Predictions for 2004?

[Mateo]

The year '03 is winding down. Snows are becoming more frequent in the North(while the South sees 70 degree weather lol), furry little animals are starting to hibernate, birds are going South for the winter and the paintball season is at a close.
The '03 year had alot of news in it. This was the first year of the PSP and NPPL splitting, SP started its suits against other companies, etc. But once again a new year is creeping upon us. What will the new year have in store for paintball in terms of innovative products, companies agendas and competition in tournaments? What is AO's predictions for the '04 year? Will it be the year of the mag for AGD? Voice your opinion.

[personman]

Well, as far as AGD goes, I'm betting that the TAC One will be a nice sucess, if it is advertised correctly, There will be more X-mags, because the waiting list is getting shorter and shorter, and we might even see some new inventions from AGD, once they get Xmags under control, so that they actually have some free time

[MicroMiniMe]

Perhaps more talk or work towards more unibodies, where the rail is done away with, for a mechanical line. Maybe a purely electronic emag frame with smaller solenoid and smaller rechargable battery.

[Ov3rmind]

My predictions:

-Smart Parts will release the Nerve, it will do alright.
-A large aftermarket for 03 Shocker upgrades will rise.
-AGD will make some major refinements in the E-Mag (3.2 fix, maybe new gripframe and battery, all ULE).
-As always, Tom still has some tricks up his sleeve to show us for the Mag (maybe efficiency improvements).
-The Mag will do a little better, but it still wont be a prominent high end gun.
-OTB will release the Advent, it will be somewhat successful.
-Powerlyte will release the Isis, it will experience similar results as the Advent.
-Dye will end up making some drastic changes to the Matrix and end up damaging it's market (already begun).
-The new 2K4 and Empire Timmys will be a hit.
-WDP's Angel will start fading into oblivion unless some major changes are made.
-The Cobra A4 will be sex in gun form.
-The new electropneumatic Black Dragun kit will set a new upgrade trend in low end guns.
-The V-Force Profiler and JT Axiom will be the new choice masks.
-The JT Proteus will fade out and JT will can it.
-More jersies will implement pads like DYE is doing.
-Ricochet's new Apache hopper will do poorly, even if it does turn out to be a good hopper.
-More software upgrades for Revys, Halos, and Eggs will continue coming out.
-WGP is going to carry along just fine, they'll most likely introduce a new Cocker (nothing new, just like past years), and it will do well.
-Companies will anounce they are creating or releasing more spool valve guns.
-AKA will continue to make small improvements on the Viking throughout the year.
-The Excalibur will experience increased loss of interest (may end up discontinuing it, changing it, or lowering the price).

Dynasty playing paintball professionally along with their new SP sponsorship will be one of the big buzzes in tourney ball. One or two other teams may get big time sponsorships. The NPPL will weaken and the PSP will grow. Local X-Ball leagues will become more common. Throughout the year we'll see more tourney coverage on TV, but in short runs of episodes (not a steady show throughout the year). Lawsuits will become more common between comapnies as the industry goes through more growing pains.

[ICOM]

Overmind not bad on your guessing. I would have to agree on 3/4 of those.

[QUINCYMASSGUY]

2004

I think interest in the game will continue to expand, but what happens with SP, NPS, and the other bullies in the yard and how effective their attempts at blocking the market off from everyone else will determine how much electronic product innovations are worked on and how much companies would be willing to expand. If they're scared either of these two would strong-arm them out, they won't risk expanding. It's exactly they want, and if someone steps up to fight SP and invests enough to compete face to face with NPS, things could be great in 04. I think the leagues will grow and if more structure can be achieved as well as a better enforcement of rules and behavior, more teams will be willing to participate in high-end events. If it's cheating, fights, and vendors interested in nothing but the dollar instead of keeping some respect for the game, it won't grow much.

Cynical, but there's definitely a stream of positivity there. If we can overcome the roadblocks and bottlenecks currently created by the scumbags and greedy, deceitful people that exist in the game now, it will surge. It's the ethical leaders like WGP, AKA, and AGD that need to work together to fight it.

[demonguy8]

This is long and cynical... be afraid!

Pro wise: Dynasty picked up Todd martinez and Yosh Rau to an already dominating team... They are probably unstoppable in the NPPL (with a posibble hope of Russian Legion Stepping up, but dont bet on it), Div 1 Xball is no contest for them as well (lets face it, they have NO competition there), As far as millenium series goes same as NPPL.

