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PostNouveau posted:In the past, 32 has been a lot of spots to fill so they've let .500 bots or even losing bots in. I feel like I remember this being based on strength of schedule most though. Last season Hydra and Skorpios were 1-2 in the qualifiers but won their play-in matches and got into the round of 32. Mammoth was also 1-2 but took Glitch's spot in the round of 32 when they dropped out. In season 10 they had seven teams who were 1-2 make it through to the round of 32 but that included Tombstone, Witch Doctor, Huge, Gruff and Hypershock
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Feb 22, 2023 17:46
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Snowglobe of Doom posted:In season 10 they had seven teams who were 1-2 make it through to the round of 32 but that included Tombstone, Witch Doctor, Huge, Gruff and Hypershock That list definitely makes me think "entertainment factor" is a bigger part of the decision than strength of schedule.
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Feb 22, 2023 18:26
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PostNouveau posted:That list definitely makes me think "entertainment factor" is a bigger part of the decision than strength of schedule. It only tells part of the story though. Even though fan favorite bots do get more love from the selection committee. Bots like Tombstone, Witch Doctor, etc usually get matched up with other hard hitters during the pre tournament fights. So it's more expected they are going to lose some matches.
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Feb 22, 2023 20:32
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Railing Kill posted:It's a bit of both. I wouldn't imagine a scenario where, say, Ripperoni went 0-4 but was really weird and entertaining and they let them into the tourney anyway. Wins probably matter more, and being entertaining will break ties for teams on the bubble. People get really upset when you let an 0-4 bot into the tournament.
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Feb 22, 2023 21:51
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MikeNCR posted:People get really upset when you let an 0-4 bot into the tournament. Hahaha Listen, if Duck wanted to win that rumble, it should have had a way to finish. You earned that one. 
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Feb 23, 2023 03:41
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Didn't Blip lose a fight because of some stupid vertical black tusks they added? I seem to remember they couldn't get the opponent onto their flipper since they installed things to block it from happening, inexplicably.
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Feb 23, 2023 07:41
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Tonight, on BattleBots:
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Feb 23, 2023 13:00
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Hah no idea they had a thermal camera going too, pretty neat. Also lol Hydra.
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Feb 24, 2023 02:12
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Free Shipping-Hydra: lol at Gary Jin pre-fight saying "this time we have a weapon". Yeah took you long enough dude. Huge-Fusion: That weird angle of attack pays off again for Huge. Lock-jaw-Glitch: Lock-jaw worked exactly as long as it needed to. Not a good sign they burst into flames when they were spinning up heir weapon for a killshot. Beta-Shatter: Beta really took it to them there. Quantum-Black Dragon: Felt like a tactical mistake by Black Dragon to continually drive into the mouth of Quantum. Terrortops-Slammo: "Lifter" is an illegitimate archetype unless you've got Matty Vasquez driving. It has been a long time since turning the other bot upside down was a move that automatically got you the win. Tantrum-Blip: Weird to see two teams running the same chassis and fork configurations and one of them gets under the other every time.
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Feb 24, 2023 03:58
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There was probably some selective editing involved, but I like how the Crowbar Guy took one look at the stuck Quantum-BD pile and just noped out of there
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Feb 24, 2023 04:02
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Nissin Cup Nudist posted:There was probably some selective editing involved, but I like how the Crowbar Guy took one look at the stuck Quantum-BD pile and just noped out of there I wonder if they give up if they think that unsticking might cause more damage, because I think they would have really had to wriggle that crowbar around to get them unstuck.
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Feb 24, 2023 04:04
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That drone with Lockjaw was even more pathetic and useless than drones normally are. I assume it was supposed to have a flame thrower that never ignited but drat dude why are you flying it a foot off the ground??
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Feb 24, 2023 04:16
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PostNouveau posted:Tantrum-Blip: Weird to see two teams running the same chassis and fork configurations and one of them gets under the other every time. Pretty sure Blip's main Wedge was the difference in the ground game. But I wouldn't be too surprised if there was some collusion to give Blip the better setup going into the fight so both team bots would be 1-2 going into their last match. Seems questionable that Tantrum would dominate the ground game against Hydra but fail at it against Blip.
