FRR: Backlash prediction thread

Post by **Venice Queen** » Mon May 02, 2016 1:24 am

With signups closing, that means it's time to get hype, start speculating, and make predictions that we can laugh at later when they turn out to be horribly inaccurate!

here's my take on the robots entered in this competition.

first, some observations: Lower weight classes seem to have more competitive designs overall. people seemed to enter a lot of simple, effective designs in those classes, and then entered experiments in others (many of which I didn't like for various reasons). there's a helluva lot more hammers entered this time compared to last, and much less in the way of front-hinged flippers. there's also at least 4 people using Sketch-up to make their robots (me, HDiT, Brian the american and Noisey Giraffe), yet all of the designs - except HDiT and I - are radically different in appearance.

and now, my actual predictions!

NOTE: These are all my personal opinion. I rank robots base off of intuition, not any sort of statistical analysis. It

GF93 · Post by **GF93** » Mon May 02, 2016 10:17 am

Just so you know though dude, I've adjusted Captain NRK's stats so that it's much less prone to breaking itself.

Post by **Venice Queen** » Mon May 02, 2016 10:29 am

Ah, but re-ordering the ranking sounds difficult

NWOWWE · Post by **NWOWWE** » Mon May 02, 2016 10:35 am

Also, it probably doesn't matter but O'Malley is a dual bar spinner, not a plain undercutter.

BEES · Post by **BEES** » Mon May 02, 2016 11:29 am

That feeling when you get 6th place and your render isn't even up...

( ͡

Mystic2000 · Post by **Mystic2000** » Mon May 02, 2016 12:39 pm

holy fuck one of my bots is ranked 3rd for fuck s'sake, what were the odds of that ?, also Crusader sucks and so does Golden Blaze

Post by **Venice Queen** » Mon May 02, 2016 2:42 pm

I'm not sure if I should be honored that people are taking my rankings so seriously or if I should be worried

Post by **Hooray For Lexan** » Mon May 02, 2016 3:37 pm

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>Quote:</dt><dd> </dd></dl><div>1.1.Danger Noodle

Post by **Venice Queen** » Mon May 02, 2016 4:13 pm

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>HotDealsInTexas</dt><dd>May 2 2016, 03:37 PM</dd></dl><div>
Charybdis... well, the spinup time is actually faster with higher weapon power IIRC
[/quote]IIRC, the spin-up of melties is determined by their traction stat. you changed it for BOR, but it wasn't a permanent thing

Also, I encourage others to make their own lists, especially if you disagree with me! I'd love to see what everyone else thinks

Post by **Badnik96** » Mon May 02, 2016 11:39 pm

Predictions Part 1: Lightweights
To do these predictions I pretty much predicted who would win every possible matchup in this tournament, and rated them from most wins to least. If you feel discouraged by this, don't worry. With a good enough RP, anything can happen.

1) Pyrite 3- It feels really dirty to put my own robot here (and I'm sure I'll pay for it eventually