-Wone Concepts will continue to get rocked (jumping to NPPL pro for a first year team was a BIG mistake....HOWEVER If they stick with it for another year or two tho I think theyll start competing)

-NXL Id like to think Aftershock would take it, but they wont. No prediction on who takes it all.

-As far as leagues go I predict the NPPL will start to fade out when people get to see both on TV and realize that Xball is 10x as entertaining to watch.

-Millions of little follower tools are gonna start buying shocker03s because dynasty shoots them now. Im gonna beat someone to death when they confuse me for one of those posers because I bought a 2k3 shocker before it was cool.

-WDPs sales will drop tremendously with no major label backing them and no real innovations since I dont even remember when

-AGDs sales will be up, but I think the price change is too significant and will drive their overall profits down.
Im still waiting for production to ramp up on Xmags so the price drops.... I could possibly see milled slugg emags being for sale soon direct from agd.

-Dye will run the matrix into the ground with a ban on aftermarket parts and no LOWCOST MODEL... (its DYE LCD or DM4!) For shame, it was a great gun.

-Ima finally stop talking about getting back into tournament paintball and actually do it... in 2k5

-DYE will realize its $135 c4 pants arent selling, so they will reduce costs to unload their inventory and have a $200 2k4.5 model by june.

-Corruption in leagues will not be affected.

-The qloader will be released and fail miserably

-Was will realize that 2k3 shockers are the next big thing ala intimidators the past few years and come out with the ultra cool l33t cheater board. Did i say cheater board? I meant board that uses super incrypted logic algorythms that magically make any retard that picks one up outshoot his halob.

-The pro leagues will add more pointless and half enforced rules relating to trigger use...

-13 bps full auto would never be allowed to happen because its still safer to have 20bps bursts.

-Illinois State will DOMINATE the college leagues this year (going into their 5th semester as a team)Edging out Purdont (cough bam cough) and finally being the first team to win college nationals other than UofI (provided Raehl isnt the ultimate ref again... anyone who saw last years finals knows what im talking about)

-CPX will increase its available tank filling pressure to 2500 of the advertised 4500 they claim to be able to fill. To compensate, They invent a paint cheaper and worse than the fecal matter they use now. And they will buy a third airball field and place it next to the other two.. because "they actually exist" (I smell embezzlment)

-The number of falling deaths from the floors at country club and tri city paintball will drop this year as there is now PBshooters offering a case of paint for only $35 cheaper on an indoor but still !GASP! dirtfloor.

-Wretched 7 will continue to manufacter its night paintballs and UV hoppers... Sooner or later this is gonna hit those scenario guys bigtime.

-Hired booth bunny chix ala smart parts girls will become much more common... Cuties that actually know what a paintball is and have actually played a game or two (ala clair, keely, and bea youngs) wont grow in large numbers but at least have some respect going for them.

Thats all I got

[AGD]

Ok here is mine:

The SP lawsuit stuff will NOT get settled this year.
Many electronic gun designs will sit on the shelf and not be manufactured (already happening).
Loader patents will threaten to be the next big area of legal battles.
Average balls per second will push into the 20 bps range.
20 BPS guns will still be tourney legal.
Mechanical gun only tournaments will spring up to rave reviews.
Scenario will find its place in the paintball world and there will be lots of discussion on the forums comparing scenario to tournies and which to get involved in.
The number of manufacturers of paintball equipment will drop.
Most players will not care what happens in the industry and blindly do what they are told by the media.

AGD

[Downfall]

Some pretty good ones so far, Tom's is certainly interesting. Here's mine.

The sport will continue to grow.
Smaller mom and pop paintball companies will close up shop, the big boys are getting too big.
The SP suit will be ongoing like Tom said.
Xball will become more popular.
There will be a rebirth of mechanical gun interest. Bring back the Automag vs. Cocker wars.
The SP Shocker will drop in price and become a very popular market just like the impulse did.
The Viking will become the next hot marker to have, just like the Timmy and the Matrix.
There will be more interest in the sport from companies outside the industry.
Let's all hope paint prices will go down, because as allways equipment prices will go up.
Oakland will win the NXL title next year, and I'm taking the naughty dogs in the NPPL.
Michael Jackson will not go to jail.
The Dragun TES will become really popular amongst new and intermidiate players, people will stat making tons of aftermarket stuff for it.
AGD will get sick of dealing with all the Xmag stuff and will stop making them, and will go with an Emag set up with a nicely milled body and rail. Then I will buy one, and the wife will be angry =)
Midgets will rule the earth.
Gary Coleman will be elected president.

