Battlebots - General Discussion

[jhlipton]

As many of you know, I've hatedd Ray with a passion pretty much since I saw his first fight.  Now it seems -- that was deliberate.  The folks at BattleBots asked him to play a villian and he was glad to agree.  The Ray Billings in this reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) from last year shows more of his true personality, as opposed to what we see on TV.  Still a bit full of himself but really generous with his time.  Well worth a read.

Also, this seems real: (both the comment and the clip)

[Quilt Fairy]

That's why I said Billings "comes off" as an asshole as I don't know him personally and you never know what the edit is.  I guess with a bot as lethal as Tombstone (normally), it's easy to play the villain.  I did notice the hug after the fight, that impressed me. 

[enoughcats]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

As many of you know, I've hated Ray with a passion pretty much since I saw his first fight.  Now it seems -- that was deliberate.  The folks at BattleBots asked him to play a villian and he was glad to agree.  The Ray Billings in this reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) from last year shows more of his true personality, as opposed to what we see on TV.  Still a bit full of himself but really generous with his time.  Well worth a read.

Thank you for sharing that reddit AMA.  

I had been looking for information about the 'buggy' that carries Tombstone because it just seems to be the right way to move a bot into the box.   (The rest of the questions were also much appreciated here.)

[jhlipton]

5 hours ago, enoughcats said:

Thank you for sharing that reddit AMA. 

Glad to share.

[AngelKitty]

On 7/20/2019 at 7:53 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

I thought the redesign of Sawblaze was poor, it put too much weight in the back and the imbalance really showed once it was in the battlebox.

Me too. Wouldn't have been better if it stayed in place and just spun? It looks to me like the ones that do the best have those spinning drums.

[Ilovepie]

On 7/20/2019 at 4:41 PM, Totale said:

We thought Blacksmith got screwed, but at least we got to see Tombstone lose which is always a good time.

My son was so ecstatic that he took off his shirt, waved it in the air and dance around the living room. Tombstone is the bot we love to hate. It was awesome seeing it go down in flames!

[rmontro]

Impressive win by Black Dragon over Minotaur in the Desperation Tournament final.  Minotaur was runner up for the Giant Nut last year to Bite Force.  Minotaur's team leader looked pretty dejected, he was probably used to being the Brazilian top dog, plus he was disappointed by not winning the tournament.  I had expected Minotaur to win at the start.  

Black Dragon's spinner was out, but MInotaur couldn't seem to take advantage of it.  A combination of BD's superior mass and nice defensive driving by them, I guess.

I noticed vertical spinners took all four of the semifinal spots.

[jhlipton]

On 7/27/2019 at 12:04 PM, rmontro said:

Minotaur's team leader looked pretty dejected, he was probably used to being the Brazilian top dog, plus he was disappointed by not winning the tournament. 

I hope he doesn't turn into another Billings -- he can't pull off "the guy we love to hate" as well.

There were some great fights in the Desperado, and then there was Ragnorak!  That's one pitiful bot!

[rmontro]

9 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

There were some great fights in the Desperado, and then there was Ragnorak!  That's one pitiful bot!

We haven't seen Chomp this season yet, have we?  These hammer type bots have no chance, realistically.  The vertical spinners seem to have such an advantage that Discovery should pay teams bonuses for using different kinds of weapons - just for variety to make better TV.  

Tombstone seems to be the major exception to the vertical spinner rule.

[enoughcats]

1 hour ago, rmontro said:

Tombstone seems to be the major exception to the vertical spinner rule.

From the Desperado Episode, they sneaked in a match that wasn't part of the desperado.  The US Navy guys who built it had a vertical spinner that was up in the air (like Huge) but that didn't have the vulnerable wheels.  It won, but what really impressed me was its spinner didn't appear to slow down after a massive hit to its opponent. 

[rmontro]

24 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

From the Desperado Episode, they sneaked in a match that wasn't part of the desperado.  The US Navy guys who built it had a vertical spinner that was up in the air (like Huge) but that didn't have the vulnerable wheels.  It won, but what really impressed me was its spinner didn't appear to slow down after a massive hit to its opponent. 

That was Deep Six.  It was impressive, but had a fairly easy opponent in Axe Backwards.  Liked the way it chopped it in half though lol.  Not sure how stable it would be against a tougher robot.

[Quilt Fairy]

7 minutes ago, rmontro said:

That was Deep Six.  It was impressive, but had a fairly easy opponent in Axe Backwards.  Liked the way it chopped it in half though lol.  Not sure how stable it would be against a tougher robot.

