Talk:Robot Wars: Series 9

Applied
Should we do a list of competitors that have already applied for this series, I know from Twitter that Apollo, PP3D and Eric have applied for this year. TKK3nta (talk) 08:16, October 12, 2016 (UTC)

Eric has applied!? That's great news. Responding to your question I think we should just keep it quiet about the competitors for now until we have a bigger list. 321Annihilate (talk) 08:28, October 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * I guess that would make sense, maybe I'll post a blog of those that have applied for now. https://twitter.com/TeamEricRobot Here's the twitter of Team Eric saying they have applied. TKK3nta (talk) 08:53, October 12, 2016 (UTC)
 * To answer your question, no. We caused more problems than information last series when we did this, so I advise not keeping the list. Plus I once again want to keep the spoilers and lists of robots secret, I don't want to know what happens until official sources confirm it. J  im laa  d4   3 (talk) 09:27, October 12, 2016 (UTC)
 * What Jim said. There was backlash last time we ran an applicant list, and we won't make the same mistake twice. Just use Reddit. Toast  Ultimatum  12:02, October 12, 2016 (UTC)
 * Basically the only robot that is "allowed" to be confirmed is Apollo, due to the nature of being a champion. If Apollo is not present in any heat or battle, then anyone else that competes must be kept quiet. If Apollo is present, then it gets the benefit. --WolfwingandSlaveLeia (talk) 14:31, October 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * Yes, right now, the only robot that has been officially confirmed is Apollo. Anything else, we cannot say until the higher-ups (I.E. the BBC) say anything. I'd rather not repeat last year's fiasco. CrashBash (talk) 15:12, October 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * I know of seven teams that have publicly stated that they've applied already, so it seems things are much more lenient on that front this time around, but still, in terms of adding the information to pages, it is safer for the Wiki to play things safe. Nweston8 (talk) 15:32, October 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * Given the wikia "problem", should we keep a blog on who we think is in and who is out, moderators? --WolfwingandSlaveLeia (talk) 16:13, October 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * At this stage, I'd personally rather we didn't try to take risks. Maybe seven teams have publicly stated they've applied, but it could just be they didn't check the fine print. CrashBash (talk) 17:11, October 12, 2016 (UTC)

Drones
Now I haven't seen the rules pdf from the website so I could be making a mistake but hey!. Do any of you think that drones could be a possibility this year? Plus would they class as clusterbots and be treated as clusterbots i.e. in terms of weight. Though from what I know from those who have applied it seems no one will be bringing in a drone for now but It would be interesting to see in the modern Robot Wars. Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 17:15, October 13, 2016 (UTC)

Well we have certainly seen plenty in Battlebots and I pretty sure Drones were allowed in the first series of the robot wars reboot but nobody wanted to take it on. I think we will see drones. The robot which incorporates one will go down in robot wars history. 321Annihilate (talk) 17:21, October 13, 2016 (UTC)
 * Flying robots have always been allowed. They would have to be made by the roboteers, not commercially bought and slightly edited. Yeah it would be cool, but what can a drone do? Axes, flippers, claws, spinners? Very unlikely to be usable, and even if fitted on, the'll do more damage to the drone. J  im laa  d4   3 (talk) 18:15, October 13, 2016 (UTC)
 * BattleBots showed us that drones only work against plastic, and even then it has to be a big target. Also, any one with a functioning brain will know that only a flamethrower can be attached to a drone and have it still provide air support. That me is speaking the truth, not insulting. Also, there seems to be no way of turning off a drone using a link (which is strange, due to the fact that BattleBots actually likes using removable links instead of kill switches). --WolfwingandSlaveLeia (talk) 07:34, October 14, 2016 (UTC)
 * Personally, unless they crash as they did in BattleBots, I don't think that drones would add anything much to Robot Wars, especially since it would be difficult for them to attack wheeled/tracked/walking robots effectively and vice versa. By the way, has anyone else stumbled upon this before? It's a drone combat show made by Steve Carsey, the original producer of Robot Wars, featuring a mix of obstacle courses, aerial combat and its very own set of House Drones. Having watched the first series before joining the Wiki, I can't say it's as exciting or memorable as Robot Wars is, but it has its own YouTube channel if you want to investigate it for yourself. VulcansHowl (talk) 09:16, October 14, 2016 (UTC)

Tickets
Is anyone here going to apply for tickets again? I sure am, Saturday 3rd is about the only day I can do, so I will be applying for that day. J im laa  d4   3 (talk) 18:09, October 19, 2016 (UTC)
 * I actually need to go to one of the latest sessions, so I doubt I'll meet any wiki people there. Toast  Ultimatum  19:25, October 19, 2016 (UTC)

