Mech only Tournies... Revisited

[wolverine85929]

Good idea, I would play. Dont know how well it would do out here in AZ lot of electros.

[nerobro]

I"m all for it... then again, in a mechanical tourny I'd have the rof advantage *grins*

I"d love to see it happen. It would actually put some ephisis on equipment again, and maintaining a good gun.

[Rather]

IMO with all the unnamed Legal Hubub going around, I don't really think there will be any choice on having mech tournies. Not saying mech tournies are a bad thing. I couldn't agree more with all the pro's of it. I could see then 'old' electros dying out, cause lets face it, who wants to shoot a gun that the company went out of busness years ago. Those sort of things are better left as collector's items, are they not?

I can see mech torunies becoming a very real thing if things keep progressing the way they are. a couple years from now everyones going to be pshyched about MTL (Mech Tactix League) and rooting for 'Ratman'(moi) of tx storm (who traded storm timmies to storm maggies).

My $00.00002 :)

[Lord_Whoopass]

My opinion on this subject is that you should make "Mech Only" Tournaments for like TV... Make a Big national circuit and have it on a big TV station... It would take out the cheating in the sport and become alot more entertaining for viewers to watch... I am sure that companies such as AGD, WGP, Kingman and the other companies that make Mech markers would be all for sponsoring such a circuit because of the Publicity they would get out of it...
And as such you could still have your PSP and NPPL circuits with the electro guns because you know that the current manufacturers of high end electros (bob long, WDP, AKA, etc.) will still want a market for their guns...
I think you would see the bigger teams with like 2 Mech guns and a nice electro gun and play in a couple circuits... or Maybe you could make something like X-ball into "Mech Only" and get that going to bigger TV stations... Then you could play in both circuits on the same weekend like teams do now...
I am just kicking around some Ideas to see what everyone thinks and I think it would be a huge benefit to the industry if you could keep Electro and Mech markers...

[nippinout]

There's a reason why pushrods and carbs are appealing.


Vroom VROOM!!!!

Remember the Matrix started as a mechanical gun. :)

Intimidators got its roots too.

[azza]

I think a mech only tourney/league would be great, though duno how well it would take hold down in New Zealand.

There are two ways that I can think of that could decrease the chance of players cheating with the use of markers.
A)The tourney/league only uses one or specific brand/model of markers that are specificly designed to be anti cheat without obvious and easily noticable(sp?) mods.
or B)Said tourney/league disallows the use of all privately owned markers, so in other words, the tourney must supply all the markers for teams.
Though, would it be better to have a variety of markers to kep fussy people happy? Or to again limit them to one specific model? With the latter being the true test of skill and teamwork.

Unfortunately both ideas are similar to each other and have flaws. But its just quickly thought up ideas.

Cheers

[magking1971]

Sign me up!!

[cledford]

Originally posted by Cyberious
Sounds great to me. I'd do it. I can just seem it now... AGD and WGP present "It's all Talent Cup...no electros need apply"

I actually like this theme - It could also be called "Classic cup" since the golden age of paintball was really a east coast/west coast thing between cockers and mags...

-Calvin

[cledford]

Re: marketing

Originally posted by QUINCYMASSGUY
The most important part of all this is how it is marketed. You need to market the concept to the audience that would be most interested to play it but also aim to interest those who would be into the game for the skill of it. Part of this may be catering more towards those who have not played in tournies and have had interest but didn't want to have to buy $1200 markers, $400 air systems, $120 hoppers, then in order to compete pay $1000 tourny fees and $1000 in paint just to compete with the other players. I think what the PSP and XBall did to make the game more marketable is great, but it still focuses on the nonstop spraying, wipe if you can or just play on, overshooting, ramped dwell style of play slimeballs like LaSoya have made their trademark. If a more controlled format is utilized, it will discourage these people but if it gets the proper press it could be as big. However, it will be more approved by families and young players, which will drive the popularity and not have as much competition with the regular series. Creating a legitimate, viewer-friendly format could really drive a revolution towards more traditional play.

Ah, but 2 things. First I feel that the largest demographic in PB loves the Lasoya slimballs and wants to grow up to just like them. Second, while mech-only might be great for playing, it probably won't have the appeal of the more intense Xball type formats. We all know that *everyone* wants PB on TV - so it's gotta be TV friendly.

Here's my take which I posted in the other thread. I hate to be sour grapes, but I'm just not feeling optimistic these last couple of days. I need to snap out of it...

/My post from the SP vs. AKA thread.../

Dude, I'm totally there with you guys, I'd love such a tourney format - especially if national. BUT the core constituency of the paintball market is still the 14-18 year old kid. I reiterate a point of mine from a previous post, for them paintball and especially markers aren't about buying the *best* equipment - it is about buying the most popular equipment. Combine that with the "bad-boy image" that is selling like hotcakes and you've got a real tough sell with a mech-only, above the board, sportsmanship based tourney scene. It just don't have the schizzle or nizzle or what ever...

Until the 2 things happen, paintball shifts back from an image driven market and people actually embrace that fact that plain and simple a spider is every bit as accurate as a $1800 Angel/Viking/Timmy/Shocker (or what ever) due to the unchangeable fact that the projectile is hopelessly flawed, mech is going to be a tough sell.

-Calvin

[cledford]

It would have to be a partnership between all of the mid-range gun producers - WGP, AGD, Tippmann, Kingman.

It has to be a series that focuses on teams and play not equipment. Eliminate prizes, but build it on a regional scheme that has travel awards for the top teams to go to the play-offs and nationals. I think the Bud Light dart league is a good example. Everyone pays individually each time they play a league match. Teams also pay an entry fee to register for the season. The League pulls in a ton of cash. The reward for playing and paying (part of the fees are returned to the players) is that if you do good enough in you region you get travel assistance to a central region match. Winners of that get an all expense paid "vacation" to the nationals. The prize is the trip - so there is more then one winner - it is every team that makes it.

-Calvin

[Sir_Brass]

Originally posted by Ginjiroku
all mech would be great. I hope they actually make and all mech tourny.

I might actually look into going into tourney play if they had an all mech league. Mags and blazers would be the speediest guns there . Would be fun :).

[Sir_Brass]

Originally posted by wolverine85929
Good idea, I would play. Dont know how well it would do out here in AZ lot of electros.

Come on up to Prescott, man. We've got far more mechs than we do electros .

[Lee]

i like the idea. i'd even use a pump gun in it :)

seriously, i think this would fill a void in paintball.
there are stock class tourneys, though few and far between,
obviously there are open tourneys (electro), and pump only tourneys, so why not mech only?

many sports have different divisions. look at baseball as an easy example-aa, aaa etc. does anyone envision a world cup type scene at the end of a year where teams from different divisions gather to compete amongst themselves in their appropriate format?

that would be a growth medium right there-people seeing for themselves that there are different levels on which to compete and be successful.

[ogre55]

[Eric Cartman]

I think mech only tournaments would be great, but unfortunately I don't see it happening. As others have said, the biggest segment of the paintball market is younger guys, probably between the ages of 13 and 19. I have no idea where they (or their rich parents) get the cash for the high end electros, but they seem to get it somehow, and convincing them to go back to mech guns is going to be an extremely hard sell.

Sadly I see the mech guns eventually going the way of the pump gun. It'll never fade away entirely, but I doubt it will ever re-attain it's former glory.