We know it’s been a hot minute since our last devblog, but we come bearing exciting news! Some new parts have been added to RoboCo and we’re sure that they’ll add a spring to your next RoboStep!
What Kinds of Springs Have We Added?
When you think of springs, the first type that comes to mind is probably a standard coil spring that can compress or extend, like the kind you'd find in a ballpoint pen. In RoboCo, we refer to these as linear springs.* Our linear springs come in two sizes - small (1x1x1) and large (3x3x1) -- which can be resized to a length of 1x1x25 and 3x3x25 respectively. Similar to our large piston, the large linear spring takes up more space but is more powerful, capable of higher settings in its Properties panel (more on those later).
We also have a torsion spring. "Torsion" means "twisting" and is also where the term "torque" comes from. A torsion spring is also a coil spring, but with its endpoints set up to twist, store, and release rotational energy. You may recognize these springs as being used in a mousetrap or the mechanism that opens your garage door. In RoboCo, the torsion spring comes in one size (1x1x1) and, unlike our linear springs, it isn’t resizable.
Note that the springs are available right away in the Sandbox, but you will need at least 18 bits (at the time of this writing) to unlock them in the Campaign!
* Note: As the engineering enthusiasts reading this may know, "linear springs" aren't called that because of the linear motion when they compress or extend. They're called that because the coils are of uniform diameter and are a consistent distance apart. So technically these are linear rate compression or extension springs, but we simplified them to keep the name short and distinct.
What Can You Do With Linear Springs?
Now that we’ve gone over what kinds of springs we’ve added, let’s get into the fun stuff, like what players can do with them.
Our two linear springs have three editable properties - spring constant, damper, and resting point.
Spring Constant (aka spring rate or spring coefficient) adjusts the stiffness of the spring. The higher the spring constant, the more force the spring can exert to stay at or return to its resting point, as in Hooke's law.
Going beyond a basic coil spring, RoboCo's springs also have a damper inside them. This makes them more tunable for uses like vehicle suspension. The Damper property adds resistance, which influences how long the spring will oscillate around the resting point before dying down. The higher the number, the more resistance.
Resting Point allows players to choose what resting state the spring will return to when no external forces are applied. There are three resting states players can choose from - compressed, middle, and uncompressed.
What Can You Do With the Torsion Spring?
Our torsion spring has all the same properties as our linear springs plus one extra.
With our torsion springs, you can adjust the starting point in addition to the resting point. The starting point lets the player choose the spring’s initial state when entering Live Mode from Edit Mode. Players can either choose to have the torsion spring start wound, unwound, or in the middle.
We’ve Also Added Suspension Wheels!
Using our new springs, we’ve also added new left and right wheel constructs that give you some basic spring suspension! Suspension can help steady the chassis of your vehicle as it drives over uneven terrain, like when the top of a ramp transitions to a level platform.
Each construct includes a wheel, motor, and spring with some default properties. You may need to tune the properties or placement of the wheel constructs to feel right for your specific vehicle's weight distribution, but the constructs are a great way to get started or save time.
A Cool Application of RoboCo Springs
Need some more inspiration on how to utilize this new part? Our development team has you covered! Just…make sure not to show Bennet Foddy this clip. We don’t know if he’ll get over it.
RoboCo Updates Going Forward!
Want to know more about updates going forward, make sure to tune in next week, when we’ll be sharing our updated release plan going forward! The following week, we’ll also be sharing some incredible images and videos of what the game looks like in VR and give an update as to when players can expect to play RoboCo with their own VR headset.
And that’s it for this week’s devblog! We hope you enjoy playing and experimenting with these new parts. Keep a lookout for more cool things coming soon!
Linear Spring - A spring of uniform diameter that compresses and extends with a damper inside.
Linear springs come in two sizes - small (1x1x1) and large (3x3x1) -- which can be resized to a length of 1x1x25 and 3x3x25 respectively.
Similar to the large piston, the large linear spring takes up more space but is more powerful, capable of higher settings in its Properties panel.
Torsion Spring - A spring whose endpoints twist, storing and releasing rotational energy.
The torsion spring comes in one size (1x1x1) and isn’t resizable.
