#057 GAD BA6: Research (Collective Update)

For my research I looked at a number of sources, mostly Robots Wars and Battle Bots. Robot was is a english TV show that pitted remote controlled robots against each other in a arena. Known as a robot combat sport, robot wars was created in 1994 by a man called Marc Thorpe. At the time of creation it was an annual competition taking place between 1995 and 1997. It was only later that Robot wars became a televised show.

The format for the first and second televised U.K. Robot Wars differed radically from the earlier U.S. events. In each heat, a group of six robots would compete through a series of three challenges:

The first challenge: ‘The Gauntlet’ -- an obstacle filled maze defended by house robots. Competitor robots pushed as far down the course as possible in the time allowed. The robot covering the least ground was eliminated, leaving five robots to continue.

Cassius Chrome.

Dead Metal.

Growler.

Mr Psycho.

Sergeant Bash.

Shunt.

Sir Killalot.

The second challenge: ‘The Trial’. This event varied from heat to heat with games like, 'Sumo', 'British Bulldog', 'Stock Car', 'Labyrinth', 'Snooker', and 'Football'. The Second Wars retained Sumo and football and also added 'Skittles', 'Tug of War', 'King of the Castle', 'Joust', and 'Pinball'. Again, the lowest scoring robot was eliminated.

The third challenge: 'The Arena' - the familiar combat event that dominated the later wars. The four remaining robots paired off and fought head-to head in the enclosed arena patrolled by the house robots. The two victorious robots then fought for the heat championship.

In the First Wars, the six heat champions met in a single melee fight to determine the overall winner. It was similar to a later event "The Annihilator" except that there was no elimination process and no House Robots.

The Second Wars had two semifinal shows, each with six heat finalists reprising the heats with a Gauntlet and a Trial, with the last place finisher in each eliminated. The remaining four finalists paired off and fought head-to head in 'The Arena' with the two victorious robots moving on to a final arena battle to determine the champion and the two defeated robots fighting a separate arena battle for 3rd and 4th place.

The Third Wars eliminated 'The Gauntlet' and 'The Trial" from the main tournament, concentrating on 'The Arena'. This format continued throughout the remainder of the Wars, a main knockout tournament with special contests as side attractions. The side events included Tag Team, Annihilator, Rebellion, and regional championship events.

For my visual research I compiled a large amount of photos of different robots, as well as the arena. I have put them below.

I also looked in to some of the weapons I would be creating as well as some of the environment assets. Gathering images of similar objects, that would assist me in the design and texturing of my assets.