Saturday 3rd I could not do any more, so I applied to the only day I could fit it around my exams, the final day on the 7th. I got tickets! Premium tickets too, so as long as I'm on time, I am guaranteed a seat! YYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! J im laa  d4   3 (talk) 11:56, November 15, 2016 (UTC)

I got tickets too! I managed to get them for the Sunday show. 321Annihilate (talk) 15:18, November 18, 2016 (UTC)
 * I'm doubtful anyone will be joining me on the Monday afternoon. Toast  Ultimatum  15:20, November 18, 2016 (UTC)

Goliath
This is unrelated to pretty much everything here but Goliath made an appearance on CbbC on Dick and Dom it seems with a few minor alterations. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/destructive-robot Diotoir  the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 06:54, October 21, 2016 (UTC)

Failed to qualify
From what I've heard some roboteers who have applied that a few days ago they were meant to get a phone call to tell them if they've applied, as it turns out a few haven't received anything and may have failed to qualify. Should we add them to the list of F2Q? Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 12:10, October 29, 2016 (UTC)
 * Not yet, it may be that the BBC just have more calls then they expected to make and they're still going through them. Keep a note of these teams off-wiki, though. Toast  Ultimatum  12:48, October 29, 2016 (UTC)
 * As before, we don't add anything about robots which have qualified or not until we have the official list months after it has all been filmed. There isn't any movement from this stance with the anti-spoiler policy we have. J  im laa  d4   3 (talk) 13:25, October 29, 2016 (UTC)
 * I have got a list of F2Q robots ready for when the time is right. Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 20:35, November 2, 2016 (UTC)

Without mentioning names from what I've read it seems that Metorn wants "new robots" meaning we could lose quite a few 2016 competitors. Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 15:53, October 31, 2016 (UTC)


 * To be honest, I think this isn't anything to really worry about. They've always wanted "new robots" and each series has seen quite a lot of newcomers. CrashBash (talk) 16:06, October 31, 2016 (UTC)


 * There's no reason why old teams can't make new robots. I was thrilled with PP3D, Carbide, and some other new robots. If I have to pick one I definitely want back it's Behemoth.  Toon Ganondorf    (t    c)  22:27, October 31, 2016 (UTC)

Here's an interesting quote from a team that F2Q "The RW guys, whilst obviously not being able to say anything concrete said they were waiting on the TV Commissioner re a potential RWS3 (no new news there but it shows Mentorn are keen). I was told if they get a green light they will post details for S3 applications directly to unsuccessful S2 teams first off as well as posting through normal channels"

Another thing that someone has said refers to the fact that most of the robots that F2Q for this series are round 1 dropouts. Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 14:30, November 2, 2016 (UTC)


 * Makes me wonder if they're doing the same thing for this coming series, and that they contacted first and foremost a lot of the teams that didn't qualify for the 2016 series. One has to wonder...CrashBash (talk) 20:39, November 2, 2016 (UTC)


 * That's a surprisingly good way of doing it. The best and most entertaining get one year, the rest basically do odd and even years.  Toon Ganondorf    (t    c)  20:42, November 2, 2016 (UTC)

Well so far on my list I have recorded at least 20 robots that have F2Q. Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 16:31, November 4, 2016 (UTC)

Celebrity Specials?
So I read on the Roaming Robots Facebook group that there will be some Celebrity specials. Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 13:10, November 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * I've seen the page itself. If those do go ahead, we may need to give "Celebrity Special" its own little sub-page, like we have for the Annihilators, Tag Team Terrors, etc. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. CrashBash (talk) 13:26, November 12, 2016 (UTC)
 * So this was released in terms of telling people about film dates, note it says "celebrity edition" in the afternoon of the 6th December.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154762836457094&set=gm.522315898048180&type=3 Diotoir  the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 17:14, November 12, 2016 (UTC)


 * I had hoped there would be some side events. Hopefully this time its celebrities I've heard of.  Toon Ganondorf    (t    c)  20:36, November 12, 2016 (UTC)

Looks like it's been officially confirmed: http://lostintv.com/tv-show?id=818 Diotoir  the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 18:01, November 17, 2016 (UTC)
 * That's just the same thing that was posted on the Facebook link. I don't think it's proof that it's true. --MasterMarik (talk) 01:13, November 18, 2016 (UTC)


 * For what it's worth, one of the children in my class I teach is the nephew of Jason Marston, and he told me today that Jason has been chosen as one of the mentors for the celebrity special this series, but told me that the celebrity in question was top secret. So this is most definitely a thing! Helsed (talk) 21:09, November 17, 2016 (UTC)
 * The fact that the official Robot Wars twitter and Facebook is advertising the tickets that say about the Celebrity Specials, I would say that's a confirmation, though I don't know if these "Celebrity Events" will be filmed though (but it's likely). Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 15:25, November 18, 2016 (UTC)
 * I already took the initial post as confirmation (I had access to the link prior to yesterday's release), so there's not really anything else we can add to the article. Toast  Ultimatum  15:26, November 18, 2016 (UTC)

