AGD at a crossroad.. where do you want it to go?

[deadbox101]

as for the gun itselfs mags are one of the best. with the devil electro frame, and the hyper2 coming out thats covered. then theres the hAir or p-blade for the mech department and theres the agg-mag with the eblade aswell. If they massively advertise there gun and WARP they will see large sales increase. They need to show people the warp and explain to them its not just an extra pound. They also need to offer 12V mods stock for the warp and so on. To complement the gun they need to bring back a improved flatline make it lighter less shootdown, more user friendly whatever they need to do. As for advertising pay stores X amount of money when they sell AGD parts and they'll advertise for you, even recommend you buy AGD markers or parts. Finally AGD needs to create an insane hopper for the warp only, even if takes 1 or 2 years because then advertising will be in full affect. Why warp only? because this will make demand for other gun users to have one made for CF. AGD is doing a good job but they need to put out more advertising

[SpecialBlend2786]

emag software update would be awesome....I thought i remember miscue saying that he had something like that?

I think mags would be perfect markers if they were a little more efficient. I also would like to see a dedicated pump mag, one that could compete with phantoms and sovreigns. And be just as efficient

["the FitZ"]

advertising would be a great idea. We need to get rid of the "boat anchor" and "blender" reps that mags have acquired. But that would probably require AGD going up on the price of their stuff, and we really don't want that. They have been good enough to put out good stuff at a reasonable price unlike some companies who market a gun for 2 or 3 times what it costs to produce. But I would like to see the next version of the minimag to actually be mini. You could move the reg off the back and give it more expansion and move the breech back by about a 1/2 inch. Of course people w/ eggys would have to cock the gun or eat the hopper. Maybe then you could enlarge the dump chamber and lower the pressure. But the main thing I want to see is that freakin' hAir trigger. It better come out soon or I'll do something drastic, like buy a shocker.

[Athius]

I think creating a new gun would be best.

The mag is awesome, but it's also almost 15 years old. It has quite a few flaws that are difficult to overcome.

I think the same thing. I wanna see a new AGD marker and let it be electro.

[taz-nz]

They need to stop making ugly heavy looking makers

1: Get rid of that dumb picture of the 400lb Tac-One on the front page of the website.
It makes the worst first impression of almost any paintball manufactures websites on the web. (Hell most of the website should be dumped, it's got to many dead ends and is layed out all wrong)

2: Make a good looking light weight marker Joe Newbie can buy of the shelf.
All the current range of AGD marker way be light, but the none of them look that way.
I look at every other marker on the market and think about what I want to add, I look at the current AGD range and think about what I want to take off, and that's the problem !!

They need to make a light weight ULE MAG using the:
- Wingless TAC-ONE body rail (the sydarm bodyrail)
- The ULE vertical feed Body
- X-Valve
- RT Pro Vertical ASA Adapter ,
- Include the hose and fitting to connect the vertical ASA to the valve
- Intelli frame with blade trigger (because that what the market wants)
- A simple stock barrel.
- Add Yellow to the range of colours.

Now things not to do to the maker:
- Add RT foregrips or sight rails or anything else that makes the marker look heavy.
- Miss match the colour of the different part, everything should be Anodized one colour.
- Put that 70s ray blaster looking barrel on it (go with something simple.)
- Put the ULE trigger kit on it, (to hard to setup for Joe Newbie)
- Put a bottom line on it (Just offer a factory kit)

3:Then advertise it's benefits:
- Light weight.
- Simple clean design.
- Anti-chop bolt.
- High rate of fire.
- Cocker barrel threads.
- Your choice of colours.

4: Take on the rest of the marker range.

- The Sydarm:
-Is near perfect, give in an aluminum grip frame and it is.
-Put out a pump kit for it with a longer barrel for the pump nuts out there.

- The Tac-One:
- Make it a right feed ULE body with a built in top sight rail.
- Make it a single trigger frame.
- Bead blast it to give it a matt finish.
- Anodize it in a camo design all over.
- Make a optional foregrip along the lines of the old Pump kit handle.

- The RT ULE Custom:
- Dump it and replace it with a factory limited run model of the ULE MAG.
- With the factory fitted ULE trigger Kit
- Custom body milling
- Custom Anodizing (i.e flame jobs, blue - white ice fade, other fade and splash jobs)
- Your choice of vertical or warp body.

- The E-Mag/X-Mag:
- Sell the rest of them.
- Sort out the legal rubbish.
- Come up with something smaller & simpler
- Loss the battery pack at all costs.
- Possibly switch to a Desert Fox valve setup to allow for a sear tripper config.
- Give it a one piece body/rail with custom milling.
- Dump the interchangeable feed port module rubbish.


- Classic / Mini Mag:
- Clear out all stock of bodies and body rails, valve etc.
- Just keep replacement parts needed for repairs in stock only.

5: Dump the current website
- Get in a new web designer and start again.
- Make it clean and easy to get around.

6: Develop new products for the future:
- A new one piece body with integrated body rail and move the ball detent to the bottom of the breach to make for cleaner body lines. Making for a lighter cleaner looking marker.

- A HAIR-trigger style upgrade kit. and add it to the range as an upgrade option.

7: Stop showing every marker in their range with warp feed attached.
It's the ugliest piece of hardware in paintball. It makes people think a mag needs one to feed paint without chopping and it make the markers look heavy and unbalance.


Well thats' my $9.99

[DiSoRdeR]

I agree with every thing taz-nz has said, I would also like to see a new redesigned warpfeed. Would also like to see some warp slugs.

[B.A.M.]

I'd like to see them carve there own path. Come out with a new mech hybrid similar to the emag. Also upgrade the warp.

