Feasible Paintball Advancements?

[FooTemps]

What is your opinion on the next feasible paintball advancement? I think there are a couple categories where it could happen. You know, there's always marker advancement, gear advancement, mental advancement. Then there's always the sub categories in there.

For markers you could probably rule out most of the physical improvements. The performance is basically topped out with the way we're doing things right now. Rate of fire is already so far that no person can outshoot their marker. There's always going to be improvement in this area for the sake of getting customers but I mean, does rof matter so much now? I'm seeing undertow and backspin inducing as the primary range increasing medium. I can't see anything else that would really change 300fps = 300fps = 300fps. Okay, maybe there is one improvement we can make. Efficiency for some markers is probably the only change I see coming anytime soon. I don't really see that as a big change either.

There's also ergonomics for markers. Things like that funk 90 degree impy grip and the y grip are startin to become more and more common. I guess there's a change coming there soon. 90 or 15 degree is now starting to come into the public's eye as good. Yeah, I guess AGD was pretty damn far ahead for its time.

For the gear I don't really see new, revolutionary threads coming out anytime soon. No high tech pants or high tech jersies... if there would ever be such a thing. Maybe things like a glove to grip interface that would prevent unsafe firing could come up but that's basically, a key/security for markers. A good idea IMO. There's also the idea of HUDs coming into paintball in the near future. I'm unsure about that though...

There's probably tons more we could elaborate on. Paintball's constantly evolving so there's always something on the horizon. Does anyone else have any feasible paintball advancements in any category?

PS: I'm not sure if it's Deep Blue material but please keep this a serious talk. I really want to know what people see in paintball's future and what technical advancements could be happening.

[nippinout]

Re: Feasible Paintball Advancements?

Originally posted by FooTemps
Maybe things like a glove to grip interface that would prevent unsafe firing could come up but that's basically, a key/security for markers. A good idea IMO. There's also the idea of HUDs coming into paintball in the near future. I'm unsure about that though...

My safety is my trigger finger. Barrel condoms and proper gun handling and common sense is all you need for that problem.

A HUD would be cool, but what would I want displayed. A typical HUD would project the image onto a see-thru surface. I don't see how this could be done within the confines between face and lens. Maybe an LCD display would be more realistic.

I want fields to install anchors. Some sort of anchor on a post or table we could lock our paintball guns down to. Or the use of a gear check where they hold the gun anytime you want throughout the day for $3 for all day use. These are simple things, maybe not advancements but I would love to feel safe not having my eye on my gun.

Some sort of industry standards committee. We can have protocols for equipment interfaces. Like having a smart loader that will output battery levels to a central on-gun display or in-mask display. Loader outputs warning of it needing to be loaded soon. Loader's ball count resets when it senses the lid opening and closing. Gun outputs number of balls fired and counts approximate balls remaining in loader.

Smart masks with totally integrated FRS radios and a cheap fan. Maybe a system using two FRS radios. I see a system where one channel is set to listen-only that the ref/field owner/general/head ref uses for game alerts. Another set for the use by individuals and teams. Hey, who wouldn't want a mask with a full pound of batteries!

Use different colored head strap bands instead of armband tape. You can hide and obstruct your arm more easily than your head.

I want to see open-source paintball fire control systems. For example, I see a target that I cannot safely hit. My group of friends are at a different position that can hit the target easily and heavily.

I have a smart gun. It's got a GPS system in it. Along with a suite of other sensors. My friends have the same system. I find the targets distance and direction from my location and send the info to my friends. Their guns receive the intel and their guns crunch the numbers. An LED array on the gun indicates the angle of elevation, and the elevation and direction needed to hit the designated target.

The friends aim their guns until the LED's match the direction and elevation needed to hit the designated target.

Could you imagine how sweet a smart gun like that would be?

People would be getting eliminated from over hills and other obstructions.

It's kind of like directing turret fire.

AGD, get to work!!!

GPS can have accuracy issues, but we can have fields get differential gps transmitters from a known location.

This would be expensive equipment, but imagine the gameplay possibilities.

[Big'n slo]

Nippinout.........whoa

Thats one hell of an idea, sounds like the military 's laser guided arms. The guys on the ground "paint" the target with a laser and the guys in the air lock on to that.....cool


I think an advancement should be made in the paint department. Basically the guns we have now are as accurate as they can be with paint to barrel matches. So what we need is a better fill/shell for paint that allows us to rifle the barrels for increased range and accuracy.

