Okay. It turns out I'm being taken to task by a few regulars who were generous enough to send emails instead of posting comments--and the bulk of those concern the announcing at HB. Which was (apparently) atrocious. To a man (or woman) the objections are consistently the same. Paintball ignorant, not informative of the actions on field, possibly drunk announcing, heavily shilling sponsors, generally annoying & at times rude and inappropriate sexual comments. (Could it be time to change Pev's nickname? A single letter will do the trick.)
I didn't remark on any of that because I wasn't exposed to most of it. I'm commenting now because I discovered a thread in the HB forum at PBN late last night saying much the same. If the comments have merit the NPPL needs to deal with the situation directly. Like it or not, that is the voice of the league (insert your own joke here) and I can't imagine that is the image the league wants to project to the public or the paintball community at large.
Showing posts with label HB. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HB. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Huntington Beach Wrap-up
Look, nobody condones what happened. Nobody expected it and it shouldn’t have happened. Appropriate apologies have been offered. It was an unfortunate incident but it’s over. Unfortunate in that it shouldn’t have happened, unfortunate in that it provides cover for and overshadows other events and actions and unfortunate because it puts me in a position where I can’t really comment on everything that went on. Yes, that's cryptic and surely completely unsatisfying to the curious. Chalk it up to the politics of the game.
What, you say you have been living under a rock? You don’t know what I’m talkin’ about? At the end of the finals in HB there was some extra curricular activity of the overshooting variety--and it wasn’t pretty--or so I’m told by someone who was watching the webcast. By all apparent appearances initiated by Damage players. It has been dealt with and public apologies have been offered. And if any of that is news you really have been living under a rock. If you’d like to add your two cents in the comments feel free.
Since events constrain I will keep this recap simple. We played XSV in the finals and lost. We beat Dynasty in overtime in the semis to make the finals. And XSV beat Arsenal. In an overtime period teams play 3-on-3. (Ask me why.) I don’t know. The closest I got to an explanation was that there was a concern about teams entering overtime on a penalty and if teams were still playing overtime 1-on-1s there wouldn’t be anybody left to play. But seriously, it’s 7-man, why is anyone even talkin’ about playing 1-on-1s as a tiebreaker? (Why not a sudden death point?) So the upshot is it’s 3-on-3 first and if that doesn’t determine a winner it goes to--you guessed it--1-on-1s.
The way Sunday was going to play out in the pro division wasn’t decided until Saturday--and then it was written in Tony Mineo’s infamous pencil. (Much like the missing parts of the rule book.) (Pencil can be erased, doh!) It turned out to be a sensible way of doing it and at least some of the participating teams were asked what they thought before a final decision was made but this is stuff that should be in that brand spanking new rule book.
On Saturday we fought a tough match with Mutiny and earned a number one seed in our bracket with a convincing win over Impact.
On the plus side of the ledger the new format is an improvement over traditional 7-man. (Many if not most of the comments I will be making about aspects of the Millennium apply to the NPPL--in spades--so if you remember this post you’ll have a fuller picture of HB when I finally get the St. Tropez posts up.) The fifteen minute match time seemed to work as well for a Race 2-5. I’m still not sure about the field dimensions but some matches went to points instead of time so that’s a plus but not a firm one yet. The event logistics and Millennium style of play worked well in terms of its functionality--though I still think some level of suspense and excitement is lost with four teams sharing the field and paired teams playing every other point. Which isn't really an issue for most of the divisions and teams but if one objective is to "sell" the game to the public I don't see how breaking matches up helps--of course I'm not convinced the non-paintball playing public will ever care regardless.
The other signature topic--in its absence--was the universal use of the Virtue chip and the proclaimed data explosion that would result in all sorts of statistics. Besides the fact the chip can't discern ramping guns--and there were plenty even though they were (apparently) capped at 15--it was supposed to regulate ROF (which it can do paired with a cap) but I noticed no instance over the weekend where a player or team was warned or penalised. It may be I simply missed it if it happened or that with viable technology in use everyone abided by the cap. One virtue (pun intended) of employing verifiable technology is players and teams know they will be caught so they don't push those boundaries. And perhaps the NPPL will soon be publishing reams of statistical data for our entertainment but there wasn't a hint or a whisper about any data collection or availability during the event. I mention this in connection with a rumor that began in Galveston that suggests the accurate collection and collation of the chip data is far more unwieldy with mass numbers of chips in guns than it was in a controlled test environment. I don't know if that's true or not but it may be more work will be needed before we see the promised stats.
The big crowds of HB's past were absent. The weekend's weather was the biggest factor in the flat turnout as it was chilly, windy and overcast much of the time and the usual crowds on the beachfront promenade simply weren't there. The same held true of the surfing competition being held on the south side of the pier. But it's also true there wasn't much to see. A casual observer could look down on fields from the pier or get a decent view of field 2 from the promenade but that was it. And the vendor's village was a virtual ghost town much of the time. (I mention this solely for 'growing paintball' crowd who seem to imagine that after a decade on the beach the mere appearance of paintball has some osmotic power to turn disinterested passersby into paintball fanatics. It doesn't. Nor does having a sense of perspective mean that HB as a venue isn't awesome 'cus it is.) Attendance appears to have been off last year’s total by as much as 20% and turnout is unlikely to improve at CPX or Aldie which have both had modest participation in comparison to HB the past two or three years. If that pattern holds true the league is going to need to work fast to turn things around. Will the other league’s format save them? Nothing that happened at HB suggests it will but there were some positive features. There was a visible effort on display to improve on prior efforts and the bulk of those efforts revolved around the game itself--also a positive sign. Other past concerns remain at issue but Rome wasn't built in a day. If steady and consistent progress continues to be made perhaps that will be enough but now that the majority of the industry has turned its back on the NPPL and the NPPL is retaliating against retailers who might be vendors that can't and won't end well for the league. (Having Sapporo and Hooters throw a few beers and wings at VIPs isn't gonna finance the future of the league.) And intended or not it's clear that the Race 2 format as adopted by the Pros and extended to D1 has marginalized the trad 7-man competition and divisions as the divisional Race 2 teams have more in common with the elites now--and it won't be long before the remaining 7-man players notice.
