Run Amok Combat Robotics
Try Your Hand as a Combat Robot Judge
How did you do? Probably no worse than I did.
On the subject of robot combat, Morgan Tilford of Team Mauler famously said,
| "You have to make the other robot your bitch." |
I don't approve of the reference, but I agree with the sentiment -- it's about control. If you control your opponent by pushing it around, nullifying its attacks, and preventing it from pursuing its best strategy you should win the match.
I've heard influential people in the sport claim that judging doesn't have any impact on the level of excitement in a match. I contend that builders aren't stupid! If judging favors robots that can endure attacks without a scratch and that only need to continuously move toward their opponent to maximize aggression points, they're going to produce tool steel armored, slow, invertable, weaponless bricks. That can't be good for the sport.
Judging guidelines shouldn't pander to builders, make it easy on the judges, or point the sport in a direction that rewards dull matches.