) but I feel really confident in this design. We'll see I guess.
2) Venice Queen- Goddammit Gabe. I'm pretty sure this will fuck up most of the field and win the tournament, but it has a couple of glaring weaknesses which may get exploited. Who knows.
3) BlackRose- I'm still a bit wary on the 6WD, but Kody is a good enough driver to overcome that. It's a solid brick which will most likely do well.
4) Skate- GOTTA GO FAST! The melty-thwack/wedge is a clever twist on an old design and it should be able to take most of the field.
5) Mineswept Away- Proving that the old guard can still run with the pack. It has a bit too much torque for my liking but the interchangeableness of it makes it a prime contender.
6) Rosebud- A well-designed shield robot which should take all the spinners apart relatively quickly. However, it lacks a reliable wedge (I don't trust those little nubs too much).
7) Frequency- The highest-ranked spinner here. It takes this higher slot because of its better wedge protection.
8) Public Enemies- While it doesn't have enough armor to take on spinners, this well-statted clusterbot should be able to take on most of the higher-ranked wedgebots with ease.
9) Zadkiel- These four spinners are pretty much interchangeable. Zadkiel has both the undercutter and the wedge though, so it takes top slot on my rankings.
10) Veto- This overhead spinner is so low that it almost classifies as a midcutter. However, it has no backup if the spinner goes out.
11) O'Malley- The dual-spinner approach works well, but its drivetrain is pretty narrow for a spinner and it doesn't have a backup wedge.
12) The Smiler- Standard AMP spinner. Its interchangeable bars will help it fight both wedges and undercutters, but it's still pretty even with most of them.
13) Icepick Lobotomy- A better-designed version of Tormentor. It has the front forks to combat wedges (without the Rascal syndrome issue many forks have) and enough armor to fight the spinners at least decently.
14) Pelican- Armored well enough to tackle spinners, but a bit slow and long to take on wedge bots. I still think it will do decently for a newcomer.
15) Game Over- Decently designed, but even with its sturdy armor the corners on its wedge are prime targets.
16) Tortoise- It'll eat spinners for breakfast but lose to most of the other robots in the field due to its low speed and easily avoidable flipper.
17) Tidal Wave- Another decently-designed robot that can't really deal with wedges or horizontal spinners that well. I still see it getting a few upset victories.
18) Promethean Fire- I can see it getting a few upsets due to its front wedge, but it's really too slow for its design to deal with much.
19) Tormentor- A decently-designed axebot, but for its design it needs more speed to really deal with spinners.
20) Powerdrive Jr.- It's a nice design and all, but it's too slow to really deal with the wedges, especially since it needs its own wedges to bring its comparatively weak weapons into play. Its armor isn't all that impressive either.
21) Cheatbot- Slow, weak weapon, not much else. Those torque points could have been used better elsewhere.
22) RC- Sure you're a clusterbot, but half of that cluster is nigh-uncontrollable, and so you're left with one half-robot with low stats. Not good.

Post by **Badnik96** » Tue May 03, 2016 1:23 am

Predictions Part 2: Middleweights

1) Pterodactyl- Outside of Defiance, what exactly can beat this thing? I mean sure it has low traction for its speed, but that's pretty much its only weakness. Expect this to go deep in the bracket.
2) Defiance- Brad is a cheap bastard.
3) WhipCoil- Once again I try, hopefully this time it does as well as it's predicted to.
4) Depth Charge 2- One of the few robots I think can stand up to Defiance. It's pretty much a better Wheely Big Cheese, and I think it'll go far in this tournament.
5) March or Die- Fast, a big ol' flipper with lots of armor, and enough skirting to send other flipper packing. It won't lose to much.
6) Lethal Carriageway- An aggressive design with a solid lifter, backup in case it's flipped and some tough armor. I think it'll do pretty well.
7) Caesium- Merry Hampton and Klarinette had a child, it seems. I don't think it has enough armor to fight the spinners too well, but then again what are they really going to hit?
8) Clown Breath- It's low and stuff but it can't self-right, so there.
9) Tanngrisnir and Tanngnj

Post by **Hooray For Lexan** » Thu May 05, 2016 3:59 pm

I'm going to do this a little differently and rank each conference based on odds of reaching the playoffs.

Lightweights: Defiance Conference
1: Venice Queen. In the Celestial Slayer division, Venice Queen is definitely my favorite. It's lightning quick, its front wedge will be very difficult for spinners to damage, the FLIPPER isn't particularly powerful but can still turn most bots over, and it's driven by the guy who won Bot-O-Rama Hobbyweights, a class where 9/12 entries were spinners, using a robot with 5 armor. Speaking of which, VQ's only real weakness is its side/top armor, which is pretty thin. Spinners will have trouble reaching it, but one lucky shot from Tormentor or Icepick Lobotomy could end the match.

2: RoseBud. The likely Windmill Division winner. It and Black Rose are superficially similar in stats - both very fast lifters, 10 armor on the front, decent weapon speed - but Black Rose has weak side and top armor, and could be one-shot by a lucky hit from the two hammers in the conference, while Rosebud will pretty much ignore them.

3: Black Rose. It's not quite as good as Rosebud - like I said, it's vulnerable to hammers, and the plow does have sharp sides for the overhead spinners to grab, but it will definitely win matches.

4: Frequency. There are two overhead spinners here, and Frequency looks better balanced and more destructive. It actually has a shot against Black Rose, and Tormentor will have to kill it quickly to win. Its stronger weapon gives it an edge vs. Veto, and the other bots besides VQ and IL will get shredded.

