10.5 BPS - when did that become a thing? (I've been gone...)

[cledford]

Just getting back in after an almost 15 year hiatus and am finding out that (I think) tourneys and fields now are limiting BPS to 10.5 shots per second? When did this become a thing and how? What impact has it had on the marker market? It would seem that there are mech markers that could do 10bps and even the original Shocker sports (shoeboxes - the first electros I remember) I believe did at least 10 bps. Has this hollowed out the market for new markers? Considering that first gen marker features (including eyes) have been around since circa 2001 (Bob Long Intimidator) what would be the value in newer markers?

Just curious!

Thanks,

-Calvin

[Mag-Convert]

Hell, Its always been 10.2 around me in my area for the past couple years. Hasn't really affected the market too much, accept for some of the older marker boards that can't be capped that low. As far as mech tourneys go (pretty popular now) electros have to be capped at 5.5 and mech markers don't have a cap, but there are still some rules that exclude a couple mech marker, automags that are set up for rt arent allowed, but if you tune them to shoot one ball per trigger pull your good

[trbo323]

There's lots of reasons why, here are a few

1) tournaments were getting crazy expensive for just about everyone, sponsors and especially the amateur leagues were really hurting just because of the crazy amount of paint that was needed to stay competitive.

2) 15bps caused a lot of stalemates. If someone is streaming paint down a lane you basically have no chance of sneaking through it. It encourages defensive play which.... Is really really boring to watch



Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk

[Konigballer]

Hey, I recognize your username cledford, welcome back. I think I've bought parts from you way back when! To add to what trbo323 said..

3) More importantly, 15bps ramping was really having a bad effect on the financially and numerically much larger recball scene. Beginners were showing up to play only to get hosed down with Ion wielding d-bags and never coming back, plus the aforementioned d-bags themselves usually quit within a couple years. We were already bleeding away new players and then the recession hit in '08, and it's never been as big since. I had fun in that era, but it definitely didn't feel as player friendly as when I started in the mid 90's. I welcomed the change to 10.5, or even 5.5 for electros in mech tournies.

The fields I go to will let me rip faster than that on my RT's, provided I don't act like a jerk with it. That's more of a 'goodfella' perk though from being a regular. The lower bps cap has definitely NOT hollowed out the current electro market. I can't even remember the last time I saw someone pull out an old Shocker, Angel, Timmy, Ego, Matrix, etc, instead of a newer marker. Just because they can easily ramp at the lower bps level doesn't make them as light, efficient, reliable, simple, and easy to maintain with factory support as the new stuff. It is easier to hold your own with a good mech against electros now, though.

[Fred]

Sup fellow old timer, there's a few of us still lurking about...

The game is strange now. Industry ups and downs, mergers, new generation of players, etc.