What's next? PBall future.

[mr_cool2588]

some way i think that if paint companies came up with a cheaper way to make paint they would make them cheaper but then they might forget to tell the customers that they have done this and the balls would then cost them half the price but they would still cost us the same. its this thing some guy came up with called buisness, where you try to make as much money as you can with as little work as possible. do you guys really think any thing in paintball is worth what it costs

[Vegeta]

Everything in paintball (except rarities like Trigonimics custom works and such) is mass produced. This makes it cheap. Do you think it costs the company 150$ to make a spyder? hell no. Maybe 70 - 80$. Its like a quote i saw on the Company Motto mocking topic-

"Dye Barrels - $40 Barrel, $60 laser engraving"

The actual product doesnt cost anything. And most companies always think of something new that they can make cheap that they can charge alot more for to make hteir product more popular. Like Kingman Java. Do you think a Spyder Compact JAVA Edition is any different in performance than a regular Spyder Compact (im using spyders becuase Kingman is a company thta takes advantage of the consumer waaaay to much, unlike Tom, who, if you sweet talk him enough, will prctically give you a gun, and stickers! woohoo!)

Well my point is no. They paint it purple, stamp "JAVA" on the vert, and charge 30$ more. pathetic. We need more consumer-honest companies like AGD. They maek their guns good enough to where all teh stock parts are actually better than most of the aftermarket parts. Most companies slap in a blot and sear and trigger jsut good enough to make it shoot. Where as upgrading the mag bolt to an aftermarket non - AGD bolt could actually be bad. lol.

Well, you cant say that about many companies.
My compliments to AGD.

[Vegeta]

And the average paitnball weighs about 6 grams I belive.

Somebody weight one.

[hardr0ck68]

hmm i think we are gonna see a rise and fall of the sport in the pop culture, i also think were gonna see prices bottom out real soon (look at it now people cant unload there bushies and defiants on pbc) and paint has been slowly going down, when i stared playin 3 or 4 years ago the cheapest paint i could get was 50 a case, and the decent stuff that dident break every 3rd shot was 65-80. now you can get cheap stuff for 30 a case and really good stuff for 50 or so. hehe it probably cost them like 5-6 bucks a case to make... i mean look at cigeretts they sell for what 3-5 a pack, it costs the companys .05 for a carton (im serious about that to...) if i smoked i would feel riped off

[Mwmathes]

Future of Paintball

The future of paintball as i see it, is a rapid expansion of electronics into almost everything the sport does. Even look at our beloved Mag... we now have an E-Mag. (not that im bashing the e-mag, because i want one anyway...;o) Gone were the days that a player only had mechanical systems to use at his disposal.

And why are we moving towards this electrified player? A person cant hardly play anymore with out having to check and make sure if all their battery's are fresh. We are moving towards having that paintball machine gun, simply because its cool to shoot. Im reminded of a test that the US Army did during vietnam, where a gunner stepped up to a firing line with a New M-16, and proceded to shoot at three evenly spaced targets, using full auto. Well he didn't even hit one of them. Now this same man swiched to S/F and put 1 shot through each bullseye. Full auto & high rates of fire do not bring anything meaningfull to our sport. (aside from the fact that its fun to shoot, and as long as people go out there just to shoot, then, well: someone is going to be on the recieving end of that 20bps string.)

And what can we do about the future of paintball? If you ask me, you can embrace change, or not. I remember alot of people who stopped playing Pball back in the day when the first Semi-Automatic came out, because it changed the way things were done. Do i like the fact that electronics have infltrated almost every aspect of the game? No i do not, but then again, i run around most of the time with a Phantom Stockgun, but i do own a 68PFD, and i will use that from time to time.

So while everyone is worried about the future of the game, you just have to remember what you play for. If your going out there to shoot your paintball gun as many times as you can, well thats your buisness. If your going out there to sneak around and phantom someone in the back, then thats your buisness. To each his own, my father once said; just play your own game of paintball.

And i will see you on the field.