On more than one occasion over the weekend NPPL powers joked or wondered (mock casually) if I could or might say something nice--for once--about their event. The truth is they'll get that from just about everybody else. Back in the Age of PB Magazines the print publications were largely cheerleaders, promoters and star-makers and most paintball websites remain just that. VFTD is more interested in the subjects and details nobody else will discuss and as often as not the result is a critique. Readers can judge for themselves whether those critiques have any merit or not. Nor is VFTD a "mainstream" paintball website; it is, at its best, an open dialogue on the world of competitive paintball.
What, you say you have been living under a rock? You don’t know what I’m talkin’ about? At the end of the finals in HB there was some extra curricular activity of the overshooting variety--and it wasn’t pretty--or so I’m told by someone who was watching the webcast. By all apparent appearances initiated by Damage players. It has been dealt with and public apologies have been offered. And if any of that is news you really have been living under a rock. If you’d like to add your two cents in the comments feel free.
Since events constrain I will keep this recap simple. We played XSV in the finals and lost. We beat Dynasty in overtime in the semis to make the finals. And XSV beat Arsenal. In an overtime period teams play 3-on-3. (Ask me why.) I don’t know. The closest I got to an explanation was that there was a concern about teams entering overtime on a penalty and if teams were still playing overtime 1-on-1s there wouldn’t be anybody left to play. But seriously, it’s 7-man, why is anyone even talkin’ about playing 1-on-1s as a tiebreaker? (Why not a sudden death point?) So the upshot is it’s 3-on-3 first and if that doesn’t determine a winner it goes to--you guessed it--1-on-1s.
The way Sunday was going to play out in the pro division wasn’t decided until Saturday--and then it was written in Tony Mineo’s infamous pencil. (Much like the missing parts of the rule book.) (Pencil can be erased, doh!) It turned out to be a sensible way of doing it and at least some of the participating teams were asked what they thought before a final decision was made but this is stuff that should be in that brand spanking new rule book.
On Saturday we fought a tough match with Mutiny and earned a number one seed in our bracket with a convincing win over Impact.
On the plus side of the ledger the new format is an improvement over traditional 7-man. (Many if not most of the comments I will be making about aspects of the Millennium apply to the NPPL--in spades--so if you remember this post you’ll have a fuller picture of HB when I finally get the St. Tropez posts up.) The fifteen minute match time seemed to work as well for a Race 2-5. I’m still not sure about the field dimensions but some matches went to points instead of time so that’s a plus but not a firm one yet. The event logistics and Millennium style of play worked well in terms of its functionality--though I still think some level of suspense and excitement is lost with four teams sharing the field and paired teams playing every other point. Which isn't really an issue for most of the divisions and teams but if one objective is to "sell" the game to the public I don't see how breaking matches up helps--of course I'm not convinced the non-paintball playing public will ever care regardless.
The other signature topic--in its absence--was the universal use of the Virtue chip and the proclaimed data explosion that would result in all sorts of statistics. Besides the fact the chip can't discern ramping guns--and there were plenty even though they were (apparently) capped at 15--it was supposed to regulate ROF (which it can do paired with a cap) but I noticed no instance over the weekend where a player or team was warned or penalised. It may be I simply missed it if it happened or that with viable technology in use everyone abided by the cap. One virtue (pun intended) of employing verifiable technology is players and teams know they will be caught so they don't push those boundaries. And perhaps the NPPL will soon be publishing reams of statistical data for our entertainment but there wasn't a hint or a whisper about any data collection or availability during the event. I mention this in connection with a rumor that began in Galveston that suggests the accurate collection and collation of the chip data is far more unwieldy with mass numbers of chips in guns than it was in a controlled test environment. I don't know if that's true or not but it may be more work will be needed before we see the promised stats.
The big crowds of HB's past were absent. The weekend's weather was the biggest factor in the flat turnout as it was chilly, windy and overcast much of the time and the usual crowds on the beachfront promenade simply weren't there. The same held true of the surfing competition being held on the south side of the pier. But it's also true there wasn't much to see. A casual observer could look down on fields from the pier or get a decent view of field 2 from the promenade but that was it. And the vendor's village was a virtual ghost town much of the time. (I mention this solely for 'growing paintball' crowd who seem to imagine that after a decade on the beach the mere appearance of paintball has some osmotic power to turn disinterested passersby into paintball fanatics. It doesn't. Nor does having a sense of perspective mean that HB as a venue isn't awesome 'cus it is.) Attendance appears to have been off last year’s total by as much as 20% and turnout is unlikely to improve at CPX or Aldie which have both had modest participation in comparison to HB the past two or three years. If that pattern holds true the league is going to need to work fast to turn things around. Will the other league’s format save them? Nothing that happened at HB suggests it will but there were some positive features. There was a visible effort on display to improve on prior efforts and the bulk of those efforts revolved around the game itself--also a positive sign. Other past concerns remain at issue but Rome wasn't built in a day. If steady and consistent progress continues to be made perhaps that will be enough but now that the majority of the industry has turned its back on the NPPL and the NPPL is retaliating against retailers who might be vendors that can't and won't end well for the league. (Having Sapporo and Hooters throw a few beers and wings at VIPs isn't gonna finance the future of the league.) And intended or not it's clear that the Race 2 format as adopted by the Pros and extended to D1 has marginalized the trad 7-man competition and divisions as the divisional Race 2 teams have more in common with the elites now--and it won't be long before the remaining 7-man players notice.
