Robot Building Techniques

Robot Arena: Design and Destroy (here in shortened to RA2) is an action/arcade/simulation game based on the robotic combat events seen on TV. As of when this was written (late 2003), it is the best of the remote controlled robot fighting games out there. Customization and versatility are what set it apart from all those before it.

RA2 is a tough game to write an FAQ for. This isn't a FPS or platform jumper where I can say "at this point jump on x to kill y" or the like. This game, (just go with me on this one) is actually closer to and RPG 3D Fighting Game. "What?[!] Are you @$#%ing nuts?[!]" you say. "This game is nothing like an RPG, it doesn't have swords and spells and what not!" Ah, but it does have swords (and axes, for that matter). And spells? Well, depends on what you count a Havok glitch I suppose... Anyway, just look at it: you start from nothing and build a mechanical warrior. This warrior will end up having some kind of weapon type - very similar to the class system in most RPGs. Implicitly, you have stats in ways of offense, defense, and control. RPGs have things like attack, armor, and agility (or something like that). Having said that, [minus downloaded bots] each and every robot warrior will be unique in some way.

This particular guide is a simpler version of the main FAQ. This one isn't cluttered by the stats of components or the like. It is more of a general resource, regardless if you're using the standard version or any of the mods.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP 450 MHz Pentium II or higher 64 MB RAM 170 MB Hard Disk Space 4x Speed CD-ROM 16 MB 3D Windows 98/ME/2000/XP compatible graphics card Windows 98/ME/2000/XP compatible sound card TCP/IP (LAN or Internet for online play) (DSL, Cable modem or faster) DirectX 8.1 (included) or higher Mouse & Keyboard

CONTROLS

Navigation and building is mouse-based.

Any time: [F11]: take a screen shot

When building: [shift]: change component position (rotation) by left/right mouse movement [control]: change component height by left/right mouse movement [delete]: remove selected component [right click]: toggles orbiting around robot or component w/ mouse [mouse wheel]: zoom in/out

The game allows full customization in terms of what controls your robot. (The default controls for the ready-made bots use the WASD control system, with [space-bar] as the weapon)

Match keys: [Esc]: Pauses game and brings up the match menu [F1]: Pauses game and shows the current wire controls [F2]: Orbit camera. defaults to just behind the robot; use left mouse button (right button in test area) to change the camera's angle and mouse wheel to zoom in and out. [F3]: Stationary camera. ("Blimp cam") [F4]: Watch camera (camera automatically tracks and follows bot)

ROBOT CONSTRUCTION

Robot Arena has you make an outline of your chassis, then extrude it. After that, you place all your components inside this, like a fish tank. This is somewhat the reverse of real life, where most people start with the components, and build out. Of course, that would just not be logistically possible. The downside is that you usually have to know what kind of robot you're building from the start.

Here are some typical Chassis shapes and how they've usually been used:

Rectangles: everything

Triangles: Wedges, Spinners, Spears Triangular wedges become a bit of a plow shape. This becomes useful in tabletop matches. Some spinners opt to place their weapon head as close to the apex of the triangle and the drive wheels at the other corners. This often ensures that the weapon covers the entire front half of the robot. Do note that angled chassis shapes can make placing components difficult.

T-shapes: Rams, Hammers, Spears, Thwacks If the front is the top of the "T," it makes a good shape to setup a ramming surface. The drive motors are wheels are then mounted behind that, fairly protected. Thwacks, of course, may set up in the opposite orientation, such that the lower part of a "T" is the weapon boom.

H-shapes: Clamps, Hammers, Saws, Spears

   In this case, it's not really necessary to make the middle bar in the exact 

center. You'll probably want to move it upwards for more lead-in space. An H shape would be used versus a U/V if you wanted a longer stance for the wheels.

I-shapes: Spinners, Rams

    Here, there's a factor of which orientation is the front. For rams, it's 

better to have the top of the "I" as the front making a chassis design similar to a "T" design, just capped on both ends. Spinners, on the other hand, are going to want to have the sides be the front, adopting a wide stance. This will give them much better control of their weapon. In addition, it makes for a huge area of attack. A real robot known as "Sweet" is a perfect example.

U/V-shapes: Clamps, Saws, Hammers, Vertical Spinners

    As you'll read below, the listed weapon types benefit from immobilizing 

the enemy.

Hexagons/Octagons: Wedges, Spinners, Thwacks

    These are similar to a circular chassis [below], but are easier to get 

even-sloped edges.

Circles: Spinners (and on occasion a hammer)

    It comes to no surprise that a spinner would adopt a circular chassis, If 

you want a more conical shape, you're going to have to un-click the "snap to grid" box and move them manually. Really though, it's probably just better to use a hexagon or octagon instead. There isn't much other reason to use a circular chassis with any of the other weapon types.

Now, repeat after me:

"THERE IS NO PERFECT ROBOT DESIGN."

Say it again.

Seriously, there is no design that will do _everything_. It just is not possible. Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't good designs or bad designs; far from it, but nothing will ever be able to handle all scenarios. When you construct a robot you have a machine that performs in basically three different categories: Offense (weapon), Mobility (drive), and Defense (armor) (OMD). A subset of mobility is self-righting or being invertible. Also, power factors into Offense and Mobility. If you look at these stats, you can only distribute so many attributes to each. Of course, in this game it isn't clear cut and in numbers where you assign values to each stat. In this case, it's more along degrees of emphasis. After a while, you run out of space or hit the weight limit. And yes, there is some overlap between them.

All right, let's cover the fun stuff at the front:

OFFENSE/WEAPONS

In Battlebots, matches are often scored by judges in terms of damage, aggression, and strategy. RA2, however, tallies up damage and assumes the other categories. Damage values vary depending on the weapon used and the velocity in which it is traveling. F=MA. (Force = Mass*Acceleration) Remember that. Also keep in mind that chassis damage (crunching] is merely cosmetic. It will not effect the collision shape of the chassis.

While there aren't any official rules regarding weapon building per se, there are some things to keep in mind if you are to use any machines for online play:

+ In general, employing more than 3 or 4 active weapons is excessive. + A vast number of pneumatic pistons will lag + Connecting pneumatic pistons to each other is _not_ recommended + Don't attach spikes to axle mounts + Massive # of spikes or other parts (more than 6-8 is overkill) lag the game + Stack motors (attaching the motor axle to another motor) with discretion.

    + 2 Stacked spin motors are dangerous, and more than that is overdoing it.
    + Don't stack burst motors (or burst motors to pistons)

+ Do not make a robot that purposely causes problems with the physics engine. + Check with whoever you're playing against regarding custom parts (for one thing, they have to have them, too). In addition, you have to alter some game data. Tournaments generally do not allow them.

WEAPON TYPES

These are the basic weapon designs that are common in the world of robotic combat. Under the type, I've listed real-world examples.

• RAMMERS:

EXAMPLES: Tricerabot, Hammerhead, Ogre

For all intents and purposes, your drive train and your weapon motors are one and the same. You are going to need at least 4 wheel drive for better control and maximum speed. Ideally you must be invertible and using the most powerful motors available. Traction is key, so have the wheels with the widest treads. Place your wheels as far forward and rearward as conveniently possible. This helps prevent you from losing traction if you get lifted. An alternate strategy for rams is to employ automotive steering (the powered steering unit). It's a bit easier to make minute turning adjustments while ramming. Since the unit is invertible, be sure to have alternate control keys when upside down. This is much easier than using the standard controls. The front of your machine must be strong enough to withstand the high-speed rams and the beating that results while doing so. Having multiple spikes can rack up points quickly and make aiming less tedious. However, know that in an online battle, the risk of lagging the battle becomes greater. Be sure to have rails or spikes on your side plates so you won't get stuck in an embarrassing position.

