Right, back to business as usual. The filming for the new series has already come and gone and a very lucky few (of which I, alas, was not one) got a look in at the arena and saw the fights live. Of course, the audience were all asked not to take photos and told not to spoil anything before it all goes out on TV. This here is why I like the BBC: they have faith in people. They shouldn't, though, because pictures immediately swarmed Facebook and Twitter. Not that the BBC seem to mind - they're actually posting spoilers all over the place themselves. I'll say that I will not be talking about the competitors here so don't worry about spoilers in that regard.
The Structure
The leaked images got a lot of people worrying about size, including me, because it looked tiny. A small arena would mean the robots would be stuck near each other, with little room to escape, manoeuvre or take run-ups. It would also mean they'd be closer to the hazards at all times. Basically, a small arena is a bad thing. Turns out it will actually be 22 metres squared which is not too bad.
The colour scheme in the arena has changed from the classic warning colours of yellow and black to a mean-looking red and black. A new look for a new series. I'm OK with this.
The floor is steel this time, compared to the wood of old which would catch sharp wedges and get gouged up by spinners. Landings will be heavier (wood soaks up impacts a little more), it should make good sparks and it allows for a feature we've yet to see in British heavyweights: magnets to effectively add weight and pushing power. It won't be all one big slab so hitting seems is a possibility but it shouldn't happen too often, if at all.
The walls are taller, thank Christ, so flippers shouldn't have too great an advantage but they are still just short enough for robots to get thrown out with a very powerful, well-timed flip. There are also lowered sections half-way along each wall which will give flippers, and even powerful vertical spinners, a chance to throw a robot out. Hopefully OOTAs will be rarer and feel more like an occasion again.
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| A great view of the new anti-flipper walls Source: https://twitter.com/robotwarsuk |
The walls are also angled outward at the base, meaning heavy impacts will be deflected upwards, which is a nice touch. I'm also assuming these walls are much stronger than the old ones which couldn't even withstand the stronger spinners from back in the day, meaning their power had to be limited and letting the Americans pip us there. It'll probably take a little time before we catch up but at least we have the opportunity for these designs now.
The shorter wall sections I mentioned earlier double as gates which lower before a battle to let in the competitors and close up again before the fighting starts. Behind them are walkways which extend to the arena like drawbridges over a moat, with a sizeable drop either side. This 'moat' is probably a channel along which the cameras can run. One of the lowered sections looks static and holds the pit release button which, to my delight, is a ol' big tyre, even bigger than before. The more astute of you will realise this means the pit is back, as I'll get on to.
There doesn't appear to be any kind of plinth or balcony for the presenter to stand on, interestingly. The driving bays are big and face into the arena, much like those of the new BattleBots arena. On the opposite side is the judges' booth, allowing the competitors to sense the critical, judgemental glares and musings which may well decide their fate in the competition.
The arena is surrounded by the spectator stands which are so close to the arena some of the audience members could probably spit on the outer wall if they were particularly able.
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| Robot Wars mosh pit Source: https://twitter.com/robotwarsuk |
The Hazards
A hazard, in case you don't know, is an obstacle or damaging feature of the arena. Stuff like the Pit, the Floor Flipper, screws, killsaws, that kind of thing.
Four hazards are present in the new arena, one in each quarter. The first is the famous Pit of Oblivion which appears to be substantially bigger than the old one, as well as shallower. We might just get to see the first robot to fling itself out and back into the fight - a trick I've seen many times at the live events but that's never been seen on telly.
Opposite the pit is a new Floor Flipper, more rectangular than the old one and angled to face the arena centre. It is also a bit slower this time around and will likely play a more active role, instead of just throwing robots which are already dead.
The Flame Pit, still not actually a pit, is back too. Two columns of fire rise 5 feet into the air through a pair of holes in the arena floor, which will look bad-ass even if it won't really affect the competitors.
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| Here's the floor flipper, with the flame pit just beyond and to the left Source: https://twitter.com/robotwarsuk |
Finally, there are floor spikes. Floor spikes don't do anything and never have done. These ones aren't even able to flip robots over, so they're basically a downgrade from the Third Wars. All they will actually do is jar up the fight by lifting a robot off its wheels or getting in the way. Fucking floor spikes. I can't believe it.
