Poll

What do you like doing most in RA2/RA3/robot combat games?

Building robots
Local single player battles with manually-controlled robots
Local multiplayer battles  with manually-controlled robots (PvP with controllers or a shared keyboard)
AI-only tournament battles
Other?  Please comment below.

Author Topic: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development  (Read 187644 times)

Offline cjbruce

  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 963
  • Rep: 11
    • View Profile
    • Awards
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #500 on: April 13, 2019, 04:41:57 PM »
I've downloaded the alpha now and toyed around a little bit. Looks like good fun with quite some building options and freedom. First bot I made might be a bit too light or something? I dunno. Sometimes when just driving forward it decides to turn on its own.

I do wonder... Why when I choose to make a new bot was there some axe bot being spawned in the area, that could even be controlled there?
Yeah there is Royal Bobby (axebot)

Also turn on motor braking for drive, its a godsend

Also, what do you guys think of doing electronic stability control to help drive in a straight line for keyboard control?  It isn’t hard to implement, but is it too much?

We'd probably have to give that a test, it certainly sounds interesting. Personally I'm ok with driving as is atm, even without motor braking.
I agree, playtesting will be the best option, although i am a bit sceptical

Sounds good.  I’ll hold off on it unless we need it.  Also, be sure to try game controllers if have them.

I have no idea what the braking does here to be honest.
As for controller, I could try getting my PS3 controller to work on PC.

Right now with the simple bit I made it's not just that it'll start to turn to a side when driving forward and backward, but sometimes it'll also start to just spin in place.

That’s a really good description.  I’m pretty sure of the root cause and have several potential solutions.

The root cause of the problem is that as the wheels on one side come off the ground, a net torque is applied to turn the robot.  In a typical car driving game, we would model a compliant suspension system to eliminate this.  In RR2, there is no suspension travel, but we have a couple of different solutions:

1. Increase the sideways distance between the wheels.  This will increase the gravitational restoring torque and help keep both wheels planted.
2. Lower the center of mass. Ideally, the COM would be slightly below the ground plane, such that the robot always tries to right itself.  This is physically impossible.  In practice, try to put as much mass as low down as possible.
3. In code, create an electronic stability control system.  I tried this out during the game prototyping phase, and it worked really well to eliminate the problem when you are using a keyboard.  It works by cutting power to the drive wheel, and/or applying steering signal in the opposite direction to keep the robot driving straight.  It is a perfect solution, but it is limited by the location of the COM of the robot.  If you can solve the problem by getting the COM lower, that will give better handling overall.

Offline F1Krazy

  • Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you
  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 920
  • Rep: 4
  • Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • See profile for gamer tags: Yes
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #501 on: April 14, 2019, 12:08:35 PM »
Is it just me, or does the settings menu not actually work? I tried turning down the graphics settings, to try and make the bot lab run faster than 5FPS, and it didn't do anything. I closed the game and re-opened and it was back to the default settings.
Okay, so the settings menu works if you access it from the pause menu during/after a fight, but it doesn't work if you access it from the main menu. Dialling down the graphics worked for me and I can play the game properly now.
My DSL Showcase


Offline cjbruce

  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 963
  • Rep: 11
    • View Profile
    • Awards
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #502 on: April 14, 2019, 02:51:11 PM »
Is it just me, or does the settings menu not actually work? I tried turning down the graphics settings, to try and make the bot lab run faster than 5FPS, and it didn't do anything. I closed the game and re-opened and it was back to the default settings.
Okay, so the settings menu works if you access it from the pause menu during/after a fight, but it doesn't work if you access it from the main menu. Dialling down the graphics worked for me and I can play the game properly now.

Phew! What resolution brought things into an acceptable fps for you?  My Macbook Pro runs okay at 1/2 the max resolution.  My Macbook Air is only 1366x768, so it does fine at that.

Offline F1Krazy

  • Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you
  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 920
  • Rep: 4
  • Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • See profile for gamer tags: Yes
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #503 on: April 14, 2019, 04:25:37 PM »
Is it just me, or does the settings menu not actually work? I tried turning down the graphics settings, to try and make the bot lab run faster than 5FPS, and it didn't do anything. I closed the game and re-opened and it was back to the default settings.
Okay, so the settings menu works if you access it from the pause menu during/after a fight, but it doesn't work if you access it from the main menu. Dialling down the graphics worked for me and I can play the game properly now.

