Paint or gear?

[ceryni]

Is it just me, or does it seem to be all about gear and not about game. I have it now, but wish I didn't. Id be happiest with an old standard 05 ego and a invert too and some used 2nd hand crap on the speed ball field, and an old mech cocker from 2001 and a shake and shoot hopper. a steelie and some white box in the woods. It's not paint prices that are ruining the sport in my opinion. Its the craze for new gear and fashionable shinies! If we spent our money at the field and on paint instead of gear that isnt used, then surely we find the number of fields grow and the sport thus?!

 

[phil-boy]

Shineys are good !!!! They make you feel and play better !!!!!

 

[ceryni]

HAHAHA!!! the only thing about my shiny geo1 that made me feel better, was that I had 2 guns before it that were so unreliable i was scared to play because they broke and i got destroyed by a bunch of D2 people that had no qualms against bunkering the crap out of me.

 

[Tom]

Because we like to buy new things, follow fashions, etc
Playing paintball lasts a very short time, forums and online shops are available 24/7, you can 'participate' by shopping when not playing

We know you can't buy yourself better (or most of us do) but there is always that little bit of selling factor that's faster, straighter, bouncier.

 

[Dup]

I dunno about you guys but my parents always wanted me to be the best at whatever I did, thus when in started out at paintball they bought me the best of everything currently out. Generally speaking you won't become good with gear that is 5 years old (unless it's something out of a movie). So there is a massive market aimed at parents and fortunately for the paintball manufacturers there parents usually want the best for their kids (in every respect)

Saying that, when in moved out and went to uni, I still had that kit (despite me not being the best... One day!!) but you see the new markers come out and they are more efficient, shoot faster, have less problems, all that sorta stuff. I guarantee everyone's gun has broken or leaked or something at some point in life, so finding new designs and guns will make people buy as a reliability factor.

So aside from hoppers, air tanks and guns, which are all made better and more efficient as the sport goes on, the rest of the apparel is pure fashion. Paintball is 50% looks 50% shooting. EVERYBODY wants to be called 'cool' or hear 'that stuff looks awesome'. Don't tell me you haven't been down to your local site to shoot some normal punters and worn your own kit. Why did you wear it? Other than goggles, the overalls are just as good as your kit, probably better for camouflage actually. It was purely so you could get some people telling you that you looked the bizz

So ye, reliability and looks are what it's all about

 

[scott_peters]

Its not all about looks - The newer gear will out perform most older gear in terms of air consumption - Mechanics - Ease to mantaine

 

[ceryni]

I dunno about you guys but my parents always wanted me to be the best at whatever I did, thus when in started out at paintball they bought me the best of everything currently out. Generally speaking you won't become good with gear that is 5 years old (unless it's something out of a movie). So there is a massive market aimed at parents and fortunately for the paintball manufacturers there parents usually want the best for their kids (in every respect)

Saying that, when in moved out and went to uni, I still had that kit (despite me not being the best... One day!!) but you see the new markers come out and they are more efficient, shoot faster, have less problems, all that sorta stuff. I guarantee everyone's gun has broken or leaked or something at some point in life, so finding new designs and guns will make people buy as a reliability factor.

So aside from hoppers, air tanks and guns, which are all made better and more efficient as the sport goes on, the rest of the apparel is pure fashion. Paintball is 50% looks 50% shooting. EVERYBODY wants to be called 'cool' or hear 'that stuff looks awesome'. Don't tell me you haven't been down to your local site to shoot some normal punters and worn your own kit. Why did you wear it? Other than goggles, the overalls are just as good as your kit, probably better for camouflage actually. It was purely so you could get some people telling you that you looked the bizz

So ye, reliability and looks are what it's all about

Its not all about looks - The newer gear will out perform most older gear in terms of air consumption - Mechanics - Ease to mantaine