Suspension Wheels - Left and right wheel constructs that provide basic spring suspension.
Suspension can help steady the chassis of your vehicle as it drives over uneven terrain.
Each construct includes a wheel, motor, and spring with some default properties.
These will be available right away in the Sandbox, and you can unlock them in the Campaign if you have at least 18 bits.
Changes:
Chatterbox and Seat text has been localized to:
Spanish
French
Japanese
Portuguese
Polish
Russian
German
Korean
Chinese
Bug fixes:
[Steam Workshop] Badges for Dance, Dance, Robot Revolution and Piñata's Peril were not showing up as completed mission tags in the Steam Workshop.
[Steam Workshop] Local copy was not saved to robot list after loading a Steam Workshop robot that was created and the user chose to restore local copy.
[Across the Goo] It was possible to earn the "Without touching the pipes" secret after touching the pipes to get across.
[Saving/Loading] After overwriting a robot, the robot was deselected in the save/load menu, even though its name remained filled in the filter bar and the Save New button was still available.
[Usability] Humans lost line of sight of the robot too easily, which made it difficult to navigate them to specific areas.
[Build] When first dragged out of the parts menu, long wheels did not validly snap to short rods that were attached to other parts.
Additional minor fixes and updates.
Noteworthy known issues:
If you’ve attended any backyard parties in RoboCo lately, you may have noticed that a certain Pinata appears to be made of titanium alloy, and is nearly unbreakable. It’s a real vibe killer! Accordingly, we’re switching Pinata suppliers and will have a much more breakable version of this Pinata available in our next update. In the meantime, we recommend sticking to the main objective in Pinata’s Peril while we sort out this pesky supply chain issue. For a brief and mechanical description of this issue, see the bullet points below:
[Pinata] User is unable to achieve "Break the Pinata while it's high up" objective.
[Pinata] Achieving the "Destroy the pinata in one hit" objective is inconsistent.
It’s Our 6-Month Launch Anniversary!
Happy Wednesday, RoboEngineers!
It’s May 3rd, 2023, otherwise known as RoboCo’s 6-Month Launch Anniversary. Yes, it may be hard to believe but it’s already been 6 months since we released on Steam Early Access.
To celebrate, we’re showcasing some of the best robots uploaded to our Steam Workshop. As of this devblog, we’ve had over 450 robots submitted. That's a year and 2 months’ worth of new robots if you download one each day.
More Content Creator Drops!
Before we showcase some cool robots though, we want to give a quick shoutout to a few heavy-hitters on YouTube that dropped some hilarious videos to celebrate the Chatterbox’s launch. If you haven’t seen the videos already, make sure to check out ScrapMan’s, kAN Gaming’s, and Durf’s videos below!
The Best of the Steam Workshop
As mentioned, there’s a robot for every day of the year (and then some) in our Steam Workshop, which makes choosing the best of the best even harder. Of course, we could make it easier for ourselves by just picking the Most Popular or Most Subscribed robots but where’s the fun in that?
That being said, our first pick can be found on both the front page of our Most Popular and Most Subscribed lists and it’s a robot you know very well (both from the RoboCo Discord and from Pixar). It’s…
WALL-E by Bufflehead
WALL-E helped Steam Workshop creator Bufflehead win a free copy of RoboCo during the 2021 RoboCo Build-Off. It’s also just the most adorable little guy we’ve ever seen (in RoboCo).
You can find the link to WALL-E here and more creations from Bufflehead here.
Property Damage Prime by Alex
Our next robot is a real transformer! Join us a we marvel at how seamlessly this robot goes from car to humanoid and then back.
You can find the link to Property Damage Prime here and more creations from Alex here.
No Script Obstacle Avoider by azotic
This robot can avoid any obstacle (literally), and without any scripting or coding involved! Download this one to check out a uniquely analog approach to automatic behavior.
You can find the link to No Script Obstacle Avoider here and more creations from azotic here.
Standing Gyro by smjjames
This is one of the coolest real-world creations we’ve seen in RoboCo! In fact, it’s worthy of its own science exhibit (or a Jimmy Neutron intro).
