Has the electro seen its peak?

[SlartyBartFast]

The same thing could be said for baseball bats. At the pro level, wooden bats are the standard even though the 21st century alloys will allow players to hit further. To play pro, you either learn to play with wood, or you suck.

MLB knew that allowing anything but wooden bats just wasnt good for the sport at the pro level. Their vision for their sport surpassed the desires and needs of the manufacturers.

Embracing technology to compensate for a lack of skill isnt embracing a sport based on skill.

QFT. You and Miscue have made some great observations and analogies.

Now, if I could only find a regular game where everyone was in the woods shooting Splatmasters.

[SlartyBartFast]

my belife is it got FRIED when the elctros became mainstream.

No, there was rampant cheating at the tournament level long before electros.

Honour was fired when every greedy egomaniac started to play for money and glory.

Paintball put in big prizes before there was the grass roots competion to sustain and define the sport.

Want honour and fun? Organise a local no prize tournament. Just give out ribbons.

Don't attend events with big money or equipment prizes. Attend events that are good fun and well reffed instead. For the amount paid in sponsorship and paint and money given to winners, many tournaments could be run at negligible cost to the participants without hurting the income of the promoters.

But the egos and greedy wallets are too stupid to recognise it.

[rabidchihauhau]

Embracing technology to compensate for a lack of skill isnt embracing a sport based on skill.

If there were technology available that let every 8 year old hit home runs, catch all the fly balls and steal bases at will, every kids' parents would by it and every kid would be playing little league baseball, and it would only be at the college/farm team level that the real players were weeded out from the pack.

Paintball's "skillless" growth is due entirely to the lowering of the bar on what is required to "play successfully".

"Back in the day", if you showed up to play for a woodsball tournament team and didn't have real skills, you lasted maybe one practice/try-out. These days, you can find a team, no matter how well or poorly you actually play.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Not sure. I do know that the digital age has allowed illiterates to work cash registers at McDonald's...

[lather]

What I dont understand is why does using an electro or a mech or pump have to be an all or nothing choice?

I have a 05 speed, a viking, a m98, level 10 mag, and a vsc phantom. When I feel like shooting a lot of paint, (and I admit I have fun doing it) I will use my Speed or Vik, but I will also put those electros down in favor of my mechs or my phantom if the mood strikes me.

Shooting a fast electro or playing stock class or Mech are all equally enjoyable to me, for different reasons.

Refusing to understand why someone may prefer an electro or a pump/mech does nothing but limit yourself to enjoying the different aspects of the game.

[billmi]

Yeah, electros have reached their peak, and now will fade away, just like compressed air faded away and everyone went back to CO2, and the way semis faded away and everyone went back to pumps, and the way constant air refillable CO2 tanks faded away and everyone went back to 12 grams, and the way hoppers faded away, and everyone went back to stick feeders.

Or maybe not.

[SlartyBartFast]

Or maybe not.

But, there certainly isn't very far for them to go from here. They'll still be around however.

Once you can reliably feed and shoot 15 bps what's the use of increased technology?

But then again, I've always said that paintball is the sport for ricers that can't afford cars. Xboxes and TVs and really stupid body work do nothing for a cars performance, but they sure look cool.

I'm surprised no-one has built a powder blue electro with a gameboy built into the grip.

But if the gadgetude of the sport hits a plateau, perhaps it will mature and people will start wondering what the skills taht are supposed to be challenged are.

[RogueFactor]

If there were technology available that let every 8 year old hit home runs, catch all the fly balls and steal bases at will, every kids' parents would by it and every kid would be playing little league baseball, and it would only be at the college/farm team level that the real players were weeded out from the pack.

Thats almost exactly what happens with the bat analogy. You can use the alloy bats, up until pro.

I do know that the digital age has allowed illiterates to work cash registers at McDonald's...

Another one thats too funny

[PsychoBaller]

I've definately ditched the tourny scene altogether. Scenario and Pump combined are just way more fun, and the kills are more rewarding than just laying paint on someone.

Peoples really interested in Classic/Old/Rare Guns... including mostly pump, should head over to MCarterBrown.com

Thats where I picked up my Sheridan Wood Stock'd KP2. Blast from the past!


-baller

[NJPaint]

Heh, I got out of the electros a long time ago. Sold the timmys, sold the e-blade, sold the e-mags, sold the angel. Now I'm back to where I started, mech mag. Granted my first mag was ugly as sin, but its the same thing. I've found that the ultimate gun for me is the my ULE w/ X-valve, I-frame etc. Its a real head turner on the fields. It feels great to be able to rip faster than people who have electros but don't know how to use them.


