]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

From 2002 to 2013, a team went from last in their division on year to winning it the next year.

Touche!

Maybe I should have said "Conference" (16 teams) instead of "Division" (4 teams)?

Let's see if I can salvage any dignity....

• There are 8 Divisions. One or two out of eight each year is still a fairly low fraction.

And

• I predict BattleBots 2016 will have a few upsets/surprises.

I think the analogy remains perfect.

[lynca]

Thank you to whoever is updating the Season 7 Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BattleBots_(Season_7)
Where are they getting the match timing?

Also, how does the seeding of the bracket work ?

[Cory]

Originally Posted by lynca

Thank you to whoever is updating the Season 7 Wikipedia page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BattleBots_(Season_7)
Where are they getting the match timing?

Also, how does the seeding of the bracket work ?

Probably pulling time from the youtube videos of the full fights that get posted.

Producers/Battlebots executives chose the seeding, presumably based on how competitive you were last year, how impressive you were in your first fight, the odds of you continuing to be successful, and matchups that are compelling for TV..

[Jessica Boucher]

Anyone want in on a Chief-only BB Fantasy league (http://www.battlebots.com/fantasy/)? I just created one, PM me your email and I'll add you!

[gblake]

It's Thursday again - BattleBots tonight!

[mman1506]

Biteforce vs. Mohawk
https://youtu.be/xBgbju0eEa8



Looks like the shock mounts on biteforce's wedgelets broke. I wonder why they ran them over the hard mounts shown in the bot pictures against a non KE robot.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by mman1506

Biteforce vs. Mohawk
https://youtu.be/xBgbju0eEa8



Looks like the shock mounts on biteforce's wedgelets broke. I wonder why they ran them over the hard mounts shown in the bot pictures against a non KE robot.

There are no hard mounts in that pic. The ones in the picture have white electrical tape wrapped around them to satisfy Travis' OCD.