Next advancement

[pump]

more things like the mQ-valvle where the noid propels the gun

[Head knight of Ni]

Companies actually following ASTM standards.

[master_alexander]

well, the paintball industry is going up in popularity, actually at my local speedball field a group of 50 people are going from open to close, ordered 15 cases of paint, all rentals, no one else will be allowed. i would like to get into the business, a marker will come out, it is universal, you can put anything on it, it will be cheap and small, no bull stuff, everyone will be rich and happy. wanna help me? send me a pm

[RtDaNiMaL]

i would say new pods...(from dye) that are unbrakeable (like those nalgene water bottles) with lids that dont pop open when you go to slide. That and I am sure that a larger tank size will come out like a 5500, along with new compressors. That and of course fiber glass light weight guns.

DaNiMaL

[Head knight of Ni]

i would say new pods...(from dye) that are unbrakeable (like those nalgene water bottles) with lids that dont pop open when you go to slide. That and I am sure that a larger tank size will come out like a 5500, along with new compressors. That and of course fiber glass light weight guns.

DaNiMaL

There are already pods(not from DYE) that a "large" person can stand on without damage.

oldschool style->

[White_Noise]

higher than 5000psi tanks will not be used. paintball uses scuba compressors, not a paintball specific compressor. why would someone in the paintball industry try to develop a new tank, regulator, and compressor combination, there would be no money in this.

im hoping the next major advancement is the enforcement of rules and stiff fines for those breaking these rules. following this, i hope that paintball can get a prime time slot of tv, and not at like 7am.

my $.02

--mike

[pump]

new trigger designs that will increase how fast we can pull

force feed loader like the Qloader that will feed reguardless of gravity that hold more paint

and more cheating

[VFX_Fenix]

Non-pneumatic paintball markers.

[Dayspring]

The next advance will be in loader technology.

[BlackWeenie]

I think the advancements are gonna be something like computers. The need to upgrade every couple of years so that they always have you buying new gear and spending more money.

i honestly cant see this happening. i mean what can be improved? size, weight, efficiency? sure, but this wont make old guns obsolete. they will still be capable of speed faster than pullable and fine for weight and efficiency... not much thats worth throwing thousands of dollars at to upgrade to a new gun every two years.

[breg]

What I would like to see:
A new league complete with all new teams, rules, etc. That is just me. I would like to see a sea change that focuses more on the enjoyment of the sport as opposed to the players.

Things I think would be cool:
Some little gadget that (is not built in to the marker) figures out local humidity, wind speed, altitude, etc. that you use to size a paintball, and match it to the bore of your barrel. (Probably need to build in some calipers...) I know that are ball sizers out there, but this one would be cool with all those flashy lights.

What I figure is going to change:
More marketing dollars thrown into catch phrases (smaller! lighter! lower pressure! now comes in red!) Enough mud slinging to make a political convention blush, as well as nothing that really grabs my attention.

[Resurrecti0n]

Prices in general...

[rabidchihauhau]

a brand new tournament series. one that started over from ground zero. one that actually punished a team for cheating. one that did not allow full auto/ramping boards. that may never come to pass. oh, and give me a tournament series that is not owned/promoted by a manufacturer. this will never happen

hey - I TRIED to do that in 1997 with the GTO series and in 2000 with the USPL and PaintFest.

At the first GTO event in MD, I kicked out a team that had violated roster rules and had a pro on their team - he was literally wearing a disguise and wasn't using any of his own equipment.

At USPL, we had a penalty system that let us stop the game and assess things right then and there - no more game continuing despite some cheater's moves.

Guess what? I got no real support from the industry, no real support from the teams; we maintained strict neutrality - all of our programs were open to anyone who wanted to participate with no favoritism. In other words, if you bought into a program, you got what everyone else in that program got.

The industry doesn't want FAIRNESS. It wants to be able to manipulate events and sponsorships and teams and players; that way, the guy who can cheat the best comes out on top.

I hate to tell you this, but back in 1992 the teams had the opportunity to set the direction for the future of paintball at the first NPPL meeting. They could have set up a system that rewarded good play and was even-handed across the board. Instead, they chose a different path, one in which you change the rules to accomodate cheating, anyone with enough money can buy a rep and everyone is out for the buck instead of building a sport.

(temporary) end of rant

[Mosfet]

1. Paintball gun control
2. Magnetic paintball accelerater canons.

side note: I think theres already a movement towards skill over paint going.
Pumps are making a comeback (Lapco Grey Ghost)

Although I'm joking about #2, I'm not so joking abut #1.

[Lurker27]

For all intents and purposes, we're shooting paintballs as fast and accurate as we were 2 years ago...loader technology was moer or less topped out with shot queing and the HALO B, which keeps up with even the craziest fingers.