Difference between revisions of "Radio F Software"

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| quote = "Post thumperized."
 
| quote = "Post thumperized."
 
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'''Radio F Software''', frequently abbreviated as '''RFS''' and now known as '''Dracophile''', is a former member of the Robot Arena 2 community and one of the most influential personalities in the history of the game's fan-made AI development. He is credited with creating the eponymous [[RFS AI Pack]] which secured him a place in the game's annals of notable AI modders by expanding upon the Robot Arena 2's stock AI limitations.
+
'''Radio F Software''', frequently abbreviated as '''RFS''' and now known as '''Dracophile''', is a (former-)former member of the Robot Arena 2 community and one of the most influential personalities in the history of the game's aftermarket AI development. He is credited with creating the eponymous [[RFS AI Pack]] which expanded upon the stock AI limitations of the game. More recently, RFS is known for entering [[jokebot|jokebots]] into various AI tournaments.
  
−
Additionally, RFS is also known for being the first (and last) [[AceUplink]] staff member to be fired from their position. He was a moderator at [[Technex's Forums]], and was later banned there for disagreeing with Technex's style of management and methods of advertising. More notably, RFS was the webmaster of [[RFSHQ]], a website which outlived nearly every other Robot Arena 2 community on the Internet (February 12th, 2004 - June 22, 2008).  
+
Additionally, he is also known for being the first (and last) [[AceUplink]] staff member to be fired from their position. He was also a moderator at [[Technex's Forums]] and was eventually banned there for disagreeing with Technex's style of management and methods of advertising. More notably, he was the webmaster of [[RFSHQ]], a website which outlived nearly every other Robot Arena 2 community on the Internet (February 12th, 2004 - June 22, 2008).  
  
−
He quietly left the Robot Arena 2 community some time in 2008 to pursue personal interests and occasionally makes appearances on the [[GameTechMods]] forum.
+
He quietly left the Robot Arena 2 community some time in 2004 to pursue personal interests. Beginning in 2014 he began returning to the [[GameTechMods]] forum to participate in various events.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
 
===AceUplink===
 
===AceUplink===
−
[[Image:RFS2003.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Radio F Software, 2003]]RFS quickly learned the basics of the [[Python]] programming language during his time spent on AceUplink. All of the game modifications he ended up creating were made during this time including the RFS AI Pack and Personalized Components. He was also well known for writing tutorials on how to code AI, edit components, how to beat AI robots, and various other topics; his efforts earned him the custom community rank "The Tutorial Man".
+
[[Image:RFS2003.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Radio F Software, 2003]]RFS quickly learned the basics of the [[Python]] programming language during his time spent on AceUplink and all of the game modifications he made were created during this time. He was also well known for writing tutorials on how to code AI, edit components, how to beat AI robots, and various other topics; his efforts earned him the custom community rank "The Tutorial Man".
  
−
In December 2003 [[JFranco]], webmaster of AceUplink, appointed RFS to work on the [[AceUplink Robot Database]], a comprehensive online encyclopedia of robotics information. With the stiff request of one thousand articles RFS attempted to resign from his position immediately. When permission was denied he simply stopped working on the project and filled the database with entries of his own creations until his FTP permissions were stripped.
+
In December 2003 [[JFranco]], webmaster of AceUplink, appointed RFS to work on the [[AceUplink Robot Database]], a comprehensive online encyclopedia of robotics information. With the stiff request of one thousand articles RFS attempted to resign from his position immediately however when permission was denied he simply stopped working on the project and filled the database with entries of his own creations until his FTP permissions were stripped.
  
−
RFS was unceremoniously fired from AceUplink staff in January 2004 and was subsequently banned not long thereafter. For several months afterward RFS remained the top poster on the forums only to eventually be surpassed by [[AW]].
+
RFS was unceremoniously fired from AceUplink staff in January 2004 and was subsequently banned not long thereafter. His suspension coincided with his departure from the Robot Arena 2 community.
  