Phew! What resolution brought things into an acceptable fps for you?  My Macbook Pro runs okay at 1/2 the max resolution.  My Macbook Air is only 1366x768, so it does fine at that.
I'm using 1280x800 in windowed mode, but I don't think that's the resolution it's actually displaying at. My laptop screen is 1600x900 and the game window is definitely not 800 pixels tall. But whatever. It runs, and that's the important thing.
My DSL Showcase


Offline cjbruce

  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 963
  • Rep: 11
    • View Profile
    • Awards
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #504 on: April 15, 2019, 10:00:35 AM »
I went back through all of the old RA2 AI python scripts, and put together a list of AI inputs that I think will allow us to implement all of the AI scripts.

If you are AI nerdy, please let me know if there is something that you might like to have as an input that isn't listed below.

The next step is to write all of the functions in miniscript (i.e. getMyPosition(), getDistanceToEdge(), etc.) that robots will need to create an AI system.

/// INPUTS RECEIVED FROM ROBOT'S SENSORS
// timer.timeRemaining - This is how many seconds are remaining in the match.
// timer.isRunning - 1 if the timer is running.  0 if the timer is stopped.
//
// robots[] - A list of all of the robots in the match.  robot[0] is the first robot.
//
// robots[0].tag - The player tag of robot #0.  Tags are "P1", "P2", "P3", "P4", "P5", "P6", "P7", or "P8".
// robots[0].team - The team of robot #0.  Team names are used in team matches.  (not implemented yet)
// robots[0].isHuman - 1 if the robot is under human control, 0 if AI controlled.
// robots[0].isDisabled - 1 if the robot has been knocked out.  0 if it is still in the match.
// robots[0].immobileTimeRemaining - Measured in seconds.
// robots]0].isImmobile - 1 if robot[0]'s immobile timer has been started.  0 if the immobile timer has been reset.
// robots[0].position.x - The position of robot[0] along the x (horizontal) axis in meters, measured from the origin.
// robots[0].position.y - The position of robot[0] along the y (up-down) axis in meters, measured from the origin.
// robots[0].position.z - The position of robot[0] along the z (horizontal) axis in meters, measured from the origin.
// robots[0].rotation.x - The position of robot[0] around the x (horizontal) axis in degrees.
// robots[0].rotation.y - The position of robot[0] around the y (vertical) axis in degrees.
// robots[0].rotation.z - The position of robot[0] around the x (horizontal) axis in degrees.
// robots[0].score.damage - robot[0]'s damage score
// robots[0].score.control - robot[0]'s control score
// robots[0].score.aggression - robot[0]'s aggression score
// robots[0].score.kingOfTheHill - robot[0]'s kingOfTheHill score. (No arenas use this yet.)
// robots[0].score.other - robot[0]'s score for the category called "other". (No arenas use this yet.)
// robots[0].health - robot[0]'s current chassis health
// robots[0].maxHealth - robot[0]'s maximum chassis health
// robots[0].heat - robot[0]'s current chassis heat
// robots[0].maxHeat - robot[0]'s maximum chassis heat
// robots[0].battery - robot[0]'s current battery status
// robots[0].maxBattery - robot[0]'s maximum battery status
// robots[0].gas - robot[0]'s current gas status
// robots[0].maxGas - robot[0]'s maximum gas status
//
// components[] - A list of all of the components on this robot. components[0] is the first component.
//
// components[0].type - components[0]'s type
// components[0].name - components[0]'s name
// components[0].health - components[0]'s health
//
// hazards[] - A list of all of the hazards in this arena. hazards[0] is the first hazard.
//
// hazards[0].name - The name assigned to hazards[0].
// hazards[0].threatLevel - The threat level of hazards[0].  This ranges from 0 (no threat) to 100 (one hit = dead).
// hazards[0].closestPoint.x - The x coordinate of the closest point on the edge of the hazard to our robot.
// hazards[0].closestPoint.y - The y coordinate of the closest point on the edge of the hazard to our robot.
// hazards[0].closestPoint.z - The z coordinate of the closest point on the edge of the hazard to our robot.
//
// scoringAreas[] - A list of all of the scoring areas in this arena. scoringAreas[0] is the first scoring area.
//
// scoringAreas[0].name - The name assigned to scoringAreas[0].
// scoringAreas[0].value - The value of scoringAreas[0].  This ranges from 0 (none) to 100 (instant win).
// scoringAreas[0].closestPoint.x - The x coordinate of the closest point on the edge of the scoringArea to our robot.
// scoringAreas[0].closestPoint.y - The y coordinate of the closest point on the edge of the scoringArea to our robot.
// scoringAreas[0].closestPoint.z - The z coordinate of the closest point on the edge of the scoringArea to our robot.
// scoringAreas[0].center.x - The x coordinate of the center of the scoring area.
// scoringAreas[0].center.y - The y coordinate of the center of the scoring area.
// scoringAreas[0].center.z - The z coordinate of the center of the scoring area.