The ram's greatest weakness is requiring a long charge to cause enough damage. In addition, with the 4+ wheels, rams are inherently large. This provides a big target for hammers (and some spears). Vertical spinners may be tough since ramming one head-on may result in them flipping you over. Often, rams will have their wheels mounted outside the chassis in order to have maximum internal space for batteries and motors. Your opponent is going to go after these as quickly as possible. Put guards of some kind if you can.

STRONG: Spinners, saws, WEAK: Lifters, Wedges, Hammers, Vertical Spinners

Pro: Nearly unstoppable drive train Con: Very difficult to control

• WEDGES:

EXAMPLES: Double Agent, Bad Attitude, Mosquito, War Machine

The most popular design feature on any machine. The idea is to get the wedge under the opponent and take away their traction, even flip them over. Some wedges are two wheeled and let the chassis hinge on these wheels, resulting in a ground scraping front wedge. Others use a parallelogram style wedge which is advantageous if you get flipped over. Getting the chassis as flat against the ground as possible is the easiest way to get under the opponent. This is done with a combination of motor height and wheel choice. Few designs incorporate just the wedge alone, and in a game defined by points, just the wedge will not likely be enough to win. However, it always makes for a good, solid back-up weapon (everyone saw Minion during Season 1, right?). When you get under an opponent, you are robbing them of their control. The opponent is at your mercy. Thus, all wedges need a strong drive train. Since the sloping chassis means less component space, wedges will usually be slower than a ram of the same original chassis outline.

A wedge gets a disadvantage in that it can't easily reinforce the attacking surface the same way rams can. Depending on the wedge, see if you can mount spikes to prevent the opponent from driving over you. This will add damage, but may cause problems with invertibility. The ground-scraping aspect of a wedge means that it is easy to lose traction and driving ability if something manages to lift part of the chassis. It also means they can high-center very easily.

STRONG: Just about everything that can't get under it WEAK: Hammers, anything lower (lifters, another wedge)

Pro: Simple, yet effective Con: Little-to-no damage on their own, highly susceptible to attack

• LIFTERS/LAUNCHERS:

EXAMPLES: Vlad the Impaler, Firestorm, Biohazard; Toro, T-minus, Hexadecimator

Lifters take the concept behind the wedge and actuate it. The default burst motors in RA are not very strong and can pretty much only do moderate lifting (especially in the heavier weight classes). Remember, bursts have to lift not only the [up-to-800kg] opponent, but the attachments, as well. Servos are generally not usable, although there has been some minor accounts of success (may need counter-weights). One way to get around this is to have multiple arms. Light, wide, and low should be your lifter. Of course, obtaining all three is very difficult. When you try lifting someone, you'll notice that the amount of force necessary often causes the rear of your bot to rise. In order to counter-act this, mount outriggers out and under the lifter. The general strategy for a lifter is to get under the opponent and forcefully take away their traction, flipping them over or taking them to a hazard. Thus a similar drive train sufficient for a wedge is recommended. Making a lifter out of spikes is a good idea, to get some damage points from a lift (it will be pathetically low, however). Having a pneumatic lifter is possible, but the pistons have to be aimed straight up. Lifter arms usually fall under two categories: Upward (standard) and Forward.

Upward arms are the most common type, seen just about everywhere. When positioning the arms, angle them slightly lower than level with the ground. This causes some downward force against the playing surface, making it easier to get under a wedge. It's pretty easy to self-right with the lifting arm (unless you're Sentinel, apparently).

Forward-style arms are somewhat uncommon, reportedly first pioneered in Robot Wars UK by a robot called Cassius. The weapon concept lives on in Firestorm. The design requires a wedge-body. Once the opponent rides up the wedge, the weapon is fired, which swings forward, away from the chassis. If you make the arm out of spikes, you also gain the ability to hammer the opponent. A disadvantage of this weapon type is the abuse the wedge will get.

It is possible to make an arm similar to Biohazard by connecting two burst motors. Just be aware that it isn't as effective as a true 4-bar lifter arm and is rather unstable.

Pop-Ups have sprung up as a design solution to the low damage problem of lifters. The idea is to have combine both the Forward and Upward designs, such that the arms scissor against the opponent. Pop-ups usually have no less than 3 burst motors inside. The arms are light, usually made of a couple spikes.

By attaching a pneumatic piston to the burst motor, you will get a little bit more power, plus a more complex lift. This creates something more akin to a launcher. Since launchers are dedicated to out right flipping the opponent, supposedly a drive train is not as crucial. However, investing in driving power is a good idea, especially against machines that are invertible. Typically, launchers do well in matches with multiple opponents. You can flip one robot, turn around and flip the next closest robot. Usually, the first opponent needs time to re-orient him/herself if invertible, or needs time to self-right.

In both cases, your worst enemies are spinners and thwacks. A spinner is going to be very difficult to get under without risking the loss of your lifter arm. Thwacks by design are almost impossible to get in a position where a wheel doesn't touch the ground.

STRONG: Anything non-invertible it can get under WEAK: Thwacks, Spinners

Pro: Can render an opponent helpless. Con: Generally low damage,

• CLAMPS:

EXAMPLES: Huggy Bear, Complete Control, Dead Metal

In this game, clamps are less successful for the same reason that lifter's and wedges aren't rewarded, but also in that most of the mechanics just aren't strong enough. There have been some innovative ways of achieving this. So far, downward jaws seem to be the most successful. The trick is to use burst motors that start in the "closed" position. Then time the opening of the jaws such that the return swing closes down on the opponent. Clamps rarely work well on their own. By combining it with another weapon, like a saw, you can keep your opponent from moving while your other weapons do damage. Otherwise, this robot type does best in arenas with hazards. Your drive train will have to be on par with a lifter, since your going to be moving a huge mass.

Spinners and hammers are your toughest fights. Both are going to rip off the arms of your robot with the first chance they've got. The worst part is that getting (and maintaining) a good grip is extremely difficult.

STRONG: Anything small enough to fit in the grab zone WEAK: Spinners, Hammers,

Pro: (If done well), will give you complete control of the opponent. Con: Difficult to build effectively.

• THWACKS:

EXAMPLES: Blade Runner, Herr Gepounden, T-Wrex, Whirligig

Thwacks are almost always two wheeled and invertible. Essentially, they employ sit-and-spin tactics using just their drive train. Long extenders with a heavy attachment form the weapon. This can be very destructive. Unfortunately, the thwack is hindered by not being able to move while spinning. For the AI opponents, this is fine; the computer will always move in regardless of what you're doing. Human opponents, however, are much more savvy and will wait for you to stop spinning. Like the wedge, a thwack exists as one of the easiest designs to make. It is very difficult to disable by lifters and launchers, and the shape often makes for a hard target for hammers. Of course, also like the wedge, the thwack works better as an alternative or back-up weapon since it relies entirely on your drive train (and if your drive train's dead, so are you). No, currently, there is no way to employ a Melty-brain or Tornado drive system in this game (used by Blade Runner and Herr Gepounden to translate while spinning). Interestingly, a greater width between the two opposing wheels makes for a faster spin (in real life, the opposite usually happens).

An off shot of the thwack is the overhead thwacks like Overkill and Toe Crusher. The concept is to have the entire chassis built within the radius of the wheels minus a single extender. While moving forward, if you suddenly reverse, the entire chassis spins forward, swinging the weapon. Within the game's physics, this is just not possible. The only way to accomplish this is through thwack walkers (using discs or saws as wheels).

In any case, a thwack has several disadvantages. As said, you can't move while spinning and your opponent can come at you from any direction. Wedges are hard to fight since your weapon will easily get deflected. It is possible to try angle your weapon to act as a wedge, although it is difficult to have it at precisely the right angle to get under the opponent. Lastly, and it's more dependent on who you're fighting, but thwacks are generally not appreciated amongst the community.

