Have we abandoned our roots?

[paint magnet]

What is your opinion? We have gone from games that were played in the woods with guns firing no more than 1 round/3 seconds and oil based paint to modern tourney games where people are sponsored by big companies and shoot markers running nitro and firing in excess of 12 rounds per second, mainly for money. Should there be more pump games? Should there be more woods play?

[shartley]

I don’t have much time so I will only post this….

I laugh at people who think that you can not have BOTH the Tournament Players and the Rec Players. Just because you have one does not mean the other is dead. The vast majority of paintball is STILL being played by Rec Players no matter what some would like you to believe. Sure they are now using better markers, but the game is still the same. Just look at all the pictures posted here on AO , as well as the posts about going to some local field.

Rec Ball is not dead, and I would be willing to say their numbers are greater than what is now known as Tournament Play…. You just don’t see it in as many magazines.

So my answer would be yes, it is changing, but much has stayed the same. There is room for both in this sport. It’s all good!

[Patron God of Pirates]

Personally I like shooting 12 bps, in the woods. Speedball makes me yawn. No offense speedballers, but it will never have the variety of tactics and game play you can get in the woods.

It is booring to play and nauseating to watch.

A combination of the two styles of play would be ideal. A football field sized, wooded arena, with tree forts and a 2nd lvl. walkway through the branches. Zip chords and rope ladders, oh my.

My cousins are building just such an arena on their folks property in Maine.

I'll be playing up there over the week of July 4th. I'll post pics if I remember to take them. The design they have is very exiting.

[paint magnet]

BTW, I meant to say "roots" instead of "routes" on the poll.

[Patron God of Pirates]

Originally posted by paint magnet
BTW, I meant to say "roots" instead of "routes" on the poll.

LOL. Yeah, I travel mostly backroads nowadays.

[hitech]

Originally posted by Patron God of Pirates
Speedball makes me yawn...it will never have the variety of tactics and game play you can get in the woods.

It's not just me! :D I was begining to think it was only me. You cousin's field sound interesting. You should try to remember to take pictures. :D

[paint magnet]

I like speedball as a "warmup" game.

[Creative Mayhem]

speedball = quick and dirty

great money maker for field owners, lots of game lot of paint is lots of money for the owner

[FatMan]

Hey, I like to play as many different fields and styles as I can. I like to play semi-auto, but I'm not at all interested in full-auto. I like to have plenty of paint available, but limited paint formats are cool too.

I find that when we play speedball, we tend to play hopperball and limit ourselves to 200 rds, which means on average we shoot about 100 rds a game. Plus the games are faster and we tend to play more games. More play, less paint.

In the woods I can't get by with one hopper. I typically shoot 300-500 rds, more sometimes. The games take longer. Less play, more paint.

The real kicker for me, is that being a old guy, I hate to trudge into the woods to play and then back out again - the speedball court is right there. The other thing is the cover is more consistent - so you have to use your shooting a moving skills more than sneaking and hiding skills. Fat guys don't sneak so good!

I love paintball - I love woods ball, and I love speedball. I also like scenarios. As far as I can tell all of those types of play are alive and well. Players tend to move from one genre to another and somtimes back again - and that's fine. The only real problem I've ever had with it is people who think they need to bash one form or another or say one genre is "real" paintball or "the best".

It all comes down to personal preferences - play what you like! Its all good!

FatMan

[nutz]

all i can say is that i love speedball...

personally i consider woodsball a waste of paint because i usually shoot more in woodsball. I guess people play whatever suits them. Speedball suits me.

[Dubstar112]

Nutz.. I played woods ball for a day, with my hyperframe mag, and I shot a case in a half!!!!!!!

I normally only shoot 1000 a day.

I think this was because I shot at any thing that moved, and I wasnt as disciplined then. Either way.. I love speed ball mega x's more!

[Jonno06]

/me agrees with SHartley:)

[boggerman]

I have to agree with FatMan, play whatever makes you happy. There are no speedball or woodsball or sup'air fields where I live, just one indoor place(kinda like speedball, I guess) so we play outlaw in the desert, woods, where ever we can go without getting in trouble. I live in Western Colorado and we are surrounded by BLM land, Forest Service land, and a few of my friends have big ranch-type spreads where we can play, so that is kinda like woodsball, I suppose, only no refs.

[Telefragged]

I think our roots have been strayed from somewhat, but have been for the better, IMO.

Paint quality has drastically improved over the years, and the price has actually gone down for it.

-With the advent of N2/HPA as a power source for markers, shot-to-shot consistency, and hence shot-to-shot accuracy has increased. And the chance for "hot" markers has decreased with the mass introduction of regulators to the paintball industry.

-Markers are now lighter, more maneuverable, and while I don't neccessarily agree with the "spray and pray" tactics that the electronic craze has introduced, for the most part, paintball markers have become a LOT more capable.

-Protective equipment has inproved, we've gone from goggles which only afforded the face minimal protection, to full face masks which are now availible with anti-fog, thermal, mirrored lenses, improved ventilation etc, more comfortable and better materials to boot.

-With larger tournaments springing up around the world, the publicity for our beloved sport has increased. This new type of gameplay and the increase in attention has helped disspell the myth of paintball players as hardcore thugs, who only have the intention of hurting people. It's also helped introduce new players to the game that are it's future.

The game has defintely come a LONG way from pump games and oil based paint, but it's been for the better, or, it is at least how I look at it. For those who like to get back to their roots, pump and stock-class tournaments are still held around the country, and some fields may hold pump-only games, even though semi's and electros now undeniably dominate the game.