 
===RFSHQ===
 
===RFSHQ===
−
The first incarnation of RFSHQ opened officially on February 12th, 2004. February 12th was significant in that it was the day AceUplink's domain was up for renewal; the original intent of the site was to "beat out" AceUplink. The first version of RFSHQ was used as an outlet to host all of RFS' creations for Robot Arena 2 since they had been removed from AceUplink's servers. Shortly after the establishment of RFSHQ, RFS partnered with [[TheDisturbedOne]] to create a variety of unique game-altering mods; their joint-effort production name was "Radio F Disturbedware".
+
RFSHQ's first incarnation opened on February 12th, 2004. February 12th was significant in that it was the day when AceUplink's domain renewed; the original intent of RFSHQ was to "beat out" AceUplink and the site's February 12th opening was meant to be an intimidating move. The first version of RFSHQ was used as an outlet to host all of RFS' creations for Robot Arena 2 since they had been removed from AceUplink's servers. Shortly after the establishment of RFSHQ, RFS partnered with [[TheDisturbedOne]] to create a variety of unique game-altering mods; their joint-effort production name was "Radio F Disturbedware".
  
 
When the Robot Arena 2 community began to falter RFS quickly changed the format of RFSHQ to stay afloat. RFSHQ "reopened" on May 9th, 2004 as a comedy/satire website. The first article posted was a sarcastic review of ''The Adventures of Bayou Billy'' on the Nintendo NES. From May 2004 through July 2008 RFS was the content supervisor of the website which at the time grew to a community of over 12,000 users and featured several "guest writers".
 
When the Robot Arena 2 community began to falter RFS quickly changed the format of RFSHQ to stay afloat. RFSHQ "reopened" on May 9th, 2004 as a comedy/satire website. The first article posted was a sarcastic review of ''The Adventures of Bayou Billy'' on the Nintendo NES. From May 2004 through July 2008 RFS was the content supervisor of the website which at the time grew to a community of over 12,000 users and featured several "guest writers".
  
 
===Post-RFSHQ===
 
===Post-RFSHQ===
−
In July 2008 RFS (then under the pseudonym "Dracophile") retired from his position as RFSHQ's lead writer. In his departure post he expressed regret for the manner in which he chose to handle himself during conflicts with other communities and their members over the years. Shortly after his departure from RFSHQ he lent a hand in the re-establishment of Twilight Foundry, a multimedia and gaming troupe he was previously affiliated with from 2001 - 2004.
+
In July 2008 RFS (then under the pseudonym "Dracophile") retired from his position as RFSHQ's lead writer. In his departure post he expressed regret for the manner in which he chose to handle himself during conflicts with other communities and their members over the years.
  
−
In mid-2010 RFS was the co-host of ''The Godmode: On 2 Project'', a web series focused around video game commentary. In September 2011 his first book, ''Nintendon't: 25 of the Worst Video Games Ever'', was released via Amazon KDP. Throughout 2011 he was a columnist at GatorAIDS, a comedy website similar to RFSHQ. His work was occasionally showcased on gaming industry blogs Bitmob and VentureBeat.
+
Starting sporadically in 2009 and lasting throughout 2011 he was a columnist at GatorAIDS, a comedy website similar to RFSHQ. His work in the field of video games was occasionally showcased on the industry blogs Bitmob and VentureBeat.
  
 
In February 2014, RFS was the host of the Alamo Super-Regional FIRST Tech Challenge.
 
In February 2014, RFS was the host of the Alamo Super-Regional FIRST Tech Challenge.
  
−
Presently, RFS maintains a relatively low profile online. He now lives in San Antonio, TX and works in the IT industry. He is currently the webmaster of "Nintendo Powerless", a comedy blog that focuses on old issues of ''Nintendo Power''.
+
Presently, RFS maintains a relatively low profile online. He now lives in San Antonio, TX and works in the IT industry. He is currently the webmaster of "Nintendo Powerless", a nostalgia/comedy blog that focuses on old issues of ''Nintendo Power''.
  
 
==Notable Game Contributions==
 
==Notable Game Contributions==
 
===The [[RFS AI Pack]]===
 
===The [[RFS AI Pack]]===
−
The RFS AI Pack was originally slated to be an upgrade that featured various non-stock components. This idea was scrapped in favor of a more fair all-stock AI pack with the intent to showcase creative, modern, and realistic designs that could be taken out of the Robot Arena 2 game and built in real life. The original installment of the pack featured the standard fare of 45 robots and was otherwise unmentionable. Through some creative code-editing with the help of TheDisturbedOne two follow up packs were made that expanded the limits of the original AI from 3 bots per team to 6 and 15 teams to 30, making the final tally of AI-controlled robots 180 by the V1.5 release.
+
The RFS AI Pack was originally slated as an upgrade featuring various non-stock components. This idea was scrapped in favor of an all-stock AI pack showcasing creative, modern, and realistic designs that could be taken out of the Robot Arena 2 game and built in real life. The original installment of the pack featured the standard fare of 45 robots and was otherwise unmentionable. Through some creative code-editing with the help of [[TheDisturbedOne]] two follow up packs were made that expanded the limits of the original AI from 3 bots per team to 6 and 15 teams to 30, making the final tally of AI-controlled robots 180 in the V1.5 release.
  