STRONG: Lifters, boxy robots WEAK: Rams, Spears, wedges

Pro: Simple to build, good damage Con: Difficult to drive, limited mobility

• HAMMERS:

EXAMPLES: Frenzy, Deadblow, Pressure Drop, No Apologies, Diesector, Beta Hurtz

In this game, hammers are solely electric powered. Like thwacks, hammers utilize kinetic energy and bring their weapon down onto the opposing robot. The easiest way to achieve this is to use burst motors. Unfortunately, none of the burst motors allow for a full 180 degree swing (somewhere around 120-150 degrees). In addition, the default burst motors lack sufficient power to fully self-right on a return swing. You can often be able to right yourself if the hammer is fully retracted (the AI does this).

An alternative to burst motors is to use spin motors like Diesector or Frenzy. Unfortunately, this usually results in less damage. For a faster swing, it is best to employ a counterweight (like a sledge hammer head) on the opposite end of the hammer arm. Unfortunately, the ability to self-right is not guaranteed (depends on how well-balanced it is). Often times, the hammer arm has to be constantly swinging, almost like a spinner when it is flipped. This design often ends up being rather tall in order to allow the counter weight to swing underneath. Of course, if you mount them like Diesector and be fully invertible, than it shouldn't be a problem. One thing you will encounter is to be careful on the return swing. The hammer head is going to strike the floor, damaging the head. If you're not careful, the weapon might break and then you're sunk.

Control is the key for your robot. Watching the TV show(s), you've probably noticed one of the problems of hammers is that they often miss. Do not mount your hammer on a turret. Your aim will go out the window. Your drive train should be enough that you can turn and aim your robot in a controllable manner. It is a good idea to make the front of your robot into a "v" or otherwise have a forward indentation to lead your opponent into the kill zone. Of course, this means it can lead your opponent's weapons into this region as well, so reinforce appropriately. More than any other weapon type, driving skill is important. Rams and spinners (all of them) can count on their weapons to take the brunt of a forward charge. Even spears can rely on their weapon's speed and rush in (not that I recommend this tactic, mind you). Hammers can't do that. Blitzing an opponent will just get the front end of your machine crunched and possibly even your weapon arm ripped off.

On the plus side, hammers are one of the best counter-attacks to a wedge bot. A wedge surface presents itself as a huge target. Since a wedge is sloped, and low to the ground, you often get the full stroke (swing) of your weapon, causing maximum damage. It is very difficult and it depends on their weapon mounts, but hammers can often get good shots at a vertical spinners weapon motor(s). Just make sure your reach is longer than his weapon radius. It is also the ideal weapon for hitting enclosed wheels.

When facing another hammer robot, it comes down to control and who has better positioning (and timing). Spears can be a nightmare for hammers. They too are going to be utilizing control and positioning. However, they have speed on their side. A spear can usually get in at least twice as many hits and each strike is going to bounce your bot around, messing up your aim. Spinners can be tough, just make sure you start striking after you've stopped their weapon.

STRONG: Robots with a large, exposed roof (usually rams and wedges) and/or

    lots of extenders

WEAK: Spinners, Spears, other Hammers

Pro: Good against Wedges and Rams. Con: Moderate damage, requires good driving skill

• SIDE HAMMERS:

EXAMPLES: none that are famous

A variation on the hammer bot is mounting them sideways. This is typically done in pairs and has the two weapon heads converge somewhere in front. This is about as close as this game comes to a crusher. For some reason, this has not been implemented much in the real world. In a way, the design is somewhat like combining a hammer and a thwack (plus a little bit of a clamp). This particular type of weapon is a bit difficult to analyze since there are few examples.

Unlike normal hammers, side hammers don't have the advantage over wedges. They do however possess easier invertibility. Side hammers have a very large attack zone since they're traveling horizontally, not vertically. While you won't have the damage values of a spinner, the range is very handy. As such, you don't necessarily need as much finesse while driving. You can also sometimes thwack with them if necessary.

STRONG: boxy machines. WEAK: wedges

Pro: Easier to aim and attack than overhead hammers Con: Moderate damage.

• SPEARS/PUNCHERS:

EXAMPLES: Rammstein, Rhino

In this game, are solely pneumatic. The game mechanics don't possess the ability to pierce the opponent. Instead, the idea is taking the ram bot's tactics and miniaturizing it down to just the weapon. This makes spears slightly easier to control since backing off and ramming isn't required (but helps). In fact, combining a ram bot chassis with pneumatic punchers is highly recommended. Ideally, reach is the advantage of a punch bot, striking from a safe distance. Spears also have a speed advantage; they posses fastest attack rate in the game.

This type fairs well in arenas with pits, allowing you to safely knock an opponent into a hazard without the danger of overshooting (like a ram bot does). Spear bots posses a small weapon profile -- often resembling a ram bot array, making them less susceptible to spinners. In fact, with this game, you can even hide the spike inside the chassis as a surprise attack. Of course, savvy opponents will be suspicious, since your air gage is full. The easiest opponent is one with box-like chassis and/or exposed wheels. Thwacks and rams predominately fall into this category. You also get an edge against hammers, being able to knock the opponent back and mess up the aim.

An alternative idea used by the an old robot called La Machine. The main weapon was a wedge, but at the top was a pneumatic piston. Once the robot got underneath the opponent, the piston was fired, doing some damage and also usually flips the opponent over. It's similar in concept to a forward lifter.

A disadvantage of spears is an even narrower attack range than hammers. This can be compensated by having more pistons or more surfaces that are extended (or a combination of both). Keep in mind, however, that this creates a danger of creating massive lag on online games. Thus, only have as many pistons as necessary (usually no more than 4). As with hammers, control is key. Spears have a psychological disadvantage. Your opponent knows that you need a separate source of power for your weapon. This means that your drive train, battery power or armor is comparatively weaker to a ram bot of the same type. Wedges are a difficult target since your attack will more likely bounce off and up. This will knock your robot up into the air, often resulting in the wedge gaining the upper hand.

STRONG: Boxy robots (thwacks, rams), some hammers and face spinners WEAK: Wedges,

Pro: Fastest attack in the game. Extended pushing ability Con: Narrow and limited attack potential, requires a separate power source

• SAWS:

EXAMPLES: the Master, Anklebiter (season 1-4), Ginsu, SOB, Low Blow

In real life, saws suck virtually outright. In this game, they fair a little better. Saws do a small amount of damage in a short amount of time. The goal then is to keep the opponent in place long enough for the points to rack up. The Battlebot SOB is a good design to base from. This involves a saw mounted on servo arm. The weapon can be raised out of harms way and only be brought in when you have a good hold on the opponent. Alternately, you can try mounting them in the front of the wedge like Ankle Biter so that your wedge has extra bite, even maybe flipping the opponent. The robot Low Blow employed an interesting tactic of mounting the saw horizontally on top of a dome-like chassis. However, in this game, you might as well just make it a spinner. Compared to a spinner of similar diameter, the saw is lighter, possibly ideal for the lower weight classes.

Given their lackluster reputation in the real world and only moderate status in the game, your opponent will probably not regard your weapon as very dangerous. Saws are incredibly easy to knock off (by hammers and vertical spinners if horizontal, and thwacks, spinners, and side hammers, if vertical). Do not use them as drive wheels (like Ginsu) unless absolutely necessary. Your traction and pushing ability is greatly reduced. In addition, they will be constantly taking damage from the arena.

STRONG: Any robot that you can get to stop moving WEAK: Just about anything else

Pro: "Spinner lite" Con: Small damage, easily damaged

• BAR/DISC SPINNERS:

EXAMPLES: Mauler, Hazard, Malvolio, Hypno-disc, Surgeon General

Spinners are generally regarded as the most destructive machines in robotic combat. It is basically the kinetic energy achieved by a hammer or a thwack, except continuous and separate from the drive train. Spinners come in just about any flavor. The advantage of spinners is that typically the spinner has a large attack radius. This is an area that your opponent is going to try his/her best to get around. If your spinner is all-encompassing (surrounds the chassis), you effectively have an extra layer of armor -- a weapon that functions as both offense and defense. Take a note, that as your spinner gets up to speed, the chassis's going to want to turn in the opposite direction of the rotating mass. How hard you turn depends on the mass of the spinner and the motor powering it. Once it reaches full speed, control usually stabilizes. Just know that this means that when you hit the opponent, you may have steering problems afterwards as the spinner gets back up to speed. Jimxorb has discovered that using servos as part of the drive train, can help steady the robot. You may opt to shut off the spinner at the last second before impact and then be able to retreat in a controlled manner.