Confirmation from Radio Times of 2 Celebrity Specials this Christmas, 4 celebs in each episode, working with teams to design their dream robot. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-22/robot-wars-to-return-for-two-celebrity-christmas-specials --Voyanuitoa (talk) 07:22, November 22, 2016 (UTC)
 * So these will be for Christmas? That means they'll film in December and have very short amount of time editing it, that and trailers for it. Unless I'm mistaken. Diotoir  the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 07:30, November 22, 2016 (UTC)

Just to make something clear, it would be great to get articles up and running for the Christmas specials, as well as the general Celebrity Special article which combines 2017 and Series 4, but we cannot do this yet, as we do not know what Mentorn will call these episodes. Toast Ultimatum  15:47, November 22, 2016 (UTC)

So, this is implying the possibility of them doing the heat format from Round 2 onwards, perhaps. CrashBash (talk) 15:51, November 22, 2016 (UTC)


 * I would imagine so, the head to heads would make sure that there is at least a decent amount of screen time for each celebrity, rather than just the single interview before the battle and quick chat afterwards. The time normally spent on Round 1 could be taken up by VT's of the roboteers and celebrities talking about designing and building the robots. At the end of the second episode they may do a Celebrity Final, like the All-Stars in Extreme 2. The full BBC press blurb for it is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/xmas16tv/bbctwo#heading-robot-wars-christmas-specials --Voyanuitoa (talk) 15:58, November 22, 2016 (UTC)
 * Could this be one of the Celebrity robots? This is recent and does have a competitor who may or may not be in the new series. Via Robot Wars Twitter account: https://twitter.com/UKRobotWars/status/799888599227465728 Diotoir  the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 20:04, November 22, 2016 (UTC)
 * Should we REALLY be playing this game again, with all due respect? CrashBash (talk) 20:37, November 22, 2016 (UTC)

The official UKRobotWars twitter account has retweeted the following tweet by a celebrity in regards to the celebrity specials: "I did. And they invited me. But I am in Japan so can't do the filming dates." Would the identification of said celebrity constitute a spoiler? (I've avoided linking to the tweet as the username would give it away) --Voyanuitoa (talk) 10:13, November 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * If you think about it, we have just over a month before these will be broadcast anyway, so there is no point speculating who the celebs will be. J  im laa  d4   3 (talk) 11:36, November 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * I'd say anything on Twitter that doesn't get immediately deleted is fair game (the exception being competitiors who cofirm they've been chosen, as we know they aren't supposed to do that). From that Mannequin Challenge video, are any of those people a celebrity, or is it just roboteers? R A 2 ; aka Resetti's Replicas.  ( My Talk ) 03:24, November 24, 2016 (UTC)

Battle of the Stars
BBC Two have confirmed two contestants: https://twitter.com/bbctwo/status/801828994500923392 It also looks as if the show will be called Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars with a full list of celebrities being announced soon! Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 17:59, November 24, 2016 (UTC)


 * I can't get to the proper talk page on my phone so can someone move this part to the Battle of the Stars page?


 * I think we should still bundle the pages together and consider them a type of event like Annihilator, Tag Team, etc. Sure the latters name is more flashy but the former is the base name for it. The format may be different but the Tag Team, All Star and most obviously the US and Uk Championships have differed significantly in format between iterations. The essential elements are there - a tournament featuring celebrities at the controls. I don't see any benefit for considering them two different kinds of tournament.  Toon Ganondorf    (t    c)  20:42, November 24, 2016 (UTC)
 * Scott Mills and Chris Stark? Ha, they'll be great! J  im laa  d4   3 (talk) 01:35, November 25, 2016 (UTC)
 * If the majority want to merge Celebrity Robot Wars and Battle of the Stars, it can be arranged. More opinions are necessary. Toast  Ultimatum  14:28, November 25, 2016 (UTC)
 * The format of both is the same in principle, so it makes sense to describe them both on the same page, but y'know, each episode will get a separate page. It's still best to wait for broadcast though, just to be sure. J  im laa  d4   3 (talk) 14:45, November 25, 2016 (UTC)

Arena
Here's an image by Angela Scalon. The arena's getting ready and there's not much change other that purple lighting and apparently more seats.https://www.instagram.com/p/BNZsdZyhxjF/ Diotoir the  son  of  nemesis  (talk) 19:52, November 29, 2016 (UTC)
 * I was hoping that the arena would actually be heated given the problems last time, but given that she's advising warm clothing I very much doubt that at this stage. Last series was bad enough with the cold, but since the new series will be filmed in a matter of days (and it hasn't been particularly warm lately), the performance of CO2 and pneumatic systems could be even worse than last year.  S2  56   22:05, November 29, 2016 (UTC)