[DJSOLID]

I'd love to see a little more cross-over. Patron God of Pirates is on to something with that field he's talking about. I'd also like to see some of the pro teams in a stock gun 10 shot gravity feed/ 12g tourney - Phantoms-n-sich. That would be neat as heck, IMHO.

[mykroft]

Well, woodsball has changed alot. The introduction of markers like the Mag and the Tippmann flatline have been the big change there, adding a decent amount of firepower to the game. For playing woodsball, there is no real reason to go to the ultra-high end markers like the Angel or E-Mag, because the advantage they give you really takes the fun out of the game. The rare times I play woodsball, I use my old mag, as it's all I need. Woodsball tends to emphasize moving quickly but silently and shooting accurately.

Speedball is another game entirely. The emphasis on teamwork, communication and sound tactics is much higer. I personally find speedball to be the more watchable of the two, the games move faster, and are much easier to follow. The adrenaline rush is faster, and it really emphasizes developing certain skills beyond basic accuracy. Snap Shooting, sprinting, low-crawling and the ability to dump paint when needed are all much more important to speedball than woodsball. The lack of a Mercy rule in speedball also makes for a much more close-quarters game.

Playing towns and forts are an interesting cross between the two. not really being woodsball, but making the skills of both woods players and speedball players useful. I suspect the town is where people got the idea for speedball, and they tend to be faster games with more paint dumping. Woods players can work as skirmishers and speedball players can go hey-diddle-diddle-straight-up-the-middle.

I know that as an addicted Speedball player, when I end up playing at Wasaga Beach, I usually play some of their fort/town fields (Desert, Town & Bus fields), before heading down to the Ultimate Air Court for some speedball.

[Will Wood]

PGP-Where ya playing in Maine?

[Bluntman]

Shoot man, my roots are in speedball. That's what a lot of us youngsters have starting playin, cause when youre 16 hiking through the woods just doesn't seem that cool.

[obsolete898]

I like playing both, as long as I'm out there playing I'm happy.

[rjvemt1]

What is your opinion? We have gone from games that were played in the woods with guns firing no more than 1 round/3 seconds and oil based paint correct me if im wrong, paint magnet, but i think yall are missing the point. he is not talking about the type of game you like best,but that the spirit of the game has changed!and i agree ,the spirit of the game has changed.i think todays new players (less then 7 or 8 years) could learn alot from playin stock class league,if they are lucky enough to fild one.instead of buying the next couple of upgrades for that mag, spend 250$ on a stock class phantom and spend a year rockin and cockin. the skills you develop will amplify your game 10 fold.

[personman]

I only shoot about 1000 a day, in about 5 or 6 games, more or less depending on the time and how trigger happy I am.
I dont shoot that fast. I would say maby 6 bps more or less on my single trigger frame. Sometimes I have the craving to go faster, just to show off for the electros.. no comments from them. LoL Anyway, I dont want an electric gun. I would rather hit a guy slowly and accuratally, than spray and pray.. Although, I have to admit, hearing 13 bps hitting your bunker and skimming your head is scary. :D

[CleenSweep]

We've built a speedball field right next to our wooded field to give everyone something to do while they wait for the next incredibly long woods game to end.

The only thing you need to do is shorten woods games and you would shoot less paint.

But I like both, and I simply think the game has changed just like every game changes. Basketball was invented by Dr. Naismith over 100 years ago. They played it with a soccer ball and two wicker baskets that had the bottoms cut out. Look at it now. Every sport will evolve but I don't think it will ever be for the better (look at the players in sports then and now).

It's just life.

[paintbattler]

naw..the world is always open to bigger and better things

[davej946]

To each his own. Play what you like, woods, indoor, speedball, whatever. I like pie, and I think the pies have it!

Later ~ Jonesie

[Patron God of Pirates]

Originally posted by Will Wood
PGP-Where ya playing in Maine?

A couple of locations around the Dexter area. We play on my rents property in Corrina. It was just thinned out so it absolutely rules for woods ball. My cousins are building there courses in Parkman. They are starting on the woods course when they finish the Urban one they have been working on. Nothing like kids in Maine with nothing to do to get a job done.

We also intend to play legate at a place in Dover called "The Flying Dutchman". It's very cool. They shop/office is an old ultralight hanger. They have allot of property and a bunch of different arenas. Kind of funny though, they only sell Tippmanns and Spyders. Everyone that plays with my cousins was shell shocked when I pulled out my Warp fed RTP with the huge 88/4500 tank on it.

But I'm rambling. If you are anywhere near to that far north maybe you can come out and play a day or two.

[ShooterJM]

Well I started out playing outlaw just in the foothills of colorado. In fact, I can say I've only played on a speedball field one day (about 6 games). There are good and bad points to each, but both get different players to the game. I will say that I've hurt myself (ankle sprains, etc) far more running through the woods then across a speedball court. Either way I've found that by just playing hopper ball regardless adds a whole new angle to the game!

[land hurricane]

Speedball or woodsball, does it make the game we are playing not paintball? how have we abandond our roots?

[Vegeta]

i liek pie

[j.t.]

I think if more people realized the potential of a Phantom or stock class marker then we would see alot more of them out there.

I know there are alot of guys from Maine on here and if anyone knows where Crossfire paintball is, we have had days were about, 6 of the 20 people at the field were all playing with Phantoms.

It only took one guy who is pretty incredible at stock class play to influence quite a few players in the area.

(If you could still get the old pump kits for automags id probly be playing stock too)