[WARPED1]

I want to see AGD go back to tournies, and pander to todays tournament players. Like the usual crazes like lp and things of that sort. They need to abandon the common mag look because to players who don't know the truth, "mags suck", people see the mag look and immediatly lable it as a sucky blender that just sux!

[frop]

To everyone saying to make a new electro, why not have AGD do something with the devilmag? I think AGD is doing just fine for the most part. They should bring together the dealers, revamp the website, & make some SLug designs of their own.

[Muzikman]

I think AGD is doing just fine for the most part.

If this was the case, i don't think Tom would be bailing.

[taz-nz]

Another emag will not solve the problem

Making another $1000+ tournament marker, that only 2% of players can afford is not going to keep them in business. They need a standard MAG to replace the classic MAG and they haven't had one in years.

It's no use them having the greatest set of parts if, a player has to buy them all separately and build the marker himself, at three time the cost of the standard marker, and that what they've got now.

They need to make a simple clean ULE-MAG for about $350-$400, to replace the Classic mag. It doesn't need a super light trigger pull or a $100 brand name barrel, it needs to look good and be affordable to the masses.

The RT ULE Custom is rubbish, it doesn't fit the bill at all, none of their current range does the way I see it. The Sydarm is cool but basically a collectors item. The E-mag is to expensive and the battery pack is plan ugly. The Tac-One was their best attempt at a replacement for the classic mag. But they got it wrong in my eyes, they marketed it toward scenario players which is a small group relative to the total market, and Tippmann has been doing in better and cheaper for longer.

They need something that Joe Newbie can pick up and put a hopper and a tank on to and go play, be it speedball, woods ball, or a 24 scenario. A tournament player wants the fastest, lightest, flashiest thing out there in general. A scenario player just wants something in all black with a single trigger. The rest of the players out there just what a reliable marker, that looks as good as it shoots, and is affordable. (massive generalizations all round)

They need a good flagship product too, an X-mag type limited production marker with custom milling and anodizing, ULE trigger kit, and a good barrel to match. It doesn't need to be an E-Mag but it probably wouldn't hurt. (that or a HAIR trigger setup)

They don't need to get away from the MAG look, they need to get back to it. Get rid of the rubbish they've got attached to their current range and get back to the super clean lines of the classic mag. Hell the 03 Shocker looks like a AUTOMAG so why can't a 04/05 MAG.

I can afford any marker currently on the market should I wish, but I wouldn't buy any of AGD current markers off the shelf. I could buy all the parts and build one up to replace my current classic mag. But it would cost me at least double to buy what I want as parts, as it would for a Tac-One.

I think AGD is a great company and I think the MAG's basic design is one of the best, if not the best designs in paintball, but their current range sucks and has for a long time. They've got everything they need to make a great marker and they haven't.

Show me a factory built ULE-MAG like the one described in my earlier post, at realistic price and you've got yourself a sale.

[Scott Hudnall]

A few ideas I would like to see happen:

1. create a range of body styles using the slug.

2. a drop-in "E-MAG II" kit, utilizing the Intelliframe (likely a modified Intelliframe). Heck, the frame could just as easily be a composite frame (like the stock frame), but 2 finger, having the Intelliframe style/feel. The boards and solenoids are readily available and it's very do-able.....look at the spyder-mag projects that have been done. Those internals cost next to nothing and are mass produced already. Use a standard 9v battery in the frame.

3. Re-design the WARP to more of a traditional hopper style, top of gun (don't throw stones at me for this), give the mass of players a real alternative to the HALO or Revvy or whatever else. A good fast hopper on a mag nearly eliminates chopping itself without the need for the level10 bolt (and don't shoot cheap seconds paint). The level 7 foamie bolt and use of the plastic nubin does GREAT in a mag with a fast hopper.

4. Let's finally get the hAIR trigger / PTP project done and out. It's a sound idea.



IF TK had never invented the AIR valve for the mag....and all the guns were basically the stacked bolt configuration......well if someone came out with the AIR valve in 2004 people would be raving about how it's the freakin' next evolution in paintball guns. It's a brilliant design. Stick with it. Just accessorize the rest of the gun....body....frame....warp....etc....and get it out in the public's hands through move aggressive marketing.

But, Dave....as you are aware....there's nothing wrong with staying a smaller company making awesome custom paintball guns....as long as the profit margins are there and sustainable.

[frop]

If this was the case, i don't think Tom would be bailing.

ME= brain fart

The rest of my post still stands, I think.

[Mer]

How about some decent pictures?

When you go to the custom ULE page there's a disclaimer right there telling you that your marker will not look like the one pictured as it's a prototype.

Come on! These have been out for how long now? Get some decent pictures (variety and larger) of a few assembled markers with the different colored bodies so people can see what one looks like.

No real $$$ expense there. I've asked this and have been told to go to AO for photos. What if I don't want to see one that someone else has customized? What if I want to see what I'll be buying. Not many people are confident to buy something sight unseen.

Someone in the marketing department has really been slacking. The nice banner ads of the ULE bodies and the girl on AO are a start but when you get to the site you can't even see a decent sized photo of a ULE body. You get a small photo of them all in a row and you can't even make out the details of the milling.

Plese take these comments AGD as constructive criticism. But please take them!!

How is someone supposed to become interested in a product withont even knowing what it will look like?

I'd even volunteer my services to take some decent photos. I'm right in Algonquin about 45 minutes away.

Think about it.

Eric

[JoshK]

I agree with 99% of these posts...if you cant do even 2/3rds of this stuff, atleast do the remaining 1/3rd!!! DO ANYTHING!