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The Monsterworks: Battlegrounds

Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2018 1:38 pm
by The Monsterworks
A Guide to the Arenas of the Cherry Bomb Classic
(and other competitions)

The arenas of the Cherry Bomb Classic are the tournament's standout feature. Their uniqueness in terms of theme and features not only adds to the overall atmosphere of the tournament, but makes each an interesting challenge for competitors. In the past, only basic grid layouts of these places were available, but I've been making the effort recently to bring them fully to life with proper renders. In this thread, you'll find those renders in a one-stop guide to the entire set. In particular, each post will feature three essential elements:

1) An arena dossier, with pertinent information about the arena.
2) A link to the arena's Sketchfab page.
3) A description of the arena 'achievement'.

Arena Dossier

Name: (the arena name)

Location: (city and country)

Layout: (description of arena shape)

Size: (dimensions and total area)

Intended Use: (weight classes and formats that the arena is designed for)

Theme: (self-explanatory)

Floor Materials: (what the floor is made of)

OOTA Zone?: (YES or NO)

House Robots: (the presence and quantity)

Hazards and Features:
  • Hazard One (# of hazard) - Type of hazard, affect, appearance, and damage.
  • Hazard Two (# of hazard) - Type of hazard, affect, appearance, and damage.
  • Hazard Three (# of hazard) - same as above, if applicable

Achievement: (achievement name) - (achievement description)

Hazard Damage Scale

The following scale governs how much damage a robot with the given armour values will take from a hazard from the given damage category. As with everything on ARC, these are a rough guide and aren't absolute.

Find the scale here


01 (Large): The Woodshed

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:56 am
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #01

Name: The Woodshed

Location: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada

Layout: U-shape

Size: Prongs = 20 ft x 30 ft; Bottom section = 60 ft x 30 ft - 3000 square feet

Intended Use: MW-SHW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Sawmill

Floor Materials: Brazilian Walnut planks with fire resistant coating

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena has two 'Grizzly' house robots which patrol the caution-striped zones at the tips of the arena's two forks.
Smokey & Yogi
A Pair of Bears


Yogi & Smokey by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab

Yes, they're a matching pair of Breaker Box-style lifters named after two of the most famous bears out there (sorry, Winnie and Baloo). They do exactly what you think they do. Also, a second yes: they will deal 10 impact damage if they smack into you.

Stats: 10 speed / 9 traction / 10 torque / 1 weapon / 6 armour (+6 house robot bonus)
Hazards and Features:
  • Hacksaws (2) - These are heavy blades about eight feet long suspended from the ceiling by a winch system. They drop onto robots that drive onto the caution-striped area beneath them, doing light-to-moderate damage.
  • Chopper Row (2x6) - A line of six woodcutters' axes that fire at anyone who drives into the caution striped squares in front of them. They deal moderate to-heavy damage.
  • Log Rollers (4) - located in front of the triggers for the arena's most powerful hazards, these sets of rollers deny traction to bots driving over them.
  • Low Wall (1) - located at the top to the 'U' shape's base, a wall that is only two feet high stretches for about twenty feet, allowing most flippers to flip an opponent out of the arena and into the dead space beyond.
  • Log Chute (1) - located in the middle at the base of the 'U', this large pit remains closed unless one of its triggers is pressed, in which case it will open for the next thirty seconds. If both triggers are pressed, it will remain open for the rest of the match. Robots that fall into the Log Chute are considered to be eliminated.
  • The Murdersaw (1) - Located just south of the Low Wall, this king-sized saw moves rapidly (with the equivalent of five speed) back and forth on a twenty-four foot track when one of its two triggers is pressed. When both are pressed, the Jaws Theme plays and the Murdersaw remains active for the duration of the match. This hazard functions more like a flywheel than a saw and does heavy to catastrophic damage.

Achievement One: Take 'em to the Woodshed! - Cut your opponent clean in half using the hazards.

Achievement Two: Taken to the Woodshed! - Be cut clean in half by the hazards.


The Woodshed by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


02 (Small): Gothiq

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:57 am
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #02

Name: Gothiq

Location: Caen, France

Layout: Rectangular

Size: 32 ft x 52 ft - 1664 square feet

Intended Use: FW-MW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Gothic-style church

Floor Materials: Stone Tiles

OOTA Zone?: NO

House Robots: This arena sometimes features two house robots which patrol the red zones along the flanks of the arena. However, they will not be active unless specified by the tournament director.