[XVFrontplayer]

HUDS and stuff are not a bad idea for rec balln but i really dont think it will fly in the tournament seen. I belive that the advancments for guns will probly now consist of upgrading and moification to existing products(like eyes, and boards.)When im talking about boards i mean the lcd might read out where you need oil, what oring is broken,what peice of the gun is down or broke. And like already said mostlikly guns/tanks will get more consitant(although most already are)and paint will get better too.

I seriously think the biggest things to happen to the sport will be price drops and advancments in tourny layouts and setups(most-likly turn to x-ball..im not saying that will be good im just saying thats what might happen)

oh yeah AGD rules

[Lakeview Bulldog]

I could definitly see HUDs coming into the picture for both Rec and tourney ball. A HUD displaying shots fired, players eliminated, time remaining, position of teamates, distances, angles, reload warnings, battery levels, shot consistency. All of these things could be useful to anyone who is willing to pay the price for the new technology.

Clothing could be made with paint detection technology. When a player is hit the clothing automatically relays the info to the Ref's HUD that a player has been eliminated. This type of technology could totally eliminate the cheating problems that exsist in competitve paintball.

Guns will continue to be made lighter, stronger, and more reliable. I also see electros becoming the industry standard.

I agree with Big n' slo I think paint will be the thing that sees the next revolutionary advancements. They are still using close to the same tecnology to manufacture paint now that they did when paintballs were invented. This is a very interesting discussion. Lets try and keep it going.

[Mrmacdude]

so... you want to take the skill out of paintball?

[nippinout]

How's the skill being removed?

[Crimson_Turkey]

Pill shaped paintballs with a drum feed and a rifled barrel. Because of the added punch t would have we could reduce it to .50 cal.

As for high tech. I mounted a pair of LCD screens that flip down in a person's mask that is connected to a pair of mini cams on the bottom of said person's barrel. Took forever to get right but now he can shoot around corners accurately.

[Lakeview Bulldog]

I am not advocating taking the skill out of paintball unless you consider wiping and getting away with it a paintball skill.

[xatle]

well i imagine we will continue to see more and more light weight exotic metals used in marker construction, but the industry will continue to shy away from the ultralight synthetic materials for asthetic reasons (you really cant do alot to customize molded carbon fiber).
expect to see stock markers with ultra low profile integrated force feed hoppers.

[Matt_mg]

ooo Carbon fiber would really be cool... Of course you can't mill that but I DEFENITIVELY see some glue-on cosmetics (ya know fins and ghills and stuff ) and some paintbrush painting.

[Danny77]

Im thinking advanced/different loading systems...whether it be a hopper...or not. Stuff like the HALO and warp...not neccissarily for ROF, but for other reasons: such as reloading, smaller profile, etc.

Im also thinking of better designed masks. Ones with what someone said earlier...but also with a better view. Ones where your sight when wearing a mask is barely different than not wearing one...gaining more perephial vision.

If technology might not be increasing, then maybe this is the stage in paintball when things start to get cheaper.

[FooTemps]

I figure that an HUD and radio system would be great for tournament play also.

HUD for the ref:
Would control player status (the ref can mark a player out through HUD system)
Would provide player's marker status
Would provide game timer
etc

HUD for player:
Would provide team mate status
Would provide marker status
Would give a good way to get players out of the game... Just imagine your screen suddenly flashing "eliminated"

I think that the ir3 angel actually had a good idea with the wireless transmission thing. That could be used to transmit data to HUDs.

About the Radio... I think it'd be more of a one way communication system. Like ref to players and ref to players only. It wouldn't be a private channel like ref to one player either. That way the ref can call a player clean or out with minimal hearing problems and minimal cheating.

[gophermcse]

Actually, for tournament play, a method of remotely shutting down a players marker would be excellent. If say a ref were to point an IR device at the marker and cut it off while declaring the player out, then there would be no potential for the player to affect the game at that point. Also would put a stop to a lot of bonus balling or shooting from the deadbox. Just so long as the tournament participants couldn't take one on the field with them. That would really suck to have an opponent shutdown my marker while I was trying to shoot him.

[Meph]

I'm still waiting for a central Database with every single serial number to every marker sold. When you buy a marker you just send in your name and ser. # and boom, it's in there.

Quite convenient for any time there just happens to be another one of those store break-ins and the iR3s and Xmags end up being stolen. Or you're at a field and hear about somebody going into another persons' car and yanking their gear.

But I know it's not going to happen.