On more than one occasion over the weekend NPPL powers joked or wondered (mock casually) if I could or might say something nice--for once--about their event. The truth is they'll get that from just about everybody else. Back in the Age of PB Magazines the print publications were largely cheerleaders, promoters and star-makers and most paintball websites remain just that. VFTD is more interested in the subjects and details nobody else will discuss and as often as not the result is a critique. Readers can judge for themselves whether those critiques have any merit or not. Nor is VFTD a "mainstream" paintball website; it is, at its best, an open dialogue on the world of competitive paintball.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
HB Thursday & Friday
We flew in Wednesday night. All of us except Timmy who arrived Thursday morning at John Wayne. At the venue we picked up some paint and two bags of pods from Galveston transported by our friends at CP. Then it was off to Whittier Ranch to get some field time practicing the HB layout with Infamous. Turns out Whittier Ranch is really a working ranch--just off the 605 in Whittier. Manure to spare. When we arrive Infamous and Legend have been there for an hour or two already along with divisional team TCP Machine. By 3:30 pm we've run through our paint and are beginning to feel comfortable with our lanes, breakouts and general game plans. Communication will need to improve but we're a lot closer to ready than we were before.
Returning to the beach--and the venue--we worked through the registration process--which remains just another NPPL revenue stream but at least it's more efficient than the Millennium process was last week--and then we walked the grandstand field as the sun dipped toward the Pacific horizon. Divisional games were played for much of the day Thursday. We heard field two, beside the pier, was closed for a time due to paint bouncing off props and over the netting onto the pier. There was talk of raising additional netting to protect the pier and passersby. There was also a minor surprise on the field itself. The newest set of NPPL props (from Adrenaline Games) have shrunk and once again, it looks to be a decision made by the manufacturer without consulting the affected league. Full-sized Cans are about five-sixths the size they were before. The same holds true for the Mayan Temples, the Cubes and even the Wings. Otherwise everything looks to be in order although there's no sign of how or where the webcast cameras will be positioned. (Sometime Thursday night or early Friday all that was taken care of though I heard during the day on Friday that there were issues early Friday with the broadcast being down or inaccessible.) Well, everything except the pits. The pits are at one end of the field and there's less space in each one than in a comparable PSP pit yet each is expected to serve 2 7-man teams plus staff at the same time. It has proved over the course of the first day's play to be workable but only just. Each pit has a flat screen displaying game data like score, time outs, time to play and the countdown to game on clock. Similar but larger screens are on display for the grandstand incongruously zip tied to supports made out of two by fours. The info is there but it's hard to see at any distance.
The weather reports say Friday will be the warmest and nicest day of the weekend. The morning begins cool, overcast and hazy. Our first match is at 10 am. When we arrive Dynasty is playing Vendetta. We're scheduled to play at 10 am in the third set of the morning against Arsenal. The Race 2 format as translated by the NPPL is a solid improvement over the traditional 7-man format. And as the teams and officials get acclimated the schedule allows for a little laxity in running the turnaround between matches. Even so every now and again a team burns a time out in order to get all 7 players on field for their next breakout and more than once teams started down bodies. Despite the occasional blip the whole runs smoothly.
I still don't know how Sunday will break down for the Pros but it doesn't matter as long as you keep winning. Also no word yet on the data collected from the Virtue chips or the stats promised from that data. At the moment it doesn't really matter.
Today's game play saw 2 teams from each bracket go 2-0. In one group Dynasty & Infamous went 2-0 and in the other it was Damage & Impact. 2 teams in each bracket also went 0-2 leaving 3 teams in each group at 1-1. Nothing is setled yet so there remains hope for those teams that started slowly. In three matches on Friday teams reached 5 points.
Throughout the day's play we kept making minor changes and our game improved as the points accumulated. We enter Saturday's play confident but not overly so. Things can shift from match to match and even point from point but we had a strong showing to begin the event. The plan is to build on that beginning and continue getting better.
Among the pro teams the word is two teams are shooting GI Sportz while eight others are shooting RPS with the remaining four teams are shooting Valken. Another curiosity is the rumor that the league is insisting that on site vendors not sell Dye products. It has been confirmed by a few but I hesitate to claim that is really what's happening as it sounds so outlandish on its face. There is also talk the banning isn't limited to Dye but also includes Kee stuff as well. If true what's the point for some regional retailers to support the league if some percentage of their stocks can't be sold on site? More if hear anything further. And more tomorrow on the results of the Pro prelims.