Hazards and Features:
  • Gargoyles (2) - These are heavy stone statues mounted on vertical tracks that run along the arena's support pillars, slamming down onto robots that drive underneath them, dealing moderate to heavy damage. They have powerful electromagnets in their feet, allowing them to pick up some robots, lift, and then release them to deal additional light to moderate falling damage.
  • The Pipe Organ (2) - Mounted on an upper balcony, it constantly plays Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky or another organ transcription chosen by the starter of the RP thread. Whenever a robot drives over the red spot beneath the organ, it will strike a discordant note and fire an enormous pneumatic spike through a hole in the balcony floor at the unfortunate competitor, dealing moderate to heavy damage.

Achievement: True Believer - win after being hit by each of the four hazards in a single fight.


Gothiq by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


03 (Large): Vertigo

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:09 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #03

Name: Vertigo

Location: Dubai, UAE

Layout: Circular

Size: 60 ft diameter - 2827 square feet

Intended Use: LW-SHW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Helicopter landing pad

Floor Materials: painted steel

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: In tournaments that allow house robots, this arena has two, Genghis and Colonel Mordread, which patrol the ring around the central hazard.

Hazards and Features:
  • Immediate Ejection Device (1) - This enormous floor piston is located in the center of the arena and pops up beneath bots that drive over it, launching them high into the air and dealing moderate to heavy impact damage when they land in addition to potentially flipping them over.
  • Fall Away Walls - The arena walls are five feet high, meaning that only the strongest flippers can manage to flip opponents over them for the first two minutes of the match. However, at the 2:00 mark, they fall away, making OOTAs tantalizingly easy for the remainder of the fight.
  • Micro IEDs (32) - These small floor pistons ring the edges of the arena. For the first two minutes, they pop up under robots that drive over them, disrupting traction and dealing no to light damage. During the final minute, they pop up in advance of robots barreling over the edge, forcing drivers seeking an OOTA to employ at least some strategy.
  • Danger Zone (optional - 2) - The two concentric rings that are occasionally home to the house robots can be turned into floor spinners for fights without house robots. These only deal no to light damage, but they can disrupt traction and spin robots away.

Achievement: Don't Need No Special Rules! - Score an OOTA while the walls are still up.


Vertigo by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


04 (Large): Buzludzha

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:16 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #04

Name: Buzludzha

Location: Kran, Bulgaria

Layout: Circle Squared off on one end

Size: 80 ft diameter (upper half), 40 ft x 80 ft (lower half) - 5713 square feet

Intended Use: MW-SHW Singles and Doubles, Rumbles up to 12 bots

Theme: Semi-abandoned Communist-era monument

Floor Materials: concrete

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena sometimes features two house robots which patrol the caution-striped zones at the ends of the arena. However, they will not be active for CBC3.

Hazards and Features:
  • Lenin's Hammers (5) - These are heavy metal hammers mounted in the corners and at three points along the curved northern wall. They fire when robots pass into their strike zones (marked in yellow and black caution paint), dealing moderate damage.
  • Stalin's Sickle (1) - taking up a massive amount of space in the middle of the arena, this enormous and very heavy but relatively slow-spinning flywheel is primarily designed to get a great deal of bite and fling robots that run into it into the furthest corners of the arena. However, it's still capable of dealing moderate to heavy damage.
  • The Gulag (1) - Located in the center at the southern end of the arena, The Gulag is a yawning pit with a short, two foot sloped wall surrounding it. It effectively acts as the arena's OOTA zone. Whenever a robot falls in, Roll Tide from the movie Crimson Tide will play as a final show of respect.

Achievement: Champion of the Proletariat - win a fight by decision while losing two of the categories.


Buzludzha by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


05 (Small): The Asylum

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:35 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #05

Name: The Asylum

Location: Birmingham, England

Layout: large square flanked by two smaller rectangles

Size: 30 x 30 (main square), 16 x 24 (each flanking rectangle) - 1668 square feet

Intended Use: FW-MW Singles and Doubles

Theme: insane asylum operating room

Floor Materials: steel

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena employs a pair of medical-themed house robots known as Doctor Cadaver and Nurse Sanguinary. They patrol the caution-striped zones in the rectangular sections and, sometimes, their operating procedures can get a bit...messy. While they have been instructed to hold back from using their full power, they tend to forget this instruction during the final thirty seconds of the match and may hit you very hard indeed.
Doctor Cadaver
Doctor Cadaver
Image
Image

