The downfall of paintball?

[ilikePB]

It's all good. If that's what you like it's cool. I prefer airball and xball so i'm enjoying paintball a lot because both are very popular. I'm not into woods except for the 24hr scenario games, they are fun. It's all preference I think.

[jetgirl]

The cost of playing

I can agree with most of what everybody's trying to say. Think of what it cost us players in Hawaii to purchase paintball and equipment back in the early 90's. A good pump paintgun would easily cost $400. The fact was, and is, we players from Hawaii are grateful for being able to legally play it at all! For me, I go through about $50 for a day's play, which includes all day air and the walk-on fee. I can barely afford my monthly expenses, but I enjoy this sport, which I see as a hobby. To me, it's worth the cost, but I trim my habit down to once a month. I consider myself fortunate, because my Army Reserve command is willing to sponsor my idea of a paintball team. This means that my fellow soldier teammates will be able to play once a month virtually free!
The bottom line: nobody cares if you've got an Angel, Intimidator, or a cheap Brass Eagle Avenger. Nobody notices how old you are. Everybody notices a cheater, and everybody has fun.

[jetgirl]

my take:

Paintball will have a huge vacum of techonology here in the next five years, simliar to what happened to the cycling industry durring the early to mid 90's.

It still amazes me that tournes charge SO much to play and offer prizes as well. please go to cheaper prizes, trophies, and BROADEN the fan base.

Sometimes it goes to a worthy cause. We had a tourney where the entire proceeds went to the food bank, and the winners got bragging rights. I'm still pleasantly shocked and amazed at the leap in paintball technology....

[Stealthgerbil]

my field charges $10 entry, and $45 for a case of Menace. Its a pretty good price. Also, if its costing you so much to play, buy a pump, and buy that same type of paint your field uses from the internet. If you keep it in your car, your Fields owner probably wouldn't know.

[slade]

vonort - so a 15 man tourney was basically a woodsball game with experienced players only? hmmm... sounds good... i still like the idea of speedball better though.

Also, if its costing you so much to play, buy a pump, and buy that same type of paint your field uses from the internet. If you keep it in your car, your Fields owner probably wouldn't know.

second option wont work very well at my speedball field... i thought of that, but its almost impossible to find my field paint online. and dont you think that it would be sort of suspicious if you always show up at the field with a case of field paint, but never buy any paint from them? so im basically stuck with paying $80 a case or playing woodsball...

[Carnage]

Oysterboy

My field charges
CAD$
No field fee.
5$ For all day air
15$ rental
Balls:
17$ menace 500
22$ RPS 500
25$ MidEvil 500 98$ for a case I think

I think your field is really jipping you guys.

[p8ntballin007]

Majority of the people positng in this thread have very nice paint prices, you have no idea what it is like to live in a bigger city, where there is no room for a feild and everything is expensive. The closest feild to me is about 45 minutes away, entry fee is 25, paint is 50 for a half case, air is $3 per 1000 psi, And the staff at the feild is less than satisfactory.

A lot of people would say that i should take up stock class play, however there is noone around here that plays, and there is also nowhere to play at that you won't get leveled by timmies, matrixes, and the like. So stock class is pretty much not an option.

This has caused me to leave the sport I love after playing for around 6 years.

[hotrod]

Seems like vonort pointed out a little nugget of truth. Woodsball and 15 man tourneys (which were essentially woodsball) are thinking games. I remember watching a paintball tourney on ESPN back around 1993 and it was in a wooded field. In the old days of woodsball only, you actually spent the first 5 or 10 minutes of a game finding a hidden route or a hiding spot. You didn't need 20 BPS because you waited for somebody to get close enough to take them out with 1 or 2 shots. As stated numerous times before, the game is now all about shooting (not so much thinking). The market is about enticing 12 year olds with cool blue annod 20BPS, eyes, electronic loaders, etc.

I love what the game used to be. Trying to outsmart the other team, not just outshoot them. Paintball was never my highest priority, but it was great fun. I could always find at least one friend to go play walk on. And, I knew that the other players were there to enjoy the same game. Now, walk on is at least 50% under the age of 14. I have no problem with kids, but most are unsupervisored and act like they're 7 off the field and on. They have no interest in woodsball. I played walk on last month and the refs only set up games of attack and defend. Again, this is not the woods thinking game it used to be. There's usually only one good ref out the bunch of them standing around.

To me, the thinking game is gone. And, I know if I play walk on, the caliber/priorities of players, refs and field owners is hit or miss. Also, finding friends that have time to play is near impossible (being 34, I don't have many friends without families, kids, lawns, etc.). I miss the days when paintball was just a hobby for a distinct group, not a mass marketed sport sold in Walmart.

[jetgirl]

Hotrod hit something on the nail. I agree, woods/rec ball isn't about slinging paint. Some would argue, though, that speedball simply takes out the hunting/stalking part and jumps directly to the confrontation portion, which is considered the fun part. The kids that play with us on a regular basis are really cool, and more mature than what I've seen on those pro tournaments. Regarding tech, well, I remember when people were concerned that constant air would ruin the game. Obviously, it didn't. So, do funky colors and insane bps hurt the quality of the game? I think rotten attitude players are what we should be concerned with.

[DiRTyBuNNy]

Jetgirl...will you marry me?

[paintballfreak90]

I tottaly agree. I say they only sell tippmanns or pumps so we can see who really has skill and not just thier gun.

[ilikePB]

I tottaly agree. I say they only sell tippmanns or pumps so we can see who really has skill and not just thier gun.

That's stupid. I would quit and so would a ton of other people. Airball, to me, is way more fun. I don't enjoy dressing up in camo and walking around in the woods trying to find people to shoot. I grew out of the "Hide and Go Seek" thing when I was 10. Also, if you put 2 people together with DM4's whoever wins will most likely be the one with more skill, same with pumps or whatever. If you don't like airball don't play it, there are still plenty of places with wooded fields.

EDIT: Airball isn't going away, so get over it.

[Lee]

^ possible example of what jetgirl is saying? hhhmmmmm......

[slade]

I think rotten attitude players are what we should be concerned with.

i agree, but you cant really do too much about that.

Now, walk on is at least 50% under the age of 14. I have no problem with kids, but most are unsupervisored and act like they're 7 off the field and on. They have no interest in woodsball. I played walk on last month and the refs only set up games of attack and defend. Again, this is not the woods thinking game it used to be. There's usually only one good ref out the bunch of them standing around.

it depends completely what field you go to. at one of my fields, almost everyone acts mature and is interested in woodsball, and the refs have a different game each time you play. if you look you should be able to find a field that you like. (you may have to drive a bit...)

i agree with ilikePB. if you limit the equipment, it will only hurt the sport and make people quit (not to mention giving tippmann a monopoly). if you dont like high rof, then just join pump games. airball and high rof exist because people like them, and if you dont, then just play whatever style you like, dont try to force a change.

[mag-hatter]

i agree, but you cant really do too much about that.


it depends completely what field you go to. at one of my fields, almost everyone acts mature and is interested in woodsball, and the refs have a different game each time you play. if you look you should be able to find a field that you like. (you may have to drive a bit...)

i agree with ilikePB. if you limit the equipment, it will only hurt the sport and make people quit (not to mention giving tippmann a monopoly). if you dont like high rof, then just join pump games. airball and high rof exist because people like them, and if you dont, then just play whatever style you like, dont try to force a change.

yeah but if you DONT limit the equiptment, then the majority of the people that play rec ball will get fed up with getting shot 8 times per game and just quit. or....run out of money paying for the high end gun, the paint that it shoots, upgrades and so forth.