Rule 3b - Arena Size

A discussion forum for proposed changes to the AWS rules (2014)

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Andrew_Hibberd
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Re: Rule 3b - Arena Size

Post by Andrew_Hibberd »

The AWS14 arena was made by the behemoth boys out of cnced polycarbonate. The problem was the joins were not perfectly flat and acetate got caught as it does with some arena edges. The arena I have with Scott was going to be made in 4 pieces but with the paint on the surface makes for a smooth join. I like the idea of using some thin 3mm hardboard with the shiny side up for the arena but could be rolled up to fit in a car, as long as it was nice and flat for competing on. The battle box would also need to make from smaller pieces, joins in the battle box also make visibility more difficult.
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BeligerAnt
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Re: Rule 3b - Arena Size

Post by BeligerAnt »

Would another solution be to have a floor with a joint, but then have some kind of rubber sheet or similar that can be secured over the entire arena floor making one flat surface, but also flexible enough to be rolled up and put in the back of a car?
That would certainly be a possibility, and there is nothing in the rules to preclude it. It's down to arena builders to figure out how to construct their arena balancing ease of build, ease of transport, cost and an interesting design.
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Re: Rule 3b - Arena Size

Post by Hogi »

i favor bigger arenas as they provide greater opportunity for actual fighting rather than just a single shove, flip or spinner impact ending the battle in the first few seconds. i am all for saving time with short fights but not as short as a single contact conclusion. bigger arenas also benefit both robots in spinner fights. when an impact occurs that repels both robots across the arena there is less chance of either robot flying out ( obviously depending on distance from a drop off.), and it means after the impact, both robots have more time to recover to their fighting stance. that said though, i think it'd be perfectly possible to hold an interesting fight provided it a lower amount of dropoff than a bigger arena.

my proposal: i think what we could do to settle both this debate and the dropoff one is establish a ratio of the size of the arena to the amount of dropoff required. just a thought but if developed it could work.
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