Byte Size 4.5: The Plot Thickens

NFX · Post by **NFX** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:22 pm

This should be a pretty cool tournament. It's more about just fun than actually RPing and such, this might work well.

GF93 · Post by **GF93** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 4:55 pm

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>NFX</dt><dd>Mar 27 2013, 03:22 PM</dd></dl><div> This should be a pretty cool tournament. It's more about just fun than actually RPing and such, this might work well. [/quote]
Yes, it should be pretty good. :)

Also, Nick- I really don't want to come off as an impatient shortarse for asking again after such a short period of time, and I apologise for doing so in advance, but are you having any luck with the CADs for my new robots? Just wondering, that's all.

NFX · Post by **NFX** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:40 pm

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>GF93</dt><dd>Mar 27 2013, 09:55 PM</dd></dl><div> <blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>NFX</dt><dd>Mar 27 2013, 03:22 PM</dd></dl><div> This should be a pretty cool tournament. It's more about just fun than actually RPing and such, this might work well. [/quote]
Yes, it should be pretty good. :)

Also, Nick- I really don't want to come off as an impatient shortarse for asking again after such a short period of time, and I apologise for doing so in advance, but are you having any luck with the CADs for my new robots? Just wondering, that's all. [/quote]
Not much luck, I'm afraid, there's been a fair amount more I've had to do this week than is usual, but I'm getting two weeks off for Easter after the weekend, so I'm hoping I'm able to get some done then, provided my girlfriend leaves me alone sufficiently to get everything else done.

BEES · Post by **BEES** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:31 am

Well it's taking longer than expected. I have to reconsider a few fights, but generally I know how they'll all turn out for the LWs. There are a couple tossups that I'm debating though, and I'm going to sleep on it and post everything tomorrow (aka later today) when I've decided.

Remember just because things go to hell this round doesn't mean they'll be bad next round! Could be completely the opposite.

GF93 · Post by **GF93** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:47 am

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>NFX</dt><dd>Mar 27 2013, 05:40 PM</dd></dl><div> <blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>GF93</dt><dd>Mar 27 2013, 09:55 PM</dd></dl><div>
Also, Nick- I really don't want to come off as an impatient shortarse for asking again after such a short period of time, and I apologise for doing so in advance, but are you having any luck with the CADs for my new robots? Just wondering, that's all. [/quote]
Not much luck, I'm afraid, there's been a fair amount more I've had to do this week than is usual, but I'm getting two weeks off for Easter after the weekend, so I'm hoping I'm able to get some done then, provided my girlfriend leaves me alone sufficiently to get everything else done. [/quote]
No worries Nick, I understand- I know that feeling with College work and all.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing them once they're finished, though- considering how well you've rendered my previous designs, they should be quite spectacular. :cool:

NWOWWE · Post by **NWOWWE** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:25 am

<blockquote class='quote_blockquote'><dl><dt>Spatula</dt><dd>Mar 28 2013, 02:31 AM</dd></dl><div> Remember just because things go to hell this round doesn't mean they'll be bad next round! Could be completely the opposite. [/quote]
Things going to hell? That's a comforting thought.

GF93 · Post by **GF93** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 8:46 am

Come to think of it, I'd like to change Discord's emphasises to it being a Jack of all trades. It's not a problem of course if I can't, but is it or is it not too late for me to do so?

BEES · Post by **BEES** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 10:58 pm

Discord's change has been noted.

LW's are up, tables are on the first page.

Harbinger vs Pyrite
Battle of the thwackbots would be perhaps the most fun match in this weight class. Lots of driving tactics from these fast two-wheelers would be on display. Harbinger has a small edge because it is simply more versatile--the front wedge could be used to push Pyrite, or carry it around by its axe. It's not a one-sided match though, and Pyrite could definitely fight back, probably hitting a little harder if it went into a full spin. I don't see either bot knocking the other out though. They would trade blows, and when the dust clears, maybe 45% of the time, Pyrite would have given its flashier opponent more time on the hazards or gotten in a few better hits, while 55% of the time Harbinger just stays in control more with its extra attacking options.
55/45 Harbinger