The psychological aspects of a spinner against an opponent vary. The opponent is generally going to be fearful (at worst, respectful) of your weapon and will avoid it at all costs. On the other hand, some opponents (such as a ram bot) may bite the bullet and just go straight at you. They know your weapon is the result of sacrifices -- even neglect -- to your drive train. They have superior pushing ability and will try to move you into a hazard or stop the spinner by pinning you against a wall. They will also hope they can knock off a part of your spinner, causing the spinner to become unbalanced or even come off entirely. This will basically neuter your weapon since an unbalanced spinner is in danger of spinning out and "pulling a Mauler." (For those who don't know, it's like a watching a spinning coin backwards). It is often a good idea to have both an analog switch and digital switches for your spinner. An analog switch will allow you to spin at a slower speed, preventing a spin-out. Wedges pose a problem depending on how low your spinner is mounted. Machines like Hazard and Malvolio compensate by having wedges of their own. Malvolio also employs mounting the bar at an angle, resulting in a lower kill area. Of course, he loses the ability to strike anyone at his rear and sides. If you are going to use an angled spinner, be sure to have some weapons to deter any hammer robots aiming for the center connector. The steeper the angle (more than 45 degrees), the more your spinner becomes akin to a face spinner (see below). Another machine, Code Black, has his blade mounted almost flush with the ground. This makes getting under it virtually impossible, as well as gives him perfect shots at his opponents wheels. This particular type is known as an "Under-cutter." However, they can be difficult to build [effectively].

In general, you're going to want to hit the opponent depending on which direction you're spinning. If you're spinning left (counter-clockwise), you should hit the left side [his left, your right] of the opponent. This will knock the front end away from you, usually giving you access to his sides and rear. In a spinner vs. spinner scenario [both normal or vertical), it usually comes down to what your weapons are and where they're located.

Within Horizontal Spinners, weapon setups can be broken down into a few categories: Blades/Bars, Discs, Cages, Shells.

Blades and Bars (Hazard, Malvolio) are single rod-like spinner shapes. Blades are usually when they're straight, bars can be any shape (curved, etc). In this game, most Bar spinners have 2-3 appendages. Using a T connector or a Tribar, these components will result in a comparatively lighter weapon. This means faster spin-up times or weight that can be distributed elsewhere. [Long] Bars are among the easiest spinners to stop. Also, since they have such a small profile, it is very easy for the chassis to be attacked. The weapon itself though, is often very durable (partially because it is hard to hit).

Discs (Surgeon General, Hypnodisc) are one step up from bars. Usually possessing 2-4 weapon heads (although the game gives you 8 attachment points, using all 8 is difficult). A disc is heavier, and in this case more versatile given the sizes available. However, it is easier to hit than a bar. This does mean more protection from hammer bots. The rim of the disc can also keep robots away from your chassis. Take your pick, do you risk taking damage to the chassis, but have most of your weapon (bar). Or do you let your weapon take the hit, saving your control board, but risk losing your weapon. An advantage of discs in real robot combat, but not recommended in the game, is that discs can be used to push around the opponent.

Cage (Whyachi) are similar to a bar spinner, but with connections to prevent easy access to the chassis. These are difficult to build in the game. The cage often prevents rams and some spears from getting to your chassis, but hammers can usually get past it.

Shells (Ziggo, Phrizbee/Shredderator) are very difficult to make with standard parts, but mean all-around protection from the sides and top. Shells are extremely heavy, often meaning the weakest drive trains aside from FBS's. Lots of attacking surfaces and lots of armor pieces make these tough to attack. Beware the lifter that tries to get at your belly plate. The DSL:TC mod is the best way to make this spinner variant.

STRONG: any opponent with lots of external attachments (hammers, thwacks,

    lifters, saws)

WEAK: Well-armored ram bots, wedges, other spinners

Pro: Damaging power surpassed only by FBS's Con: Usually weak drive trains, difficult to control during spin-up,

• VERTICAL SPINNERS:

EXAMPLES: Nightmare, Backlash, Garm, 259, Heavy Metal Noise

You've seen them on TV: the vertical discs of Nightmare and Backlash. A good vertical spinner (spinning upwards) becomes something of a launcher, but also has the damage qualities of a spinner. See the fight between Nightmare and Slam Job as an example. You're going to want to have something directly under the central axis of the spinning mass. For Backlash, you've seen that he has casters in this location. This prevents the weapon from slamming into the floor when you hit an opponent (it's also going to want to pitch forward when you spin up, so distribute weight accordingly). You will also notice that Nightmare has a wide stance and that Backlash has had these long balancing rods sticking out the sides. These are designed to help keep the robot upright as it turns. Adding side stabilizers will help in a big way.

One of the disadvantages of a vertical spinner is that it's attack zone is fairly narrow. This means that you have to work harder to keep your weapon aimed at your opponent (which is a bit ironic, given how hard it is to turn). One way to compensate is to have multiple discs. This is recommended since with just one disc, your robot can become side-heavy and easily tips over. Of course the more discs you have, the more it is like a drum. The disc or bar on a vertical spinner is inherently large, often at least twice the height of your chassis. This makes being invertible difficult since ideally, your drive wheels should be directly below the axis of the spinner. In this case, a reverse switch for your spinner and hit it any time you start to leave the ground. This is usually enough to keep yourself from flipping. It's also often enough flip yourself back over if it happens, by striking the ground enough times.

Yes, it is possible to mount your drive motors in a way to achieve an angled chassis like Nightmare. An RA2 robot known as Digital Apocalypse designed by TDS is reportedly the first to achieve something like this. An interesting design, DA also utilizes a powered steering unit at his rear, which vastly makes turning ability more controllable. Bare in mind, however, this is one of the most unstable robot designs. It is very easy to turn too quickly with this design and the gyro-forces will flip you over. You may want to have your drive axles inward oriented, this will slow down turning ability, but maintain forward/backward strength.

Of all the weapon types, vertical spinners seem to be the most common to have stacked motors. As stated, this can be dangerous. You risk being very unstable and a complete physics anomaly.

Wedges are tough for vertical spinners since they require a surface to catch on to be really effective. Hence, a pyramidal machine is a very difficult target. Of course, one way to counter this is with a wedge of your own. Historically, vertical spinners have not done well against horizontal spinners. Basically, all you can do is slam hard and hope you flip him over. Hammer bots with long reach may pose a problem, as they will be aiming for your weapon motor, which is not easy to protect.

STRONG: Boxy robots, robots with lots of attachments WEAK: Wedges, (some hammers & spinners)

Pro: High damage, upwards lift (flipping) Con: Narrow attack zone, tall, unstable.

• DRUMS/THRESHERS:

examples: Little Drummer Boy, El Diablo

An off-shot of the vertical spinner is the drum. By default, there is no drum attachment. However, a make-shift drum can be achieved by taking a disc and attaching wide weapon types to the edges (such as pick axes or lawnmower blades). Downloadable components are also available. The advantage of a drum is a wider attack zone. Almost always, the entire front of the robot becomes a weapon. Generally smaller in diameter, drums do smaller hits, but reach top speed much faster as well as easier to make invertible. It's common to see them adopting ram-style chassis shapes. It is also easier to protect the spinner motor. This usually removes the weakness hammers can exploit on vertical spinners. As with vertical spinners, make sure you have some support underneath the drum. Otherwise, during a hit, the drum will hit the arena floor. If the motor is strong enough, it could very well start to flip the bot over.