That was a fun match, but I think the right opponent would knock over Deep Six easily and I don't think it's able to self-right. 

[libgirl2]

On 7/29/2019 at 7:45 PM, jhlipton said:

I hope he doesn't turn into another Billings -- he can't pull off "the guy we love to hate" as well.

There were some great fights in the Desperado, and then there was Ragnorak!  That's one pitiful bot!

That is not a good bot. Those hammer bots are just not doing well. Maybe a few years back they were the rage but it is now all about the vertical spinner. 

Edited July 31, 2019 by libgirl2

[libgirl2]

On 7/29/2019 at 7:56 PM, rmontro said:

We haven't seen Chomp this season yet, have we?  These hammer type bots have no chance, realistically.  The vertical spinners seem to have such an advantage that Discovery should pay teams bonuses for using different kinds of weapons - just for variety to make better TV.  

Tombstone seems to be the major exception to the vertical spinner rule.

I don't think Chomp is competing this season. 

[Destiny74]

51 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I don't think Chomp is competing this season. 

Yes!!

Sorry, but I am not a fan of Chomp.  It's an interesting robot for a design contest, not a knockdown, drag out like BB.

The amount of rah rah rah it got the first two seasons, simply because it was built by a woman, ticked me off.  It was never a good robot for a BB competition.  I always felt they wasted a lot of "behind the scenes" time on Chomp.

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, Destiny74 said:

Yes!!

Sorry, but I am not a fan of Chomp.  It's an interesting robot for a design contest, not a knockdown, drag out like BB.

The amount of rah rah rah it got the first two seasons, simply because it was built by a woman, ticked me off.  It was never a good robot for a BB competition.  I always felt they wasted a lot of "behind the scenes" time on Chomp.

No need to apologize, we are not Chomp fans in our house. Chomp seemed to spend more time either missing with its hammer or laying down on its side. Even when it would self right, it would sometimes fall over. 

and I agree, it got a lot of hype because of the builder. While its great she is a woman, the bot wasn't that good. 

[enoughcats]

6 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Chomp seemed to spend more time either missing with its hammer or laying down on its side.

And those are two of the reasons that I didn't like it.   But, remember at the end of season one when Chomp got an award for being different and automating its attack.

I vaguely remember that Chomp didn't have to be driven, it had the AI to follow its opponent and align itself accordingly.  Except it wasn't fast enough.  Some of this season's fast on their wheels bots with that AI could make up for a less experienced driver.

The other thing:  during the last season, Chomp got a workover and the reworked its center of inertia and the length of its hammer.  Those changes meant (IIRC) that it didn't fall over very often, if at all, and that   threw its hammer off, but it was one problem solved. 

I really had hoped that the AI would translate to something that wouldn't be an ungainly disaster. I did a brief google of chomp 2019 and it may have gone stealth.

[jhlipton]

13 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

That is not a good bot. Those hammer bots are just not doing well. Maybe a few years back they were the rage but it is now all about the vertical spinner. 

Most of the hammer bo, like ts don't seem to have much power in the hammer.  Even when Ragnorak hit, War Hawk was like "Did you feel that breeze?"  With today's tough top rmor, you've got to hit hard or pierce like Quantum does.

Shatter's "fight" with Wan Hoo shows what a hammer/axe can do if it has enough power.  It will be interesting to see what it does next.

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Most of the hammer bo, like ts don't seem to have much power in the hammer.  Even when Ragnorak hit, War Hawk was like "Did you feel that breeze?"  With today's tough top rmor, you've got to hit hard or pierce like Quantum does.

Shatter's "fight" with Wan Hoo shows what a hammer/axe can do if it has enough power.  It will be interesting to see what it does next.

Exactly, the hammers are just not that effective with the way these bots are built. 

12 hours ago, enoughcats said:

And those are two of the reasons that I didn't like it.   But, remember at the end of season one when Chomp got an award for being different and automating its attack.

I vaguely remember that Chomp didn't have to be driven, it had the AI to follow its opponent and align itself accordingly.  Except it wasn't fast enough.  Some of this season's fast on their wheels bots with that AI could make up for a less experienced driver.

The other thing:  during the last season, Chomp got a workover and the reworked its center of inertia and the length of its hammer.  Those changes meant (IIRC) that it didn't fall over very often, if at all, and that   threw its hammer off, but it was one problem solved. 

