Hybrid

Hybrids are basically bots that carry different weapon systems, and are therefore a mix between different Bot types.

Hybrid Building Advice

For combat efficiency purposes, it isn't recommended to have more than two weapon systems. Even if a hybrid's greatest strength is versatility, it would be still weaker than a regular bot in each of his own weapon systems. Hybrids are most often seen as attractive, interesting builds rather than efficient ones.

As the only example of hybriding in Stock AI, EMERGENCY is a rammer/flipper hybrid, although it is quite clearly a bad rammer because it deals very low damage.

There are probably thousands of types of different hybrids, but all bot types don't synergize well with each other.

Hybrid Synergy

• Pusher/Hammer: Basically, a fast hammer with a frontal weapon rack, and possibly a wedge. The tactic is to begin hammering after pinning your opponent, a thing rammers can do easily, and useful for pushers. However, they are not as maneouvrable as real rammers (because of the hammer head and the srimech that often fails) and pretty much unstable. Extremely efficient against horizontal spinners if done well. Side hammer hybrids are stronger against vertical spinners and possibly popups (again, a weapon against your greatest enemy) and wipe out the instability problem and lack of invertibility. Examples include Flying Chao's BBEANS 5 bot Vetearn Destroyer and Clickbeetle's Cheshire Cat.

• Rammer/Poker: Not simply a fast poker, but a regular rammer with several pneumatic weapons. Foolishevil's bot RoAcH (Starcore 3) is a great design to start with. These basically add some moving element to your rammer weapon rack, but also provide an additionnal weapon to a pusher, solving the issue of pushers doing low damage. Of course, your chassis is going to be big with all these motors, batteries and air tanks, so you'd better be on a weight diet for this hybrid. Useful against horizontal spinners because you can stop the spinners with the static weapon rack and try to destroy the motors/extenders with the poking element

• Rammer/Horizontal spinner: A good design, mostly built in Stock. These can be started by adding a weapon rack to your unfinished HS, or adding a few spinners to your rammers.. Horizontal spinners will be easier to fight with that. Basically adds frontal defense and more weaponry to a HS, while of course weakening the spinner. ACAMS' 2 Sinister is a notable example.

• Horizontal spinner/Sit&Spinner: One of the most common hybrids out there, it either adds better drive to a HS or spinning weapons to a SnS, and in the case of the HS start makes the HS spin on itself. It basically sacrifices mobility for more weapon power. Somebody's SnSnSnS is one of the most known examples.

• Rammer/Sit&Spinner: A rare build. While you can use an SnS tactic with a pure rammer, most of the time it won't be efficient and you risk losing a few wheels. For a true hybrid like this, you just need to give up a few spikes/axes on your ramming weapon and make a rear "tail" with weapons on it, or put weapons all around your bot (remember not to sacrifice your entire weapon rack). This is a powerful addition to a ram if you are fighting a wedged opponent (VS, popup), the ram's deadliest enemies.

• Hammer/Poker: This type of bot attacks by pushing opponents into a wall or corner, then hammering down the wounded opponent. These bots are more than rare, and the best example is ScootOrDie, a DSL remake of a RA1 bot. Not a good bot type synergy because your hammers often bites the air if your pokers push your opponent.

• Flipper/Hammer: These bot designs not only flip the opponents, but Hammer down at the same time, this can either clamp the opponent, do more damage than a normal hammer, or just fail. For examples, see Clamp.

• Flipper/VS: Possibly one of the rarest hybrids known, these bots lift opponents upwards, usually into the main weapon. NFX's BTTB bot Tribute to Tribute to Mayhem is an example.

• Flipper/HS: Another very rare hybrid. One of these (Hedgehog IV) competed in BBEANS 2.

As you can find, rammers are extremely easy to hybrid and a good addition to other weapon designs.

On another side, shell spinners and bar spinners are hard to hybrid due to the sheer size of the weapons which barely leaves any space for the other weapon system to be put into good use.