From: J Corbally (icorb@indigo.ie)
Date: Wed Jan 16 2002 - 18:21:28 MST
>Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 14:06:16 -0500
>From: Mike Lorrey <mlorrey@datamann.com>
>Subject: Re: ROBOT: "Robot Wars" Continues To Burgeon
>
>Saw Robot Wars last night on TNN. It wasn't bad at all, though the
>presence of the 'housekeeping' bots in the corners, as well as the
>robo-griller in the center of the arena tends to make the bouts much
>shorter than Battlebots matches. I also think that getting your bot
>toasted in the pit is a disincentive (how much is your bot destroyed in
>there?).
>I have an idea for a powered lance that is thrust forward by the blast
>from a blank magnum cartridge, but restrained, so it doesn't become a
>projectile.
>------------------------------
The House Robots are all part of the fun. They can be the focus of group
attacks in a melee, or can go a bit nutty themselves and start disobeying
the rules. In fact, recently they held a bout for machines that used a
flipper as their main weapon. Instead of fighting each other, they all
turned on the House Robots. One was very nearly thrown from the
arena. Two were toppled, breaking off a flamethrower, while another caught
fire. Only one contestant was mobile by the end however.
There's also the fact that the House Robots are not bound by the weight
limitations the contestants are. It makes for interesting machines and
sometimes crushed contestants.
As for The Pit, it's basically just a Robot trap. The only damage would be
from the drop in, approximately 2.5 feet. The real damage is done with the
arena flipper. 5 feet in the air and to the other end of the arena,
depending on the weight of the machine.
Nice idea, but I doubt they'd allow it. There have been some spike weapons
over the years, usually powered by CO2 gas. The magnum cartridge would
likely put them all to shame though. One of the most devastating weapons
has been the rotating disk. On one machine in particular, this weapon is
capable of tearing off armoured shells, as well as destroying internal
components and smashing power sources. The contestants seem to take all
this in their stride, as you'll see these same machines patched up and good
as new two weeks later. I guess they figure that's the whole point of it.
Lovely stuff.....
James....
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and
crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures
to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid."
-Q, Star Trek:TNG episode 'Q Who'
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