You can find the link to Standing Gyro here and more creations from smjjames here.
Can-N by bunglist
In our opinion, one of the hardest levels to get all 6 bits (as well as the full 9800 points) is Soda Me!, simply because of the sub-objective, “Don’t go into the living room.” However, this robot makes the challenge as easy as pie thanks to the power of Python!
You can find the link to Can-N here and more creations from bunglist here.
Party Skeleton by Tacticle Cheese
🎼 Spooky, scary skeletons send shivers up your spine! 🎶 That’s the only song you’ll hear when using this robot to 100% both the regular and master version of Dance, Dance, Robot Revolution.
You can find the link to Party Skeleton here and more creations from Tacticle Cheese here.
Robio by Kherven
Our final robot of the day, Robio may be our CEO’s favorite robot from the Steam Workshop. If you haven’t downloaded it already, do so now so you can experience a Mario-like platformer within RoboCo first-hand! Robio also happens to be a RoboCo Build-Off Comp alumnus!
And that’s it for this week’s devblog! We wouldn’t be celebrating our 6-month anniversary without our loyal fans, so thank you for your support both pre- and post-launch! We’ll be back soon with more updates!
The Laugh Out Loud Challenge and Celebrating National Robotics Week!
Happy Friday, RoboEngineers!
Last time, we unveiled two new and exciting parts, the Chatterbox and the Seat. This week, we’re announcing an exclusive Discord competition called the Laugh Out Loud Challenge!
What is National Robotics Week?
For those that don’t know, National Robotics Week is a week dedicated to inspiring students in robotics and STEM-related fields and sharing the excitement of robotics with all ages. It takes place from April 8th, 2023 till April 16th, 2023 and features tons of in-person and online events, including several FIRST regional competitions. You can find a list of National Robotics Week events in your area by clicking here.
The Laugh Out Loud Challenge
To celebrate National Robotics Week, we wanted to do an event that not only showcased the fun of digital robotics but also highlighted our newest feature, the Chatterbox. Thus, the Laugh Out Loud Challenge was born!
The objective of the challenge is simple. Players will have from April 8th, 2023 till April 23rd, 2023 at 11:59 PM to submit the funniest video or gif they can using the chatterbox feature. Additional rules include:
You can interact with any human or group of humans. Feel free to either use humans from the sandbox or from the challenges.
Submissions are limited to gifs or videos. To submit, you can either directly drop your video or gif into the #laugh-out-loud-challenge Discord channel or send a link to an unlisted video on YouTube.
While you can edit clips, we ask that they be simple edits. No video/special effects are allowed because we want to keep things as true to the game as possible.
Prizes include an exclusive Discord title and a personal shoutout featuring your clip on RoboCo’s devblog and social media channels (which include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube). Other players who compete will also have the opportunity to have their clips shared on our socials too.
If you’re interested in participating, head over to our Discord and check out the additional details we’ve posted there. It’s also a great place to be in moments like this, as we typically announce upcoming features and events to them first. 😉
And that’s it for this week's devblog! We hope you’re as excited for National Robotics Week as we are and can’t wait to see what funny moments you are capable of creating. Keep a look out for more cool updates coming soon!
Interact with Humans Using the Chatterbox and Seat!
Last time, we recapped the final round of The 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge. This week, we’re talking about two new RoboCo parts going live today called the Chatterbox and Seat!
The Chatterbox gives your robot a voice to greet humans and ask them to follow commands. To learn more about what commands are available, how to use the Chatterbox, and much more, make sure to check out the full devblog on our website here!
NEW! Chatterbox - A controllable part that allows robots to give humans commands, such as Follow or Back Up. Can be configured with different robot voices.
Currently only in English. Chatterbox text and related interface text will be localized to other supported languages in the next update.
Seat - A comfy spot for humans to sit and ride on a robot, complete with a controllable lap bar to hold riders in place. Can be paired with the Chatterbox to tell humans to get on or off.
Currently only in English. Chatterbox text and related interface text will be localized to other supported languages in the next update.