5: Icepick Lobotomy. So... the hammers are interesting. Both of them can in theory kill most of the field in a few hits, but mediocre drivetrains will really cost them. I have no idea which hammerbot will beat the other, but overall I think Icepick Lobotomy has the edge because its sturdier front plow means it will hold up to the overhead spinners better.

6: Veto. Another overhead, not as good as Frequency. Someone will flip it.

7: Tormentor. Good hammer, but will suffer vs. spinners.

8: Tidal Wave. Quick, decent weapon, but poor traction is a problem and the overheads will eat those corners.

9: Tortoise. The flipper is actually decently powerful and well-armored - it could take out one of the overheads no problem - but one good side hit from any of the spinners could be game over, as could a hammer blow, and the wedges will drive circles around it.

10: Cheatbot. Average at everything. Spinner won't damage wedges, drive won't outmaneuver wedges, armor will get eaten by spinners and hammers.

11: Rainbow Crash. It's a multibot with a twist. That twist is that one half is fast, but totally uncontrollable, while the other has mediocre speed, and neither of them stands a chance if one of the bots with destructive weapons catches it. Even Cheatbot can rip off the exposed wheels with ease.

Lightweights: Vengeance Conference
1: Pyrite. Basically, modernized Toe Crusher. The thwacking feature seems to be mostly for show, but it'll probably get aggression and strategy points off it, and it's very quick and basically impossible to damage. My favorite for the division, and a likely wildcard.

2: Skate. Jesus, an omni-drive melty that's also a wedge. Unfortunately, it's so fast that it'll be a nightmare to control in conventional drive mode, and in melty mode it's incredibly slow, but it will still be devastating. I think it will eat the conference's other spinners alive, along with half the wedges. Again, even if it doesn't win the division it'll almost certainly have a wildcard spot.

3: Mineswept Away. The favorite for Underminer division. A quick, solid wedge, although 9 armor means O' Malley, Smiler, and Skate could wear it down.

4: Pelican. Decent speed, durable, weapon should be effective. However, the long body and rear wheels may mean it has trouble maneuvering against other fast robots.

5: The Smiler. Another motor-on-top overhead. This one MIGHT self-right, and it has some kinda chewy bots to go up against.

6: Promethean Fire. Devastating weapon, but it's kinda slow, that those armored wedges really aren't. It will take some wins, but there's too many horizontals in the conference for a title to be likely.

7: O' Malley. Slow spinner with a long body, but weaponry is potent.

8: Zadkiel. Decent undercutter. Average speed, not the best weapon. Also, not sure it can reach Smiler.

9: Public Enemies. Okay, this multibot might actually do something. The spikes seem mostly decorative and the traction isn't amazing, but with good driving they'll be a nightmare for robots without destructive weapons to deal with. Unfortunately they're vulnerable to spinners, which the division has... six of.

10: Game Over. Oh hey, it's a clampbot! Unfortunately both parts of the clamp are a bit slow, so it may have trouble using its weapon, and 9 armor isn't great in a conference full of spinners.

11: Powerdrive Jr. Average at everything, good at nothing.

Middleweights: Annhilation Conference

1: March Or Die: Front Hinged Flippers Represent! The flipper isn't that powerful, but there's no OOTAs so whatever. It's lightning fast and pretty well-armored. All in all a very good robot. The division title is between this and WhipCoil.

2: Depth Charge II. Goes fast, has pretty strong flipper, has good armor (corners a bit sharp), and runs upside down. Solid contender.

3: WhipCoil: Nice looking clampbot. It has speed, maneuverability, decent weapon speed, etc, and the rear plow should actually be viable since it can stuff spinners into the wall. However, 6 armor on most of the chassis could be vulnerable to the pulverizers.

4: Lyra. Finally a pony-themed robot that works. Basically competing for the division title against Depth Charge.

5: Clown Breath. ALL THE OVERHEADS. This one looks nasty but, as usual, flippable.

6: T and T. What's more annoying than one walking spinner? Two of them, of course! Weaponry is decent and might flank some opponents despite low speed, but too flimsy to hold up against other spinners.

7: D.U.D.E. Well, the Sportsman version of this kinda failed at life. This one might be more effective, but a spinner can hit the vertical sides of the dustpan from inside and outside, and the killsaws could end up shredding that pan and making it useless as a wedge.

