Can paintball be saved ?

[punkncat]

Damn brother. I couldnt have said it better.

Ive bolded the parts that Ive found most glaringly true.

I think the only thing Id change is that Capitalism is killing paintball. True capitalism wouldnt allow this. True capitalism is about competition. What you see killing paintball is a baastardization of Capitalism, where those with money and power can snuff out those without for no other reason than they are big. Our system was set-up to keep this from happening.

The USPTO has been taken advantage of. So many have said that the SP Patent is weak, nonetheless it granted. That alone is enough for the big dogs who have the money to buy in, snuffing out those who cant---even though it shouldnt have been granted.

Such is life. I shoot mech.

Thank you brother.

I agree with your take on the bastardization of Capitalism as well. If it worked the way its supposed to then the industry would have been protected from the very thing that is destroying it.

[Jackel411]

Brilliant post!!!

This is the same way Im feeling about the game..

[hs2000]

Everything you guys are complaining about could be fixed in a second,

Just play pump.

I've never seen a pump player cheat, but I have seen a lot of pump players say, "nice shot" when you got them.

Also, look at the companies making pumps, CCM has a super high quality line, with their SS-25 and their new Series 6 (which is actually very different then previous models). All their products come with life time warranty which is excellent. For example when the SS-25 first came out, people complained about the it "farting" (although it wasn't bad), CCM redesigned the value and gave them away FREE.

Their markers are also made in California.

I don't even own a semi anymore, even though 90% that's what I'm playing against.

[stop whining buy a mag]

I usually hate the whining posts but yours is exactly on. Everyone that was fun to play with has left the game.

The only problem with playing pump is finding a good place to play. All the fields by me suck.

[Toll]

To be honest, it seems the biggest obstacle is the fact that we've reached a plateau in technology. We are no longer in the arms race to make a marker shoot faster. Smaller? *points to a1's/etc* so where do we go from there? To make the marker shoot farther would require a very creative use of physics...why do that when people are relatively happy with how far the ball goes?



What's changed about a Matrix from Gen-E to dm7?
-Eyes. Not a bad change, everyone likes eyes.
-Speed - Nope. Same board, same speed
-Weight - Yep. Your hopper now weights more than your marker.
-Reliability - Hahaha...No, seriously. Dm7's in my experience go down so fast you'd swear they were a drunken prom date.

[Phantom_Mag]

Great post.

Agreed,

Completely.

Punkncat- Youre not alone.

[Aggravated Assault]

I think the only thing Id change is that Capitalism is killing paintball. True capitalism wouldnt allow this. True capitalism is about competition. What you see killing paintball is a baastardization of Capitalism, where those with money and power can snuff out those without for no other reason than they are big. Our system was set-up to keep this from happening.

Thanks for saying this.




So often it seems the "not -so-free" market more and more.

[paintballfiend]

What new is happening in paintball? Beyond the Mini, which is only a spin on existing setup there is NOTHING new going on at all. These markers are lightened versions of the same thing thats been available since 02. As has been pointed out before, customers aren't making decisions as to what we want to use. Manufacturers and the legal tie downs of an imminent law suit to anyone that dares innovate are. Capitalism is what is killing paintball my friend. The yearning for the profits to be made by people that care nothing about the sport, only the bottom line. Capitalism is what is holding down the little guy with a good idea. Capitalism is what is causing companies to merger and buy out.

Yes comrade, communism will save paintball.

[BigEvil]

Dont be surprised when you find out other "high-end" markers are being made in China too.

Everyone wants cheap. Going to China is the only way to give the customers what they want.

YEah tell me about it. I run a 500,000sq ft warehouse filled with 'cheap crap' all made in china. Sickening.

[RogueFactor]

YEah tell me about it. I run a 500,000sq ft warehouse filled with 'cheap crap' all made in china. Sickening.

LOL. I know the feeling.

I used to work for the worlds largest manufacturer of outdoor sporting goods furniture(we were busting at the seems in a 100,000 sq ft. warehouse). You wouldnt believe how many containers came through there.

The company was owned by the brother of a Chinese General, and supposedly finanaced by the Chinese government. I had to deal with a CostCo recall once, and completely understand the 'cheap crap' you speak of. A sub-contractor made the plastic components from substandard materials.

Just as long as everyone is prepared to buy another paintball marker next year, what does anyone care about quality?

[Gecko]

Just to poke the fire abit
Do you guys think the same things were said when constant air was introduced into paintball?
When Semi Auto's started taking over?

