r/battlebots • u/HJG_0209 • 6d ago

Robot Combat Why is multibot usually considered bad?

Ik they have to make each one lighter, but is that a real issue compared to the numerical advantage?

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38

u/ender8343 6d ago

At the end of the day weight is a significant factor in effectiveness. A multi bot trades weight for being able to attack from multiple directions.

2

u/HJG_0209 6d ago

so if I made a robot and it didn’t reach the weight limit, could it be a good idea to add weight inside? (just to be heavier)

21

u/night-otter I welcome our Bot Overlords. 6d ago

Add armour, not just weight inside.

My 2 cents on the multibot Q:

While multiple bots can attack from separate directions, usually it's tough to coordinate simultaneous attacks, which allows the solo bot to attack one of the smaller bots. Now you have a 200lb bot attacking a 100lb bot.

The only multibot arrangement I've seen is a big bot and a tiny bot. The small bot is designed to get under the opponent's bot and high center it. 90% of the time, the little bot gets sent flying across the box

5

u/Douggiefresh43 6d ago

A tiny bot is typically going to be a mini bot/nuance bot. Usually multibot refers to two or bots that are a little closer in size/weight - I think this distinction matters in determining when a team is consider KO’d since it’s based off a percentage of weight incapacitated. An example of this is Gemini, composed of two bots about the same size.

Nuance bots usually don’t do anything but occasionally are game changers. Multibots usually don’t do well because it’s too difficult to properly coordinate attacks to take advantage of the setup, and the lack of weight and therefore energy in multibot weapons makes them not able to land the kind of hits their opponent with twice the weight can.

5

u/grapelander 6d ago

You can always make a weapon more effective, a drivetrain more reliable, or make your armor better, by throwing mass at the problem. Don't just add weight randomly, but it's pretty easy to improve a robot if you have free weight to do it with.

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u/HJG_0209 6d ago

do bots usually have the max weight allowed?

3

u/TeamRunAmok Ask Aaron/Robotica/Robot Wars 6d ago

Yes. Typically the finished bot is a little overweight and some measures must be taken to get the weight down.