Pyrite vs Kite
Pyrite's spinning attack will be a pain for Kite to deal with, but I think a slight majority of the time the flipper will prevail. Pinning this thing down will be difficult, if Kite gets in and gets a flip, Pyrite can just spin back up again--being completely invertible and very slippery. There will be some approaches where Kite gets deflected and gains nothing on the judge's scorecards, along with taking some nice dents in the front armor potentially. The remainder of the time though Pyrite will be bossed around, flipped mercilessly once Kite gets inside and stops it from spinning. Kite could probably just get in and push and win the shoving match, and probably stay in control--keeping Pyrite from spinning for longer, but Pyrite has no defense to prevent getting flipped so why not just flip it, right?
55/45 Kite

Harbinger vs Kite
Harbinger vs Kite eh? Hmm... Harbinger has similarities to Pyrite, but it can function as a rammer with its front wedge, it can spin both ways, it can use its spike as a javelin. It's more versatile in ways that matter significantly for this matchup. That makes up the difference and makes this nearly a dead heat on my scorecard. The same issues with Pyrite appear--Kite taking damage, failing on some approaches, but still finding many openings to get in and flip, just bossing the thwacker around. But offensively the options the two robots have against each other are dynamically equal.
50/50

Pyrrha vs Kite
Difficult to call; both could potentially get under the other if they apply pressure to their lifting mechanism. Pyrrha has added defense on all sides, so I think it would control the match for the first minute or so, behind harder to pin down. (Both robots opted for speed, so Kite would have to drive more carefully against its equally maneuverable opponent). I'm giving this to Kite though, because I'm not seeing a feasible way for Pyrrha to self-right once inverted (aside from being flipped again by Kite). It presumably works upside-down but the side wedges won't, and then it'll be at some amount of a disadvantage for the rest of the fight. However, if this fight were carried out enough times, I do think Pyrrha would still come out on top in more than a third of the outcomes, just due to its better defense.
60/40 Pyrrha

Pyrrha vs Pyrite
Similar to Kite vs Pyrite in some ways. The flat edges on Pyrrha are more likely to get caught by Pyrite's spinning attack, but it still has good defense against this type of thwacker. I would expect Pyrrha to back into Pyrite on the initial approach, and I don't see too much that can be done about this. The shape of Pyrrha is more conducive to holding Pyrite--keeping its wheels off the floor and therefore helpless, and parading it around, whereas Kite's flipping it didn't do so much since it's completely invertible and just starts spinning up again. Against a bot that's wedged on all sides with strong armor the thwacker will seem utterly useless. Like Overkill vs Biohazard it's just not there.
70/30 Pyrrha

Pyrrha vs Harbinger
Sadly, I don't see Harbinger faring much better than Pyrite in this matchup. The Overkill/Biohazard mechanics are in place yet again, and there isn't much a thwackbot can do to a 4-sided wedge. The front wedge would be useless as all of the wedges on Pyrrha could come spring-loaded while the Thwacker's wedge really cannot be, without interfering with the way the robot is designed to spin around. I made this slightly less unbalanced as perhaps it could attack the front of Pyrrha directly and try to push its wedgy foe around by jamming the spike into the central grap somehow, but Pyrite could also do that so... I don't know. Really I'm not sure how this would be any less one-sided, but on the offchance the front wedge gets under 1 the skirts out of 10 tries, then that goes into the statistic.
65/35 Pyrrha

Conqueror vs Pyrrha
Both of them could probably get under the other. How do you judge such a match? First: who has the stronger front? Whichever robot comes out better when the two meet head-to-head tends to give them some advantage; it means they have less driving to do. I think Pyrrha's fork would trump Conqueror's cheese cutter, so that would give Pyrrha a slight plus (as it is a short fork and easier to avoid than if its advantage covered the whole front side). Second: If one gets under the other, what can they do with that? Conqueror can flip Pyrrha, putting it on its back, where I don't think it would be very happy with its wedges pointing the wrong way uselessly. I am skeptical of Pyrrha's ability to self-right due to the length of the lifter relative to the size of the rear wedge skirt. I don't think it's happening without some modifications. If Pyrrha got under Conqueror and flipped it? It seems much more believable that a Firestorm-style lifter could get right back over easily. I think these two aspects cancel each other out pretty much and we get a relatively 50-50 match.