Offline kix

  • RR2 dev
  • *
  • Posts: 3452
  • Rep: -3
  • H
    • View Profile
    • Awards
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #505 on: April 21, 2019, 02:48:23 PM »
I guess this had to be done

Offline cjbruce

  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 963
  • Rep: 11
    • View Profile
    • Awards
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #506 on: April 21, 2019, 04:00:27 PM »
I guess this had to be done


Well done guys!  Just started on the video now.

What went well?

What was terrible?

I should have a good chunk of time to work on things this week...

Offline F1Krazy

  • Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you
  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 920
  • Rep: 4
  • Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • See profile for gamer tags: Yes
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #507 on: April 21, 2019, 04:49:45 PM »
What went well?
  • While the physics still need tweaking, you're off to a good start - already we're getting the kinds of big spinner hits that you don't normally see in RA2.
  • I find it amazing how, even with the limited parts we have currently, we're already seeing such a great diversity of bot types, and they're effective. Bull and Bocuma are great flippers, and RT 2.0 actually pulled off a perfect grab-and-lift on at least one occasion, something you just can't do in RA2.
  • While there were the occasional havoks, and at least one crash, the game seems a lot more stable than DSL. Even Obama Gaming's flails didn't cause any problems.

What was terrible?
I wouldn't say anything was terrible, but...

  • Component destructibility (or at least, loss of health when components are hit) needs to be a thing. It's trivial to surround your chassis with armour (or in Drone's case, weaponry) and make yourself invincible.
  • Tone down the damage taken from hitting the wall in the Test Arena. Right now it's more damaging than 99% of weapons.
  • Additionally, certain bots (Bocuma, Fait Accompli) seem to have an issue where they take damage from the wall even if they hit it with a component wedge instead of their chassis. Would be nice if that could get looked at.

There's probably more but it's 11pm and that's all my tired brain can think of.
My DSL Showcase


Offline kix

  • RR2 dev
  • *
  • Posts: 3452
  • Rep: -3
  • H
    • View Profile
    • Awards
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #508 on: April 22, 2019, 05:43:17 AM »
I cant really add what people have said, except one thing.
A timer, even a simple 180 second timer

Offline F1Krazy

  • Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you
  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 920
  • Rep: 4
  • Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • See profile for gamer tags: Yes
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #509 on: April 22, 2019, 07:08:37 AM »
I cant really add what people have said, except one thing.
A timer, even a simple 180 second timer
This might require some sort of judging system to determine who wins if multiple robots are still running. "Who has the most health" isn't reliable, what with the walls causing damage - I could be the most aggressive and dominant robot and still lose because I took more damage from the walls. And of course, with indestructible components, it's possible for neither robot to sustain any damage at all. Then what?
My DSL Showcase


Offline kix

  • RR2 dev
  • *
  • Posts: 3452
  • Rep: -3
  • H
    • View Profile
    • Awards
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #510 on: April 22, 2019, 07:16:26 AM »
I cant really add what people have said, except one thing.
A timer, even a simple 180 second timer
This might require some sort of judging system to determine who wins if multiple robots are still running. "Who has the most health" isn't reliable, what with the walls causing damage - I could be the most aggressive and dominant robot and still lose because I took more damage from the walls. And of course, with indestructible components, it's possible for neither robot to sustain any damage at all. Then what?
Atleast something simple for now, with cease instead of Player X wins, atleast for online events

Offline WhamettNuht

  • *
  • Posts: 1302
  • Rep: 12
  • Robot Building Drag Queen
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • Discord: WhamettNuht #1457
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #511 on: April 22, 2019, 08:35:58 AM »
Hey! Absolutely loving the game as it is so far!