I feel a little bad doing it, but last time I went out, I was with 4 friends who all rented equipment. After a few woods games I felt the urge to get back onto an airball field (maybe I really shouldn't have left tourney ball). Of course when we got to the airball field there were 10-12 15 year olds w/ timmys shooting the crap out of the field and I noted... they were playing on. We got in the cue and waited to get on. Then one of the kids actually came up to my friends and told them that they shouldn't be playing on the airball fields since their guns weren't meant to be used on it. Of course a bunch of 19 year olds aren't going to be told to leave by a 15 year old, but at least one of my friends had to be restrained from hitting the kid with the back of his rental mag.

First game, I decided that I would hit the 50 off the break and then move as quickly as I could up the field. Now this is where I feel guilty. The people that I have played with on AO/my former teamates know that I have never cheated and most would think that I would never do it ever. And that holds true now. But in that game I actually told myself that even if I got hit off the break I would make it to the 50 and play on. That is how pissed I was. Funniest part is that there was a blind spot on the field and I didn't get hit going there anyways . Anyways. After hitting the 50 I just litterally ran down the center of the field, switching sides with my mag after each bunker, eliminated all 5 players in less than 20 seconds. I think that THAT is now my favorite paintball memory.

Of course as soon as it ended one of the kids actually went into a tirade about how useless we all were and that in real tourney ball we wouldn't have a chance! I tried to not get involved, but we ended up getting into a pissing contest. We filled up two Evo II's full with paint and aimed at two trees about 50' away and just let the triggers fly. Now I'm not saying that this should/always will happen, but my ULE w/ ULT outshot his 2k2 Timmy. Granted, I'm pretty quick with mechs and he was ungodly slow with his timmy, but that was just icing on the cake.

[RogueFactor]

Yeah, electros have reached their peak, and now will fade away, just like compressed air faded away and everyone went back to CO2, and the way semis faded away and everyone went back to pumps, and the way constant air refillable CO2 tanks faded away and everyone went back to 12 grams, and the way hoppers faded away, and everyone went back to stick feeders.

Or maybe not.

Well, as previously stated, there are lots going back to pump. Many of the mfr's I have spoken with are out of stock, and/or back-ordered on their pumps. They cant keep up with demand.

Its been said that the CCI has seen growth in the last 2 years that exceed the last 10. How accurate that is, I dont know.

So, some of what youve said has merit. Will electros fade away? I think not.

Interestingly though, if electros do see their peak....what does this hold for the future?

[SlartyBartFast]

Interestingly though, if electros do see their peak....what does this hold for the future?

Stock Class X-Ball?

[sbpyro]

Stock Class X-Ball?

Now is it actually gonna be stock class or modified stock class.
I like the idea though

[manike]

Stock Class X-Ball?

Is honestly some of the most fun ever.

Actually we did stock class Hyperball with back to back games and it ruled.

[slade]

this is actually quite funny, i have a freestyle that i always use for tourneys and practice, but im going to the field with my friend tomorrow for rec play (on an xball field) and im actually hoping that the mech cocker i traded for will be here in time (i doubt it will though... ) because... well i just feel like using it instead of my freestyle. i actually bought a cocker in the first place because i wanted to make it a pump. (but the guy at my shop couldnt find the pump kit he was going to give me) the last time i went to the field the ref bet me that i would have my freestyle out after the first game, but i used my single finger slider cocker the whole day, despite the fact that the gravity feed hopper kept jamming.

[tony3]

Ha. Survival of the fittest! Last I checked, it didn't take much fitness to click a switch a couple times and the gun shoots for you at 20bps. Ooh, look at me laning! So much talent! Watch me camp here and wiggle my fingers! I can snap shoot 20 balls out, check that out!

If I were into fishing and they allowed the use of technology such as TNT - I wouldn't embrace it even if it was the "new thing."

If I were into target shooting and they allowed you to mount your gun to an electronically controlled servo that uses a video feed and laser sights to aim at the target - I wouldn't embrace it even if it was the "new thing."

If I was into cycling and they allowed you to use a motor assist (limited to X horsepower) - I wouldn't embrace it even if it was the "new thing."

Why do we play these games/sports in the first place? Are these changes consistent with the original purpose?

Are you joking? Have you ever seen a good xball game? There definitely is a lot of paint shooting but definitely lots of hard moving. Speedball from the start has been about shooting lots of paint and with better technology we will continue to shoot more, even though there is now a 15bps cap. I assume your 2 completely off base comparisons are to ramping/15bps ramping electros? I don't see how either of those things are close to ramping or the 15bps cap. TNT in fishing would just be stupid and with motor assist, no just stupid.

7 man is slow and dull and is really just people shooting a lot of paint. Hard to say that about xball though. Xball overall has changed the style of play. From the way people move, shoot, lane and even the xball field. Xball fields don't have big bunkers with lots of cover but they do reward the team that makes great bunkers because of the great angles. I know after playing xball that in 5 man tournies my team as a whole tends to play harder and pressure the other team much more.

I do have to say, if I played rec no way I'd shoot an electro. Definitely a new mech or a phantom. No reason for an electro is basic rec, even if you are playing speedball.