I really had hoped that the AI would translate to something that wouldn't be an ungainly disaster. I did a brief google of chomp 2019 and it may have gone stealth.

I remember that was the hype. It just wasn't strong enough and seemed to miss an awful lot. 

[ShellyD]

Mr SD and I were just yelling at the TV as Tombstone sat there... smoking! It was wonderful, made my night 😁 I was worried that something would happen to Rorator “just hang on 30 more seconds” 

I had to laugh at Billings’ face when the voiceover was talking about Rotator as Most Destructive before the match. RB didn’t like that at all. 

Love love love! 

[libgirl2]

14 hours ago, ShellyD said:

Mr SD and I were just yelling at the TV as Tombstone sat there... smoking! It was wonderful, made my night 😁 I was worried that something would happen to Rorator “just hang on 30 more seconds” 

I had to laugh at Billings’ face when the voiceover was talking about Rotator as Most Destructive before the match. RB didn’t like that at all. 

Love love love! 

I was doing the same thing! 

[enoughcats]

Crappers.  Shark week has bounced battlebots off the air. 

[enoughcats]

Quote

|TV-PGThe second half of the tournament kicks off with the most elite bots in history facing off for the coveted trophy, and in the Main Event, undefeated bots Whiplash and Witch Doctor look to end an enemy's hot streak.EYES ON THE PRIZE

That's what Discovery has for tonight.  EXCEPT we haven't sen the first half of the tournament. 

[jhlipton]

A special from Las Vegas: Witch Doctor vs Tombstone

Don't sleep on this -- it's GREAT!

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, enoughcats said:

That's what Discovery has for tonight.  EXCEPT we haven't sen the first half of the tournament. 

They also said that the episode 2 weeks ago was the finale, which had me very confused.  I think that by "tournament" they don't mean the Top 16 finals, they mean the second half of the season. 

[CoderLady]

3 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I think that by "tournament" they don't mean the Top 16 finals, they mean the second half of the season. 

That's what I think, too. The Desperado was the halfway point.

[Omeletsmom]

6 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

They also said that the episode 2 weeks ago was the finale, which had me very confused.  I think that by "tournament" they don't mean the Top 16 finals, they mean the second half of the season. 

The episode two weeks ago was the finale for the first half of the season.  They took a break for shark week and the second half of the season starts tonight.

[rmontro]

This must be the season for controversial decisions.  There have been a lot of them.  I really thought Mammoth had beaten Wan Hoo.

Deep Six is a dangerous robot, that was scary watching it put a hole in the floor, and before that it had broken a light.  I almost expect the show to ban it just to save their Battlebox.  Seems like the most likely robot that someone might accidentally get hurt by also, although they're all dangerous.

[enoughcats]

Re how dangerous Deep Six is:

(The following is the way I remember it)

Earlier this season, there was a discussion of the maximum MPH that spinners were allowed to go.  The bots are put in the outdoor testing area and there (among other things) they are tested on that speed.  

IIRC, the maximum  allowed was 250mph.  Most of the power bots we've seen this season have been fast, but none claimed 250 as their max.  Until Deep Six said 250 was their max.  That heavy a spinner, that is on a relatively unstable base, easy to see how it got embedded in the floor.  Most would have slowed down as a bot came apart, but not Deep Six.

Is the spin down time a part of the testing that bots have to pass? Is having a damper that can be put into action  a requirement?  

Are we about to see Battlebots inspired mayhem on a South Park episode?  Or with Mr. Mayhem on an All State Insurance ad?

[jhlipton]

Some awesome fights this week.  Son of Wyatchi tearing up the Texas Twister, SubZero flipping P1 all over the BattleBox (and finally flipping it and its mini-bot OUT of the BattleBox!), and the knock-down between Whiplash (which deserves some credit for getting out from behind the screws TWICE!) and Witch Doctor, which has morphed from a "cutesy" bot to a major contender.

[enoughcats]

3 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Witch Doctor, which has morphed from a "cutesy" bot to a major contender

I have continued to hate the costumes of the Witch Doctor crew.  Some of them are wearing their skeleton stencils backwards. 

The one thing about the costumes that I like is (the guy who just married the woman who does all the interviews and part of the driving)...that guy's hat has an automated bird and it's pretty complex in its movements.  It's not as cool as Tombstone's having its own bot delivering it to the fighting ring, but it's a really nice touch.

[4Sibes Redux]

42 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

it's pretty complex in its movements.