However, the lower, wider chassis shape is just begging to be hit. Wedges are tough for this design as well.

STRONG: Boxy robots, robots with lots of attachments WEAK: Wedges

Pro: Better attack zone than vertical spinners Con: Smaller damage,

• FACE SPINNERS:

EXAMPLES: B.O.B., 911

Face spinners are kind of a cross between a vertical spinner and a drill. They have the vertical spinner or drum's ability to toss a robot (on the edge that spins up). Of course, this means that the other edge is striking down. One way to compensate for this is to have at least 2 counter-rotating spinners on the front of your robot. Don't make your spikes or striking appendages all the same size. Have one set act as a protection for the disc, while another set is for attack. The idea is to get enough spacing to achieve high damage points.

Like the drum, face spinners take up a good portion of the front end of the robot. In addition, they are generally small in size, which makes for an invertible design. Being small and numerous, face spinners are hard to stop. This also means you can add more power to your drive train.

Unlike drums, spear bots have an advantage over face spinners in that they have a clean shot at the center of your discs. Such a tactic would require superior control and near-perfect aim. This is rare (especially online), but it is reasonable to consider this scenario. Know which part of the disc is spinning downward. This will make a big difference against a wedge, as the side that spins down is going to pop your bot in the air, giving the wedge the advantage.

STRONG: Boxy robots, robots with lots of attachments WEAK: wedges, spears

Pro: A bit more stable than vertical spinners and drums (driving wise) Con: Often limited in size (and hence, damage)

• COMPLEX SPINNERS:

Examples: (virtually impossible nor practical in real life)

Here is an interesting design. These are not quite the same as a stacked motor, but the concept is similar. Complex spinners can be either parallel or perpendicular. Starting out from a horizontal spinner (a vertical source just self-destructs), stick either a disc or bar, then mount another set of motors. If the axles of this second set are still like horizontal spinners, then this is the parallel variety. Perpendicular are if axles are angled outward (90 degrees to the source), like rotating face spinners. The advantage of this design is that even if the main spinner is stopped by a ram, the outer spinners often still rotate. (The Battlebot AI pack's Phrizbee and a some of the Starcore bots are complex spinners)

Strong: Boxy, exposed chassis bots Weak: Well-armored machines

Pro: Very difficult to completely stop Con: Difficult to build, incredibly unstable

• FULL-BODY SPINNERS:

EXAMPLES: Y-POUT & Why-Not (sort of)

Basically, this is a thwack that has translating ability. One way to achieve this is to have an axle in the center of the base plate. Mounted to this are a pair of servos. These become the drive motors. Mount some high-powered motors on the outer edges. Set a switch that spins the outer motors in a single direction and wire the servos like a drive train. This will cause the chassis to spin at high speed, but the servos will remain stationary.

There is an alternative, which involves weight distribution, but the creator, TDS, hasn't released his secrets, yet. You can try figuring it out if you want.

The strengths and weaknesses of this type of machine are the same as a spinner, just extreme in both directions. Since the entire chassis is spinning, this means a high-speed ~700kg machine of doom (these machines will invariably be heavy weights). Normal spinners only get 1-2 (at most 3) motors powering their weapons. A full body spinner has as many drive motors as you can fit into a chassis (generally 4-6). This means extremely high spin speed without the problems of stacking motors. People employing this design have had hits in excess of 2000 points (one record of over 6000).

A disadvantage of this type of machine is that your drive train is pitiful if you're using the servos. In fact, it's likely the worst drive train possible (you will have zilch in the pushing department). Having a separate control for the spin motors to act as drive motors is a good back-up plan. Of course, since you're hitting with such high damage, there is a higher likelihood of breaking your own robot's attachments with that same hit.

STRONG: [Weak-armored] Boxy robots, robot with lots of attachments. WEAK: Well-armored ram bots, wedges

Pro: Quite possibly the most damaging weapon type Con: The weakest drive train, can seriously hurt itself with the same hit

• FULL-BODY DRUMS:

EXAMPLES: Daffodil

Currently, this design has yet to be successful. The idea is to make a cylindrical chassis. Mount the weapon motors, one facing the base, the other facing the top. Your drive motors are then attached to the weapon motors. You then have to get the robot to fall on its side. The chassis becomes a gigantic drum. The trick is preventing both drive pods from spinning. Also, since you're tipping it on its side, control setup becomes problematic. You could do it with a long rectangular chassis, I suppose.

STRONG: n/a WEAK: n/a

Pro: (Bragging rights?) Con: Currently unsuccessful design

MISC. WEAPON Q'S

Q: Why can't I get my wedge under the opponent? A: (Crazy sub-conscious says that sounds wrong... ) Try putting some ballast in that particular section. This should weigh down that part of the chassis, getting it lower and also should make it harder for the opponent to get leverage. Keep in mind that batteries (for some reason) do not appear to have any effect on weight distribution. Also try putting a caster on the opposite end of the chassis to angle the front (or whichever side the wedge is on) down.

Q: Can I make hinged wedges/skirts? A: No. Attaching a wedge on an axle mount will not work. The fact that the game drops the robot a short distance before a fight often causes the wedges to fold underneath itself, rendering them useless. Lu-Tze and the Ubermod have come up with hinges, but really they're just extremely weak servos.

Q: Why would I stack motors? A: RA2 lacks the ability to use chains or belts to have multiple motors power an axle (as is common in real robot combat). Everything must be directly mounted. RA2 builders have tried getting around this by stacking motors to get increased speed and power. Despite this, the robot is going to be highly unstable and often possesses a long spin-up time.

Q: How do I stack motors? A: Stick a connector (most use "T" connectors) between the axle of the first motor and the attachment point of the second one.

Q: What about the cannon, flame thrower and the magnet? A: Those weapon types are available only after you use the cheatbot code. They are not available online, so there's no real point in discussing them. (Besides, they suck for the most part).

Q: Are there any weapon types [popular in real robot combat] you're not covering here? A: Yes. They are: Crushers (because the default mechanics can't achieve it), Drills (because they suck more than saws)

MOBILITY/DRIVE/MECHANICS

Battlebot builder Christian Carlberg once said that drive train is the most important part of the robot. You can see where he's coming from, in that as long as you can move you won't get counted out. More often than not, your weapon choice determines the type of drive train you have. Other factors are the shape of you chassis and weight class.

This is a wheel number break down (that are touching the ground): 2 WHEELS: pretty much used for thwacks, as well as some hammers and spinners.

    Driving in a straight line is difficult. Turning often over-shoots

3 WHEELS: you are on crack 8P, Really, some do this to increase translation

    speed and to slow down turning (ideal for spinners). If you try building   
    an auto-steering bot (aka Ackerman steering), you may need to put counter- 
    weights on the opposite side.

4 WHEELS: good all-around. It may have some turning problems due to slippage.

    Again, might be good for spinners, and to keep hammers from over-turning

6 WHEELS: This is a fine compromise of turning and translating speed.

    However, this is a lot of dedication to the drive train, so your weapon 
    and armor may start to suffer.

8 OR MORE: You are almost certainly building a ram. With all those wheels and

    motors, you're not going to have much for other active weapons. 

Omni-Drive: This is a design that employs 4 motors (I suppose 3 or 6 could work, as well), each at the corners of the chassis in an "X" shape. The result is (with some additional wiring setups) the ability to side-step or "strafe" as it is commonly known amongst FPS (first person shooters). The disadvantage of this system is that the translation (forward, backward, & side-to-side) power of the robot is greatly reduced compared to another machine with the same motors mounted parallel. The only real up-side other than the novelty of side movement is a very fast turn speed (ideal for thwacks).

Walkers: It is very difficult to build a walker in this game, and there's not much incentive, given the lack of a bonus weight allowance present in most robotic competitions. There are three types of walkers: Thwack rollers, which are discs or tri-bars with weapon heads attached. These are technically illegal walkers by Battlebot rules. They aren't much better than using saws as wheels. Shufflers, are long bars that cam using axle mounts. True Walkers, incredibly difficult to make and exceedingly unstable.

