Comedy Central Cancels BattleBots

Rathian writes "Bad news for BattleBot lovers, I saw on the BattleBots Builder's Forum that CC is NOT going to film Phase 6.0 of BattleBots. You can see copies of the email from the BattleBots founders Trey & Greg at RobotCombat.com, and at Team DaVinci Robots God willing, another network will pick it up and keep this sport alive!"

Comments

I can see why

[bravehamster]

I stopped watching Battlebots after season 2. It just wasn't compelling TV. Most of the matches were like watching drunk boxing--A lot of swinging, but little contact. What I think needs to happen is for them to approach it from a whole other angle. The bots must be independent.

Independent bots would force the bot makers to build navigation systems (to avoid the hazards), target acquisition systems (to find the other bots), decision making (push the bot toward the hazard, or try to flip, or run away and hide until my buzz saw starts working again?).

Additionally, they should build a better arena and allow all those weapons currently outlawed, like EMP weapons, chemical, flamethrowers, magnetic grapples, swarms of multi-bots, etc. Should be much more exciting.

Re:I can see why

[gnovos]

i'll just stop there... but i really feel strongly about this, there is a give and take, and the current rules make for good fights. the second someone has a 30 foot flamethrower/EMP, and can beat any bot in 10 seconds, the show is over, and its all about ratings.

It can't beat the tiny bot that has magnetic feet (for sticking onto the bigger bot) and a old fashioned power drill (for drilling into it's head...). Creativity would make the show interesting when the rules are throw out the window.

Re:BattleBots/RobotWars

[T-Kir]

After seeing the US version of Robot Wars, it is the actual UK version but lacking some of the behind the scenes stuff (I think) and with a different presenter (Craig Charles presents it in the UK - he played 'Lister' in Red Dwarf).

This is 'cos the BBC licences it to different countries (a bit like the TellyTubbies) so they get the original tapes for them to reproduce their own versions, whereas Junkyard/Scrapheap has the same co-presenter (who is also the exec producer) and they do a combination of UK/US filming.

Far too "orderly" combat

[pla]

The idea of making a machine to go in their to kill other machines sounds really cool. Hell, for the first two seasons, I watched it religiously, making it one of only two shows I watch regularly (the other, South Park, only having like 4 new episodes every six months anyway, so not all that time consuming).

However, by the third season, I (and I think *most* people) started realizing the choices of possible machine types, as limited by the extensive rules, made every "new" combat nothing more than a replay of something I'd already seen, with a new paint job.

Even now, I would start watching it again, if they ditch 90% of the rules. As long as a bot won't explode (and even "small" explosions, such as their 3" thick plexi cages would contain, seem alright), no holds barred. Flying bots? If someone can make them, good luck. Projectiles? Yup. Fire? Yup. Electricity? Yup. Entanglement? Again, Yup.

Make it a *real* contest of who can build the better bot, rather than who can build the better table-saw-or-jackhammer-on-wheels, and it would become interesting again.

I want to see REAL robot destruction. I don't want every match to end with one bot immobilized, mildly injured from a battery wire breaking, or its antenna clipped, or havings its wheels chopped off. I want sparking circuit boards, small explosions, the smell of ozone (well, okay, the home viewer couldn't enjoy that part), chunks of metal everywhere, etc.

Until then, I don't even care if Carmen starts hosting it nude. It has completely lost its "newness" appeal.

Battlebots is pretty good - if you have a TiVo

[jlower]

That way, you can watch a 30 minute episode in about 10 minutes, skipping all the commercials and filler.

I see a lot of comments about how it wasn't innovative and didn't evolve but I think it did. And even though more fights were boring than not, when there was a good fight, it was really cool. Even though the show had the 'feel' of Pro Wrestling, I never thought the fights were pre-determined - don't see how they could have been.

I hope some other network picks it up - I would miss it.

Re:Why?

[HorsePunchKid]

I agree that it's become somewhat dull, but keep in mind that this recent (last few years?) wave of robot competition shows isn't the first. I remember watching Nova on PBS as a kid (err... well, maybe 10 years ago). My favorite ones were the robot competitions, only they generally weren't this one-on-one battle sort of situation. They'd have tasks to complete, and whichever did it best or fastest won. So they'd be building robots out of Legos and whatnot that would have to move ping pong balls from one box to another or fly magnetic discs over a net. I seem to remember them generally being autonomous, but I'm not sure. Anybody else remember these shows? (Heck, I'm sure some people here were involved directly in them!) Does this kind of thing still air anywhere?