Author Topic: Inspiration Via Prototypes (Read 8400 times)

Jack Daniels · « **on:** January 25, 2010, 07:34:54 PM »

Builders Block?
Running out of ideas?
Need a challenge beyond building a clone?

Welcome to Inspiration via Prototypes.

A lot of builders on the forum are feeling a bit uninspired. Sure,there are some great bots being built right now. But some of them are just re-hashes, clones, or tweaked designs of bots built in the years past. While it would be nice if we all had minds like Clickbeetle, we don't. Some of us are doomed to gain inspiration in short bursts. On a good night, the bot designs just roll out from the gray matter like a thought waterfall. On a bad night... welll, it usually ends with closing out RA2 and resorting to the comfortable braindead-ness of random entertainment across the interwebs.

This is where this thread might come in handy.

Got an idea? Share it.
Got a neat design that turned into a failbot? Let us dissect it.
Are you trying to make a concept work but know that a better builder could make it happen? Post it.
Got builders block and you need some ideas? Read and Absorb. (yeah... I am looking at you Ounce and Urjee.)

This is not your showcase. Spectacular spashes and catchy names are not necessary. Heck... if this thread becomes a destination of posting failbots, so be it. I am pretty sure that quite a few of you have tried different designs only to have them not perform to expectation.Why? Was it too radical? Was the concept beyond the capabilities of the game?

Let's inspire each other to build different things... Let's all become the minionbeetles that we aspire to be!

First Prototype:

Flat Bed Gutripper

This is a design that popped into my head while I was bored at work last week. I quickly put one together while (trying) to adhere to realistic rules. A couple of the the teeth intersect where they should not... but otherwise with some more time and effort the idea could easily be made to DSL rules. I think that some of the more talented members could make a design similar to this and have it be rather capable. This design has difficulty against some of the wider bots out there... but once a bot is "caged" and on the grinder, there is not much saving the helpless captive.

I also have a concept for a unconventional chassis wedge that takes better advantage of front weight distribution. Will try to post that later this week.

System32 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 25, 2010, 07:39:34 PM »

I have a VS/SnS hybrid...

kill343gs · « **Reply #2 on:** January 25, 2010, 08:02:50 PM »

Great thread, JD. I'm sure I can dig up a few less than perfect designs. Contrary to popular belief I do tinker in the lab every couple days although I refuse to build the same stuff everyone else does.

EDIT: Here's something I had worked on for a bit, a HS killing VS with caster armor. Unfortunately it tumbles forward too easily and rolls on its top unless it hits the other bot perfectly.

It could easily make a decent HW and its a design I'd like to build on in the future, but for now it sits collecting dust in my bot lab.

Sparkey98 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 25, 2010, 08:19:27 PM »

can this be stock? I've got a bracket wedge drum................aaaand I like being creative

stock axe jugler hear I come!!!

123savethewhales · « **Reply #4 on:** January 25, 2010, 08:25:05 PM »

Well, while I deleted most of my failed bots here are a few that remains.

Failbot 0, a mix of cataclysm and SnSnSnS, the black disk on the bottom is just to see how the spacing will be when I mount it on the motor. Failed due to spacing issues. I might build a working version of this later.

Failbot 1 - it's like refraction, except the skirt hinge doomed it from being able to trap the opposite bot well.

Failbot 2, I wanted to minimize chassis and mount a dual perm vertically on a MW, and instead of weapon I would simply use titanium skirt to OOTA. Unfortunately it didn't really work

Failbot 3 - The drive and direction was distorted in hope that it will constantly stay on the left side (while trying to drive strait) and continue pushing the opponent bot off to it's right. It didn't really worked.

Failbot4 - was intending to be an SnS/VS. But give up after building one arm due to low damage output

Failbot5, not much to say about it, it just didn't worked

Jack Daniels · « **Reply #5 on:** January 25, 2010, 08:54:15 PM »

123's failbot3 has me interested... I like the way you think! That idea is going to be rattling around in my head for sure.

Quote from: System32 on January 25, 2010, 07:39:34 PM

I have a VS/SnS hybrid...

Let's see it man! :D

Quote from: Sparkey98 on January 25, 2010, 08:19:27 PM

can this be stock? I've got a bracket wedge drum................aaaand I like being creative!

Sure thing Sparks. Try not to post too much though, I would like to see ideas from everyone. You get really excited about stuff, so if I come back to this thread and find it with 20 bots posted by you... I will probably have to send my thugs out for a beatdown. :P
(Yes, I have some thug friends. They listen to Insane Clown Posse. Go figure.)

R0B0SH4RK · « **Reply #6 on:** January 25, 2010, 09:07:37 PM »

JD, the flatbed juggler is sweet. I think that I'll try something like that. Also, 123STW, could you please put the chassis of the triangular SNS fail up for download? I can never construct a triangular chassis as well as that one.

I got a few too:

A MW grinder. I really like how it looks, but it just dosen't work as well as I had hoped.

I wanted to make an invertible LW VS. It works, but it's not that effective.

