AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Place discussions about upcoming events here in this thread.

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TeamPanoramic
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Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2018 3:00 am

AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by TeamPanoramic »

Almost a year ago saw the last time an Antweight World Series event was held. So to mark the year anniversary of the last event, I would like to announce that I am proposing to run Antweight World Series 62 once COVID restrictions are lifted.

The proposed area for AWS 62 will be the South West area of the UK (likely to be Bath, North East Somerset, Bristol or Gloucestershire area). Details on the exact location will be announced in the event’s post, but I have my eye on Jurys Inn Cheltenham depending on hire costs. But will look into lots of other options.

In advance to the future announcement, I would like to address some very important bits.


COVID-19:
Of course with this still being the biggest issue in the world right now, I am always monitoring the situation as well as the vaccination program. The proposed date by the government to lift restrictions is June 21st. If this changes, so will plans on when to host AWS 62. I would strongly advise everyone who can get vaccinated to please get it. If we all get the jab, we can stop the spread & infection of the virus, save thousands of lives and run events again safely.

FORMAT CHANGE:
When the event can go ahead, I am proposing a major format change to help the event run quicker & smoother to allow time for extra competitions. The format change will consist of GROUP BATTLES OF 4, which will only apply to certain stages of the winners bracket and will see TWO WINNERS & LOSERS in each fight. ALL losers bracket will remain as 1v1 and will never go into group battles.

OFF THE SHELF ITEMS:
This is a rule enforced previously by the committee that I’ll be bringing back. Anything that was made from an off the shelf item such as radio control toys & cars with armour taped, strapped or any other form of fitting will NOT be allowed in the competition. I you bring an entry made from an off the shelf item to the tech check table, it will result in instant disqualification for said entry.

This rule will also apply to parts of clusterbots. If a part of your cluster is made from an off the shelf item, you will have to remove it from said cluster.

This rule will NOT apply to ready-to-run, second hand, kits or commissions of antweights. As all of which are originally built to comply with AWS rules.


This is all for now so I will leave anything else for the event’s confirmation post. Watch this space!

Until then, stay safe and keep on building.
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peterwaller
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by peterwaller »

Will the off the shelf items apply to robots based on the robotwars toys that some people have mechanized.
TeamPanoramic
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by TeamPanoramic »

It depends on what they contain. If it contains the same components as usual antweights, it'll be allowed in the competitio.
MySolderIsOlder
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by MySolderIsOlder »

Thanks Harry - very exciting news! Hoping to have a number of new bots ready by the summer, both for my team and Anthony's, so it will be good to have a target to aim for. Please not the last two weeks of August though! Impatient as I am to get back to the action, I'd have thought Autumn was the safest bet for being able to hold a competition in something closer to normal conditions.

All these locations are a long trek for us but we'll be there whatever. If you can pull it off, Jury's Inn Cheltenham would be ideal as train connections are good - and we'll be able to stay overnight.

Love the idea of Group battles. Could be lots of fun (especially if there's more than one cluster involved in a fight - or even just one 'Plank of Wood') but also opens up new options for tactical play. If it works in the winners' bracket then it's maybe a useful option to have for initial rounds too in the future, should numbers continue to grow.
Stuart (Tony's dad)
samSpinCrazy
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by samSpinCrazy »

LOve the idea and cant wait to fight again 4 way battles will be fun, (I guess ill have to make Plank Of Wood again then) watch the space
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Kyro
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by Kyro »

while im happy theres hope of an event on the horizon, i have a few comments regarding some of your changes.

the groups of 4 battles firstly:
changing the format like this changes a lot... fights go from who's going to win using driver skill and/or weapon power to who's going to not get ganged up on...
a lot of bots are built to keep an important bit pointed towards an opponent, but with multiple opponents, this is made difficult.
i also foresee many of these fights going the distance and requiring judges to determine the outcome. standard 1v1 format, fights rarely go the distance. a minute or less i would guess is the average. with fights lasting longer, plus time for judges to decide results i think there will be no time saved and it actually taking longer...

as for the no off the shelf items... while this doesn't affect me, i fail to see the issue. as long as it has been modified in some way to make it more battle ready, and is within the rules for safety, i don't see why they aren't allowed...
where is the line drawn?

