Do I need a new marker?

[Aslan]

First off...I love my Mag. I've never played so may games in a row and not had a gun break down. It's so reliable that I've questioned my need for any back-up markers.

BUT...here's the thing. The last two times I played...things didn't go well. Two weeks ago I spent most of the day having troubles...mainly because it was a new field (woodsball) and I didn't really have a good feel for it. But one thing I noticed was there was this guy with an Ion...and he was really doing well. Now, he wasn't a newb...he had some experience...but his gun really helped!! He was shooting so fast...it almost made me paranoid when he was on the opposing team..."Where is he? I have to try to get him out first!"

It was the first time I really started thinking, should I just get an Ion? Why am I trying so hard not to be "that guy?" Maybe paintball is starting to be totally about "that guy." Maybe I'm just an old guy sitting on a porch remembering years long gone...where people played with pumps and anybody with an autococker or automag was God.

But I dismissed it. Temporary insanity.

Well, one week later...I had the worst day of paintball I've ever had. 0 kills...2 deaths...I was pretty much useless. The turnout stunk...I got lost on the way to the field...it just generally stunk.

Well...each time I got hit out...I was taking massive amounts of fire from A-5s and Model98s with reactive triggers. It had to be 13-17bps coming at me. Once they got a bead on me...I couldn't escape...couldn't move.

Now, the point of this is I've always been of the opinion that firepower was a far second to skill. That a skilled player could dominate a game with a pump over newer players. But efter the last couple games...I'm starting to have doubts. Me of all people starting to have doubts!!

I don't know...maybe it wasn't the firepower. Last week both times I got hit out I was in the open...poor use of cover...very uncharacteristic of how I play. And the two weeks before...only one of the 3 times I got hit out was it a legitimate shot and that was also a results of me not using cover appropriately...so maybe there's still hope.

[Stealth Fighter]

Spyderframe conversion, Hyperframe, e-mag lowers, or pnuematic conversion will make you a happier man.

[68magOwner]

no need for a new marker, i went out and played some rec ball and woods ball (i try to mix it up and play rec every so often) I used a tac one, and had no problems all day against markers, 90% of which were in PSP mode shooting 15 bps (even rentals here are in psp ramp). Actually, i dont think i got shot all day (which, was good thing, concidering i was playing shirtless).

Just, avoid getting shot lol.

[slateman]

You only got eliminated twice . . . after a whole day?!?!? I pretty much get shot up every game. I just make it a point to take three people with me to the dead box

No need for a new gun. Just play smarter. Chalk up your day to a bad one and move on.

Now . . . do you want a new marker . . .

[SCpoloRicker]

Listen, I know I've picked on you.

But, I gotta be honest. You don't "need" an Ion/Timmy/06 PL Ego/whatever.

Youth and strength always lose to age and treachery. I'm playing pump whenever I'm at a local woods field.

/pump guys are scary
//apparently

[RusskiX]

Do you need a new marker? ............Probably not.
Do you feel the itch of gun whoreism?.......Maybe

There are a lot of factors that go into having a "successful" day at the field. In no particular order: experience, home field knowledge/advantage, marker speed, communication and luck.

I've found in the woods that the winning players usually have an in depth knowledge of the field. If you are on unfamilar territory you at a disadvantage. This is not so much of a factor in airball due to the symmetrical layout of bunkers.

Experience/skill clearly counts for something as does good communication/planning. If you are teamed up with the rentals/walkons against an organized opposition, then you generally get screwed.

Increased BPS does help. Paintball has been an arms race since its inception for a reason. I was kinda laughing when Lohman posted his hypothesis that ramping encourages movement on the field; since it sounded more like he was dominating the other team with volume/speed which opened up the field for his individual movement.

And finally, on any given Sunday, any player could have a good/bad day.

As for your personal circumstance, I would just chalk it up as a learning experience. Just keep practicing and you can compensate for some of those factors working against you.

[craltal]

You just need to get unconventional and/ or unpredictable in your playing style when you are facing higher ROF. All it takes is one ball from you.

One of the highlights of my playing came when I was pinned down by two opposing players who helped build the field and had bee playing on it for two years before I ever met up with them. I ended up behind a bunker and layed down on my back to get an angle on and ended up shooting one guy up the barrel. Before the other one knew what happened I popped him in the hip when he thought I was going to be pinned down.

Mind you I hadn't really planned it that way, but creative use of cover is paramount!

[SlartyBartFast]

If you think you're playing badly do you need a new marker? Absolutely not.

If your playing badly it's the player's fault not the marker's. (Unless the marker is not working properly).


Work on your skills and stop being intimidated.

[Cow hunter]

Spyderframe conversion, Hyperframe, e-mag lowers, or pnuematic conversion will make you a happier man.

seconded, not only will you have mag reliability, but the speed of all the newer guns, well except for the pneumag, fast, but not electronic, so no modes of fire.

[Lohman446]

Somehow the reaction to this is not going to be good, and I know this...

The markers in the past I was happiest with where my mechanical mags. I have one to this day and actually switch it out from time to time with a Tadeod Evil Minion, and still play with the same tournament crowd. These markers do what they should, they make me happy, and there a pleasure to use.

The most frustrating marker I ever owned was my full ULE E-mag. I love mags, and the E-mag when it was first out was competetive. I know noone here beleives this but for the money it takes to build/get an E-mag there are better electros out there.

[WenULiVeUdiE]

I had almost an enitre season filled with days like that. It all started with a 'Cocker, which only truly worked for 1 day out of 5. I then got a 'Mag, which worked 2 times out of 4. I started having other equipment as well as game related issues. I'd get stuck using a backup mech Spyder against your typical speedball crowd. I decided the hell with it- Sold the Mag and bought a Viking.

Now, it appears your "issues" are not as equipment based as mine were. They seem to be more of a few bad experiences linked together. However, that should not stop you from trying new things. From what you have said, it appears that you have never owned an electronic marker. Maybe you should borrow one from a friend and play with it for half a day and see how you do. Maybe you will find it gives you what you are looking for. Or Possibly it will tell you that it is not the equipment that is the issue.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that an electronic marker can not help you do better on the field. Now, I disagree with this statement. I found that in speedball primarily I found it much easier to play with a Viking than I did with an RTP. However, that is not what we are debating in this thread, so yeah...

[robnix]

/pump guys are scary

Kid1: OMFG He's got a pump!!!
Kid2: O**** He Must Be a ****ing Badass!!

[dahoeb]

i've been having similar experiences lately. every once in awhile, i get a string of bad days, and a few of those times i've went out and bought a new marker. because of those days i went through a cocker, impulse, timmy, and viking. none of them helped at all, infact i probably just played worse (had too much fun sitting there shooting). each time i ended up going back to the mag.
ions and other fast guns have been around a lot longer than 1 months worth of play. if it really was an equipment issue, you wouldve come across these issues long ago.
you may have just got in a rut, a little cocky or lazy which may be leading you to sloppy play.
give it a few more months before you do anything drastic, more than likely, you be back in your groove by then.

[Jonno06]

sooo......how would a new gun have helped in any of your experiences?

[stop whining buy a mag]

If you're only getting hit because someone can put out a lot of paint, you need to find a new sport.