Stats: Speed 5, Traction 5, Torque 5, Weapon 15 (3 lifter, 3 clamp arms, 11 saw - 3-point saw arm), 6 armor (+6 house robot bonus)
Nurse Sanguinary
Nurse Sanguinary
Image
Image

Stats: 6 speed, 5 traction, 3 torque, 16 weapon (13 spike [2 clamp, 2 each flamethrower]), 6 armour (+6 house robot bonus)
Hazards and Features:
  • Bonesaws (2) - These are powerful horizontal saws mounted in the two of the four corners of the central arena. They pop out when robots pass into their strike zones (marked in yellow and black caution paint) and for as long as they remain there, dealing damage equal to a seven weapon power saw
  • Lobotomizers (2) - Located in the other two corners of the main arena, the Lobotomizers are clamp hazards that hold robots still for ten seconds while a powerful drill descends to deal heavy damage. A robot must remain within their caution zone for at least three seconds for the Lobotomizers to activate.
  • Privacy Screen (2) - Cutting the starting squares off from the larger arena, these lexan barriers prevent either robot getting a straight shot at the other at the start of a match. Movement between the main atrium and outer wings of the arena takes place through either of the entrances flanking a Privacy Screen.
  • Disposal Chutes (2) - The two disposal chutes run along the left sides of each of the arena's rectangular wings and each is guarded by a three foot wall. Bots that are flipped, lifted, or thrown over them will end up in a deep pit of despair, unable to escape.

Achievement: This won't hurt a bit! - knock an opponent out using the lobotomizers


The Asylum by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


06 (Small): Shooting Star

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:52 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #06

Name: Shooting Star

Location: Springfield, USA

Layout: square, with a large ramp in the center

Size: 40 ft x 40 ft - 1600 square feet

Intended Use: FW - MW Singles and Doubles

Theme: 60s retro-futuristic drive in theater

Floor Materials: steel

OOTA Zone?: NO

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • Blast Off Zone (1) - This large ramp in the middle of the arena can act as both a creative place for competitors to hide from each other and as a place to get some awesome airtime!
  • Immobilizer Rays (2) - Located in diagonally opposing corners, these are sets of powerful floor pistons that activate when robots park on them for two or more seconds, popping up and potentially stranding them for ten seconds as well as dealing light damage.
  • Flying Saucers (2) - Located in diagonally opposing corners, these are large horizontal flywheels that are designed for maximum bite and for heavy damage.

Achievement: To Infinity and Beyond! - (1 star) Get airtime jumping off the central ramp // (2 star) Clear the entire ramp with a jump.


Shooting Star by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


07 (Small): Cape Spear

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:15 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #07

Name: Cape Spear

Location: St. John's, Canada

Layout: Ring shape, with a large central tower

Size: 40 ft x 40 ft with a 20 ft x 20 ft cutout - 942 square feet

Intended Use: HBW-MW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Nautical (Lighthouse on a rocky island)

Floor Materials: concrete

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena has no house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • Growlers (2) - These are classic killsaws that pop up from the iceberg markings close to the starting circles when robots drive over them. They deal moderate damage.
  • Anchors Aweigh (2) - Hanging from the vaulted ceiling above the other two icebergs, these massive anchors will fall on bots that park on the icebergs for more than two seconds, dealing heavy damage, before being slowly winched back up. They can only drop once every thirty seconds.
  • Rocky Shore (1) - surrounding the central lighthouse is a wall two feet high that robots can be flipped over. Inside of it are actual jagged boulders quarried from nearby. While they can give a bot that's been flipped out an opportunity to climb back into the arena, they also present immense obstacle to its ability to drive and flipping an opponent onto them will likely result in an immobilization unless the opponent has very high or variable ground clearance or is a slithering robot. Robots will only be considered OOTA in this arena once they have been outside of it for twenty seconds or once they tap out.
  • Seaweed (10) - Ringing the rocks at random intervals, the Seaweed is a series of ten tough rubber ribbons that can act as entanglement devices for spinners of wheels, making escape from the Rocky Shore even more difficult.

Achievement: High Tide - Climb back into the arena after being flipped out.


Cape Spear by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


08 (Large): Stormhavn

Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 12:36 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #08

Name: Stormhavn

Location: Trondheim, Norway

Layout: Square

Size: 46 ft x 46 ft - 2116 square feet

Intended Use: LW - SHW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Norse Temple/Hall

Floor Materials: Fireproofed Hardwood

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • Berserker Walls (4) - The four corners of the arena have low barriers of only a foot and a half. A decent flip, a clamp and suplex, and perhaps even a particularly strong berserker rush all stand to send a corner camping opponent out of the arena.
  • Will of the Gods (n/a) - This arena has no hazards whatsoever. Your own fighting ability - not subject to any interference - will determine the victor.