so i can use a hexbugs bot if i replace just the internals with proper ant stuff? but i cant use a hexbugs with original internals that i have armoured with titanium?


not everyone has £200 to drop on a custom bot + tx/charger ect... especially if they aren't sure robot combat is really for them... this rule takes some of the accessibility out for newcomers...

if it aint broke, don't fix it...
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Eli
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by Eli »

I'm all for streamlining the tournament - group battles in round 1 alone removes up to 32 fights or about an hour from the schedule - but my concern with 4-way group battles is the potential for hanging back to be a tactic used to win. I've seen it happen in some big battles and I won't name any names but I foresee an eruption of rage if too many fights play out this way. For example, in the fight "A vs B vs C vs D", if A pushes B into a pit but falls in itself in this attack, while C and D drive around not engaging with each other, C and D would go through. I have some suggestions for avoiding this:
  • Annihilator rules: The fight is paused after each KO and all active robots are returned to starting postitions before reactivating. Battle continues until 2 robots remain.
  • KO = progression: If a robot causes another robot to become immobilised, it automatically becomes one of the fight's winners regardless of what happens following that point. It can still attack and be attacked and if it subsequently gets knocked out, the robot causing that will become a fight winner as well. In the scenario described in my earlier example, A would go through while being unable to continue and C and D would fight to become the second winner.
  • 2 simultaneous battles: The battles billed are A vs B and C vs D but both take place in the arena at the same time.
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Tufty
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by Tufty »

Kyro wrote: Tue Mar 09, 2021 8:59 am while im happy theres hope of an event on the horizon, i have a few comments regarding some of your changes.

the groups of 4 battles firstly:
changing the format like this changes a lot... fights go from who's going to win using driver skill and/or weapon power to who's going to not get ganged up on...
a lot of bots are built to keep an important bit pointed towards an opponent, but with multiple opponents, this is made difficult.
i also foresee many of these fights going the distance and requiring judges to determine the outcome. standard 1v1 format, fights rarely go the distance. a minute or less i would guess is the average. with fights lasting longer, plus time for judges to decide results i think there will be no time saved and it actually taking longer...

as for the no off the shelf items... while this doesn't affect me, i fail to see the issue. as long as it has been modified in some way to make it more battle ready, and is within the rules for safety, i don't see why they aren't allowed...
where is the line drawn?

so i can use a hexbugs bot if i replace just the internals with proper ant stuff? but i cant use a hexbugs with original internals that i have armoured with titanium?


not everyone has £200 to drop on a custom bot + tx/charger ect... especially if they aren't sure robot combat is really for them... this rule takes some of the accessibility out for newcomers...

if it aint broke, don't fix it...
As a noob with solely modded RC cars at the moment I have no issue not being able to attend the next AWS. We'll still have to be distancing and probably limiting competitor numbers, so this as a one-off doesn't bother me.

If it became a more permanent rule, it could cause amateurs not to make the step into the sport at all. Plus Baphomet would surely love to eat another of my clusterbots someday!
Current active ants: Scrooge McDerp | Ply-By-Wire (likely not to see competition) | Grinding Nemo | When Unicorns Go Rogue
samSpinCrazy
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by samSpinCrazy »

KO = progression: If a robot causes another robot to become immobilised, it automatically becomes one of the fight's winners regardless of what happens following that point. It can still attack and be attacked and if it subsequently gets knocked out, the robot causing that will become a fight winner as well. In the scenario described in my earlier example, A would go through while being unable to continue and C and D would fight to become the second winner.
Really like that idea as would make fights more active and would not lean to bots just sitting back and waiting for 2 to fall in
Lowtech
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Re: AWS 62 - Summer/Autumn 2021

Post by Lowtech »

I wouldn't like to think that people who don't have the expertise to build a robot from scratch were completely ruled out of AWS.

Maybe a more inclusive rule might be that you have to have made your own body and your own weapon (spikes included).

I guess we have to set some standards for AWS, but we should also be careful not to alienate fans of the sport.

That being said, I'm looking forward to my first AWS and am working hard to ensure both my robots don't get knocked out at the group stage!
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Hydrant (4WD crusher) (in progress)
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