MOTOR TYPES

• SPIN MOTORS:

There are used for spinning wheels or weapons. Any of the controls (analog, switch, button) can be wired to these.

• BURST MOTORS

These will be your motors to self-right and/or lift/hammer with. These can only have a button wired to them. They have also been cleverly been used to mount spinner motors in positions the game would normally not allow (intersecting the chassis, for example). Just know that it will probably wobble a bit.

• SERVO MOTORS

These items are unique in that they resist any outside force and usually stay in the position they are in. In general, servos are for a slow, controlled way of changing the position of something. Usually it's adjusting the angle of a weapon head.

MISC. MECHANICAL Q'S

Q: Why don't you get detailed about some of this stuff? A: The game came with a great set of tutorials to help you (there's a folder marked as such in the RA2 directory)

Q: I've seen many robots with motors mounted externally. Why should I do this? A: The quick answer is simply because the part doesn't fit inside the allotted chassis space. (Or, you're building a DA/Nightmare vertical spinner) However, many people have found that by putting a motor outside, space that would have normally been needed to accommodate it can either be eliminated altogether (to save weight) or be used for something else (more power sources for example). And as said, motors externally mounted aren't limited by the chassis shape. The disadvantage that come with this is the increased vulnerability of your motors. In order to protect them, often a rather elaborate framework of extenders is needed. In addition, it increases the likely-hood of a havok explosion. Spinners are the most common weapons type to employ this method.

SELF-RIGHTING/BEING INVERTIBLE

Don't ever assume you can't be flipped over. Sure, you might have a design where the other robots might not be able to flip you completely over, but consider things like the hellraisers in the Octagon Arena and the dreaded Havok explosions. You cannot travel the road of Bio-hazard, who is not invertible, and just make it hard to get under you.

Not to re-word an old car slogan, but "Lower is better." This makes it much easier to be invertible, plus it makes for a lower center of gravity, so the risk of being flipped is reduced. General rule of thumb is to make your robot invertible if possible. There are several ways to do this:

One way is to simply use wheels that have a diameter large enough to stick out enough on both the top and bottom. The problem inherent with this method is that when you get flipped, you're controls are now reversed. Unlike what most builders do, you can't just flip a switch and invert your controls (and if you can, I want to know where you got it). The counter for this is to have another set of controls. This means you have to have an extra 2 slots in the control box. Generally this is not a problem, however this often limits you to using the keyboard.

Another method is to have an extra set of free-spinning wheels towards the top. This set of wheels are wired in such a way that when flipped, you can still drive normally without changing controls. The Robot Wars bot Pussy Cat follows this idea. The problem with this method is that at a given time, this set of motors will drain battery power even if they're not touching the ground.

There also has been methods that mount the motors on servos or linear actuators that changes the drive train layout of the robot. There are a few problems with this. One is that often the controls are still reversed depending on how they're mounted. Also consider that servos are painfully slow, meaning there are precious seconds in which you are vulnerable trying to reconfigure. Lastly, this is a lot of complicated attachments to the drive train, compromising weapons, armor, etc. Tacking on to that, all those parts will increase the lag in online play.

For self-righting, the sure-fire way is to use burst motors. It's usually pretty simple, just follow something similar to Minion or Hypnodisc.

Don't use the burst pistons for self-righting. It's a flaw in the physics engine which doesn't follow Newton's 3rd law. That is, the every action causes equal reaction. In this case, there's no reaction. Most of the times, firing the pistons results in nothing. Although if you follow that logic, you could theoretically try mounting the piston the opposite way to try to shift enough weight to flip over.

If anything, at least make sure you can move around after being flipped. Vertical spinners could use their weapon disc, spears can scoot around by the burst pistons.

For spinners and some Face spinners, you can use something akin to Ziggo's flag. Mount somewhere in the chassis an extender that offsets the bot when it's upside down such that the spinning causes it to flip over. You do not want this mounted in the center for easier righting. If you have it either tall enough or sufficiently offset, this can actually apply to some of the other weapon types as long as a wheel also touches the ground. At this point, all you have to do is spin in place at full speed. Eventually centripetal acceleration will get you back on both wheels.

If your spinner is mounted on a burst motor, than you usually can just use that to self-right. You do run the risk of breaking your spin motor.

MISC. SRM Q'S

Q: Why should I build a self-righting mechanism or make my robot invertible? [Favorite Robot] doesn't have anything like that. A: [Favorite Robot]'s builder also likely spent at least $800 (usually in excess of $2000) and at least a month of designing and actual building. You spent ~$20 [plus S&H] and maybe 1-3 hours before you had a good working robot. Even then, you'll notice that builders are trying to build self-righting capability into their machine more and more.

AIR MECHANICS

Think of the air mechanics this way: The electric motors all make a rotational movement of some kind. Pistons, air servos & linear actuators change in a linear motion.

• Burst Pistons

Burst pistons are for extending something in a split second and then quickly retract. This is the core concept behind the spear-type weapons. You lash out quickly at the opponent, or reach further than he can.

• SERVO PISTON

Similar to the burst piston, just now the in-out is [slowly] controlled.

• LINEAR ACTUATOR

Similar to the servo piston, these have the sliding part on the side instead.

POWER

This is a supplement of both weapons and mobility. Batteries and air tanks are the source of energy that allows these systems to run. Without power, you can't move nor have an effective weapon. One way to think about the power system is like a giant dam full of water. When the dam is full there is much more pres- sure than when it is half full. The same applies to the power meters. Once the meter goes down, your strength will start to decrease. Power levels are maxed out at the beginning of every match (and by default, there is no way to get back lost power).

DEFENSE/ARMOR

This is an area that often gets the least bit of attention when building a robot. There are 4 armor sets (plastic, aluminum, titanium and steel) which increase in toughness and weight. It is also a good practice to use ram plates, snow plows and/or some weapon heads to create an extra layer of protection. This applies especially to spinners, who tend to dedicate more weight towards their weapon.

There's a typo in the manual. The left number is the weight and the right number is the strength.

ARMOR VALUES:

PLASTIC STRENGTH: 80 WEIGHT: 8 Unless you're in the low weight classes (or building an ant), you had better have sufficient external protection.

ALUMINUM STRENGTH: 100 WEIGHT: 12 Default armor and about average. You can certainly get by in any of the weight classes with it. Besides, I like the texture 8P.

TITANIUM STRENGTH: 150 WEIGHT: 16 An in between of steel and aluminum.

STEEL STRENGTH: 175 WEIGHT: 20 Strong, but as one can imagine, very heavy. Take note, that the heavier the robot, the more work your motors have to do.

MISCELLANEOUS COMPONENT NOTES

Some parts have weird collision values, so if something won't fit, rotate it on its mount -- sometimes that works.

MISC. COMPONENT Q'S

Q: How do I attach a component in a different orientation? A: All right, when you select a component you will notice that a small cube is glowing bright green. This is an attachment point. Depending on the part, you can see other cubes, just a duller shade of green. You may have to rotate the part using the right mouse button. By clicking (left mouse button) on any of the dull green cubes will highlight it. This now makes it the current attachment point. Anyone who has played the game Roboforge will be slightly familiar with this process.

Q: Where do I get all this custom stuff? A: See the links section.

Q: What is this "sub-lowest" height you keep talking about? A: There's the [generally accepted] lowest chassis height, which is what you get when you scroll the slider all the way to the bottom. However, there is a trick to go even lower. Raise the slider to maximum, and then click on the area for lowest height. The slider should jump to that position, but the chassis will be much thinner.