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Feb 24, 2023 09:12
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The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > Battlebots Championship VII 2023: Do these wheels make my bott look fat??PostNouveau posted:Beta-Shatter: Beta really took it to them there. It seemed like a super bad idea for Shatter's team to go with forked forks which seem to be designed to hold the opponent at the exact distance where their hammer will hit them on the edge but prevent them from hitting their centre section. Not only did it completely negate their reach advantage but Beta has a massive armoured wedge protecting their sides which they needed to reach past 
Snowglobe of Doom fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Feb 24, 2023 |
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Feb 24, 2023 15:12
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Snowglobe of Doom posted:It seemed like a super bad idea for Shatter's team to go with forked forks which seem to be designed to hold the opponent at the exact distance where their hammer will hit them on the edge but prevent them from hitting their centre section. Not only did it completely negate their reach advantage but Beta has a massive armoured wedge protecting their sides which they needed to reach past Which was a poo poo plan. You don't design for 'one perfect hit if everything works precisely right'. If they had the power to pin Beta, maybe. But they're an omniwheel bot, they can dodge, they should know they can't push or hold. Supremely frustrating to watch.
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Feb 24, 2023 16:14
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Anyone else notice that bits of omni-wheels were rolling around the floor at the end of the fight?
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Feb 24, 2023 16:57
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I guess there's no way it couldn't, and credit to them for just addressing it up front, but that Tantrum-Blip fight felt real sketchy.
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Feb 24, 2023 23:07
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They ever have Whyachi go against each other? Don't know that I've ever seen that happen.
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Feb 24, 2023 23:18
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PITT posted:They ever have Whyachi go against each other? Don't know that I've ever seen that happen. It hasn't but Fusion also hasn't had that many fights so it's probably still a toss up on it maybe happening in the future. It's also slightly different since Aaron Hill build both Tantrum & Blip. Seems like a fun fight to add to the schedule preseason. Didn't really work that great here though with both bots having bad records.
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Feb 24, 2023 23:53
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The Modern Leper posted:I guess there's no way it couldn't, and credit to them for just addressing it up front, but that Tantrum-Blip fight felt real sketchy. Given that Tantrum had already lost a match, I don't think they'd have outright thrown the fight, but the Blip people do know Tantrum's specs inside and out. I don't know, it's a weird fight to schedule.
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Feb 24, 2023 23:56
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sweet geek swag posted:Given that Tantrum had already lost a match, I don't think they'd have outright thrown the fight, but the Blip people do know Tantrum's specs inside and out. I don't know, it's a weird fight to schedule. You can for sure argue it both ways. Tantrum lost to Minotaur and beat Hydra, they are going to get a spot in the 32 at 1-3. If Blip lost to Tantrum they'd at best be looking at a 1-3 with the only win being a rookie bot, they would be on a the cutline and maybe not making it in the 32. But I don't think Tantrum would have deliberately thrown the fight, the weapon motor catching on fire after the first flip just crippled their attack. The real problem for a team bot throwing a match, is team bots look to be the future of Battlebots (there's a handful of them this season) and it would really gently caress up the decision to allow team bots in the future.
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Feb 25, 2023 00:02
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Big ups to Huge for shutting down the drama-sniffing.
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Feb 25, 2023 01:28
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sweet geek swag posted:Given that Tantrum had already lost a match, I don't think they'd have outright thrown the fight, but the Blip people do know Tantrum's specs inside and out. I don't know, it's a weird fight to schedule. You wouldn't even have to throw the fight, really. Just give up the ground game in any way. Like Aren said, Tantrum does really mind getting tossed. So you drive the match straight and, worst case, you get tossed (which probably doesn't weigh against you as much as a KO) or you go to the judges (which at least highlights your driving and durability, even in a unanimous loss). I guess I don't REALLY believe there's a meaningful incentive to conspire in one way or another, considering the risks and the likely meaningful upside (and, like, the personal ethics of everyone involved). Like you said, weird fight to schedule.