Mwmathes
Team Praetorian Guard, IL

[Vegeta]

Eventually there will ahve to be a limit.. either a phisics-related boundry, or a legal one. you cant have people shooting at 25bps. thats crossing the line of fun and almost real combot. You are battling not to get railed by 16 balls at once. Not for fun. I can't see us crossing the 20 bps line. I know guns of the future will be able to shoot more than that, but I dont see feilds/manufacturers allowing it.

[Low Down]

The future of paintball is right here. it's us. paintball as a sport will rise or fall based on it's players and field owners.

Will it be faster markers? well ask youself this, do we want faster markers? because as long as we want it there will be companies striving to sell it to us.

Will it be cheaper paint? As long as the demand for paint keeps increasing the price will go down. That's what's brought it down to where it is now and that is what will keep it going down.

i think the next thing to come along in paintball is going to be a greater number of high quality fields. I really think that support for the local fields has to increase. That means buying things from your field owner instead of off the internet. I used to hear people at my local field complaining about the fact that there were no local paintball stores to buy from and they had to buy off the internet. Well now there's two local paintball stores and those same people are still buying off of the internet.

[Low Down]

I understand where you're coming from. Most paintball stores can't afford to have a lot of items in stock. I personally think that they should stick to selling accessories mainly. The big thing is that a paintball store should be able to order whatever they need from the manufacturers. The store i go to (it's actually the field i play at) carries all of the everyday items that you might need for a day of paintball and will order anything special that you may want including nitro tanks and markers.

Sometimes it's a little more expensive, sometimes it's a little cheaper, but i always have someone right there who will stand behind the product. The owner will do installation of whatever you bought and will troubleshoot any problems that you may be having with the gun. I feel very lucky to have this kind of support and if a store doesn't provide this level of service i would dare to say that it won't last long.

That's why i say that the future of paintball lies with the players AND the field owners. As much as i believe in supporting your local field stores, I don't expect anyone to allow themselves to be cheated just for the sake of supporting their local field. Never forget that the field owners have a responsibility to the players as well.

[Vegeta]

I got extremely POed at a local sotre yesterday. It is hte olny store that stocks reletivly good gear in the area. HTey had done some re-stockign of the PB section (its a sporting good store, mainly hunting) and so I thought I'd check it out. I walk to the PB section, and I was immediatly disgusted.
I saw the following on the racks:
-Green Rebel
-Blue Rebel
-Silver Rebel
-Red Rebel
-Rebel w/ Ex. Chamber
-M98 Custom
-Squeegies
-Butt Plates
-Minimag, top, left hand corner.. no price, very dusty.

I was tempted to ask the price of the mini, but there was no one around and I was hungry. I'm going back next week to see.

I really wish there were more paintball stores, nto just sporting goodsstors that sell PB equip. From what I hear, there are many peole at this forum who have access to atleast 1 paintball store in the area that stocks mags/cockers and so forth. That is one reason why I still own a stock M98. the only thing I have changed i the past 2 years I have had it is the paintjob.
No feilds, no stores, no intrest.

[Stompy]

I'd like to see other calibers of paint employed. I shoot a Bob Long Defiant with nitro and all that good stuff, but only because it can help to compete with all those crazies out there laying down clouds of paint. However, technology can only REALLY help if you're a good player.

Something that has always disgusted me with paintball is the unrealistic short distance that a paintball fires, with significant drop near the end. There could be a real market for .50cal paintballs with 400fps speed restrictions. Sure, goggle manufacturers would have to get their act together instead of just trying to make their masks as strong as they HAVE to be, and there would have to be new markers designed for that caliber. Come on, anyone putting a bipod on the barrel of their .68 caliber paintgun calling themselves a sniper and wobbling huge .68 rounds through the air is just full of it.

High Quality 12g. and 4-7oz. co2 operated AUTHENTIC firearm patterned weapons could also have quite a market. I'm talking bolt actions, pumps, etc., a real return of the old marketed more towards players who have actually heard of the 007 and the Splatmaster. How about a return of the revolver? Who wouldn't be tempted to buy a couple to just stick in their pants pocket and go out in the woods for a short game?