BATTLE ARENAS/EVENTS

Well, you've made your bots, but it won't do much good staying in your team's "garage." You've now have take it and test its might and metal in battle! (Note: Any setting changes done in exhibitions carries over to the events)

NORMAL ARENAS

• Deathmatches:

In these types of events you battle it out against a single opponent to the death! The match ends when either one of you dies, gets counted out, falls into a pit, or time runs out (default at 3 minutes). In events, you will get 30 minutes to make repairs to your machine between each match. Anything that got knocked off during a battle automatically takes 20 minutes to repair, so be careful in your fights. Unlike the Robot Wars games, you cannot partially repair things. A death match event will have you in four matches as the tournament tree runs down. As far as I can tell, the winner of the AI battles on the other sides of the tree are completely random. Team Deathmatch is similar, just a 2-on-2 or 2-on-1. I don't think there's a way to set up a 3-on-1

• Battle Royale

This features you versus 3 other robots at the same time in the arena. Other than that, the same rules in deathmatches apply here. In events, there are only 2 matches, but a grand total of 6 robots go towards your kill score. Take note that the kill score is based solely on matches won. Even if you killed two robots, but lost the match, you won't get credit for those kills. A royale can be tough since the likelihood of something breaking on your robot is greater when facing multiple opponents. Yes, you still only get 30 minutes between matches. As such, spinners are not recommended for these types. You can try alleviating this by playing vulture or leading the AI into each other (they usually just attack the nearest robot). (Note: I will generally refer to these as "Rumbles" which is the Battlebot term for putting multiple robots in the arena)

TABLE-TOP ARENAS

If you've seen Robotica, this game type is similar to the "Fight to the finish" without any guard rails. You start on an elevated platform and have to knock your opponents over the edge before they do. The scoring system is the same as the deathmatches/rumbles so you can kill opponents the old fashioned way. Rams, wedges and lifters shine in these events. In general, spinners should not be entered. Drums and face spinners are usually ok. For vertical spinners, it's dependent on the drive train and weapon shape/size. If you're a DA/Nightmare type of machine, you might not want to enter.

KING OF THE HILL ARENAS

Seemingly very simple, the idea is the get to the top of the hill and stay there for as long as possible. The scoring system is different here. You get 10 points for about every half-second you (and you alone) are at the top. The points are given by the location of your chassis, not your extensions/weapon(s). Like tables, rams, wedges and lifters fair the best. Obviously, since they're hills, ground clearance is a big issue. You don't get any points for damaging the opponents, but you also don't get any damage indicators. This makes determining your condition difficult. You can still kill your opponents, but it isn't the focus of this arena type. By default, these are four-player as well.

MISC. ARENA/EVENT Q'S

Q: How many seasons are there? A: Infinite. You can keep playing til you die (Although on my game the kill count is unreadable after about 1700). No, there are no bonuses or what-not after playing so many seasons.

Q: Isn't there a repair cheat? A: In the original release, yes. You could click to the main menu and then click back to resume the event, getting another 30 minutes of repair time. The patch fixes this.

Q: Any other cheats? A: Well, if you think about it, if you're losing a match you can just terminate the program (hit the Windows key and then do an "End Process"). You would then just play the match over again (and again and again until you win). Do note that you will lose your sound until you reload RA2.

GENERAL TACTICS & TIPS

Rumbles: Pick a machine that has a lot of maneuverability. Being able to attack in different directions is also helpful.

Gut-Ripping: Here is a technique that is mostly regulated to vertical spinners and drums (and some saws), but hammers and some spears can get in as well. Basically this is getting under the opponent and striking the under belly plate with your weapon. Statistically, most robots have extra armor on the top and on the front, the bottom is almost never reinforced. This of course requires the ability to get under the opponent and/or flip them over. There really isn't much the opponent can do while taking this kind of damage. The only possible time to not do this is against under-cutters. Back off after awhile, though, or else it starts to resemble pinning.

Pinning: This is a tactic that is largely frowned upon in the RA2 community. It involves merely pressing an opponent against a wall and staying there. This is not the same as when a ram bot repeatedly backs off and rams (at quick intervals). Against the computer, this is fine. The AI doesn't care. Not only that, but sometimes the AI actually uses this against you. However, in most online battles this is not a welcome case. One can argue it's like "Camping" in FPS games. However, there are perfectly good tactics available to counter Campers. Is it like Roll Canceling in CvS2? No, because you can't accidentally pin some one. In CvS tournaments it's so hard to regulate roll canceling. If you've been to Sirlin.net, you've read his theories on playing to win. In that sense, yes, the game only understands that there is a winner and a loser. That's all it knows. So with that mind set, pinning would be part of anything goes strategy. I'm going to pull from robotic combat history on this. In the past Robot Wars events, there has been battles won on pinning. However, this was deemed boring and thus the 30 second rule was invented. The pinning robot has to pull back after thirty seconds. Online gaming is of course up to you and you just might not care what the community thinks of you. Naturally, you should read the rules of the battle you're entering. This tactic may be banned from tournaments. Now, you might be thinking "I've lost my primary weapon and it's the only way I can win," If you've lost your primary weapon and the opponent is miles ahead of you, than you might actually consider tapping out (forfeit). If both of you are these sad, barely-rolling chassis, maybe try restarting the match. Once the countdown starts, pull back. Don't immediately start pinning them again. See if the opponent can move. The game comes with a chat feature. Use it.

Always test your machine. After you make a modification, always run it through the test arena. Often times in the excitement of building something, you forgot to [re-]wire an element. The crates and the cones are too light to be of much use. Use the blocks, barrels and ramps instead. Check to see that you have sufficient ground clearance. Other things to do is to do an exhibition match in the Octagon Arena and purposely drive over a hellraiser to check invertibility. Test your robot against each of the main weapons types (especially a wedge, a lifter, a hammer and a spinner)

Practice! Practice! Practice! Being able to drive and control your robot like it's a second skin is a must. You might wonder how Battlebot Dr. Inferno Jr. can do so well in battle. It's in how well Jason Bardis drives his machine. Why do certain veterans do so well? The number one thing is that they know how to drive their machine in an almost flawless manner. They know the strengths and weaknesses of their machine. Keep in mind you have an additional luxury of sparring in the various arenas (in real robot combat, the arenas often change). Know the arenas. Know which ones your robot(s) do well in and develop strategies for different situations.

Be aware of what battle you're entering. Remember that online battles do not require repair time. A robot optimized for single player tournament trees will be different than an online one. Also know which arena is being used. Know if it's a one-on-one match or a rumble. Avoid using spinners in Table tops. Table top matches are also usually short matches. AW took advantage of this in a tournament by using the most powerful motors, but minimal batteries.

Patience. Dedication. Persistence. Unless you're against a spinner, you almost never rush in. More often than not, you're going to wait for a moment of weakness. Keep at it. Don't give up. Your first machine probably won't be successful. After a match, analyze what worked and what didn't. Every design can be improved in some way.

Target Priorities. In order of exposure, you should aim for: Chassis: Every hit is one more step closer to a knock out. Hits near the motor

   axles will start to effect their performance. Any slowdown or lack of 
   mobility for the opponent is your advantage. 

Wheels: Wheels are ~500 hit points. A missing wheel is that much of a reduction

   in driving ability. Driving straight is incredibly difficult. Knock off 
   enough of them and a count-out can be achieved.

Extenders: Possess some of the smallest hit points. It is these things that

   usually snap during a fight, rather than the actual weapon heads. However, 
   since extenders can be for anything, this does not guarantee much for a 
   victory. It is an easy way to get the crowd going.

Exposed mechanics: Like taking off wheels, this will really debilitate the

   opponent, however use caution because of havok issues. While it is usually 
   weapons with exposed mechanics, there's been a trend for drive trains being 
   mounted externally.

Winning the Crowd Let me precede this by saying that despite what the guy in "Gladiator" says, winning the crowd won't get you crap. However, I acknowledge that it isn't very fun to hear an audience booing you. There are a few things that can get the audience cheering: 1. [repeated] Hard hits - Any hit over ~100 points ought to get the audience

   going. It doesn't matter where the hit came from (you, hazards, etc.).

