Disappointing. Hour-long show with about 6 minutes of actual “battlebot content”. Way too much talkin’ and not enough fightin’.
Weak.
Non-commercial airtime is 41 minutes with 4 fights at 3 minutes each. So 12 minutes of fighting, or about 30% of the total show. That seems fine to me. I like getting to know the competitors a little bit. At least they don’t spend a ton of time previewing the next segment and then recapping what we saw, like Mythbusters does too much of.
You can always DVR it and fast forward to the fights if you want.
I think that’s probably not the case for this show, since Battlebots has existsed long before it was a TV show. These people spend a lot of time and money preparing for it, and I don’t think they’d be okay with scripting matches and results as if were the WWE. You’d see a revolt and people leave to forma new league if that ahppened.
I don’t know. If so, people have been dropping some serious coin into many bots with obviously vastly inferior designs. Why you’d even consider a vertical versus horizontal spinner would be beyond me. Radioactive would have been mincemeat had Sweet Revenge not had technical problems.
If the fights actually lasted 3 minutes, maybe. It seems like half of them involve one robot rushing gamely into the jaws of another and getting immediately flipped into some hazard.
Also, I don’t think you can blithely subtract 19 minutes of commercials from your calculations – that’s still 19 minutes in which no metallic carnage is taking place. The pacing sucks. Essentially you have to look up from your book or computer once every 15 minutes for two or three minutes. It’s worse than football.
You misunderstood me I think.
I don’t think the fights are scripted WWE style, I thought that the *net controversy *was scripted because as soon as they talked about it the fight went on as if the thing never happened. So since they were going to fight as normal anyway, why not do a little bit of theater in the process?
Just like you said, this competition has gone on long before this show (and even the Comedy Central version) so I can’t imagine someone who is well versed in this sport would not think that a net is illegal
From what I understand, each show takes a full day to film and there is tons of dead time edited out. So I doubt it happened “as soon as they talked about it”, you know?
I guess I can see what you’re saying, though. If I were them, I wouldn’t my robot potentially disabled due to a burned out motor via net just for some scripted drama, though.
There’s a ton of dead time during the airing of the show too. Only 4 contests during the whole hour. And they had to add the waxed and tanned piece of cheese cake who introduces us to each segment. I guess that counts towards the Booth Bunny factor.
Its barely watchable. Much better when it was on Comedy Central during George W. Bush’s first term.
Favorite moment thus far:
[quote=“Chicago_Faucet, post:29, topic:712112”]
Favorite moment thus far:
[/QUOTE]BattleBots 2015 - War…" This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Whalerock Industries.
It’s become 97% talk and 3% battle. Make it a 30 minute show, get that girl to stop standing like she has to take a piss, and show the robots battling.
I am wondering, since they allow flammables this go round, if you could use a gas powered motor rather than an electric one.
Also, I was thinking this might be a good show to go the American Idol route by showing all the lesser quality entries in the tryout rounds. A bunch of one sided battles would be much funner to watch than contestant back stories.
I did. I like to watch TV when I eat lunch and I was done with the show before my food was ready!
I thought I was the only one to think that!
One of the bots ws said to have a 15-horsepower (riding mower size) engine driving its blade. So yes.
How the hell can this activity have been going on so long with some contestants not yet knowing they need a way to right themselves, or push themselves off the rail?
I love Battlebots in theory. I mean, I watch it. But I too am disappointed by the talk, talk, talk. I get my laptop out and do other things while waiting for the next match to finally get around.
One thing I was wondering is everyone knows there’s a competitor like Tombstone in the lineup. And yet regardless you get bots that are sheer style over substance like Plan X and Radioactive. It’s sort of great to see Tombstone simply shred the competition but really Radioactive guys, a wimpy little axe that comes down flat? When did you ever think that would damage anybody? I don’t think there’s anyone in the competition that could be legitimately taken out by Radioactive.
I’m actually surprised, beyond that, that nobody has a pickaxe-style bot. That seems to me to be the only bot that could potentially stop Tombstone, except perhaps another spinner with a ridiculous slab with some good luck. Use a pickaxe to pierce it through the top and try to screw the hardware up. And yet these people are choosing flat axes and hammers that will only spread the blows out rather than screw up the insides. I know it’s boring if they’re all just kinetic spinners, but I just don’t get their alternatives…
That being said, I’m a fan of Stinger. I was shocked by the versatility of the bot. Being flipped over is half the problem with these fights and Stinger can actually right itself. It just flips all over the darn place and is so fast nobody can keep up with it. I’m definitely interested in that one’s next round.
Sorry. The new link is here:
Get while it lasts!Quarterfinals:
Bronco vs Stinger. What a great battle. Some great driving by both drivers. And the flips, my god, the flips.
Tombstone vs Witch Doctor. It was nice to see a bot stand up to Tombstone. What an exciting battle. If Witch Doctor had a self-righting mechanism they might have won. Some great hits. Very exciting.
Biteforce vs Overhaul. Both are similar bots with a grab / control style. Biteforce a few times has been unable to lift bots which is a big problem for their chosen strategy. Great driving by both drivers. What a close decision. I really wish they would stop calling them the “Kids from MIT”. It seems to me they aren’t children.
Icewave vs Ghost Raptor. Not very exciting, but a truly great win. Nice strategizing.
Next week: The FINALS!
Those were great battles last night, except for Biteforce/Overhaul which was just a lot of grappling and what must have been a very close decision.
Loved the adjustments that the underdogs made to allow them to put up good fights against the big guys. Stinger and Witch Doctor, especially, could have easily won those battles. WD - give yourself a way to unflip yourself next time! That was a killer.
Tombstone vs Bronco: A battle of titans. I thought Bronco stood a real chance especially with the weapon modification. Too bad that the loss was from a lost wheel, I would have loved to see that battle go on further.
Biteforce vs Ghost Raptor: All Biteforce.
Da’ Rumble: Nice fight. Shaman trying to “wake up” Witch Doctor was really funny. The hit on Overhaul that crippled the main weapon was awesome.
Tombstone vs Biteforce: Based on the battle, I would say the right two bots were in the final. What a great match. Biteforce did what they needed to do, they took sideswiping hits to the front blade and pushed Tombstone around. As usual for extreme spinners, they have a tendency of needing a quick win or they can break / fall / burn apart. Congratulations Biteforce! A well deserved win.
Has anyone ever tried making a hamster wheel-like bot, with no fixed up and down, and no externally-exposed moving parts?
Do you mean something like the “Orb of Doom”?