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Feb 25, 2023 06:31
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PostNouveau posted:Quantum-Black Dragon: Felt like a tactical mistake by Black Dragon to continually drive into the mouth of Quantum. Compounded by the decision to put on big floppy wedges that prevented the weapon from ever connecting, even if they'd worked.
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Feb 25, 2023 08:49
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Witch Doctor posted a really interesting breakdown of how they assess damage and prioritize repairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d5DWsnrWNM They find bolts shearing off inside the housing with the drive motor, which would sent a bolt into the motor and just ruin the whole thing, as well as try to diagnose why they keep breaking weapon belts even though they're not sustaining direct damage (potentially incorrectly milled pulleys). They're also planning to go conservative and send their most beat-up frame out against Minotaur, expecting it to be completely ruined by that fight so they can save their spares for the bracket. PostNouveau fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Feb 27, 2023 |
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Feb 27, 2023 01:18
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PostNouveau posted:They're also planning to go conservative and send their most beat-up frame out against Minotaur, expecting it to be completely ruined by that fight so they can save their spares for the bracket. OR they're saying that to wrongfoot Minotaur and put up a stronger frame than they expect so maybe Minotaur relaxes and doesn't put up their best stuff, which gives WD a better chance at surviving long enough to get a fighting chance to possibly win?! Not that I believe that really, but people putting this stuff out in public have to know their opponents are watching is all I'm saying.
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Feb 27, 2023 09:15
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ewe2 posted:OR they're saying that to wrongfoot Minotaur and put up a stronger frame than they expect so maybe Minotaur relaxes and doesn't put up their best stuff, which gives WD a better chance at surviving long enough to get a fighting chance to possibly win?! Not that I believe that really, but people putting this stuff out in public have to know their opponents are watching is all I'm saying. Unless Minotaur has a time machine, I don't think it will do them any good 
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Feb 27, 2023 09:32
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ewe2 posted:OR they're saying that to wrongfoot Minotaur and put up a stronger frame than they expect so maybe Minotaur relaxes and doesn't put up their best stuff, which gives WD a better chance at surviving long enough to get a fighting chance to possibly win?! Not that I believe that really, but people putting this stuff out in public have to know their opponents are watching is all I'm saying. I'm gonna ruin some of the magic of Battlebots for you here (sorry). It's not live or anywhere close to it. They held the tournament months ago, and all the builders and crowd and production staff all know the winners already and just have NDAs not to say anywhere. They cut up like 2 weeks of tournament into 20 episodes of TV. In some ways it's a good thing though. They can be as candid as they want about damage and tactics after an episode airs and they're allowed to talk about it. Several teams have really good YouTube channels that fill in the blanks on this stuff in a way the TV show is (for some reason) unwilling to. I do like Faruq and the commentators, but I feel like if you wanted to find some chaff to cut to make room for the kind of post-match content the teams do themselves, that's where to start. The intros and walkouts take up soooooooooooooo much of the show. They do build excitement really well though. Maybe cut like half of them? PostNouveau fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Feb 27, 2023 |
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Feb 27, 2023 17:14
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Jenny Taft was good. Pete was alright, but he was shackled to the side to the Battlebox.
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Feb 27, 2023 19:00
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I'm sure next season will be way better. Not sure if anyone knew they were going to be allowed to film between fights this past season until they got to the event. The previous season team Skorpios were only able to film before filming started, but were not allowed to do any pit vlogging during filming. Seems like a win-win for everyone to let the teams vlog their pit experience, Discovery / Battlebots doesn't have to pay for a camera crew to run around the pits and the fans get a more detailed look into the bots between fights than what you could get in a TV show segment.