Returning to the beach--and the venue--we worked through the registration process--which remains just another NPPL revenue stream but at least it's more efficient than the Millennium process was last week--and then we walked the grandstand field as the sun dipped toward the Pacific horizon. Divisional games were played for much of the day Thursday. We heard field two, beside the pier, was closed for a time due to paint bouncing off props and over the netting onto the pier. There was talk of raising additional netting to protect the pier and passersby. There was also a minor surprise on the field itself. The newest set of NPPL props (from Adrenaline Games) have shrunk and once again, it looks to be a decision made by the manufacturer without consulting the affected league. Full-sized Cans are about five-sixths the size they were before. The same holds true for the Mayan Temples, the Cubes and even the Wings. Otherwise everything looks to be in order although there's no sign of how or where the webcast cameras will be positioned. (Sometime Thursday night or early Friday all that was taken care of though I heard during the day on Friday that there were issues early Friday with the broadcast being down or inaccessible.) Well, everything except the pits. The pits are at one end of the field and there's less space in each one than in a comparable PSP pit yet each is expected to serve 2 7-man teams plus staff at the same time. It has proved over the course of the first day's play to be workable but only just. Each pit has a flat screen displaying game data like score, time outs, time to play and the countdown to game on clock. Similar but larger screens are on display for the grandstand incongruously zip tied to supports made out of two by fours. The info is there but it's hard to see at any distance.
The weather reports say Friday will be the warmest and nicest day of the weekend. The morning begins cool, overcast and hazy. Our first match is at 10 am. When we arrive Dynasty is playing Vendetta. We're scheduled to play at 10 am in the third set of the morning against Arsenal. The Race 2 format as translated by the NPPL is a solid improvement over the traditional 7-man format. And as the teams and officials get acclimated the schedule allows for a little laxity in running the turnaround between matches. Even so every now and again a team burns a time out in order to get all 7 players on field for their next breakout and more than once teams started down bodies. Despite the occasional blip the whole runs smoothly.
I still don't know how Sunday will break down for the Pros but it doesn't matter as long as you keep winning. Also no word yet on the data collected from the Virtue chips or the stats promised from that data. At the moment it doesn't really matter.
Today's game play saw 2 teams from each bracket go 2-0. In one group Dynasty & Infamous went 2-0 and in the other it was Damage & Impact. 2 teams in each bracket also went 0-2 leaving 3 teams in each group at 1-1. Nothing is setled yet so there remains hope for those teams that started slowly. In three matches on Friday teams reached 5 points.
Throughout the day's play we kept making minor changes and our game improved as the points accumulated. We enter Saturday's play confident but not overly so. Things can shift from match to match and even point from point but we had a strong showing to begin the event. The plan is to build on that beginning and continue getting better.
Among the pro teams the word is two teams are shooting GI Sportz while eight others are shooting RPS with the remaining four teams are shooting Valken. Another curiosity is the rumor that the league is insisting that on site vendors not sell Dye products. It has been confirmed by a few but I hesitate to claim that is really what's happening as it sounds so outlandish on its face. There is also talk the banning isn't limited to Dye but also includes Kee stuff as well. If true what's the point for some regional retailers to support the league if some percentage of their stocks can't be sold on site? More if hear anything further. And more tomorrow on the results of the Pro prelims.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Monday Poll in Review
No new Monday Poll for you! (No, it's not a punishment for failing to vote last week. Although, for a community that seems to have one harebrained opinion after another that folks happily share online daily nobody seemed too interested in the NPPL HB poll. I'll leave you to decide why.) With Galveston this coming weekend everyone's attention is gonna be--rightly--focused elsewhere and besides, I got nothing--and can't be bothered to look up an old poll question to recycle. Next week.
Last week's poll question was: Will attendance at the 2012 HB event equal or exceed last year's total of 133 teams? (Or something very much like that.) I posed the question in light of the failed merger and myriad changes the league undertook in the off season and on the basis that attendance will give some indication of how the league is currently perceived. If not in the poll--which I routinely point out is never scientific or objective or even statistically relevant--at least in the raw number of competing teams. Like it or not actual participation is a form of referendum. The day the poll was posted HB registration was at 92 teams. This afternoon it is at 98. 73% of those responding to the poll question voted no--meaning participation wouldn't equal or exceed last year's team totals--while 27% voted that HB would have at least 133 teams and perhaps more. Registration remains open so we won't know for sure for two or three weeks but at this point it looks like it will be a struggle to meet or exceed last year's total. Pro registration remains at 11 with rumors of this team or that still to enter. Pump has shriveled with the new higher price and an alternative offering from the PSP. And in the divisional groups it looks like Race 2 options will only exist in divisions 3 & 4.
If you have any ideas for The Monday Poll's future poll questions post 'em up in comments or on VFTD Facebook and I'll steal the good ones and make fun of the bad ones. What could be fairer than that?
Last week's poll question was: Will attendance at the 2012 HB event equal or exceed last year's total of 133 teams? (Or something very much like that.) I posed the question in light of the failed merger and myriad changes the league undertook in the off season and on the basis that attendance will give some indication of how the league is currently perceived. If not in the poll--which I routinely point out is never scientific or objective or even statistically relevant--at least in the raw number of competing teams. Like it or not actual participation is a form of referendum. The day the poll was posted HB registration was at 92 teams. This afternoon it is at 98. 73% of those responding to the poll question voted no--meaning participation wouldn't equal or exceed last year's team totals--while 27% voted that HB would have at least 133 teams and perhaps more. Registration remains open so we won't know for sure for two or three weeks but at this point it looks like it will be a struggle to meet or exceed last year's total. Pro registration remains at 11 with rumors of this team or that still to enter. Pump has shriveled with the new higher price and an alternative offering from the PSP. And in the divisional groups it looks like Race 2 options will only exist in divisions 3 & 4.
If you have any ideas for The Monday Poll's future poll questions post 'em up in comments or on VFTD Facebook and I'll steal the good ones and make fun of the bad ones. What could be fairer than that?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
2012 NPPL HB field layout
VFTD is not going to do a breakdown of this layout--at least not yet (but probably not ever as the very thought sounds like work.) Nor will I be taking the league to task for re-cycling a past layout. [Vegas '09] The fact is it's difficult to maintain a fundamental design concept--snake wire and D-wire--without some routine similarities design to design and the change in props plus the interior position changes from the original to this layout makes it different enough I think for those who care about such things. (The only way to avoid similarities would be to open the design process up to unconventional ideas.)