−
Despite the simplistic and often whimsical designs the massive expansion marked a turning point in the customization of the game's AI, allowing future AI pack creators (such as [[Starcore]]) to further explore and cultivate the new found "territory".
+
Despite the simplistic and often whimsical designs the massive expansion marked a turning point in the customization of the game's AI allowing future AI pack creators (notably [[Starcore]]) to further explore and cultivate the new found "territory".
  
 
===Personalized Components===
 
===Personalized Components===
−
RFS never made a completely original component because he lacked the required modeling software. Despite this he was the first to take requests on "personalized" components. After copying the GMF for the standard [[Ram Plate]] RFS turned it into a decorative robot license plate. Users at AceUplink were each able to request one plate with the following customizable features:
+
Lacking the required modeling software, RFS has never made an original render of a component. Despite this, he was the first to take requests on "personalized" components. After copying the GMF for the standard [[Ram Plate]] RFS turned it into a decorative robot license plate. Users at AceUplink were each able to request one plate with the following customizable features:
 
* The state
 
* The state
 
* A slogan
 
* A slogan
 
* Up to 10 characters in the center for a message
 
* Up to 10 characters in the center for a message
  
−
An example of the license plate component is included in the RFS "Component Pack" and is modeled after a Texas plate with "BORN 2 BOT" as the lettering. Other reskinned and modified components include: [[AceUplink|RoboUplink]] ram plate, a Fire Extinguisher CO2 tank, and a CD-RW disc for antweights.
+
An example of the license plate component is included in the RFS "Component Pack" and is modeled after a Texas plate with "BORN 2 BOT" as the lettering. Other reskinned and modified components included: [[AceUplink|RoboUplink]] ram plate, a Fire Extinguisher CO2 tank, and a CD-RW disc for antweights.
  
 
===Notable Robots===
 
===Notable Robots===
 
* '''[[Tha Thumperizer]]''': A heavyweight robot with dual vertical tribar spinners. The term "Thumperized" achieved fad status on AceUplink when RFS would lock or edit out posts replacing them with "POST/THREAD THUMPERIZED". The robot was named after a Lego Mindstorms model built in 2002. Its memorable name, design, and paint job have kept its legacy alive in the community.
 
* '''[[Tha Thumperizer]]''': A heavyweight robot with dual vertical tribar spinners. The term "Thumperized" achieved fad status on AceUplink when RFS would lock or edit out posts replacing them with "POST/THREAD THUMPERIZED". The robot was named after a Lego Mindstorms model built in 2002. Its memorable name, design, and paint job have kept its legacy alive in the community.
−
* '''[[Rock 'N' Roller]]''': A heavyweight robot that consisted of two middleweight robots, described as the first "multibot" robot. It required a team match to be set up with both middleweights ("Rock" and "Roller" specifically) to be on the same team.
+
* '''[[Rock 'N' Roller]]''': A heavyweight robot that consisted of two middleweight robots described as one of the first [[multibot]] robots. It required a team match to be set up with both middleweights to be on the same team.
 +
 
 +
===Tournament Entries===
 +
{| border="1"
 +
|.
 +
|'''Antweight'''
 +
|'''Lightweight'''
 +
|'''Middleweight'''
 +
|'''Heavyweight'''
 +
|'''Super Heavyweight'''
 +
|'''Other'''
 +
|-
 +
|'''AceUplink Tournament #2'''
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|[[Digital Dragon II]]
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|'''AceUplink Tournament #3'''
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|(Unknown)
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|'''AceUplink Onslaught #1'''
 +
|It Puts The Lotion On
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|'''RFSHQ DSL Tournament #1'''
 +
|
 +
|Vote 5
 +
|Mal De Ojo
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|Blast Cannister (BW)
 +
|-
 +
|'''BattleBots 9'''
 +
|
 +
|[[Jeremy Clarkson]]
 +
|[[The Legend of Bryce Genesis]]
 +
|[[Tha Thumperizer|Thumperizer XIV]]
 +
|[[Crush Fetish]]
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|'''Minor Inconveniences'''
 +
|
 +
|[[Racecar]] & [[Racecar|Racecar Backwards]]
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
|}
  
 
==Robot Combat Creations==
 
==Robot Combat Creations==

Revision as of 11:29, 27 May 2014

Radio F Software (RFS)
RadioFSoftware.png
Rank Old World Veteran
Political Stance Innovationalist, Informationalist, Forum Master, Manipulator
Grudge / Ally Status
Fear Rating Rating 2.gif 30/100
Respect Rating Rating 4.gif 70/100
Trivia
> Wrote a book called Nintendon't.
Memorable Quote
"Post thumperized."