Achievement: Til Valhol! - Win a fight while being unable to move at the end (KO, double KO, incomplete count-out).


Stormhavn by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


09 (Small): Ironworks

Posted: Mon May 27, 2019 4:39 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #09

Name: Ironworks (Eisenwerk)

Location: Dusseldorf, Germany

Layout: Octagonal

Size: 30 ft x 30 ft - 700 square feet

Intended Use: FW - LW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Heavy Industrial

Floor Materials: steel

OOTA Zone?: NO (pit)

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • die Schornsteine (10) - There are five of these powerful pistons located on either side of the arena. If a robot drives or is pushed over them, they will pop up and begin spewing flames, dealing light to moderate damage which stacks over time and potentially flipping bots over.
  • der Müllbrenner (1) - A great furnace occupies the center of the arena, its oppressive heat seeping out through a pair of grilles. It is ringed by caution stripes and a small lip that prevents bots driving in at high speed. This is because the grilles are rather flimsy. Four solid impacts against a grille will cause it to collapse, leaving the furnace yawning open. A bot that falls in will be considered to be eliminated.

Achievement: Forged by Fire - successfully shove your opponent inside der Müllbrenner after they have opened it.


Ironworks by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


10 (Small): Razor's Edge

Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2019 2:52 am
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #10

Name: Razor's Edge

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Layout: Rectangular

Size: 40 ft x 30 ft - 1200 square feet

Intended Use: FW - MW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Love Letter to Neon and the Eighties

Floor Materials: painted steel

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • The Razor (1) - The entire arena is on a slightly raised platform, with this wall, designed to look like a razor, separating it from a drop of five feet. Starting half a minute into the match, it will begin lowering from its initial height of five feet at a rate of one foot per thirty seconds, stopping once it reaches a height of one foot with half a minute remaining.
  • The Glory Hole (1) - At one end of the razor is a hole large enough to push a small robot through during the first minute of the match, given enough precision and a strong drivetrain. If a robot becomes stuck in The Glory Hole through its opponent's actions as The Razor lowers it will suffer moderate to heavy damage, that opponent will be required to back off, and The Razor will rise briefly to free it before returning to its proper position and resuming its downward progress.
  • Psycho Exes (2) - Two of these x-shaped killsaw configurations lurk in each of the corners close to the Razor, rising for up to ten seconds when robots drive over them and dealing moderate damage. The teeth and spin direction of their blades are designed to feed you into the middle of them, so X definitely marks the spot... that you need to avoid.
  • Wild Flings (2) - This pair of large spinning drums occupies much of the arena's northern wall. While they can be used to aid in self-righting, their design also potentially high-centers robots on top of them, chewing up their underbellies for moderate to heavy damage.

Achievement One: A Close Shave - Score an OOTA with less than ten seconds remaining.

Achievement Two: Edgelord - Shove an opponent out of bounds through The Glory Hole in The Razor.
Earned by:
Team Riptide: I can't Believe it's not Tanto (CBC4 Week One)
End of the Line LLC: Untitled Goose Robot (CBC4 Week One)


Razor's Edge by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


11 (Large): The Noir

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2019 5:47 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #11

Name: The Noir

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Layout: Square (with rounded corners)

Size: 50 ft x 50 ft - 2500 square feet

Intended Use: MW - SHW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Retrofuturistic Cyberpunk Noir

Floor Materials: painted steel

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • The Fatales (4) - These four slightly recessed floor spinners are lit up by strips of white LEDs. Once the match begins, each of the hazards' damage will scale up whenever they are driven over in the manner outlined below:

    - White: the first time that a hazard is driven over, it will spin slowly, dealing no damage. Following that contact, it will turn green.

    - Green: the second time that a hazard is driven over, it will spin at moderate RPM, dealing only one point of damage. Following that contact, it will turn yellow.

    - Yellow: the third time that a hazard is driven over, it will spin somewhat quickly, dealing two points of damage. Following that contact, it will turn orange.

    - Orange: the fourth time that a hazard is driven over, it will spin at high RPM, dealing three points of damage and potentially destroying wheels. Following that contact, it will turn red.