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Feb 27, 2023 19:52
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PostNouveau posted:I'm gonna ruin some of the magic of Battlebots for you here (sorry). I'd totally forgotten this tbh, point taken. Of course any mindgames would have been played at the time and not now. I do enjoy the episodic nature of it even though practicality demands that it be done in a block and then spoonfed to us. quote:I do like Faruq and the commentators, but I feel like if you wanted to find some chaff to cut to make room for the kind of post-match content the teams do themselves, that's where to start. The intros and walkouts take up soooooooooooooo much of the show. They do build excitement really well though. Maybe cut like half of them? It's a difficult balance, on the one hand you want to give the teams something for showing up, and you need to fill airtime, that's the point of the intros and it makes it like an actual show. If you want to compare approaches, check an NHRL stream sometime, I think that's as bare bones as can be. Adding a team member for extra commentary has cut into that a bit which has helped, maybe they took that from NHRL. SLICK GOKU BABY posted:I'm sure next season will be way better. Not sure if anyone knew they were going to be allowed to film between fights this past season until they got to the event. This is a great point too. Vlogging from teams could really take off. ewe2 fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Feb 28, 2023 |
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Feb 28, 2023 02:17
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I've begun to think of the main Battlebots show like a big cake. I'm going to enjoy all the ridiculous fluff and icing and decorations at the time, then go and look up the 'recipe' on YouTube or a podcast. Behind the Bots is a really good one. There's an almost bottomless mine of stuff out there about the builders and robots out there if you are up for finding it!
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Feb 28, 2023 08:11
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Some cool fights on the card this week. Also some fights that will probably be pretty lopsided... 
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Mar 1, 2023 14:38
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SLICK GOKU BABY posted:Some cool fights on the card this week. Also some fights that will probably be pretty lopsided... Yeah, other than Big Dill though, I wouldn't count anyone totally out. Gruff always has a punchers chance in that there is just a chance for any of their opponents to jar something important loose and stop working, where that never seems to happen to Gruff. Valkyrie could have fixed their gremlins in the pits. Ripperoni's just a one-match wonder so far; they could go gryoing on their side the whole match again.
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Mar 1, 2023 15:49
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Considering the episodes is titled "You want a pizza me?" I reckon they might be in with a chance. That and I honestly expect them to rip a wheel of Hijinx.
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Mar 1, 2023 22:16
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Yeah, I feel like Ripperoni-Hijinx isn't going to be much of a fight unless Rip goes full chaos mode out there, although that's always a possibility. Hijinx just... isn't doing the thing.
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Mar 1, 2023 22:22
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Antivehicular posted:Yeah, I feel like Ripperoni-Hijinx isn't going to be much of a fight unless Rip goes full chaos mode out there, although that's always a possibility. Hijinx just... isn't doing the thing. Hijinx looked promising as a rookie bot but then never seemed to improve their design while a lot of other teams got a lot better so now they're becoming a punching bag. Ditto Gruff, honestly, although I still think they'll fare better than Hijinx.
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Mar 1, 2023 22:25
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Even in their 1st find and going all over the arena. Ripperoni was more effective than what Hijinx has done this season. And I'm sure most of that was the 1st fight jitters where they had never been able to fully test a unique design prior. Gruff is kind of similar to Duck in a lot of ways. They entered the competition with a tank bot and survive. But now the competition has gotten stronger and it's hard to go far just by not dying, cause the other bots are not just killing themselves as often.
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Mar 1, 2023 22:35
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There are some jobber bots I like and some jobber bots I don't care about. I like hijinx, but it might be more the aesthetic and the team. Jen Herchenroeder is the most fun as a captain.
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Mar 1, 2023 22:38
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It takes a lot just to keep the bots in fighting shape, so I don't mind many of the jobber bots. Clearly only a few teams have the means and drive to compete for the championship, and it's fine that a bunch of them seem to just want to have a fun couple weeks in Vegas. I do admire the ones like Duck and Kraken though who go "OK, this isn't working we need to re-do this from the ground up"
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Mar 1, 2023 23:32
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