Python Sandbox - We are adding some safeguards to prevent robot scripts from accessing things they probably shouldn’t. The Getting Started > Sandbox section of the API documentation has more information to understand related error messages and permission configuration. When robot parts overlap each other in Edit mode, a helpful warning is shown.
Changes:
An upward component of the Decoupler's ejection force has been removed for more realistic behavior. To compensate, the max value on the ejection force slider for each Decoupler (1x1x1 and 3x3x1) has been increased.
For consistency, the Start On property is now listed at the bottom of the basic properties section for Servos, DC Motors, and Powered LED.
Bug fixes:
A particular plant-based sandbox secret objective wasn’t properly awarding the cosmetics for completing it. That should be better now.
A dastardly difficult secret objective in a groovy challenge was not properly triggering when the conditions were met. That should be resolved.
Additional small changes and bug fixes to improve the experience.
The 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge Finals Recap
Happy Friday, RoboEngineers!
Last time, we recapped the Playoffs of The 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge (FGRC23). This time, we’re recapping the Finals' results, which aired on YouTube and Twitch on March 4th, 2023.
What Happened Before
In case you haven’t been keeping up with FGRC23, here’s a brief recap within a recap.
The FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge is a virtual challenge that tasks teams worldwide with playing RoboCo on their computers, capturing their best attempts at each round. There are three rounds in total – Qualifiers, Playoffs, and Finals.
In the Qualifiers, 44 teams competed to see who could build the best vacuum robot in Tippy Toe Tidy Up. In the Playoffs, 24 teams competed to see who could build the best gardening robot in Chrome Thumb. Only eight of those 24 teams advanced to the Finals.
The FGRC23 Finals
Last time, the Finals took place in Wood and Chips. This year, the Finals took place in Across the Goo, where players had to build the best goo-stopping robot.
Not only did they have to stop a chemical link, but they also had to open a laboratory, throw a shoe into the goo, and water a foreboding plant! This led to some incredible creations like the robot shown below.
If you’re interested in seeing more creations as well as who was crowned this year’s Season Champion, we encourage you to watch our broadcast of the Finals on YouTube.
For those that don’t mind spoilers though, continue reading!
FGRC23 Season Champion
The competition between the Top 8 Teams was incredibly steep. In fact, the difference between the Season Champion and second place was only a little over 200 points! In fact, almost every team managed to solve every objective, meaning that the winner was determined by who had the lowest-cost robot.
In third place was Team Hope with 31,623 points. Team Algeria, last year’s Season Champion, took home second with 31,918 points.
And first place went to….Team Lebanon with 32,145 points!
We also had rewards for Most Efficient, Most Aesthetic Robot, Most Creative Robot, and Most Elegantly-Engineered Robot. Most Efficient Robot was decided mathematically by dividing the cost of the robot by the number of objectives and secrets they completed, while judges decided the other rewards.
Most Efficient Robot: Gold - Team Portugal (Gagobot - Qualifiers) Silver - Team Seychelles (Pochitabot - Qualifiers) Bronze - Team Lebanon (Amiga Eco - Finals)
Most Aesthetic Robot: Gold - Team Columbia (Teddy - Qualifiers) Silver - Team Syria (Mutqin - Qualifiers) Bronze - Team Burkina Faso (CleaningGoat - Qualifiers)
Most Creative Robot: Gold - Team Bulgaria (Super Acho - Playoffs) Silver - Team People’s Republic of China (RoboFamily - Finals) Bronze - Team Keyna (Jungu-Bot V1.0 - Qualifiers)
Most Elegantly Engineered Robot: Gold - Team Ukraine (Elysian Gora - Finals) Silver - Team Slovakia (BUMBL3BEE - Qualifiers) Bronze - Team Libya (Hollow - Playoffs)
And that’s it for this week’s devblog! We hope you enjoyed learning more about our forays into the world of digital robotics and esports. We also want to shout out our collaborator, FIRST Global, for another great year of fun! You can learn more about them on their website.
Special thanks to Dean Kamen and The DEKA Foundation for their generous support of the FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge!
In the Qualifiers, 44 teams from around the world competed to see who could build the best vacuum duster. Of those 44, only 24 moved on to the Playoffs. Some countries that progressed included last year’s winner Team Algeria, Team Hope, Team Republic of Korea, Team North Macedonia, and Team Venezuela.