This is a much older one. I wanted to make an undercutter/juggler, but a lack of wedges killed it.

kill343gs · « **Reply #7 on:** January 25, 2010, 09:16:27 PM »

I like the use of the small drums on the LW, R0B0. I think it may work better if the plates sat on the ground flatter like _ l _ instead of / l \

JoeBlo · « **Reply #8 on:** January 25, 2010, 09:49:34 PM »

I tried making an undercutter like that Robo but mine failed too.. probably becasue I confined myself to MW

Pwnator · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2010, 05:24:29 AM »

Yeah, Jigsaw still needs some tweaking. It just couldn't clamp HSes well. And the VS is too wobbly. D:

Reier · « **Reply #10 on:** January 26, 2010, 08:32:16 AM »

Oh maaaaan, I've got SO many failbots you guys have never seen....

123savethewhales · « **Reply #11 on:** January 26, 2010, 02:22:23 PM »

Here's the triangle chassis

https://gametechmods.com/uploads/files/triangleII.rar

The Ounce · « **Reply #12 on:** January 26, 2010, 05:30:57 PM »

I tend not to build/keep designs that I think will not work or do not work for me, so I don't have any pictures, but some of my attempted designs included:

Full-body TS powered by the NCR glitch

A gutripping poker with angled pistons

Various sideways drum designs (both in stock and DSL)

and recently I attempted to make a 6WD VS in stock.

Sparkey98 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 26, 2010, 05:36:01 PM »

6wd VS, is'nt that easy?

well, I guess i'm trolling, watch this post/thread for a 2 saw blade, 2 jugler, snapper two fliper, gut ripper=fail

Sage · « **Reply #14 on:** January 26, 2010, 05:39:00 PM »

Quote from: kill343gs on January 25, 2010, 08:02:50 PM

Great thread, JD. I'm sure I can dig up a few less than perfect designs. Contrary to popular belief I do tinker in the lab every couple days although I refuse to build the same stuff everyone else does.

EDIT: Here's something I had worked on for a bit, a HS killing VS with caster armor. Unfortunately it tumbles forward too easily and rolls on its top unless it hits the other bot perfectly.

*HS KILLING VS*

It could easily make a decent HW and its a design I'd like to build on in the future, but for now it sits collecting dust in my bot lab.

Kill, this is the perfect idea for me. I will make this.

Reier · « **Reply #15 on:** January 26, 2010, 05:42:18 PM »

*Look at SD's Showcase*

Jack Daniels · « **Reply #16 on:** January 26, 2010, 05:50:38 PM »

Couple of prototypes that I have been working on over the past week or so:

First bot is a feeble attempt at a popup killer. I originally had the weapons mounted on motors... but the blades would tap the floor and make the bot unstable. Like a crawler with a wheelchair. Anyways, I was hoping that the speedy HPZtek drive would power the bot up and over opponents while grinding damage kamakazi style. Nope, no such luck. Failbot this is.

My next bot is far more promising. I have been toying with the idea of effectiveness of wedges based on the amount of frontal weight. Well, everyone knows that if you put too much front weight on a VS it will just tip over right? Well, you can build a chassis to sustain the extra front weight like this. I also am finding that sides of the bot react differently to the ground than the base. Some of the designs I have come up with absolutely LOVE to be touching the floor with sides other than the base of the chassis. Needless to say, this bot sticks to the ground very well. It drives and rides like it is on rails... rather than being rocky and unstable like most of the heavy VS-ers I have built. I think there is something valid to the possibility that different sides of a bot react differently to the floor depending on the chassis shape and weight distribution. I think my next version of this might have a wider and fatter nose with more ground coverage. I might be able to get rid of the hinge/skirts altogether and just beef up the front to take a beating.

Sage · « **Reply #17 on:** January 26, 2010, 05:59:31 PM »

Quote from: Reier on January 26, 2010, 05:42:18 PM

*Look at SD's Showcase*

That's different...

Sparkey98 · « **Reply #18 on:** January 26, 2010, 06:01:51 PM »

I give you, Hazardous Concraption

and another, an extremley good omni-bot

123savethewhales · « **Reply #19 on:** January 26, 2010, 06:05:43 PM »

Quote from: Jack Daniels on January 26, 2010, 05:50:38 PM

My next bot is far more promising. I have been toying with the idea of effectiveness of wedges based on the amount of frontal weight. Well, everyone knows that if you put too much front weight on a VS it will just tip over right? Well, you can build a chassis to sustain the extra front weight like this. I also am finding that sides of the bot react differently to the ground than the base. Some of the designs I have come up with absolutely LOVE to be touching the floor with sides other than the base of the chassis. Needless to say, this bot sticks to the ground very well. It drives and rides like it is on rails... rather than being rocky and unstable like most of the heavy VS-ers I have built. I think there is something valid to the possibility that different sides of a bot react differently to the floor depending on the chassis shape and weight distribution. I think my next version of this might have a wider and fatter nose with more ground coverage. I might be able to get rid of the hinge/skirts altogether and just beef up the front to take a beating.

Well, you know someone gonna say it, but how good is the wedge? Can it outwedge the standard metal hinge/small wedge consistently?