Kite vs Conqueror
I think the two bots are fairly evenly matched. Kite merely has the advantage of doing more spectacular flips on Conqueror than vice versa--although Conqueror would spend its fair share of time parading Kite around and staying in control. The self-righting issue makes the biggest difference, I think. With a slow lifter instead of a full flipper, Conqueror spends a bit more time getting pushed around on its back before it can self-right. A nailbiter though.
55/45 Kite

Harbinger vs Conqueror
Ah, Toe Crusher vs Wedge of Doom sort of match, but I think a few small things tip the balance into the thwacker's favor slightly. First, unlike WoD, Conqueror cannot back up if it's tipped slightly on end as its wheels would be obstructed by the chassis. So if Harbinger got to the side, it could parade its foe around. On top of that, Harbinger is invertible and slippery, and any pushes or flips that Conqueror lands will be fleeting. It won't have utter dominance over the fight, but I do think its front wins in a head-to-head exchange unless Harbinger is spinning at top speed. The tactical tools available to Harbinger ever-so-slightly outweigh the stronger front in this case.
Harbinger 55/45

Conqueror vs Pyrite
Without anything except its spinning attack to rely on, Pyrite lands a few smacks but its sturdy opponent will bulldoze it the entire time. Bad Attitude vs Spaz basically (I'm well aware Spaz won on a technicality, but let's assume this is a non-shitty arena without a spikestrip for wedges to get stuck on in the last 30 seconds of the match).
65/35 Conqueror

Frequency vs Pyrrha
Pyrrha is a sturdy looking piece of machinery, and I think under a stat-based tourney it might have a good chance against spinners like Frequency. But in Nick-land, the skirts are problems--particularly with so many exposed corners that the lawnmower blades could catch on to, this type of robot will have difficulty approaching. Let's suppose it backs in to present the most armored side, then what? Can it guarantee that its skirts will even get under Frequency's own skirts? Presumably these are heavier and better weighted, but while they're being scraped by the weapon their leveraging properties might be temporarily diminished when they make contact with Frequency's skirts. So this is a tricky fight. I would have Pyrrha getting in and potentially flipping Frequency a minority of times, but the majority of the time, I see the hinged wedges getting torn off, and Frequency getting some critical hits to the central lifting assembly on the front that might cripple this bot (despite the preference towards armor).
60/40 Frequency

Kite vs Frequency
Kite was doing well until it got here, but it doesn't have sufficient defense to deal with a spinner like Frequency. There is a chance of a T-minus/Hazard like upset. The wedges on Frequency are designed not to interfere with the bar, but nonetheless it is not invertible and if flipped, I seriously question its ability to self-right with those wedges interfering. For the majority of occasions however, Frequency would easily dismantle the front armor, disable the weapon, and likely knock Kite out.
65/35 Frequency

Frequency vs Harbinger
I am probably being generous making this matchup any less horrible than it would be for Pyrite, but my thinking is well

Post by **That Kode Guy** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:40 pm

Ah, just as I'd predicted. Average.

Of course.

I'm really good at this prediction lark, aren't I?

GF93 · Post by **GF93** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:09 am

Second Place in the LW Division and beating the overall Winner along the way- that's definitely pretty good, so I'm happy with that. :P

NFX · Post by **NFX** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:12 am

Wow, I hadn't expected Frequency to do that well. =) Nice to see Alex doing decently too, but it's a shame about Pyrite. Either the matchups just weren't in its favour, or Badnik's a much better RP'er than we're giving him credit for. It was an interesting read, though, hopefully the rest of the weight classes are as good as the LW was.

Post by **Badnik96** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:28 am

Pyrite didn't win a single match? ;-;

NWOWWE · Post by **NWOWWE** » Sat Mar 30, 2013 8:31 am

2-2-1... Actually better than I was expecting.

BEES · Post by **BEES** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 12:04 pm

MWs are coming along... speculations?

Post by **That Kode Guy** » Tue Apr 02, 2013 12:32 pm

I finish dead last, NFX wins, GF93 mutters something about undercutters, and John comes 2nd despite not being in the tournament.