2. Break Something - Any time a part snaps off, the audience goes wild 3. Damage the Control Board - Crowds love sparks. 4. K.O. the Opponent - Audiences love robotic death (count-outs and ring-outs

   don't count).

HAVOC WITH HAVOK

Havok Explosions are basically whenever the physics engine goes wacko.

Mines: This is probably the most common kind of Havok glitch. I tend to think of these things like inverted black holes. You can't see them and the only way to know where they are is by when other objects are repelled by them. The biggest culprit for these "mines," as RadioFSoftware calls them, is knocking off any external mechanics or axle mounts.

When any of these parts are knocked off (all that matters is the motor, the attached wheels/weapons don't factor) an invisible anomaly is created. This is at the point of disconnection, not where the part lands. How these points of physics errors effect you depends often on your own robot. Most spinners will get tossed around.

Burst motors have caused some problems. These involve many flippers. I've seen this with Sentinel and EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY seems to be after the flippers have been knocked off, and it goes flying into the air.

Stacking anything increases the risk of Havok explosions. These motors are spinning at outrageous speeds and sometimes the motors start to "break." This is the first sign that something is wrong.

Overloaded bots (ones with tons of attachments) cause problems, especially if it has a lot of moving parts. Don't be surprised if your bot suddenly gets swallowed into the floor. Also don't overload the bot with unnecessary batteries. Overpowering the motors causes problems.

Project Trinity Effect: So named and developed by MAD Scientist (which in turn is named after a nuclear explosion test). This is a centrifuge principle gone wrong. The way you achieve this is by mounting burst pistons on a disc on a spin motor. Mount something to the burst pistons like sledge hammers. When the spin motor reaches top-speed (the rails of the pistons start to pull out), fire the pistons. The result is something that resembles a tornado or a top that does massive damage as the rotation speed hits astronomical numbers. Take note that you will have absolutely no control of the robot as it whirls around like the freaking Death Blossom from Last Starfighter.

MULTI-PLAYER/ONLINE

Online FAQ's Q: Why is the game so laggy? A: For that answer, I shall let TDS answer that: My knowledge of Internet gaming is not that extensive, so I won't even try pretending. (The following is an edited version of TDS's post "Why RA2 Lags 101" first posted on March 14, 2003 at 6:12am on AceUplink:) 1. "But other games....." Stop right there, RA2 is not UT2003 [Unreal Tournament 2003], is not another game, it is RA2. UT2003 for example, runs on a primitive physics engine that everything can be PREDICTED. That is right, all UT's netcode says is "I fired X projectile from X location at Y heading" and the CLIENT takes care of the rest. Having 32 people running around doesn't cause the game to blow up because as far as the netcode is concerned, each person is a single point in space with a heading, speed, and location. That's it.

Now for RA2. Ra2 runs on the Havok physics engine, there is an element of randomness to it so it CANNOT be predicted at ANY time (for the most part) Let me reiterate that, if you had a rocket launcher in RA2, instead of one "I fired a rocket" signal, you would be sending five or ten per SECOND until that rocket hit something. In addition, EVERY SINGLE COMPONENT in EVERY ROBOT is tracked though the netcode. In the new patch, the torque and energy (I believe) isn't directly tracked, reducing the "lag" so to speak.

Also, unlike other games, there is NO DEDICATED SERVER for RA2, this means, you are relying on the person that created the room to do the server-ing. Try creating a game of Half Life or UT online and having 32 people join it, and see if your connection can handle it. IT WONT. In addition, the server is taking in and sending out several times more data than in a FPS server, processing it, and sending it out. When the server gets out of synch, it slows down, causing that lag that you notice. FPS servers don't give a rats ass about the players and keep going regardless. It only takes one person with a low end CPU/connection to cause lag for every player. Yes, you should close down AIM and the rest of the crap you are running.

2. "the netcode sucks" No, it doesn't. You have two choices when it comes to netcode, you can try to predict, and you will have things teleporting around/choppily moving/ etc. or you can synch everything and slow it down. You have two choices people, you can be happy with what you have, or you could be complaining about how you had someone pinned in the wall, then suddenly they were behind you hitting you, then they were across the arena, then you were suddenly dead with him no where around. I really have almost no problem with the current netcode. You get teleported back a second or so every once in a while, just redo what you did, yes, its sometimes annoying, but its better than having things vanish and move around at will isn't it? MOST, if not ALL of the lag I have experienced has been because of poorly designed bots, I've covered this in another thread. Also, if you are unconvinced by this post, feel FREE to get the trial version of Havok and grace us with your brilliance, come up with better netcode, I'm sure GI would be GLAD to include it in a future patch. Every last person that has complained that I have heard cannot even COMPREHEND what is going on between the computers, forget even begin to think of fixing it. I don't know about you guys, but personally when I don't know something, or I think something should be better, I don't sit around and complain, I look into it, and ask questions. If something is so bad to cause you to bitch and moan about it, do something about it, or you have no right to complain.

OTHER FAQ'S

Q: I have the downloaded demo and registered. But I can't get the patch to work. I hear I need to have the CD, but I don't have the CD because it's down- loaded. . . . (Etc. Etc.). How do I get the patch? A: You have to go to Trymedia's website (trygames.com) and re-download the demo. This should be the most-updated version. When it prompts you, just re- apply for a licence.

Q: [________] is wrong/incorrect. Or I want to contribute [________]. A: E-mail me. (korium@prodigy.net)

Q: "Invertibility" is not a word. A: And that's not a question.

Q: Could you build me a bot? A: No. The point of the this FAQ is to supply you with some knowledge so you can make your own. That is what the game is for: seeing what _you_ can build.

Q: Even if I paid you? A: Yes. Besides, there is no asking price that wouldn't make me feel guilty in some way.

Q: Will you put up your robots for download? A: Not likely.

Q: Who are you anyway? A: I go by "Korium9" on the AU forums (not mention most other forums I visit). On the AU forum, I won the best "Minion Replica Contest" and made a few other machines that granted me title of "Master o' the Art Bots." (Great-looking robots that don't do crap) I have a deviantart account at korium9.deviantart.com/

Q: Oh! Can you do a skin for me? A: Unlikely, depends on the robot and how much time I have, so don't get your hopes up. E-mail or IM me and we'll talk.

Q: Why can't I find Infogrames? A: Apparently it's now called ATARI corp. That's all I know.

Q: I want to make a real robot. Where do I start? A: Try some of these links and then branch out from there. robotcombat.com coolrobots.com battlebots.com

CREDITS

Infogrames and Gabriel Interactive, who are responsible for creating and distributing the game.

Weapons break-down based on "Build Your Own Combat Robot" by Pete Miles and Tom Carroll and "Battlebots: The Official Guide," by Mark Clarkson.

"Building Lag Friendly Bots," "Motor and Battery Statistics," "Official Antweight Rules," "Playing RA2," "Self-righting 101," "TDS Tutorials," "Why RA2 Lags," TDS, AceUplink administrator

"Avoiding Havok Explosions," "Defeating the Heavyweights," "Getting New Components," "Intimidating (Scaring) the Opponents," "Worst Case Scenario Guide to Robotic Combat," RadioFSoftware, (aka Psygnos) AceUplink board member

"How to Kill Any Design," MiniDJBeirne, AceUplink board member

"Battle Tactics," "Having Multiple RA2's on hard drive," "Motor Comparisons," Anarchy5099, AceUplink member

"Batteries, CO2 tanks, Motors, etc. stats," Destroyer 101

"How to host a game," Disembowelinatron, AceUplink member

"Razor Blade tip," disturbed, AceUplink board member

"Spinner FAQ," Nimm02, AceUplink board member.

AU power pack was created by AW, AceUplink administrator.

Other AU board contributors: ACAMS, clutch1, DarkRat, Fedexrico, Jimxorb, Goose, mean2u, Panic Attack, reckah, Talon, TeamOmegaforce, Team Ragnarok, Toxic, Wildcard