We have to realize that as guns get more and more sophisticated we shoot more and more paint! Period. And there needs to be products geared towards PURELY recreational players who just get tired of keeping up with all the paint throwing.

[Rob @ DNR]

The cost of paint will not be going down anytime soon. (I remember paying $140 a case for Pro Ball...) Nor will they manufacture it any cheaper. Cheaper production costs equal cheaper quality. You get what you pay for. It has been tried by a couple of companies. It failed, and they are either nonexistant, or back to the original formula.
Markers will be introduced in the future with heads up displays, and built in feed systems. Sure the rate of fire issue will be fought for years to come. Everyone has an opinion. Mine is this, if you can shoot that fast, I hope your on my team! It's like NASCAR. The cars were going 200+ MPH and going out of control hurting the drivers. So they made rules to restrict the speeds. Paintball markers are getting to that "200 MPH" zone. You will see an industry "cap" on ROF and mode's of fire. Personally I think "Enhanced modes" are a joke. It is a crutch that people use to hide their lack of skill in the game. Sure shooting 16 BPS is appreciated by my front players in a tourney, but that is in semi auto mode. In tournament play, evey little edge you have on your compettition is needed. A marker that eats paint like Angel's and E-Mags do are just part of that edge.

The last couple of replies about pro shops and fields not having a good supply of stuff hits me very personally. I am the co-owner of DNR Paintball in Dover, DE. I am the "R" in "DNR." (Check the listings in Paintball 2 Xtremes magazine...) Our biggest problem is the internet. We cannot come close to some of the prices I have found online. I have seen products on the internet that are for sale cheaper than I buy them from the manufacturer! That burns me the most!!! How can I compete with that? Here is how we do it... What we offer is personal customer support. You buy a product from me, I back it up. You have a question or problem, you come see me, a person not an opperator that doesn't have a clue. Sure you pay a little more, but you get that much more out of it. We try and make friends out of our customers. Without them, we would not be here. Support your local pro shop. Without them around, you might not have a place to play next time... So spend that extra $5.00 on that item and get it from someone who will appreciate it. I know I will... I could go on for a long, long time, but I don't want to bore you all to death. See ya at the field...

[Vegeta]

Well, I wish the shop here carried good merchendise, thats all. Need more vareity.

[Rob B]

I can tell you from experience that a show room full of $1,000.00+ guns may look pretty, but the truth is that if we sell 1 angel a month, we are doing good. The biggest sellers are 98 customs and Spyders. Our theroy is this, have a couple of "eye candy" guns like Angel LCD's and E-Mags. Then have a full stock of Tippmanns and Spyders. The customer see's that we have big stuff on the wall, but it is for then to dream about.
Example, we have a Shocker 4+4 on the wall. It is a beautiful gun with the anodize job. I wish I owned it. It has sat on our wall for 7 months... That is 0ver $600.00 that is sitting around doing us absolutely no good. The little shops just can't afford to have $600+ wrapped up in a gun that may never sell. You have to be able to turn your inventory over very quickly to stay alive in retail. Your local shops are doing just that. They keep stuff in stock that sells, not much more. They are keeping the overhead as low as possible. If you ask your local pro shop, I bet they can get anything you would ever need, in a resonable amount of time. Just ask them. I can't think of a single pro shop thas has every item ever made in stock. That is just asking for the impossible.

[MagJedi]

fields

what i would like to see in the future of paint ball dosnt have anything to do with the equipment. i would love to see more thought put into the fields.i think chalenge park has the right idea (i want to go there verry soon) but most of the fields arround me are just a bunch of pallets, barrels,and logs. isnt there more that the owners can do i know sup air and hyperball are expinsive. i would love to see more fields where you do more than run crouch shoot. i have a fiew ideas but i wont take up more of anyones time. i just want to see some more thought put into the fields

[ciaran.mooney]