October 28, 2022
Shownotes
Two episodes in a year.
- This episode is pointless
- Rules and judging! Yay!
- Rule changes
- You should read them and not just trust what we say: Design rules, Tournament rules, Judges’ Guide
- Safety!
- Power lights you can see [Design rules: 3b]
- Cradles that cradle [Tournament rules: 3.4.2]
- Fires are bad [Design rules: 16]
- Minibot battery limitations [Design rules: 4b]
- No more OotA disqualification threat
- But a higher wall
- Lifting/pinning/grappling timing changes [Tournament rules: 7.5.6/7/8]
- Separation procedure [Tournament rules: 7.5.9]
- Mobility & count-outs
- If you’re moving, you’re moving [Tournament rules: 7.6.2]
- Even if you’re only using your weapon to do so
- Reducing the chances of people getting angry at officials
- If you’re moving, you’re moving [Tournament rules: 7.6.2]
- Unsticks [Tournament rules: 7.6.3/4]
- We won’t see nearly as many unsticks
- More fights will end early, but they’re more likely to end ‘fairly’
- Time savings for production?
- Minibots get removed after a second unstick
- Engagement avoidance [Tournament rules: 7.6.7]
- Judging changes
- Post-match functionality displays [Tournament rules: 7.6.11]
- Aggression - circling is more aggressive than staying faced up [Judges guide: Aggression FAQ]
- Control - Robots which get their weapon and the hazards into play better than their opponent should win a control tie [Judges’ guide: COntrol matrix]
- Appeals [Tournament rules: 2.4.7]
- 1 minute window to lodge your appeal, requiring a specific reason for appealing
- A failed appeal removes your right to appeal
- Should there be a mid-ground?
- Sam explains why this doesn’t apply to refereeing decisions
- Rule changes
- Experimental UK judging system
- The system!
- Already used at BBB’s ‘Subterranean Showdown’ and in use for the upcoming BBB Beetleweight Champs
- Intended to give all robots fairly equal access to every category
- Damage is dead, long live weapon effectiveness!
- Not all weapon types can be expected do damage, so judging them on damage is dumb. Everyone with a weapon should be able to use it effectively
- Lifters lift, grabbers grab, flippers flip, spinners do damage just like before
- Wedges are a blind spot for the system. They were also a blind spot in the existing system, but the name we’ve used makes the issue more visible
- Active weapon rule?
- Not all weapon types can be expected do damage, so judging them on damage is dumb. Everyone with a weapon should be able to use it effectively
- Aggression is still aggression
- Free a stuck opponent? ALL OF THE POINTS!
- Control & Strategy
- Control - control your robot well, get your weapon into play, use the hazards
- Strategy - make smart choices
- Think of strategy as a place for judges to add points, but not a place where we really take them away
90: Things that Exist, Exist
May 24, 2022
Existential Horror.
89: The Fallibility of my own Everything
August 16, 2021
A return to combat!
88: Have My Love
March 21, 2021
Sensing sensorless motors, senslessly subjective judging, and censored spinner tests.
87: Tickling my Eyeballs
February 21, 2021
5 weeks of Battlebots in 40 minutes.
86: Shalice
January 14, 2021
Enough has happened.
85: Stick It In There
December 24, 2020
Sam and Ryan try desperately to talk about the fights.
84: Heat, Fuel, and Oxygen
December 5, 2020
Bingo, but bigger.
83: The Last Roll
November 29, 2020
The madness finally comes to an end.
82: Strongly in Favour
November 16, 2020
Ryan ages, Sam's honest, and they're both good friends.