What this layout does do is give us some more info on what to expect from the NPPL in 2012. For example, there were rumors of the league changing field dimensions--which plainly didn't happen. It will be interesting to see how this plays into the various Race 2 options the NPPL intends to implement for 2012. As a practical matter the field dimensions and prop set will make a difference in how match play plays out on this HB layout--just as the PSP's move to extend their field did last season. The mid-field will (continue to) be difficult to ref efficiently. (Before all the fanboys start hyperventilating it's not a criticism, it's an observation.) I will also be surprised if more than 25% of the pro prelims go to points instead of time. (Consider that a prediction.) At any rate it will interesting to see how it turns out.
What this layout does do is give us some more info on what to expect from the NPPL in 2012. For example, there were rumors of the league changing field dimensions--which plainly didn't happen. It will be interesting to see how this plays into the various Race 2 options the NPPL intends to implement for 2012. As a practical matter the field dimensions and prop set will make a difference in how match play plays out on this HB layout--just as the PSP's move to extend their field did last season. The mid-field will (continue to) be difficult to ref efficiently. (Before all the fanboys start hyperventilating it's not a criticism, it's an observation.) I will also be surprised if more than 25% of the pro prelims go to points instead of time. (Consider that a prediction.) At any rate it will interesting to see how it turns out.
Friday, April 1, 2011
HB Day 1
Gotta keep it short, kids. It's late and I don't know much. If you've been to HB before you know what the venue is like; the makeshift plywood boardwalk that leads a sometime winding path of vendors that face the beachfront sidewalk repping the commercial face of paintball. And past the vendors the three fields; the grandstand center field features the Pro play and the ESPN3 coverage. The staccato rapid fire pop of markers keeping the cadence of competition. It was a perfect day for paintball, weather-wise. I heard mixed reviews of the broadcast. Most worrying that people wanting to watch were having problems getting connected through some the various cable outlets. Also, that there was perhaps too much down time but to all appearances everything played out on schedule so I don't know what to think about that particular complaint.
Our day was a little different. With delays due to bad weather most of the team didn't arrive in LA until around 11 pm Thursday night. Our last player didn't arrive until nearly 1 am Friday morning. His luggage didn't arrive. We rolled into our hotel around 2:20 am. Later Friday morning we were due to meet Shock at Camp Pendleton PB park around 9:30 am. Shock arrived early. We were late. We left HB around 8:30 am with our paint but didn't get to the field until around 10 am. Shock was still there and were kind enough to give us a few games. (Keith borrowed enough stuff to play as it was gearbag lost in transit.) When they were done we worked thru some additional last minute details. Scott Kemp of the Ironmen is playing with us for the event and this gave us a chance to work him in. We drove back to HB. Grabbed some lunch and went to the venue to register and watch whatever was left of the Pro prelims. We saw three games. I'ma gonna check out YouTube as soon as I post this. First thing tomorrow morning we head for the field to prep our guns. Shoot some paint. Get our chips implanted and our guns tested. (Keith's gearbag finally arrived. Yeah!) We play our first game around 10 am. That's when the tournament starts.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Major League Paintball on Suicide Watch
Looks like the not so Grand Tour will be competing in Lviv, Ukraine this weekend with 24 teams across 3 divisions, including 8 pro teams.
In the Millennium Series registrations for Campaign continue to trickle in for the event scheduled for the weekend of July 4 which leaves less than two weeks for interested teams to get registered and paid. To date there are 27 open division teams registered; 8 in D2, 10 in D3 and 9 in M5. 14 of the 27 are UK-based teams (as I'm assuming the two U.S. flagged teams are likely made up of American military personnel--though it's just a guess.) Those aren't encouraging numbers but pre-Bitberg the open registrations were also soft until the closing week.
News on the mysterious Millennium Asia affair from a few weeks ago has gone very quiet as no official statements have been made by any of the involved parties although apparently PALS had promised a comment, however principles from PALS and Skirmish (Malaysia) were seen in a heated conversation at last week's MPOC event.
Early NPPL registrations for DC can be found on the website and while there appears to be some duplications (and repeats of/from Chitown?) this would represent some pretty positive numbers given the event isn't until August.
The real news though regarding the DC Challenge is that the NPPL is bringing back some sort of All Star game--no clue on exactly how that's gonna work except it's East vs. West and voters are restricted to recipients of the NPPL newsletter--and if that wasn't enough (and who says it isn't?)--the league is planning on establishing "the world's first sanctioned" Hall of Fame complete with an initial round of inductees, though again, I'm a little sketchy on the details. And, who exactly, is responsible for sanctioning this Hall of Fame? Don't get me wrong, I like the idea, somebody has to start the ball rolling but...are they gonna wheel out Bob Gurnsey (again?) to cut the tape and declare this Hall of Fame official? (Was that too cynical?)
Looks like PSP Chicago is set around 154 total teams. Race 2-X teams total 93 of the 154. Last year Chicago had 95 Race 2-X so those numbers are comparable despite the fact there were over 110 Race 2-X teams registered at one point. This year Race 2-2 numbers topped out at 61 while last year there were 125 Race 2-2 teams. Much has been made of the Badlandz throwback location and diminished prizes as possible reasons for the drop in Race 2-2 teams but it's hard to be certain. VFTD has also wondered if the affiliates are impacting big league turnouts in the lower divisions--as it appears was the case in Phoenix--but otherwise Midwest affiliate turnouts aren't even suggestive much less conclusive. Truth is nobody really knows if it's mostly the economic climate, the collapse of the competitive grassroots, no prizes, the Badlandz or some of all the above and, of course, it's the Year of the Rat.
