Robot Arena 2: Design and Destroy

Robot Arena 2: Design and Destroy is a computer game developed by Gabriel Entertainment. It is the sequel to Robot Arena. Compared to its predecessor, it has many new features, such as the Havok physics engine, fully 3-D environments (robots are now able to leave the ground), and the player's ability to completely design their own robot. This includes chassis design, weapon placement, mechanics, and paint, etc.. The "cheatbot" code from the original returns, this time offering a Hovercraft engine, a magnet, a flamethrower, and a cannon (though an upgrade patch is required for the cheat to take effect). Weapons are nearly completely customizable, including weapons that mount on various attachments, such as poles, disks, and tri-bars. Although the original was not well-received by players, this game has a small (but dedicated) fanbase and a small community is still active today. Those who still play it build in mostly two versions. One is called by the community `Stock` which is the original game and the other DSL which is a game that has components and arenas created by the community itself.

Havok explosions and glitches

One of the main reasons behind the game's relative commercial failure was the relative instability of the Havok physics engine. Several glitches were discovered revolving around the physics engine, and various others happened randomly. The inevitable result were "Havok Explosions", which often sent robots flying, and would often cause a robot to land upside down (Usually immobilising it) or into arena hazards, sometimes resulting in an unfair victory of the other robot. Additionally, several glitches in the game itself decreased the accuracy of the game. Examples of these glitches included "overlapping by loading or eFFe'ing", which allowed several components on a robot to take up the same space, and "the chicken glitch", which allowed extremely rapid rotation of an object. These glitches allowed complicated and powerful robots to be made, and quickly became a staple of the community.[1]

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