K.I.S.S.

An acronym for Keep It Simple, Stupid ! that seems to be forgotten too easily by some builders. Obviously this does not apply to UHW.

The simple truth in the KISS principle is "simpler designs are more efficient".

WHY KEEP IT SIMPLE

Think of building your bot as writing an essay, or building a house. Firsthand, it is better to have a clear objective (an introduction/plan in an essay, and foundations in a house) in mind to start, and to keep that objective simple and efficient. "60 iron spikes on a HW" or "sixtuple Hybrid", or "antweight side hammer" is neither simple nor efficient. Of course, this doesn't apply if you do not know what to build, but the idea will most likely come with building.

HOW TO KEEP IT SIMPLE

The answer to this question is simple : The fewer non-essential components you have, the simpler your robot. Essential components are drive, batteries, weapons, eventually wedges, weapon motors and armor. Try simply to reduce extender work as much as possible, as well as superfluous/unnecessary weapons. How can you know they are ? This needs some analytical ability, and that's what I'm going to talk about next.

INTELLIGENCE IS NEEDED

This is not some simple platformer or FPS game, this is a robot building simulator. You obviously need creativity, but also to be a good builder you will need rational thought, more precisely auto-criticism and questioning. Are my robots good ? How can they be improved ?

Judging the battle worth of a robot mostly comes with experience, but you can already think about your bot when you build. Each time you add something, ask yourself questions on the usefulness of what you're doing. When you add armor, think of how useful it will be where it is. When you add a weapon, think the same. Do you have weapons in the back of your non-spinner or SnS robot ? How this will help when you attack with the front ? Every time you add a feature to your bot, think of why, or perhaps easier, make a plan of your robot before.