That bit in red, in my opinion is a load of rubbish. (apart from older egos, etc. being amazingly easy to maintain and efficient as HELL) Any ego no matter what year will perform outstandingly. as for shoot faster? Why do you want to shoot faster? its not about that anymore? ( besides the QEV's were taken out of the newest egos because they didnt need the speed anymore because every tournament was capped) I think ramping is runing the sport. If you get the right stuff, you can get a killer set-up for 1/4 of the price of the newest stuff and perform just as well if you have the skill. an etek 1 or 2 in the hands of an experience talented player with some old 08 events, some old halo, some football boots and his pods in his pocket, will always outshoot some kid with a DYE NT or an SLS or something with brand new full dye or PE apparell and a rotor or pinokio. (you get my drift). My point is, we all spend our money on gear, and not on the paint! if we bought more paint then it would be cheaper and we'd have more fields because they'd get more business!


reliability is damn important though

 

[Dup]

Yeah, but they became experienced and talented by most likely, starting off with some 2nd hand stuff, deciding they liked the sport, bought their own kit, which would most likely be an upgrade to what they had......why buy an upgrade? because when you do something, you want the best.

Everyone wants a flatscreen plasma Tv over their old tv thats big enough to call a house (unless your too old to care). Exactly the same principle with paintball. Ye that veteran will have started with a pump gun and trained his way up over the years, but thats what was out there at the time. So a kid who has nice and generous parents who will buy him an NT will blatantly lose to an experienced player no matter what the gun, but he will get better, and in 10 years time he will look back and say...bloody hell, i used an NT, oldschool or what.

I work at paintball site and i can shoot more accurately than any of the punters with an inferno, but thats cause ive had years experience, put me up against that kid with an NT and give me an inferno and ill probably kick his ass, but then give me my DM and i will destroy him. So ye, im not really saying the better gear you have makes you a better player, im saying everyone wants better gear because you want to keep with the times, and better efficiency will ultimately lead you to be a better player.

Your right about ramping tho, running the sport for sure. Ruining it in my opinion so ye speed doesnt matter anymore, but it was just part of the explanation i was trying to give.

 

[ceryni]

Yeah, but they became experienced and talented by most likely, starting off with some 2nd hand stuff, deciding they liked the sport, bought their own kit, which would most likely be an upgrade to what they had......why buy an upgrade? because when you do something, you want the best.

Everyone wants a flatscreen plasma Tv over their old tv thats big enough to call a house (unless your too old to care). Exactly the same principle with paintball. Ye that veteran will have started with a pump gun and trained his way up over the years, but thats what was out there at the time. So a kid who has nice and generous parents who will buy him an NT will blatantly lose to an experienced player no matter what the gun, but he will get better, and in 10 years time he will look back and say...bloody hell, i used an NT, oldschool or what.

I work at paintball site and i can shoot more accurately than any of the punters with an inferno, but thats cause ive had years experience, put me up against that kid with an NT and give me an inferno and ill probably kick his ass, but then give me my DM and i will destroy him. So ye, im not really saying the better gear you have makes you a better player, im saying everyone wants better gear because you want to keep with the times, and better efficiency will ultimately lead you to be a better player.

Your right about ramping tho, running the sport for sure. Ruining it in my opinion so ye speed doesnt matter anymore, but it was just part of the explanation i was trying to give.

That's a much better argument and I agree entirely. Ramping should IMO be banned from all fields, and people should be encouraged to buy paint at their field more than surf the forums. though it is tempting to keep magpie-ing if it's on your mind a lot.

However, gear that is 5 years old, im not talking about a trracer pump or something. Im talking an ego 5/6/7 or etek 1/2 those guns still destroy. I just agreed a sale with cheyenne for his ego. and very much looking forward to playing with it next sunday -> http://i945.photobucket.com/albums/ad294/cheyenne-04_2004/004-5.jpg

 

[Dup]

Yeah ramping is just a way of making people with aweful trigger fingers feel like they have accomplished something, bring back uncapped semi i say! Thatl get alot more of the oldschool people back into the sport too i think.

But your right about that, nothing beats my timmy (or in your case your ego (and i mean the gun, not the feeling of being above everyone else haha)), i just have to use it uncapped semi in the woods or in my back garden now waste of awesomeness!

I actually think paint is quite fairly priced, go to most events and they charge entry fee and paint is only marked up by a couple of £.