The PSP has updated their website and it's a big improvement--How could it not be?--with new features including banner ads for the league sponsors along with at least the promise of greater future content. The event begins next Thursday though the Pros don't begin play until Friday.
In the Millennium Series registrations for Campaign continue to trickle in for the event scheduled for the weekend of July 4 which leaves less than two weeks for interested teams to get registered and paid. To date there are 27 open division teams registered; 8 in D2, 10 in D3 and 9 in M5. 14 of the 27 are UK-based teams (as I'm assuming the two U.S. flagged teams are likely made up of American military personnel--though it's just a guess.) Those aren't encouraging numbers but pre-Bitberg the open registrations were also soft until the closing week.
News on the mysterious Millennium Asia affair from a few weeks ago has gone very quiet as no official statements have been made by any of the involved parties although apparently PALS had promised a comment, however principles from PALS and Skirmish (Malaysia) were seen in a heated conversation at last week's MPOC event.
Early NPPL registrations for DC can be found on the website and while there appears to be some duplications (and repeats of/from Chitown?) this would represent some pretty positive numbers given the event isn't until August.
The real news though regarding the DC Challenge is that the NPPL is bringing back some sort of All Star game--no clue on exactly how that's gonna work except it's East vs. West and voters are restricted to recipients of the NPPL newsletter--and if that wasn't enough (and who says it isn't?)--the league is planning on establishing "the world's first sanctioned" Hall of Fame complete with an initial round of inductees, though again, I'm a little sketchy on the details. And, who exactly, is responsible for sanctioning this Hall of Fame? Don't get me wrong, I like the idea, somebody has to start the ball rolling but...are they gonna wheel out Bob Gurnsey (again?) to cut the tape and declare this Hall of Fame official? (Was that too cynical?)
Looks like PSP Chicago is set around 154 total teams. Race 2-X teams total 93 of the 154. Last year Chicago had 95 Race 2-X so those numbers are comparable despite the fact there were over 110 Race 2-X teams registered at one point. This year Race 2-2 numbers topped out at 61 while last year there were 125 Race 2-2 teams. Much has been made of the Badlandz throwback location and diminished prizes as possible reasons for the drop in Race 2-2 teams but it's hard to be certain. VFTD has also wondered if the affiliates are impacting big league turnouts in the lower divisions--as it appears was the case in Phoenix--but otherwise Midwest affiliate turnouts aren't even suggestive much less conclusive. Truth is nobody really knows if it's mostly the economic climate, the collapse of the competitive grassroots, no prizes, the Badlandz or some of all the above and, of course, it's the Year of the Rat.
The PSP has updated their website and it's a big improvement--How could it not be?--with new features including banner ads for the league sponsors along with at least the promise of greater future content. The event begins next Thursday though the Pros don't begin play until Friday.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Post HB Report
I'm sure y'all are well aware of all the scores you care about by now so I'll skip them. (The lousy crap in my computer was unassailable so I've finally gotten around to flushing it and starting over.)
Aside from the competition there were a couple of interesting results at HB. (Besides the rumble in the VIP--no it wasn't a fight, it was the floor taking a fall. I don't know the upshot but I'd guess a few paying customers weren't very happy. At a minimum standard for a functional Heaven I'm thinking there needs to be floor that will, you know, actually hold up.) While related one of the interesting results makes me personally happier and a bit more mellow (hopefully.) (I can't really afford to lose any more hair.) The other result should be of interest to competitive ballers everywhere. You see, this HB turned out to be something of a novelty. It very likely made a few bucks. (Which would be a real change of pace. And a real big deal.)
The accounting isn't complete--or it wasn't last Friday--but there was substantial confidence that the final numbers would show a modest profit. [For those keeping score at home some of the owners are, let's just say, a bit reticent to have me around--which is completely understandable but our current understanding is that I won't use sensitive inner workings of the league knowledge as blog material unless or until it otherwise becomes public. So if you're wondering if that compromises my objectivity, I don't think so. It limits what I can tell y'all but I do that anyway. Either way you be the judge.] The change from last year's losses are many; lessons learned from last year that reduced unnecessary costs, a lot of work done by voluntarily by members of the owners, no deals or under the table discounts from Frank the Tank, more teams than last year and the NPPL i.d. cards. At a guess I'd say the cards alone are the margin of difference.
That news has inspired the owners group and provided fresh motivation to keep on plugging, keep on working to make the NPPL work. So much so I'm going to get my wish too--actual, serious practice for future 7-man competitions. This new confidence has extended to my team as well and just showing up is no longer acceptable. If the league survives then the results matter. If the league is a success then taking the competition seriously becomes mandatory. How we're going to work that out I'm not sure. I'm not sure there's a complete 7-man field in Florida and there isn't anyone to practice and extra days and traveling practice will pose a hardship on our current roster--but if there's a will, there's a way. I hope.
I know what you're thinking. Does that mean Baca is changing his mind about the NPPL? No, it doesn't. And I don't know where you people come up with that kinda stuff. It's basic reading comprehension. I've always favored team ownership over industry ownership with respect to the league(s). I've also always favored competition over monopoly. But none of that ever meant that I didn't see problems with both leagues--and still do. I wrote in the post on March 30, "Chicago will tell--at least better than HB. Just as the PSP fortunes for the season may rest on the Chicago turnout so too will Chicago NPPL give us a much better indication of the health of the NPPL than HB will." And I stand by that 100%. And I still wonder if the format can be revived--at least in the way big league events have been structured all along. And I wonder how the hell you keep the format alive when you can't even find a NPPL field to play on around huge chunks of the country.