Just a few ideas and stuff I've had on how to make it absolute perfection (Apologies if I'm just spouting stuff that's already been advised/in progress!)
-In the bot builder, in addition to having the 'Snap' setting, I think it could also do with a user-variable for 'grid' size and rotation amount (To allow precise rotation of objects to be exactly 90degs, 45degs, 33.3degs, ect.)
-Some sort of 'Mirror' function... Maybe with the critical components (motors mainly) but especially with extras. Kind of like how in the old Bamzooki Creator you could place an object/limb onto the body and it would be automatically mirrored on the other side to make for easier, quicker building. Would also be especially helpful with the blueprint editor and future decal painter.
-With the blueprint editor, having the option to import vectors in the shape of a circle, triangle, and even the option to create curves would be very useful.
-The blueprint editor would also be a lot more effective with the ability to scale the vertices much like how you can scale them once they're rendered into 3d. I know it's possible to just move the vertices around but scaling would be beneficial with complex shapes and if the circles, triangles ect. got offered, would allow users to create shapes similar to that of, for example - Typhoon or Megabyte's shells. Also, smaller dots to represent the vertices for precision.

That's about all I can think of at the moment...
Hope this helps in some way! Please do keep up the amazing work as it is phenomenal!
Damn I should probably put something fancy in this bit huh?

Offline KidDelta

  • Treasure Sniper
  • Heavyweight
  • Posts: 557
  • Rep: 3
  • "To Comfort the Disturbed, and Disturb the Comfort
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • Discord: X Æ A-12#8572
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #512 on: April 22, 2019, 09:00:10 AM »
This game is great and has some nice potential! but:


- I would  like to see a first person camera position. Nothing really major, but playing with the other camera positions just doesn't feel ideal to me, but then again, that's just me

-Flippers glitch a lot in the sumo arena

I shouldn't have come here

Offline Redalert

  • The inventor of Wandering Spinners and invincirammers
  • Ultra Heavyweight
  • Posts: 1349
  • Rep: -48
  • Yes, I’m an outsider.
    • View Profile
    • RedStorm's RA2 website
    • Awards
  • Discord: RedStorm
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #513 on: April 22, 2019, 09:58:15 AM »
Funny, because flippers don't glitch in my game...
Could you make the weapons spin faster, please?


Offline F1Krazy

  • Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you
  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 920
  • Rep: 4
  • Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • See profile for gamer tags: Yes
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #514 on: April 22, 2019, 11:05:33 AM »
Funny, because flippers don't glitch in my game...
Could you make the weapons spin faster, please?
I believe "more powerful weapon motors" is already on the to-do list, along with a lot of balancing tweaks to improve the physics etc.
My DSL Showcase


Offline Redalert

  • The inventor of Wandering Spinners and invincirammers
  • Ultra Heavyweight
  • Posts: 1349
  • Rep: -48
  • Yes, I’m an outsider.
    • View Profile
    • RedStorm's RA2 website
    • Awards
  • Discord: RedStorm
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #515 on: April 22, 2019, 01:05:31 PM »
Funny, because flippers don't glitch in my game...
Could you make the weapons spin faster, please?
I believe "more powerful weapon motors" is already on the to-do list, along with a lot of balancing tweaks to improve the physics etc.

True.


