When can we get semi only boards for the NPPL?

[GENESIS]

When can we get semi only E-mag boards?

[Evil Bob]

Simply remove the feature jumper (white plug with loop in it in the bottom socket) from the board and it will shoot only semi auto. With the feature jumper removed, you won't see the burst (or full auto depending upon firmware revision) as an available option, it simply won't exist. It was designed this way specificly for tournament play.

Evil Bob

[Webmaster]

Evil Bob - I dont think that will be good enough for the NPPL ruleing. Right now it is any board that can be LOCKED in semi mode -which most can, including the emag. But the NEW rule going into effect next year says that the board can ONLY be capable of shooting in semi.

My guess is that they will have a revision of the BIOS that will remove any mode but semi from the options. The techs can flash and update the guns pretty quick at any NPPL event, meaning you shouldnt need to return your gun to AGD.

This is just speculation - but I wouldnt worry - AGD will take care of you.

[Evil Bob]

I see this getting silly very fast. Follow my line of thought here and tell me you don't see this as a possible outcome...

If the NPPL are willing to go so far as to outlaw any sort of physical hardware tourny lock feature that requires tools to enable/disable, why would they not outlaw flashing the EPROM as well? Any enterprising individual can handily change the program functions with the right tools so that the display shows the correct "semi only" options and firmware version yet will fire burst, turbo, full auto, or any other custom firing mode where and when they want it to.

The only thing that will prevent this from happening is if the board has no flash upgrade option at all, and even then, there would need to be a physical examination of the board before entering the field to rule out tampering that might occur off field. I foresee clear, Lexan grip panels becoming mandatory to help move people on and off the field in a timely manner. But again, the enterprising individual with the right tools could easily manufacture their own 3rd party board that looks the part and has all the right numbers and indentification on it and circumvent any physical inspection. Same applies to any unscupulous company who wants to profit from such a situation by manufacturing and selling look alike boards with forbidden features.

The next step from here is to have the marker manufacturers involved as the teams move onto the field. Representatives from all the marker manufactures will have boards on hand to replace if the players current board does not properly accept the authorized revision. You thought waiting in line for air was bad, wait until you have to wait for the physical inspection before entering the field. But we have a problem with this as the majority of the manufacturers out there have sponsored teams with a stake in the game, therefore the possibility for impropriety still exists.

The only possible way for the NPPL to be completely satisfied and guarantee there is absolutely no monkey business going on with electronic markers is for the NPPL itself to supply the markers that the teams will play with as they're entering the field and take them back when they exit, that way there is no possible reason to suspect that the markers are anything other then they appear. But there is a currently a fundamental problem with this approach, those who make up the NPPL are owners of teams who have a stake in the games outcome, therefore the only way to keep it clean is to either have the NPPL become a sole and comletely independant body from the sport or for them to issue non electronic, non reactive, mechanical markers for play.

Call me paranoid and delusional, but its the way things are going, and it all starts with the NPPL NOT being satisfied with existing tourny modei lock features.

Evil Bob

[Thordic]

Someone should rewrite that post and send it in to APG for publication :)

[Tunaman]

It is my theory that ALL guns should be semi only anyway. Anyone can HOLD a trigger back, but it takes real skill and practice to pull the trigger fast. I feel that as soon as a Cop or Judge sees the damage that a "Full Auto" or "Burst Mode" can do, it is not going to be good. It is the ONE thing we all have in common(PULLING the trigger), and it is the one thing that keeps us all a level playing field.:D

[Webmaster]

Evil Bob,

Oh - I agree with you - but Im just repeating the rules as I know it - not making NPPL policy. I think the semi only rules is not only dumb, but unenfocable. Even if they make semi autoboards that are not supposed to be able to be changed - enterprising individuals will still find a way, like you said, to buck the system.

I dont know how the NPPL rules are clearified. If you flashed the EPROM then the Emag would be semi only with a bone stock AGD board. The fact someone could further change that is a good point... I dont know how that rule works. IE is it not allowed to have any I/O ports or what.

I think the NPPL is TRYING to combat a problem - I dont know what the best solutions is. Your suggestion of having stock guns that they pass out at event (IE the AGD Chicago NPPL would be emags, the WDP Las Vagas would be Angels etc) is an interesting idea and one I had a few years ago. But its not practicle. If Avalanche is playing and an Emag goes down they may accuse AGD of rigging it to make the WDP sponsored team look bad. Or what have you. If its not THIER equipement they can complain that if something goes down that the bad equipment cost them the game.

So - I dont have a solution - and I dont play NPPL yet - so it will be interesting to see what happens.

[AGD]

Guys,

It's getting WAY out of hand here. The fact is the chip can be programed, and then burned so no more programs can ever be loaded. The chip can still be read to make sure its the stock program.

Problem solved.

AGD

[Evil Bob]

Yes, this is all hypothetical, and it's absurd, that's the reason why I brought it up in the first place. The NPPL needs to do some serious thinking before coming up with something that they most likely will not be able to enforce.

I know the eprom can be burnt so you can no longer write to it, that's an option for sure, but who's going to read these eproms before each match to ensure the correct program is still loaded and has not been altered? That was my second scenario where the manufacturers get involved and verify that markers are correctly set. Picture the logistics required to verify each and every electronic marker for 14 or 20 (7man or 10man teams) people before each and every tournament game, especially in very large tournaments where you have over 100 10 man teams entered? Tom, are you willing and able to provide at least one tech per field to accomplish this? They certainly can't bring it to the AGD display tent to get the stamp of approval, and then walk off unsupervised, who's to say they're not replacing the board with another back at their team's staging area? We're back to square one again unable to verify the marker is in the proper mode unless the inspection occurs at the field entrance.

Another option is for the NPPL to field verification techs who's job it will be to know all markers inside and out to the point that they will be able to perform this function. Each verification tech will be armed with the correct cables for all known electronic markers to access internal settings. Consider the time and training that would go into this. The logistics would simply be prohibitive, especially considering the number of electronic markers out there with 3rd party boards or custom programs. This solution seems much easier to pull the wool over the jugdes eyes then having the manufacturer verify the markers, but very few manufacturers could field enough techs to handle this process.

From the logistics standpoint, the only real way to deal with something of this nature is not to not deal with it at all, either accect the current standard of a manufacturer tournament lock out and trust the player to properly use it and not to modify it, or do not allow electronic markers in the first place. No reactive triggers, no sort of trigger asist at all, just a straight forward single trigger pull that fires a single shot.

The second option has some serious logistic requirements as well, and that's for the NPPL to supply the marker to be used in the match. Each and every team that enters signs a waiver to prevent arguments and ugliness in the event that equipment fails, which we all know is going to happen from time to time. Everyone gets an identical marker, no questions asked, a level playing field, everyone has the same technology, it's now up to raw talent and skill to make it work.

It's silly and absurd and way out of control, but that's just the way it seems to be going. Where it stops, who knows, but something decisive will have to happen or people will move to another tourament circuit and ignore the NPPL all together.

Evil Bob