[RogueFactor]

Just to poke the fire abit
Do you guys think the same things were said when constant air was introduced into paintball?
When Semi Auto's started taking over?

No doubt.

I just think this time, there is a difference. The industry leaders didnt leave the sport when those things were happening. There wasnt IP issues of companies suing other companies. There wasnt a 30% drop in sales as a result. The greed wasnt there. The volume wasnt there to be able to go overseas for manufacturing. The industry was unified behing ASTM, and regulation. Not divided. I think there wasnt a technological standstill, there were still progressions. I dont think there was as much negative press, or negative sentiment within the industry.

I dont think that as many players left the sport or went back to its roots as you are seeing now...or the advent of the electro wouldnt exist.

The beauty is...everyone has the power. Individually. And individually the masses are speaking. There is no better way than to vote with your pocketbook. That gets any manufacturers attention.

[AGD]

And who was it around here that was saying that things are not changing any different now than in the past?

With the sale of PMI and National, everyone who had a large part of this industry in the beginning is now gone. The people running the big companies like Brass Eagle and the new National/PMI don't know paintball, don't play paintball, don't know who you are and frankly don't care. They are beholding to the board of directors to make a return on their investment.

They made the investment not for the game, but for the profit potential. All the little guys got wiped out by the law suits and the lack of margin. The ones who were left sold out and now its just the biggest sharks who are left.

My personal opinion, right or wrong, is that the industry was too short sighted in coming together and making a rational decision on what it took to make paintball a long term stable industry. Wrap that up with thousands of kids screaming for more firepower and then letting them run rampant with it brought us down this inevitable road.

Collectively paintball has gotten what they asked for, a ferrari you can buy with your mom's credit card and a road to race it on where you can cut through side streets and claim you came in first.

AGD

[cyrus-the-virus]

I blame Smart Parts.

I want an 07 software 5.9 emag with breakbeam eye's and huge battery that get's me many looks from the kiddies.

Or a 07 AKA viking that consistantly gives me 2500 shot's out of a 68/4500 and +/- 1 FPS over the chorono with the sidewinder 2 regulator and the SCM-VI LPR.

OH WAIT I CAN'T CUS Smart PArts SKREWED AKA AND AGD!!!! I have to buy a half plastic POS gun that requires constant attention and expensive lube to keep operational. I can't just throw some gold cup lube or autolube in the ASA and play.

I feel cheated. I've only been playing for a little more than a year and I feel as if I've been cheated out of the glory day's of the sport, no wait, it's not a sport anymore, it's been reduced to a game.

I'm going to stick with it though. Though it's unlikly, maybe some great company will make markers with quality comparable or better than AKA and AGD, with oil maitenece, CO2 compatibility, and a fair price. I don't mind paying for quality, hell I'd payout the *** for quality if I could afford it. unfortunetly SP started the fad of releasing sub-par quality product's with piss poor quality control and even worse customer service. while getting rid of the companies who actually care.

But fortunetly there are still a few companies around who care, CCI, lucky, APE, AGD, there are more but they slip my mind....

[Lohman446]

Yes paintball can be saved. Where we are at now is not the technology, though the road to that technology was paved by the same cause of where we are now.

Where we are at now as caused by the people we allowed to play in this game. We allowed cheating, We closed our eyes even when it was first shown on tape. It was defended at the highest level by the fact "everyone had done it at one point or another". Hmmm, no everyone had not.

Once upon a time "saving" paintball was possible. The people who provided the equipment, and the tournaments, where part of the game. They could react to better the game. Granted far too many acted to better there margins.

The problem becomes, the fix is hard to swallow. Its not necessarily the equipment that needs to be dealt with, its the undesireable demographic.

When paintball was dangerous it seemed obvious that you had to be an adult to play. But then it was proven it was not too bad. Lets let others play, besides, think of the increase in sales if we increase the demographic, then we did it again. Ok, so all the problems are not the "kids" fault, and some are great stand up players. Many adults are part of the problem.

When the game was all adults who could afford to play we played because we loved the game. Winning and losing, well noone really cared, it was as much about the beer and burgers afterwards as the time spent in the woods. Winning and losing did not matter about exposure, and sponsorship, and money. Winning became more important than the enjoyment of the game....

We have seen record growth on paper. They were false, fueled by being in a growth industry, and fueled by simply making the demographic bigger. Then the big boys saw those returns, at least on paper. Now you have business men chasing false growth, sure it was there, but the reasoning had little to do with just business. Of course the sport suffers... noone is willing to call out those that do something that is detrimental to the sport, it might cost money...