[SpongeBobSquarePants]

I agree and disagree with whats been said.

-Trauma will sweep the NXL.
-NPPL will fade out because of dynasty and there stacked roster
-WDP will continue to make changes to the IR3 trying to pick up more customers and iventally end up like kingman with 50 thousand diffrent markers with small changes
-Mech only tournaments will come about, but I don't think they will do well
-SP will release the Nerve but it will be terribly over priced and fail misreailably
-The 03 Shocker will take the place of the Intimidator ( ) as the next big thing
-Every company will start making upgrades for it
-HSW want brun down agian
-Bob Long will announce his retirement with the Assassins

[epterry]

Kingman will put out 3,454,678,945,612,446 new spider models.

[WARPED1]

AGD will remain the same as this year. More people(read: doubters) will realize Xball is the future of competative paintball, possibly causing the NPPL to fold its tents and the last remaining good "pro" teams will join Xball.(Naughty Dogs for example)
Dynasty will continue to dominate every series they get involved in.
William Shatner will finally lose to Tom and his faithful army of cyborg soldiers, unwavering, going in wave by wave! Assimilating everything in thier path!(Mancow might actually drop the ham steak and play)

[LittlePaintballBoy]

Here's mine

Dynasty will take it all, as stated before they picked up Yosh and Todd onto an already great team.

03 Shocker sales will go throught the roof with Dynasty using them.

The nerve is going to come out redicously overpriced and they will sell tons of them in the first couple of months until people realize they just aren't worth that much money. Then the sales will just dwindle away.

WDP is going to get attacked by SP soon, since they are getting snaller and smaller without Dynasty shooting the guns

AKA will keep making money but will soon get attacked by SP also, being the small company they are.

XBall will get to be a huge league, with more teams in it.

Nppl and PSP will start to not make as much money with XBall being around.

Bob long will retire, he has been playing almost as long as i've been alive.

WGP will keep doing good for themselves, and come out with a new 2k4 VF cocker at a good price quality ratio.

AGD will have some kind of trick up their sleeves, perhaps air efficency or something.

The SP lawsuit will not stop in 2k4, maybe reaching into 2k5 even.

Shatnerball 2k4 is going to be as big as the last one, maybe bigger. And I hope to be at it

If Texas has another AO meet I can make it to I swear I am going to do everything I can to make it there, because they always have the coolest stuff. ie TeX Ball.

I may add more stuff later, thats all I can think of right now.

[Sir_Brass]

Originally posted by AGD
Ok here is mine:

The SP lawsuit stuff will NOT get settled this year.
Many electronic gun designs will sit on the shelf and not be manufactured (already happening).
Loader patents will threaten to be the next big area of legal battles.
Average balls per second will push into the 20 bps range.
20 BPS guns will still be tourney legal.
Mechanical gun only tournaments will spring up to rave reviews.
Scenario will find its place in the paintball world and there will be lots of discussion on the forums comparing scenario to tournies and which to get involved in.
The number of manufacturers of paintball equipment will drop.
Most players will not care what happens in the industry and blindly do what they are told by the media.

AGD

agreed whole heartedly, sadly enough. I don't want to see the players blindly following the media, but they will anyways.

-The JT Proteus will fade out and JT will can it.

I highly doubt that.




Also, here's my scenario prediction:
-Allies will win against the germans in D-Day 2004!

[QUINCYMASSGUY]

2004

Littlepaintballboy, very good point about WDP shrinking and, if they get small enough, being next for SP.

And AGD's post scares me, he agrees that innovations are being stifled by this thug-like behavior by SP which hurts the game. I still think it's a united effort by AKA, WGP, AGD, and any surviving company (even WDP) that will get the job done. Each going one-on-one is just going to result in a slow, tedious destruction of all their companies. However, I am pretty confident these companies are ten steps ahead of me so I trust their approach as the more effective one, whatever that may involve.

And all, and I mean all, companies are not going to be so friendly and open anymore. They will remain quiet about innovations and patent like mad in case SP or another company decides to take advantage of all the open-source designs (stacked tube, compressed air, and all the other things Tom and Bud contributed for the good of the game) and then turn around and spit in their face and try to screw them over. It's going to become a cold business.