Aside from the competition there were a couple of interesting results at HB. (Besides the rumble in the VIP--no it wasn't a fight, it was the floor taking a fall. I don't know the upshot but I'd guess a few paying customers weren't very happy. At a minimum standard for a functional Heaven I'm thinking there needs to be floor that will, you know, actually hold up.) While related one of the interesting results makes me personally happier and a bit more mellow (hopefully.) (I can't really afford to lose any more hair.) The other result should be of interest to competitive ballers everywhere. You see, this HB turned out to be something of a novelty. It very likely made a few bucks. (Which would be a real change of pace. And a real big deal.)
The accounting isn't complete--or it wasn't last Friday--but there was substantial confidence that the final numbers would show a modest profit. [For those keeping score at home some of the owners are, let's just say, a bit reticent to have me around--which is completely understandable but our current understanding is that I won't use sensitive inner workings of the league knowledge as blog material unless or until it otherwise becomes public. So if you're wondering if that compromises my objectivity, I don't think so. It limits what I can tell y'all but I do that anyway. Either way you be the judge.] The change from last year's losses are many; lessons learned from last year that reduced unnecessary costs, a lot of work done by voluntarily by members of the owners, no deals or under the table discounts from Frank the Tank, more teams than last year and the NPPL i.d. cards. At a guess I'd say the cards alone are the margin of difference.
That news has inspired the owners group and provided fresh motivation to keep on plugging, keep on working to make the NPPL work. So much so I'm going to get my wish too--actual, serious practice for future 7-man competitions. This new confidence has extended to my team as well and just showing up is no longer acceptable. If the league survives then the results matter. If the league is a success then taking the competition seriously becomes mandatory. How we're going to work that out I'm not sure. I'm not sure there's a complete 7-man field in Florida and there isn't anyone to practice and extra days and traveling practice will pose a hardship on our current roster--but if there's a will, there's a way. I hope.
I know what you're thinking. Does that mean Baca is changing his mind about the NPPL? No, it doesn't. And I don't know where you people come up with that kinda stuff. It's basic reading comprehension. I've always favored team ownership over industry ownership with respect to the league(s). I've also always favored competition over monopoly. But none of that ever meant that I didn't see problems with both leagues--and still do. I wrote in the post on March 30, "Chicago will tell--at least better than HB. Just as the PSP fortunes for the season may rest on the Chicago turnout so too will Chicago NPPL give us a much better indication of the health of the NPPL than HB will." And I stand by that 100%. And I still wonder if the format can be revived--at least in the way big league events have been structured all along. And I wonder how the hell you keep the format alive when you can't even find a NPPL field to play on around huge chunks of the country.
Despite all that HB keeps the dream alive. The owners have demonstrated the capacity to learn and improve. There are new ideas and a new optimism to drive those dreams. Time will tell if it's going to pay off or not but it's a little bit closer today than it was this time last week.
Friday, April 9, 2010
HB Special Friday
This is the only on site report because the browser hijacker just hit me again. Dammit. (Next week everything will be cool again.)
Arrived around noon Cali time today. Site is much closer to the pier. Still on the south side. A bit cooler than I expected but it seems like it always is. Beautiful, breezy--but chilly. Some slow games going on on the center court and of the few I've seen a few real mismatches too. We'll see how it shakes it tomorrow. Organizationally everything appears to working well though it's not rushed because the divisional kids were doing all the registration stuff yesterday.
Wahoo's is still excellent. Had a Number 4 with wet burrito & taco, carnitas for both. Good stuff. I think the vendor layout is perhaps more inviting than last year as it's highly visible from the beach-side boardwalk. Don't know if it will attract the curious non-paintballer but it adds to the pageantry of the event.
Apparently the pro schedule is two groups with some cross over games. Everybody plays 8 on Saturday and 8 will move on to Sunday morning. At least that's what I've heard. It may be a bit more convoluted than that but with 8 of 13 moving on if you don't make it you don't really have any room to complain. Or so it seems to me. Game schedule has focused on the pro field so games will be running until around 5:30 pm. That leaves us the one hour break tomorrow before our games start to walk the field and check or shots, etc. Most everybody else seems to be in the same position. Also seems like about half the pro teams got any real practice in on this field so it will be interesting to see if it has any effect on the outcome of the prelims. From what I saw the field is playing as I expected but divisional players aren't pro players.
Whatever happens I'm halfway to my dream HB. As I write this the sliding glass door to our beach view balcony is open with the sounds of Pacific Coast Highway rumbling softly like the crash of the surf. Bright sunlight is beginning to cast long shadows and a misty horizon gives way to a blue canopy sky. All that's missing is the pitcher of margaritas but we have some games to play first.
Arrived around noon Cali time today. Site is much closer to the pier. Still on the south side. A bit cooler than I expected but it seems like it always is. Beautiful, breezy--but chilly. Some slow games going on on the center court and of the few I've seen a few real mismatches too. We'll see how it shakes it tomorrow. Organizationally everything appears to working well though it's not rushed because the divisional kids were doing all the registration stuff yesterday.
Wahoo's is still excellent. Had a Number 4 with wet burrito & taco, carnitas for both. Good stuff. I think the vendor layout is perhaps more inviting than last year as it's highly visible from the beach-side boardwalk. Don't know if it will attract the curious non-paintballer but it adds to the pageantry of the event.