8: Remi. Traction isn't great, and you don't really want heavy armor on the back IMO. It should be on the front, so if you attack another spinner and get hit off-center your bot won't disintegrate. Also fighting a bunch of well-armored machines.

9: Om Nom Monster: Umm... a unique concept I guess? With the powered hinge, the actual weapon only has 9 power, and I don't know what will happen if it gets flipped on its side.

10: Thunder. In this sport, quality of hits is better than quantity. I don't care how many times it can strike per second, 6 power will do nothing to the vast majority of the field. The speed-traction imbalance is crippling on a hammerbot which relies on aim, and it has sharp corners.

11: Metal 2. Shell spinner that drives 25+ MPH with no traction, weak armor, an impotent weapon, and a high CG. Come on scorpion, you had like four months to edit your stats.

Middleweights: Revolution Conference

1: Defiance. There's one in every event... Dear God... Since unlike most of the obnoxious walking spinners this one doesn't break itself, I'm not sure anybody in the conference can beat it, and only two bots have a chance.

2: Pterodactyl. Traction's a little low, but otherwise this thing is scary.

3: Charybdis. Come on, the spinup isn't THAT slow! Its raw power and durability will carry it through a lot of matches, and while it isn't a shoe-in I'd say it has the best chance of winning its division.

4: Lethal Carriageway. Bricks always prosper. The wedge does have sharp corners, but it's so durable that most bots won't do much to it.

5: Buzz Cut. Undercutter? Mid cutter? Something-cutter? Dunno. Seems like a fairly average offset HS.

6: Y-Combat. Another HS. Those front outriggers look ready to get bent into the disc, but otherwise doesn't look bad.

7: Furious Redemption. Cage spinner. Poor traction, but doesn't really need to aim. Solid weapon and armor stats, and it can self-right.

8: Caesium. Quick and powerful flipper, but 8 armor is a little low since the conference has so many spinners.

9: Crusader. Weak corner armor, conference full of horizontal spinners.

10: Royale. Delicious, delicious corners.

11: Juno. 5 armor lol, and against all these spinners. And I'm not sure about that weapon either.

Post by **Venice Queen** » Thu May 05, 2016 6:41 pm

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>HotDealsInTexas</dt><dd>May 5 2016, 03:59 PM</dd></dl><div> it's driven by the guy who won Bot-O-Rama Hobbyweights, a class where 9/12 entries were spinners, using a robot with 5 armor. <br />[/quote]<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>HotDealsInTexas</dt><dd>May 5 2016, 03:59 PM</dd></dl><div> it's driven by the guy who won Bot-O-Rama Hobbyweights, a class where 9/12 entries were spinners, using a robot with 5 armor. <br />[/quote]<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>HotDealsInTexas</dt><dd>May 5 2016, 03:59 PM</dd></dl><div> it's driven by the guy who won Bot-O-Rama Hobbyweights, a class where 9/12 entries were spinners, using a robot with 5 armor.
[/quote]

Post by **Venice Queen** » Thu May 05, 2016 6:42 pm

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>The_Angry_Goat</dt><dd>May 5 2016, 06:41 PM</dd></dl><div><blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>HotDealsInTexas</dt><dd>May 5 2016, 03:59 PM</dd></dl><div> it's driven by the guy who won Bot-O-Rama Hobbyweights, a class where 9/12 entries were spinners, using a robot with 5 armor. <br />[/quote]<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>HotDealsInTexas</dt><dd>May 5 2016, 03:59 PM</dd></dl><div> it's driven by the guy who won Bot-O-Rama Hobbyweights, a class where 9/12 entries were spinners, using a robot with 5 armor. <br />[/quote]<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>HotDealsInTexas</dt><dd>May 5 2016, 03:59 PM</dd></dl><div> it's driven by the guy who won Bot-O-Rama Hobbyweights, a class where 9/12 entries were spinners, using a robot with 5 armor. <br />[/quote] <br />

[/quote]well I don't know why it did that but I'm keeping it that way now

Post by **That Kode Guy** » Thu May 05, 2016 6:43 pm

Juno is my pride and joy.

You're going down, HDiT, I swear to God.