    - Red: the fifth time that a hazard is driven over, it will be spinning at a vicious speed and will deal four points of damage, destroying wheels and damaging body panels. Following that contact, it will turn white and will not spin any faster for the remainder of the fight.
  • The Crooked Cop (1) - In the middle of the arena is a small hump with the ARC logo. It is not a damaging hazard, but it can spoil a box rush or high-center a bot with low enough ground clearance. Fortunately, it will retract to be flush with the floor after thirty seconds have passed in the match.
  • Low-down Dirty Rotten Walls (2) - All around the arena are two foot high walls at the base of the lexan. However, the lexan isn't present immediately behind each starting square where the bots are loaded in and out from. A good flip will send an opponent out of the arena proper and into the loading zone.

Achievement One: Tax Evasion - Last the entire three minutes without getting hit by the Fatales even once.

Achievement Two: Bloody Sunday - Get all four Fatales up to red over the course of the match.


The Noir by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


12 (Large): Black Sun

Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2019 10:59 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #12

Name: Black Sun

Location: Manaus, Brazil

Layout: semicircular, with a semicircular cutout along the bottom

Size: 70 ft x 35 ft - 1767 square feet

Intended Use: LW - HW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Techno-Futuristic Inca Temple

Floor Materials: painted steel

OOTA Zone?: NO

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • Roots, Bloody Roots (7) - These branching, pneumatically powered barriers, coded to match the colours of the Inca flag, radiate from the central hub of the arena. When activated, they raise six inches from the floor and remain raised for three seconds, effectively cutting off portions of the arena. This works as follows:

    - 1) Whenever a robot scores a damaging blow, flip, or completely removes its opponent from the ground for five seconds or more, it will gain control of the set of roots closest to its starting circle. If it scores a second successful attack while in control of one set, it will gain control of the next set out from its circle. A third attack will give it control of the third set out, up to a maximum of all seven sets controlled.

    - 2) Once a robot controls a set of roots, its driver is allowed to activate them once, using a button in her control booth. After being used, that set of roots returns to being neutral and must be claimed again. Though it can be advantageous to use these hazards strategically, they do no damage, there is no expiry on using them, and they don't need to be used at all. More than one set can be activated at once as well.
  • Embrace of Darkness (1) - If a robot controls four or more sets of roots, its driver has the option to turn all of the lights out in the arena for up to ten seconds, potentially allowing him to maneuver unseen if he has a good enough idea of where his robot is.

Achievement: Sun God - Control all seven sets of roots at once.


Black Sun by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab


13 (Large): The Grid

Posted: Sat Nov 23, 2019 12:36 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #13

Name: The Grid

Location: London, England, UK

Layout: Rectangular

Size: 40 ft x 50 ft - 2000 square feet

Intended Use: LW - SHW Singles and Doubles

Theme: TRON

Floor Materials: Painted Steel

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • Light Cycles (8) - The North end of the arena features eight of these heavy but low-velocity drums, stacked in two tiers. They deal moderate to heavy damage and fling bots up to four feet.
  • Off The Grid (1) - The South end of the arena culminates in a 3.5 foot wall, guarding bots from an eight-foot drop into the chasm that lies beyond The Grid. Don't go off-grid. It's bad there.

Achievement: Great Escape - Successfully make it back into the arena from atop the small ledge behind the Light Cycles.


The Grid by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab



14 (Small): Hall of Ice and Wind

Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 12:04 pm
by The Monsterworks
Arena Dossier #14

Name: Hall of Ice and Wind (Зал льда и ветра)

Location: Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russia

Layout: Hourglass-shaped

Size: 40 ft x 40 ft with two large triangular cutouts - 1400 square feet

Intended Use: FW - MW Singles and Doubles

Theme: Snow, ice, and winter in a remote, old-fashioned outpost

Floor Materials: concrete

OOTA Zone?: YES

House Robots: This arena does not use house robots.

Hazards and Features:
  • Stabbing Cold (2) - These colossal (2.5 foot), pneumatically-powered steel icicles occupy the two eastern corners of the arena in groups of sixteen. They shoot up from the floor one at a time to impale, flip, and high-center bots foolish enough to drive over them, each shot dealing moderate damage. Each icicle will fire 0.5 seconds after the last and will retract after 1 second. When all icicles under your bot have fired, they will retract and remain that way for 2 seconds before starting up again.
  • Depths of Winter (2) - Located directly across from each other and creating a pinch point in between them, these roughly triangular pits have three-foot tall walls and a total depth of six feet, meaning that once the Siberian winter claims you, there is no coming back.

Achievement: Wise Retreat - Escape the Stabbing Cold after taking only a single shot.


Hall Of Ice And Wind by Floating Castle Robotics on Sketchfab