Apparently the pro schedule is two groups with some cross over games. Everybody plays 8 on Saturday and 8 will move on to Sunday morning. At least that's what I've heard. It may be a bit more convoluted than that but with 8 of 13 moving on if you don't make it you don't really have any room to complain. Or so it seems to me. Game schedule has focused on the pro field so games will be running until around 5:30 pm. That leaves us the one hour break tomorrow before our games start to walk the field and check or shots, etc. Most everybody else seems to be in the same position. Also seems like about half the pro teams got any real practice in on this field so it will be interesting to see if it has any effect on the outcome of the prelims. From what I saw the field is playing as I expected but divisional players aren't pro players.
Whatever happens I'm halfway to my dream HB. As I write this the sliding glass door to our beach view balcony is open with the sounds of Pacific Coast Highway rumbling softly like the crash of the surf. Bright sunlight is beginning to cast long shadows and a misty horizon gives way to a blue canopy sky. All that's missing is the pitcher of margaritas but we have some games to play first.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Playing the Game: HB '09
Hit the title link for an overview and two 3-D views of the field layout courtesy of the USPL.
Aight, here's how this is gonna work. (Assuming it works at all.) I'm gonna describe a breakout, with a couple of options, and explain how and why. (This breakout, btw, with some minor variations, was used by virtually all the pro teams one time or another. And if that wasn't enough this post includes a bonus feature!
At the sound of the horn (buzzer, whistle or croaky ref) 3 players focus on the d-side of the field. One player remains back center to shoot either over the inside MD at the stubby can or wide at a corner or temple runner off the break. Of the other two one goes low into the MD and the other either breaks for the corner, the temple or gun up into the stubby can. The stubby is focused on the center of the field zone and/or players filling the can and MT snake-side.
On the snake side a player either fills the corner or takes the snake off the break. The snake run can be to snake one, two or three. A home shooter lanes for a snake runner most of the time. The two remaining snake side players either double the can or fill the can and the MT. In either case the initial lanes allow the inside can player to zone the center of the field to the dorito wire while the outside can edge either doubles up on the snake or lanes for the corner and in either case can sweep paint back into the small dorito.
There are optional primaries on both sides of the field that, mixed with options on the timing for filling spots, offer enough variation to keep the opposition guessing and the plan flexible enough to vary from the conservative to the all out balls to the wall breakout.
This basic break allows a team to respond to the changing game by filtering players heavily into the snake or upfield through the center while simultaneously shifting d-side players either up or over as well.
Since you've patiently read the rest of this post here's your bonus feature–you did read the whole thing, didn't you? Playing the corner. (In 7-man the dorito wire corner is particularly under played.) The typical corner player is doing one of three things: working the inside of the field from the inside edge of the bunker, looking to make a bump upfield or suppress his/her mirror on the wire. (I know a handful of girls play serious paintball but does that really mean I have to write silly things like his/her?) While there is nothing wrong, and a few things right, about those choices they are too limited. Oftentimes the dorito corner does not have the same wire control demands the snake side does which frees the player up to operate like a gun turret. Ideally you want to wrap the prop most of time and constantly pound paint around the whole field. (Seriously, 9 or 10 pods worth in a standard 7 minute 7-man game.) With a bit of proper field-walking the corner player will invariably discover lots lanes and spots to shoot. And bringing that rain of paint to bear will confuse the opposition and help free up your teammates.
Aight, here's how this is gonna work. (Assuming it works at all.) I'm gonna describe a breakout, with a couple of options, and explain how and why. (This breakout, btw, with some minor variations, was used by virtually all the pro teams one time or another. And if that wasn't enough this post includes a bonus feature!
At the sound of the horn (buzzer, whistle or croaky ref) 3 players focus on the d-side of the field. One player remains back center to shoot either over the inside MD at the stubby can or wide at a corner or temple runner off the break. Of the other two one goes low into the MD and the other either breaks for the corner, the temple or gun up into the stubby can. The stubby is focused on the center of the field zone and/or players filling the can and MT snake-side.
On the snake side a player either fills the corner or takes the snake off the break. The snake run can be to snake one, two or three. A home shooter lanes for a snake runner most of the time. The two remaining snake side players either double the can or fill the can and the MT. In either case the initial lanes allow the inside can player to zone the center of the field to the dorito wire while the outside can edge either doubles up on the snake or lanes for the corner and in either case can sweep paint back into the small dorito.
There are optional primaries on both sides of the field that, mixed with options on the timing for filling spots, offer enough variation to keep the opposition guessing and the plan flexible enough to vary from the conservative to the all out balls to the wall breakout.
This basic break allows a team to respond to the changing game by filtering players heavily into the snake or upfield through the center while simultaneously shifting d-side players either up or over as well.
Since you've patiently read the rest of this post here's your bonus feature–you did read the whole thing, didn't you? Playing the corner. (In 7-man the dorito wire corner is particularly under played.) The typical corner player is doing one of three things: working the inside of the field from the inside edge of the bunker, looking to make a bump upfield or suppress his/her mirror on the wire. (I know a handful of girls play serious paintball but does that really mean I have to write silly things like his/her?) While there is nothing wrong, and a few things right, about those choices they are too limited. Oftentimes the dorito corner does not have the same wire control demands the snake side does which frees the player up to operate like a gun turret. Ideally you want to wrap the prop most of time and constantly pound paint around the whole field. (Seriously, 9 or 10 pods worth in a standard 7 minute 7-man game.) With a bit of proper field-walking the corner player will invariably discover lots lanes and spots to shoot. And bringing that rain of paint to bear will confuse the opposition and help free up your teammates.
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