Offline powerrave

  • Giga Heavyweight
  • Posts: 5372
  • Rep: 2
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • See profile for gamer tags: Yes
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #516 on: April 22, 2019, 02:37:10 PM »
In the little time I've been in this I found the lack of component descriptions to be a thing. Dunno of this is already planned to be done or if it's actually in there and I'm blind, but yeah.
"Always be yourself, unless you're a loser"


Offline F1Krazy

  • Put me on a pedestal and I'll only disappoint you
  • Super Heavyweight
  • Posts: 920
  • Rep: 4
  • Tell me I'm exceptional, I promise to exploit you
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • See profile for gamer tags: Yes
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #517 on: April 22, 2019, 02:48:33 PM »
In the little time I've been in this I found the lack of component descriptions to be a thing. Dunno of this is already planned to be done or if it's actually in there and I'm blind, but yeah.
IIRC, you can right-click on a component in the list and it'll give you a little pop-up with the description.
My DSL Showcase


Offline Hoppin

  • I save GTM
  • *
  • Posts: 2017
  • Rep: 10
  • -rep TheRoboteer. "queermint"
  • Awards BOTM Winner
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • Discord: Hoppin#0013
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #518 on: April 22, 2019, 03:01:38 PM »
What went well?
Overall, the gameplay was fun and exciting. Mainly, the reason in my opinion is due to everyone's unfamiliarity with the state of the meta. This has allowed for people to experiment with designs, spinners like Gaullin, Grabbers like RT 2.0, flippers, like Bocuma. Even some of the wackier stuff like Obama Gaming and Mystic's new overhead disc spinner.

During the Gaullin and Bull fight if I recall correctly, Robo and I discussed about the wedge mechanics, in how they are more complex then they appear. This was lovely to find out, because it isn't just a simple "bolt wedglets onto it" like in Ra2.



Stability of the game engine was great despite some havocs and the odd crash, given the current status of the game, this was to be expected.
What was terrible?

Self damage is currently my big problem with the fights, on impacts, it appears you take too much damage to appear realistic. This is kind of an issue with vertical spinners. When they're consistently attacking an opponent, they'll be taking more damage to themselves than they deal out, this is usually because they're hitting the indestructible parts of the opponent, which I'll cover later. Another reason for this is if they're pushed into the wall. Robo was a victim of this a lot, just taking large amounts of damage by being bumped into the wall.

Weight investments, personally I find that the chassis armour feels rather weak for it's weight investment, this could be due to the previously mentioned issue, my personal designs, the fact we have a weight limit of 110kgs which the game isnt designed for currently or all of the above.

The weapon motor power seems quite lacking, I'm aware that you're aware of this issue, so I don't plan to go into much detail. But it appears you need 50kg minimum to throw something currently, I'l like to see that minimum lowered, almost a fifth I'd say.

Indestructible parts this right now is a large issue, and again, you're aware of this. Drone and Caliban were the main culprits of this in the tournament, along with RT 2.0. We've combated this temporarily with some rule changes for the new tournament which can be read here.


Controlling of undercutters, Mystic's undercutter had some major issues with control, not sure if that's his design or because the game struggles with it. Just a heads up and something to look into.

One of Robo's complaints was the pit that rose up after a certain period of time, I agree with this design flaw currently. It's a huge disadvantage for control bots. Continuing with some of the arena design issues I saw is that there should be some oota zones, it'd just be nice to have, maybe not Series 7 wall height arenas or all around the edge, I'd suggest how battlebots does it, in the corners. That'll stop  Ra2 Slapshot like stuff box rushing and oota'ing the opponent which is just boring and wont lead to interesting gameplay and fights. The rolling pin is odd, I think it needs to have it's orientation changed and given some more kick to it. You might have to re-position it to prevent it flinging robots into the pit if you do decide to take this route.

Stuck on arena objects, Bocuma and some other bots got stuck into the pit button, doesn't make for fun gameplay whilst it does reflect robot fights accurately. The wall is also easy to get stuck too, or atleast it's difficult to get away from, probably due to the wall's design.

Batteries and control boards, these currently don't effect the robots and aren't actually needed for them to function.

A question I have, is where would I be able to locate the folder for pre-made custom components on Windows? An idea I had was to import CAD files into that folder and add them in, is this a possibility?


Overall, this game is great so far. Like I've said before, I'm enjoying it more than Ra2 and whilst I've described more negatives than positives, the positives have a much bigger impact on the overall player experience.
Things I did & done

Offline TheRoboteer

  • Mr Big Blue Flipper
  • *
  • Posts: 1587
  • Rep: 9
  • "I HATE SEBASTIAN COE!"
  • Awards Donated money for site hosting 2021
    • View Profile
    • Awards
  • Discord: TheRoboteer#8784
Re: Robot Rumble 2.0 - Robot Combat Simulator - Under Development
« Reply #519 on: April 22, 2019, 03:16:57 PM »
What went well?
Overall, the gameplay was fun and exciting. Mainly, the reason in my opinion is due to everyone's unfamiliarity with the state of the meta. This has allowed for people to experiment with designs, spinners like Gaullin, Grabbers like RT 2.0, flippers, like Bocuma. Even some of the wackier stuff like Obama Gaming and Mystic's new overhead disc spinner.