Those 24 teams competed to see who could build the best RoboGardener in Chrome Thumb, showcased below, where the main objective is to plant and grow vegetables.
Not only did these teams need to complete the main and sub-objectives to earn points, but they also needed to solve secrets like finding a secret elevator and returning a stolen kite. This led to incredible runs and creations like the one below from Team Syria.
To see the full results of the FGRC23 playoffs, watch the YouTube video below. We also encourage you to join us on March 4th, 2023 at 8 AM CST to watch the Finals with us live on YouTube and Twitch, where the top eight teams from this round will compete to be The 2023 Season Champion!
If you are interested in participating in other international competitions like this one, check out our collaborator for this event, FIRST Global, who is on a mission to change the world by inspiring nearly two billion kids to take an interest in STEM.
And that’s it for this week’s devblog! Make sure to check out our website, https://fgrc.roboco.co/, to learn more about The 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge, and, to everyone competing in the finals, good luck!
Also, don’t forget that RoboCo is currently 20% off! If you haven’t picked up your copy, make sure to pick it up between now and February 17th before it’s too late.
In the Qualifiers, 44 teams from around the world competed to see who could build the best vacuum duster. Of those 44, only 24 moved on to the Playoffs. Some countries that progressed included last year’s winner Team Algeria, Team Hope, Team Republic of Korea, Team North Macedonia, and Team Venezuela.
Those 24 teams competed to see who could build the best RoboGardener in Chrome Thumb, showcased below, where the main objective is to plant and grow vegetables.
Not only did these teams need to complete the main and sub-objectives to earn points, but they also needed to solve secrets like finding a secret elevator and returning a stolen kite. This led to incredible runs and creations like the one below from Team Syria.
To see the full results of the FGRC23 playoffs, watch the YouTube video below. We also encourage you to join us on March 4th, 2023 at 8 AM CST to watch the Finals with us live on YouTube and Twitch, where the top six teams from this round will compete to be The 2023 Season Champion!
If you are interested in participating in other international competitions like this one, check out our collaborator for this event, FIRST Global, who is on a mission to change the world by inspiring nearly two billion kids to take an interest in STEM.
And that’s it for this week’s devblog! Make sure to check out our website, https://fgrc.roboco.co/, to learn more about The 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge, and, to everyone competing in the finals, good luck!
Also, don’t forget that RoboCo is currently 20% off! If you haven’t picked up your copy, make sure to pick it up between now and February 17th before it’s too late.
The 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge Qualifiers Recap!
Happy Monday, RoboPeople!
Last time, we honored the winner of the 2022 RoboCo Build-Off. This time, we’re recapping the first round of the 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge (aka FGRC23)!
For those that don’t know, the FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge is a virtual challenge that tasks teams from around the world with playing RoboCo on their computers, capturing their best attempts at each round. There are three rounds in total - Qualifiers, Playoffs, and Finals. Those teams that score in the top half move on to the next round with the winner of the finals crowned The 2023 Season Champion.
Last year, we had 32 teams compete with Team Algeria taking home the Season Champion title with their stellar robot, Morgana. This year, we have 44 teams competing, and let’s just say the competition was steep!
Tippy Toe Tidy Up was the challenge of choice for this year’s Qualifiers. Competitors had 2 minutes and 30 seconds to complete as many objectives and secrets as possible. This led to some very interesting creations!
To see the full results of the FGRC23 Qualifiers, check out the YouTube video below. If you’re interested in being there for the live experience, please consider tuning in to RoboCo’s Official Twitch and YouTube channels at 8 AM CST on Saturday, February 11th and Saturday, March 4th.
We also encourage folks from around the world, if they are interested in competing in other virtual and in-person events, to check out FIRST Global, our collaborator for this event. Together, we hope to continue to make robotics and esports more accessible to everyone!
And that’s it for this week’s devblog! Make sure to check out our website, https://fgrc.roboco.co/ to learn more about the 2023 FIRST Global RoboCo Challenge, and, to all our competitors reading this, we continue to wish you good luck!
