I hearby declare the PSP the unequivocal winner! (And all the peasants rejoiced!) Okay, they aren't really balloons, they're inflatables but I was concerned some of VFTD's more juvenile-minded readers might be confused since the inflatables they're used to are ... oh nevermind. The victory is both unequivocal and, er, unofficial. Because there wasn't actually any contest. I am of course referring to the latest upgrade kits from Sup'Air. The PSP gets two more giant beams or whatever they're called--less than giant beams perhaps plus two wings replacing the "technical" snake elbows. (Apparently what was a great idea two years ago is ready for the trash heap today. Two years too late.) The Millennium's kit replaces the 6 trees plus 4 elbows with 2 medusas and 2 giant medusas. As it turns out a medusa is a can with a pair of dangling tie downs hanging from the top and the giant one is just a bigger version of the regular one.
The PSP gets four bunkers replacing four bunkers while the MS gets 4 bunkers replacing 10 bunkers. The claim for the medusas is they will be blocking bunkers but as they are fewer in number it will reduce the clutter on the field and improve spectator visibility--or something. Oh, and they can used with the M expansion to create a second smaller M. The medusas remind me the basic Hyperball bunker of yesteryear which isn't all bad but I think I'd draw the line at inflatable crack pipes. (Although ... )
I also can't help but wonder if somebody made a clerical error and meant to send the PSP the medusas instead. After all for the last upgrade the PSP wanted bigger props for the older, fatter, slower crowd and Sup'Air sent the "technical" snake instead. And when they finally make some bigger bunkers they send them to Euroland? Wassup with that? I'm also curious about the name. Medusa was a mythological creature that turned men to stone. According to the MS these medusas will enhance the action, create movement and encourage the "breakthrough" though I suspect they meant run through. Anyway, the name seems slightly odd all things considered.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
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3 comments:
You might have a point on the clerical error. Maybe it was supposed to be called a "med-USA".
I'm not opposed to the medusa bunker, other than it looks like it requires more setup, more tripping hazards, etc. etc.
The thing that's funny about it though, is that shape really reproduces some of the worst aspects of hyperball. Those support beams weren't what made hyperball fields of the old days great. It was the big fatty, playable bunkers on the 40/50yard lines and the unique layouts that rewarded movement when you made it to those spots first.
Those fatty playable bunkers at the 40 or 50 of a field 3 times the current dimension. And offset by bunkers on the other tape so small you had to take your pack off to crawl them.
Tim, that's true. One bunker on the tape that was very technical (but rewarding) and other bunkers on and near the 50 that were quite livable.
We're both apparently thinking something like the classic Chicago hyperball field (pre-zipper). Huge center, sub/crack pipe thing, technical, but potentially devastating diamond, which was supported by a massive double stand up just inside and behind it.
Now, we have small doritos which can get good shots, but will get you destroyed if you leave anything loose. Snakes, which aren't as devestating to your opponent as long as they lock their gun on the 1 or two spots you can possibly shoot from, and center/midfield bunkers you practically get destroyed from if more than 1 guy is shooting at you.
Who knows... maybe we're just better at reading the angles and knowing where to shoot and shut down movement. Maybe it's the field design that's the problem... or maybe its also a combination of the limited bunker shapes that really dictate field design to start with and work against the players as you move up the field. I'm thinking of the extreme rounded radius on a supair bunker compared to the lesser radius on a couple hyperball tubes.
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