During the Gaullin and Bull fight if I recall correctly, Robo and I discussed about the wedge mechanics, in how they are more complex then they appear. This was lovely to find out, because it isn't just a simple "bolt wedglets onto it" like in Ra2.



Stability of the game engine was great despite some havocs and the odd crash, given the current status of the game, this was to be expected.
What was terrible?

Self damage is currently my big problem with the fights, on impacts, it appears you take too much damage to appear realistic. This is kind of an issue with vertical spinners. When they're consistently attacking an opponent, they'll be taking more damage to themselves than they deal out, this is usually because they're hitting the indestructible parts of the opponent, which I'll cover later. Another reason for this is if they're pushed into the wall. Robo was a victim of this a lot, just taking large amounts of damage by being bumped into the wall.

Weight investments, personally I find that the chassis armour feels rather weak for it's weight investment, this could be due to the previously mentioned issue, my personal designs, the fact we have a weight limit of 110kgs which the game isnt designed for currently or all of the above.

The weapon motor power seems quite lacking, I'm aware that you're aware of this issue, so I don't plan to go into much detail. But it appears you need 50kg minimum to throw something currently, I'l like to see that minimum lowered, almost a fifth I'd say.

Indestructible parts this right now is a large issue, and again, you're aware of this. Drone and Caliban were the main culprits of this in the tournament, along with RT 2.0. We've combated this temporarily with some rule changes for the new tournament which can be read here.


Controlling of undercutters, Mystic's undercutter had some major issues with control, not sure if that's his design or because the game struggles with it. Just a heads up and something to look into.

One of Robo's complaints was the pit that rose up after a certain period of time, I agree with this design flaw currently. It's a huge disadvantage for control bots. Continuing with some of the arena design issues I saw is that there should be some oota zones, it'd just be nice to have, maybe not Series 7 wall height arenas or all around the edge, I'd suggest how battlebots does it, in the corners. That'll stop  Ra2 Slapshot like stuff box rushing and oota'ing the opponent which is just boring and wont lead to interesting gameplay and fights. The rolling pin is odd, I think it needs to have it's orientation changed and given some more kick to it. You might have to re-position it to prevent it flinging robots into the pit if you do decide to take this route.

Stuck on arena objects, Bocuma and some other bots got stuck into the pit button, doesn't make for fun gameplay whilst it does reflect robot fights accurately. The wall is also easy to get stuck too, or atleast it's difficult to get away from, probably due to the wall's design.

Batteries and control boards, these currently don't effect the robots and aren't actually needed for them to function.

A question I have, is where would I be able to locate the folder for pre-made custom components on Windows? An idea I had was to import CAD files into that folder and add them in, is this a possibility?


Overall, this game is great so far. Like I've said before, I'm enjoying it more than Ra2 and whilst I've described more negatives than positives, the positives have a much bigger impact on the overall player experience.
Just to elaborate on my issue with the pit raising up. With the way the arena is at the moment, pretty much the only way bots that aren't spinners can win fights is to either pit their opponent, or get lucky and strand them on the wall. I don't think the pit raising up would be as much of an issue if there was alternative methods for non-spinners to KO their opponent (such as OOTA zones which Hop mentioned). Additionally, the fact that the walls do so much damage currently means that you can actually lose a not insignificant amount of HP from hitting the pit release, and having to do it multiple times per match can be quite draining on your health.

As Hop mentioned though, my overall impressions of the game have been almost overwhelmingly positive, so apologies if it seems like I've been dwelling on the negatives. The botlab and the wedge physics as they are right now have me particularly smitten, and I greatly look forward to how this game develops  :thumbup
Notable Tournament Performances:
The Beginner's Guide to IRL:
https://gametechmods.com/forums/tutorials-and-tips/irl-a-beginner's-guide