Radio F Software, frequently abbreviated as RFS and now known as Dracophile, is a (former-)former member of the Robot Arena 2 community and one of the most influential personalities in the history of the game's aftermarket AI development. He is credited with creating the eponymous RFS AI Pack which expanded upon the stock AI limitations of the game. More recently, RFS is known for entering jokebots into various AI tournaments.

Additionally, he is also known for being the first (and last) AceUplink staff member to be fired from their position. He was also a moderator at Technex's Forums and was eventually banned there for disagreeing with Technex's style of management and methods of advertising. More notably, he was the webmaster of RFSHQ, a website which outlived nearly every other Robot Arena 2 community on the Internet (February 12th, 2004 - June 22, 2008).

He quietly left the Robot Arena 2 community some time in 2004 to pursue personal interests. Beginning in 2014 he began returning to the GameTechMods forum to participate in various events.

History

AceUplink

Radio F Software, 2003

RFS quickly learned the basics of the Python programming language during his time spent on AceUplink and all of the game modifications he made were created during this time. He was also well known for writing tutorials on how to code AI, edit components, how to beat AI robots, and various other topics; his efforts earned him the custom community rank "The Tutorial Man".

In December 2003 JFranco, webmaster of AceUplink, appointed RFS to work on the AceUplink Robot Database, a comprehensive online encyclopedia of robotics information. With the stiff request of one thousand articles RFS attempted to resign from his position immediately however when permission was denied he simply stopped working on the project and filled the database with entries of his own creations until his FTP permissions were stripped.

RFS was unceremoniously fired from AceUplink staff in January 2004 and was subsequently banned not long thereafter. His suspension coincided with his departure from the Robot Arena 2 community.

RFSHQ

RFSHQ's first incarnation opened on February 12th, 2004. February 12th was significant in that it was the day when AceUplink's domain renewed; the original intent of RFSHQ was to "beat out" AceUplink and the site's February 12th opening was meant to be an intimidating move. The first version of RFSHQ was used as an outlet to host all of RFS' creations for Robot Arena 2 since they had been removed from AceUplink's servers. Shortly after the establishment of RFSHQ, RFS partnered with TheDisturbedOne to create a variety of unique game-altering mods; their joint-effort production name was "Radio F Disturbedware".

When the Robot Arena 2 community began to falter RFS quickly changed the format of RFSHQ to stay afloat. RFSHQ "reopened" on May 9th, 2004 as a comedy/satire website. The first article posted was a sarcastic review of The Adventures of Bayou Billy on the Nintendo NES. From May 2004 through July 2008 RFS was the content supervisor of the website which at the time grew to a community of over 12,000 users and featured several "guest writers".

Post-RFSHQ

In July 2008 RFS (then under the pseudonym "Dracophile") retired from his position as RFSHQ's lead writer. In his departure post he expressed regret for the manner in which he chose to handle himself during conflicts with other communities and their members over the years.

Starting sporadically in 2009 and lasting throughout 2011 he was a columnist at GatorAIDS, a comedy website similar to RFSHQ. His work in the field of video games was occasionally showcased on the industry blogs Bitmob and VentureBeat.

In February 2014, RFS was the host of the Alamo Super-Regional FIRST Tech Challenge.

Presently, RFS maintains a relatively low profile online. He now lives in San Antonio, TX and works in the IT industry. He is currently the webmaster of "Nintendo Powerless", a nostalgia/comedy blog that focuses on old issues of Nintendo Power.

Notable Game Contributions

The RFS AI Pack

The RFS AI Pack was originally slated as an upgrade featuring various non-stock components. This idea was scrapped in favor of an all-stock AI pack showcasing creative, modern, and realistic designs that could be taken out of the Robot Arena 2 game and built in real life. The original installment of the pack featured the standard fare of 45 robots and was otherwise unmentionable. Through some creative code-editing with the help of TheDisturbedOne two follow up packs were made that expanded the limits of the original AI from 3 bots per team to 6 and 15 teams to 30, making the final tally of AI-controlled robots 180 in the V1.5 release.