The House Robots
I was so sure they wouldn't bring the old house robots back. They're icons but they're also a bit past it and, more importantly, probably worth a lot. Like an integral piece of a set from a famous Harry Potter movie. No one in their right mind would put those Mona Lisas of the robot combat world out into the arena, right?
Well, yes and no. The BBC released four teasers (only four) each showing a different house robot being unveiled from under a bed sheet. They looked great, as they should. You could tell they were originals from little details, like the gash in Shunt's scoop inflicted by Hypno-Disc many years ago. Well, I thought, it's great to see them but I guess they won't be around for much longer. Not in one piece, anyway. Technology has come a long way and those old robots would be flung, axed and torn apart by modern machines. Even worse, the competitor weight limit has gone up, putting some of the old house robots under weight.
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| Shunt's tell-tale scar Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdnVCHefNuE |
In fact, as with the arena everything has changed. They may go under the old monikers but these are not the same house robots. They are clones, like the stubby Matilda of the Robot Wars live events.
Tragically, only four of the house robots are returning. They are Matilda, Shunt, Dead Metal and Sir Killalot, all rebuilt and looking... different. Sergeant Bash won't be joining them, sadly, nor are Mr Psycho, my personal favourite Growler or the mighty Cassius Chrome. In fact, even Refbot has been let go.
Now, I don't want to give away the looks completely, which is why I've decided not to include images of the house robots in this post. I will, however, give you a brief run-down. Matilda looks less like a boar and more like the unholy offspring of a Triceratops and a forklift, Dead Metal will make you crap your pants with simultaneous fear and excitement, Shunt appears to have been draped in grilled cheese and Sir Killalot has become a Sci-Fi villain, complete with triangular death treads, huge back spines and Bane-esque face pipes. All of the house robots also weigh three times as much as they did to stop them getting thrown around too much, though we can expect them to end up on their backs occasionally.
The corner patrol zones are back as well, indicating the area in which a competitor can be mercilessly attacked. Two house robots will patrol per battle. Hopefully the producers will stick to this instead of attacking whichever robot looks less exciting. They're bigger than they used to be though, leaving a fairly small area which isn't hazard-filled.
The Judges
There will be 3 judges, as is standard. One of these is back from the old Wars: Professor Noel Sharkey. It seems he's just the right mix of intelligent and eccentric to be given back his rightful place, giving out points to men with death robots. He is joined by Sethu Vijayakumar, Professor of Robotics at Edinburgh University who's name I had to retype twice, and Dr Lucy Rogers who actually wrote the book on rocket science. Well, a book, anyway, which is a damn sight more than I've ever done. She's also a member of various astronomical and engineering societies.
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| The 3 judges squirming around in the new pit Source: https://twitter.com/robotwarsuk |
Does this mean they will be able to make good, fair decisions? Like I said, Sharkey will probably help point them in the right direction. Anyhow, the bar of fairand honest judging wasn't exactly set very high from the old Wars, now was it Typhoon team?
Oh, one last thing. The judging crieteria has changed ever so slightly. It seems they've finally realised that style as a criteria makes very little sense, especially in terms of competitive ability. Dropping that shows this series is going to be all about substance, not just style.
The Pits
Hidden behind the arena, the pits are not too greatly changed from their old appearance. But then what's to change about a bunch of tables?
This area is of course smaller than it was in most of the old series because there are fewer competitors. It appears that the tables are now divided with tall scaffolding arches to which, for whatever reason, television screens can be attached, as has been done with one table, openly displaying one of the competitors. Maybe this is some elaborate way of doing introductions - show a
robot in the pits but away from the others, with stats up on the screens?
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| The only shot of the pits I could find that isn't full of pesky tinkering teams Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/48ibl3/battles_are_won_in_the_arena_championships_in_the/ |
The pits area also has three modes when it comes to lighting. The first is actually useful, with good lighting for tinkering the bots and filming things. The second is lit up with great big neon tubes which are brighter than the surface of the sun and the other is dingy and overshadowed by the epileptic-unfriendly lasers and lights streaming out from the arena area.
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