I dislike Witch Doctor because of the team’s costumes, but I do enjoy having someone to boo over. I do respect their skills  

I haven’t noticed the bird yet, but will be watching. 

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, enoughcats said:

I have continued to hate the costumes of the Witch Doctor crew. 

OMG, yes!  It's a stupid reason to hate the team, but there it is.  I find the costumes creepy and childish at the same time. 

[libgirl2]

On 8/9/2019 at 10:14 PM, rmontro said:

This must be the season for controversial decisions.  There have been a lot of them.  I really thought Mammoth had beaten Wan Hoo.

Deep Six is a dangerous robot, that was scary watching it put a hole in the floor, and before that it had broken a light.  I almost expect the show to ban it just to save their Battlebox.  Seems like the most likely robot that someone might accidentally get hurt by also, although they're all dangerous.

You aren't alone, I thought it had too. Not sure on some of the decisions this season. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Mammoth come back with some improvements. 

17 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

OMG, yes!  It's a stupid reason to hate the team, but there it is.  I find the costumes creepy and childish at the same time. 

My husband can't stand them or the bot. 

On 8/15/2019 at 3:49 PM, jhlipton said:

Some awesome fights this week.  Son of Wyatchi tearing up the Texas Twister, SubZero flipping P1 all over the BattleBox (and finally flipping it and its mini-bot OUT of the BattleBox!), and the knock-down between Whiplash (which deserves some credit for getting out from behind the screws TWICE!) and Witch Doctor, which has morphed from a "cutesy" bot to a major contender.

I agree, I was commenting on it last battle that it really has come a long way since last season. i wondered too if that British woman's elephant (is it an elephant?) bot will ever get to that level. 

Edited August 16, 2019 by libgirl2

[Destiny74]

20 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

OMG, yes!  It's a stupid reason to hate the team, but there it is.  I find the costumes creepy and childish at the same time. 

If I could like a million times, I would.  But, I can only hit the like button once so I am posting to say that I have never agreed more with someone in my life.  🤩

[rmontro]

I also disliked Witch Doctor at first because of the silly costumes, but I've kind of gotten over it.  They've been impressive this year. 

I'm really wanting to see someone defeat Bite Force.  It's not that I dislike it, I'm just getting bored of seeing it win.  All that talk about Hypershock's driving and attacking it from the side, and right out of the box, it drives straight into its spinner.  I don't understand that.

I had also expected Bronco to defeat Free Shipping, Monsoon to defeat Valkyrie, and Copperhead to defeat Chronos, but none of those things happened.  Bronco's flipper has broken twice this year.  Not the same Bronco (literally and figuratively, since it's a newly built model this season).

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, rmontro said:

I also disliked Witch Doctor at first because of the silly costumes, but I've kind of gotten over it.  They've been impressive this year. 

I'm really wanting to see someone defeat Bite Force.  It's not that I dislike it, I'm just getting bored of seeing it win.  All that talk about Hypershock's driving and attacking it from the side, and right out of the box, it drives straight into its spinner.  I don't understand that.

I had also expected Bronco to defeat Free Shipping, Monsoon to defeat Valkyrie, and Copperhead to defeat Chronos, but none of those things happened.  Bronco's flipper has broken twice this year.  Not the same Bronco (literally and figuratively, since it's a newly built model this season).

It was an interesting night. I agree about Bronco (and to an extent it happened to Minotaur), whatever they did to it, its not the bot from last year. Very disappointed.

[enoughcats]

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

Bronco's flipper has broken twice this year.  Not the same Bronco (literally and figuratively, since it's a newly built model this season).

In the post match interview, Bronco's builder said he'd go back to the flippers that he had with him that had been on earlier versions of Bronco.  That makes sense. 

Before the match, when they talked about the weld that had been done, I was muttering about how much tempering it had taken to just add some metal on near a bend where there had been catastrophic failure.  Especially when that bend-2.0 would be expected to flip 200+ pounds of metal.  And then I got to say, softly, told you so.  It's one thing to weld two pieces of metal together; it's a whole 'nother thing to work with them so that a polished surface checked microscopically won't show where that joining happened- where the weld is no longer a point of weakness. 

In the first match, when Petunia got flipped around like a kitten playing with a slightly larger cat, there were two things to admire.  First the Hydra team's design and strength.  But the second was how well Petunia held together.  The wrist watch ad from decades ago "takes a licking and keeps on ticking"  almost needs to be awarded for the bot that has structural integrity and survivorship.  Even Petunia's paint job still looks good.  

