1. All robots currently in the game are going to be removed and replaced by those built in the robot workshop. Pneumatics are purely notional at this point. They are way too powerful and responsive, but we haven't put any time into the pneumatics system yet. Expect all pneumatics to be completely replaced with a new system at some point in the future.
2. We do not have permission to add robots from Robot Wars or BattleBots at the moment.
3. Making robots quicker is a matter of gearing, balance, friction, motor selection. All of this is up to you. We are attempting to make the game as physically realistic as possible. I recommend looking at http://runamok.tech/squid/newtorquecalc.htm to see how motor selection, gearing, and weight affect acceleration and top speed.
Are you referring to a robot that you built, or one that comes with the game?
If the former, there has been pretty active discussion about how to do damage and breakage. Most likely we are going to end up with attachments that break off as an entire assembly, rather than as individual pieces. For now we are focusing on spinners, but we will get to flippers eventually once we have electrical systems sorted.
If you are referring to prebuilt robots, they will be going away and will be replaced with robots that were built in the robot workshop. Everything you see right now is a mock-up that uses physics and damage systems that will be removed from the game.