Despite the simplistic and often whimsical designs the massive expansion marked a turning point in the customization of the game's AI allowing future AI pack creators (notably Starcore) to further explore and cultivate the new found "territory".

Personalized Components

Lacking the required modeling software, RFS has never made an original render of a component. Despite this, he was the first to take requests on "personalized" components. After copying the GMF for the standard Ram Plate RFS turned it into a decorative robot license plate. Users at AceUplink were each able to request one plate with the following customizable features:

  • The state
  • A slogan
  • Up to 10 characters in the center for a message

An example of the license plate component is included in the RFS "Component Pack" and is modeled after a Texas plate with "BORN 2 BOT" as the lettering. Other reskinned and modified components included: RoboUplink ram plate, a Fire Extinguisher CO2 tank, and a CD-RW disc for antweights.

Notable Robots

  • Tha Thumperizer: A heavyweight robot with dual vertical tribar spinners. The term "Thumperized" achieved fad status on AceUplink when RFS would lock or edit out posts replacing them with "POST/THREAD THUMPERIZED". The robot was named after a Lego Mindstorms model built in 2002. Its memorable name, design, and paint job have kept its legacy alive in the community.
  • Rock 'N' Roller: A heavyweight robot that consisted of two middleweight robots described as one of the first multibot robots. It required a team match to be set up with both middleweights to be on the same team.

Tournament Entries

. Antweight Lightweight Middleweight Heavyweight Super Heavyweight Other
AceUplink Tournament #2 Digital Dragon II
AceUplink Tournament #3 (Unknown)
AceUplink Onslaught #1 It Puts The Lotion On
RFSHQ DSL Tournament #1 Vote 5 Mal De Ojo Blast Cannister (BW)
BattleBots 9 Jeremy Clarkson The Legend of Bryce Genesis Thumperizer XIV Crush Fetish
Minor Inconveniences Racecar & Racecar Backwards

Robot Combat Creations

Radio F Software (now Dracophile), 2012

Spanning several years in the early 00's RFS was involved with real-life robot combat both in the form of novelty scrapped remote controlled cars and "serious" competitions. His robots were entered under the team name Newfac Robotics although today his classic team name of Twilight Foundry Robotics is used to encompass all of his creations. Creations from the team were presented as various species of dragon on their website, their joke species names are listed below with the robot descriptions. (Only robots from official weight classes are listed.)

Euro Antweights

  • Keep Back 500 Meters: A smaller version of Keep Back 500 Feet. Featured a clamp-based weapon and in a later version the robot had anti-flip side spikes. (Draco clampus-minus)
  • Five-O: An invertible four wheel drive wedge robot with a titanium front end. The robot featured a police car paintjob and miniature working police lights. (Draco enforsus)

Antweights

  • Keep Back 500 Feet: The team's first creation. Keep Back 500 Feet utilized servos for drive, and while slow was capable of pushing Beetleweights around. The robot had two interchangeable weapons; a lifting arm created from galvanized steel, and a 12-tooth stainless steel clamping arm that was never used. (Draco clampus)
  • Super Turbo Baby Puncher: A thwackbot which currently holds the Robot Fighting League record for largest wheels on an Antweight robot (4.5" diameter). Super Turbo Baby Puncher was a joke robot made from an R/C BattleBots toy. It's weapon was a ball and chain weapon taken from a ceiling fan. (Draco bashus)

Beetleweights

  • Fatal Contraption: A broken Nintendo NES was used as the chassis for this plowbot. Early information of the robot listed it as having razor blades for weapons. It was for show only and never competed. (Draco electronicus)
  • Kill Swtich: A giant tank-tracked wedge robot that was never knocked out by damage inflicted. Was formerly the #3 seed in its class at the North Texas SWARC tournament. (Draco magnus)
  • Detonator: A high-speed thwack robot that was painted to look like a dragon's face. The weapon, a spiked tongue, was dubbed The French Kiss of Death. Detonator was prone to overheating problems and was promptly destroyed in combat. (Draco carnivorous)
  • Earth Quake: A 4 wheel drive plow machine that looked similar to riot control vehicles. Created using twice as many parts as Kill Switch, the robot was so heavy that it had no armor. In its only tournament it won 2nd place, the only Twilight Foundry Robotics creation to place at an event. (Draco super-magnus)

As of 2013, all of Twilight Foundry Robotics creations are retired.

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