Changes

So you just opened up your "new" Robot Arena 2 CD or have just downloaded the full version of the game and have been playing at it for quite some time. Eventually you think to yourself "Hmm... is this it for this game? Is there anything challenging I can add to it?" and other questions out of the boredom of playing against bots like Ripblade and EMERGENCY all month.

So you just opened up your "new" Robot Arena 2 CD or have just downloaded the full version of the game and have been playing at it for quite some time. Eventually you think to yourself "Hmm... is this it for this game? Is there anything challenging I can add to it?" and other questions out of the boredom of playing against bots like Ripblade and EMERGENCY all month.

So eventually you join the forums and to your surprise find out that everyone is a better builder than you. Their bots look amazingly powerful and they have all these new types of showcases of themselves going against robots that you have never seen. Eventually you either find and install the same pack that they have and are either obliterated by the immense destructiveness of the AI itself or you get the guts to actually make a showcase of your own and get your bots critiqued on what can be done to make it better (mostly dealing with empty space). On rare cases you may take up quickly to the difficulty of the AI pack and simply build better bots from there, but this tutorial isn't needed for those types now is it? So what now?

So eventually you join the forums and to your surprise (or not) find out that most people here are better builders than you. Their bots look amazingly powerful and they have all these new types of showcases of themselves going against robots that you have never seen. Eventually you either find and install the same pack that they have and are either obliterated by the immense destructiveness of the AI itself or you get the guts to actually make a showcase of your own and get your bots critiqued on what can be done to make it better (mostly dealing with empty space). On rare cases you may take up quickly to the difficulty of the AI pack and simply build better bots from there, but this tutorial isn't needed for those types now is it? So what now?

One thing to remember is that a good bot builder knows his building skill level. To determine what bulding skill level you have can be confusing, but one good way to know is by simply trying out different AI packs and seeing if you can win AT LEAST 3-5 tournaments of the pack. It does sound like a had thing to do, but this is what bot building skill is all about. Please look at the outline of what packs should be tried out to get a general idea of where you stand (not limited to new packs, this is just an example):

One thing to remember is that a good bot builder knows his building skill level. To determine what bulding skill level you have can be confusing, but one good way to know is by simply trying out different AI packs and seeing if you can win AT LEAST 3-5 tournaments of the pack. It does sound like a had thing to do, but this is what bot building skill is all about. Please look at the outline of what packs should be tried out to get a general idea of where you stand (not limited to new packs, this is just an example):

   1. Level Two: Can beat most if not all of DSL v2.1 AI robots

   1. Level Two: Can beat most if not all of DSL v2.1 AI robots

   2. Level Three : Can beat most if not all of NAR AI v1.1 AI robots

   2. Level Three : Can beat most if not all of NAR AI v1.1 AI robots

   3. Level Four : Can beat most if not all of the last NAR AI implement.

   3. Level Four : Can beat most if not all the robots of last NAR AI implement.

As you can see, there are certain packs in order of difficulty. Level one and two packs pose a challenge and level three and four packs are simply brutal. Note that I have also separated DSL and stock packs as they are completely different in terms of gameplay; so DSL packs get their own category, but since DSL is more demanding in terms of skill, it starts off at level two. These packs can be found here.

As you can see, there are certain packs in order of difficulty. Level one and two packs pose a challenge and level three and four packs are simply brutal. Note that I have also separated DSL and stock packs as they are completely different in terms of gameplay; so DSL packs get their own category, but since DSL is more demanding in terms of skill, it starts off at level two. These packs can be found here.