[jhlipton]

On 8/9/2019 at 8:14 PM, rmontro said:

This must be the season for controversial decisions.  There have been a lot of them.  I really thought Mammoth had beaten Wan Hoo.

A lot of the teams comment on the Battalebots reddit.  Team Mammoth said why they (reluctantly) agreed with the judges decision, and gave them the "tusk" that Wan Hoo cut off.

[rmontro]

23 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

A lot of the teams comment on the Battalebots reddit.  Team Mammoth said why they (reluctantly) agreed with the judges decision, and gave them the "tusk" that Wan Hoo cut off.

Sometimes on TV it's hard to tell exactly whose parts are flying, or what they are.  You can see that putting decorative items on the robot that further the theme can be risky, if the judges are going to hold it against you if they get damaged.  I would think a tusk would be like the soft frog skin of RIbbota, which is almost designed to be cut off.

[jhlipton]

On 8/16/2019 at 1:49 PM, libgirl2 said:

i wondered too if that British woman's elephant (is it an elephant?) bot will ever get to that level. 

"Nelly the Ellybot" is indeed an elephant.

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

"Nelly the Ellybot" is indeed an elephant.

that is right! 

[libgirl2]

Wow that was a very wrong decision! I think they want to keep a certain bot in it.

[enoughcats]

In the old days the phrase was Drive hell for leather.  I think "Drive like it's stolen" is a step down, even if Donald, whose bots I have enjoyed for years, seems to like the 'like it's stolen' comment.

Theyr'e going to have to use thicker lexan next year. (I know it exists because of some of the New Orleans banks' protection for their walk in teller services.)

[rmontro]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Wow that was a very wrong decision! I think they want to keep a certain bot in it.

I can't really quibble too much about the judges giving it to Tombstone, I've seen more questionable decisions.  It really looked like a draw to me, but I was hoping Gruff won.

Poor Duck, it just didn't match up well with Quantum, there wasn't really anything it could do.  It's built to break spinners.  I was hoping for some miracle, but oh well.  I hope Duck can get into the top 16 this year though.  It's looking pretty iffy.  

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, rmontro said:

I can't really quibble too much about the judges giving it to Tombstone, I've seen more questionable decisions.  It really looked like a draw to me, but I was hoping Gruff won.

Poor Duck, it just didn't match up well with Quantum, there wasn't really anything it could do.  It's built to break spinners.  I was hoping for some miracle, but oh well.  I hope Duck can get into the top 16 this year though.  It's looking pretty iffy.  

The decision was unanimous.. I would have felt better if at least it was split. We have been watching this show for ages and inho Gruff won. This disapppoints me as much as poor Duck last season. Duck really was a "sandwich" out there.

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

The decision was unanimous.. I would have felt better if at least it was split. We have been watching this show for ages and inho Gruff won.

I certainly respect your opinion, I would have been happier if Gruff won, and I wouldn't have blinked an eye.  Like I said, I personally thought it was a draw, but as far as I know they don't give draws.  The fact that the decision was unanimous just made it more palatable for me, like there was less question in the judges' mind. 

Tombstone definitely won on damage, it's weapon was still working, while Gruff had its forks bent.  I think Tombstone won big on damage, with a slight edge for Gruff on aggression and control.

[Quilt Fairy]

I thought Gruff won as well, but Chris Rose said that all judges scored it 4-3 in favor of Tombstone.  This is the first time I can recall that they actually showed the judges score cards, so they were aware at the time it was a controversial decision.  It was definitely a tough match. 

[rmontro]

It's amazing to see Bronco at 0-3.  Looks like Hydra is going to have to carry the flipper flag this year.

Huge seems like it is specifically built to match up well with Bronco though, and it's nice to see it get another win.  

I get a kick out of seeing those little minibots.  They rarely affect the outcome, and a lot of the time they're just fodder, but they're kind of cute, in a funny sort of way.

[enoughcats]

9 hours ago, rmontro said:

It's amazing to see Bronco at 0-3.

I wonder if last season's Bronco couldn't beat this year's Bronco.

What kind of battles do I like?  I like battles between two mountain rams up in the Rockies ....lots of collision sounds, lots of posturing, and when one realizes he's beaten, he backs off.  
This season Battlebots has bots that are built like brick sh*****ses and can take the collisions.  I like seeing that level of collision survival.  I'm finding that I don't enjoy seeing pieces flying all over the place, nor do I like the blow torches.  

Next season will we have nothing but vertical spinners, son of wyochi, and duck?