Thread for silly questions about rules!

[Remote-Controlled Dave]

Common Sense Window? lol

[Remote-Controlled Dave]

Not sure if this is the right place for it but it'll do. I had an idea that I want to run by everyone. As the AWS is becoming a little time conscious, would anyone object to shortening the maximum length of a fight from 3mins to 2 and a half or even 2mins? Having been in some 3min fights, they seem to go on a bit and most fights don't get anywhere near it. A 2min 30sec fight limit could truncate those few fights that are going to go the distance regardless (usually 2 slightly slower robots) and lop off a few unnecessary minutes to the overall run time.
Thoughts? Objections? Good idea/bad idea? Unconstructive ranting? I'm by no means attached to the idea, and certainly don't want more judges decisions, but I'm not sure this would necessarily cause that.

[earthwormjim]

2=

[razerdave]

I'd be all for a 2min fight limit .

[Rapidrory]

I don't see any real problems with it, and it could make some of the long fights less tedious. I can't see it cutting a very measurable time off the total length of an AWS though, as very few fights go on that long, and at a minute's saving for each, that's not gonna add up to much.

In short: I think it's a good idea, just don't think it'll save much time.

[BeligerAnt]

I think Rory's right, I can't see it actually saving any time.
It would be interesting to see how many fights go beyond 2 minutes without going to 3.

It's one thing to propose shortening the fights, but it should not be linked to making the event more manageable.

The only way to effectively control the overall length of the event is to limit the field. How to do that is a whole other debate...

[Remote-Controlled Dave]

At the next one we can see how many go between 2 and 3 minutes. Of course my favourite idea for saving time is to get rid of the pointless 'warm up' stuff which seems to exist purely to lengthen the day.

[BeligerAnt]

I disagree that the warm-up is pointless, and it doesn't need to take any more time.

Pro's: It gives extra fights to those (usually beginners) who only enter a single robot. It gives everyone a fight or two before the AWS, not just those that have fleas

Con's: I really can't think of any!

There are a few provisos: The non-spinner competition must be run at the same time as the FWS. Anyone entering the FWS cannot enter the non-spinner comp. Only one robot per driver/team is allowed to enter the non-spinner comp. The non-spinner comp may be single-elimination (or any other format) if the field is significantly larger than the FWS field.

At the end of the day, it's down to the event organiser to run the event how they want, but I would urge all organisers to bear in mind that we all started with a single robot and often have to travel long distances to competitions. Also the FWS results in most of the attendees sitting around for an hour before the AWS starts.

[Remote-Controlled Dave]

We didn't all start with a single robot...lol.

Extra fights should be done at the end if time. Hence "extra". I'd even be for moving the FWS to the end of the day as it is less important. Might make some think twice about putting fleas into the AWS too. Not that I want to limit that as I find clusters entertaining.

Just my opinion. Have never liked the warm up and I don't enter it even if I am without flea.

I just know Dave only has the venue til 5pm for the next one. This could require some pretty spot on time keeping and shaving of extra waffle.

[Remote-Controlled Dave]

Meant to bring this up for a while now.
Regarding clusterbots, at previous events, a couple of people have suggested that if a clusterbot is battling and has lost a unit in the fight, but the fight goes the 3min distance, that the clusterbot AUTOMATICALLY loses no matter how well the second part (or whatever number) has done during the second part of the battle.
I'm pretty sure that this is not the case. I understand that losing a unit counts against the cluster massively in a judges decision, and that its really hard to judge the two as one machine, but I recall battles, mostly involving Dave Weston, where Little Devil has been all over its opponent in the time since Divinity has fallen. These fights have never gone the distance, but is losing one unit of two really an automatic loss if it goes to the judges, or should it be judged as usual as a whole fight?
Just wanted clarification really, as I'm fairly sure there's no rule saying the cluster would automatically lose the decision.