Pip requested that I go over bots from the last VG Showdown to clarify my rules about themeing:
The design/theme of your robot MUST accurately represent the game. If it does not it will be rejected. I will be much harsher on this than I was with the previous VG Showdown.
Here are some examples of robots that are obviously approved under the new rules No explanation is needed for these:
(https://i.imgur.com/PXlTBlA.png)
For many entrants, each robot will be examined on a case-by-case basis. Here are some less obvious examples of approved bots, with reasoning:
(https://i.imgur.com/uJnUS5d.png)
3. The weapon setup doesn't exactly relate to Pac-Man. However, because it is a fairly simplistic design, the chassis does enough to theme this bot appropriately. No one will need to ask what game this is supposed to be.
5. The FS is a perfect fit for what the robot is supposed to be. The paintjob is also a nice touch.
8. Enough detail is packed into the paintjob to make the robot look like a giant Yu-Gi-Oh card that not much else needs to be examined.
10. The robot does not immediately scream "Halo." However, the choice to use hammer weapons on the VS is just enough to convince me. While I would prefer that the robot relates to or actually looks like the real Gravity Hammer, this would be okay.
18. While I was not immediately convinced by this idea, S.T.C. explained to me how the razor spam was meant to represent the abundance of spikes in the game. Also the chassis is a rectangle that kind of looks like Meat Boy.
22.
F A S T. The paintjob also helps.
23.
of course RFS would pick a game like this The robot is a very simple box-shape just like the one seen in the game. Because the game does not have much to go off of, this robot gets about as much from Vinnie Vole as any robot could.
26. This very unique robot fits the nature of the Pokemon glitch just fine.
And here are some robots that would not be accepted under the new standards:
(https://i.imgur.com/SDhGKut.png)
6. The robot does nothing whatsoever to actually relate to the game. The paintjob is a nice meme though.
13. The music AS added to play during the robot's fights (CRAZYBUS' "iconic" song) doesn't save this robot because it doesn't represent the actual game, or even a bus for that matter.
14. This one is very hard to decline. The problem is that the "5 Playable Characters" are not exclusive to just 3D World. Moreover, the characters are nothing but a paintjob on a standard cube chassis. An idea I might have to make this work is to make weapons coming out from five different spots on the chassis, a spinner with five weapons attached, or to make the bot modular (have 5 different weapons that can be used in fights).
27. The most controversial entry from the first tournament, and the hardest to defend. Nothing whatsoever can even be slightly tied to the game in question other than its name. Most glaringly, the robot uses nothing but a standard titanium paintjob. This kind of low-effort robot will be rejected immediately.
I hope this cleared some things up! If there are any more questions I can answer them or go through some more robots.