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They had a heavyweight class but in the end, spinning really fast crushed all competition at every level from what I remember. Any design that deviated was a no

They had a heavyweight class but in the end, spinning really fast crushed all competition at every level from what I remember. Any design that deviated was a novelty, and I can see why you wouldn't want to bother with an interesting design, only to have it ripped apart in a few seconds. There were some flippers, some hammers, some flamethrowers, but spinning really fast always tore into them instantly. Kinda made it boring after the first few seasons. I'd be on board again if there wasn't such an obvious winning strategy. They banned nets, but they should probably ban spinners as well.

icebraining 7y ago
Have they tried drones yet? There's probably a nice challenge in having to balance weapons weight + battery weight + battery capacity + maneuverability.
- wtracy 7y ago
  Behold, robot sumo fights: https://youtu.be/4qHe5K3KktY https://youtu.be/4qHe5K3KktY For the most part, nobody is insane enough to battle autonomous robots with destructive weapons on board.
- michaelt 7y ago
  People have tried such things [1] I would say it doesn't make for particularly good viewing. Every engagement sends one or both drones involved to the ground, which rewards not engaging. Although perhaps more sophisticated rules could improve on that? [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFiYqVKFJ0U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFiYqVKFJ0U
  - germinalphrase 7y ago
    Obviously, the drones need to learn how to grapple.
logfromblammo 7y ago
Well, the obvious counter to spinners is nets and loose fibers, or otherwise fouling the spinner's bearings, so it's like banning paper from a rock-paper-scissors tournament. Everybody's gonna throw rock, and the people who still throw scissors because rock is boring get creamed. Ablative spinner shields are too heavy, and get in your way as much as they get in the spinner's way.
aidenn0 7y ago
Spinners won because they were the only thing left that could damage the typical armor, and most robots ended up with self-righting mechanisms to defeat flippers. IIRC good pushers could still compete with spinners though.

icebraining 7y ago

Have they tried drones yet? There's probably a nice challenge in having to balance weapons weight + battery weight + battery capacity + maneuverability.

wtracy 7y ago
Behold, robot sumo fights: https://youtu.be/4qHe5K3KktY https://youtu.be/4qHe5K3KktY For the most part, nobody is insane enough to battle autonomous robots with destructive weapons on board.
michaelt 7y ago
People have tried such things [1] I would say it doesn't make for particularly good viewing. Every engagement sends one or both drones involved to the ground, which rewards not engaging. Although perhaps more sophisticated rules could improve on that? [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFiYqVKFJ0U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFiYqVKFJ0U
- germinalphrase 7y ago
  Obviously, the drones need to learn how to grapple.

logfromblammo 7y ago

Well, the obvious counter to spinners is nets and loose fibers, or otherwise fouling the spinner's bearings, so it's like banning paper from a rock-paper-scissors tournament. Everybody's gonna throw rock, and the people who still throw scissors because rock is boring get creamed. Ablative spinner shields are too heavy, and get in your way as much as they get in the spinner's way.

aidenn0 7y ago

Spinners won because they were the only thing left that could damage the typical armor, and most robots ended up with self-righting mechanisms to defeat flippers. IIRC good pushers could still compete with spinners though.