Status? Is cheating in the major leagues under more or less control since 2006?

[Wadidiz]

I've been away from the major leagues since 2006 (last tournament I worked as an official was PSP World Cup in 2006). The only league that IMO had cheating substantially under control at that time was NXL. By cheating I mean playing on, wiping, gun velocity and ROF. Has anything changed since then? I'm particularly interested in PSP, X-ball in general, Millennium and NPPL (or whatever's replaced it).

 

[Exile]

I've been away from the major leagues since 2006 (last tournament I worked as an official was PSP World Cup in 2006). The only league that IMO had cheating substantially under control at that time was NXL. By cheating I mean playing on, wiping, gun velocity and ROF. Has anything changed since then? I'm particularly interested in PSP, X-ball in general, Millennium and NPPL (or whatever's replaced it).

Holy crap, here's a name from the past!

Hey Steve,

From a personal point of view, gun cheats in Millennium and PSP seem to be down to pretty much unheard of, can't comment on the NPPL though.
Playing on and Wiping were down until quite recently, seems to be a little renaissance on those "Dark arts" this season.

Millennium refs are often accused of being over-zealous these days, but personally speaking, I think they are just anxious to be seen to be on top of things.
I do think they should be pulling players faster rather than waiting for the penalty in some cases, but overall have great respect for what they are doing.

 

[Wadidiz]

Thanks for the answer! Do the Millennium refs still have the policy of penalizing any and all playing on including with hits on bac-pacs, etc? Last video I saw showed otherwise.

 

[Robbo]

Welcome back Steve, I hope all is well in your neck of the woods; since you were around, our industry has been decimated with the number of stores Stateside still in freefall with no plausible end in sight.
Still, we just about have a high-end tournamnet scene both sides of the pond so I suppose that's something to be thankful for.
Have fun!

 

[Wadidiz]

Thnx Pete,

I really miss the scene and so many great international friends and fun occasions.

It was good for me to get away since I got a little too intense the last time I was involved. Because of that I doubt I'll ever get involved on the officiating side of PB again. I hope you are well and that time has let the water pass under the bridge.

I happilly have put my passion into music (play percussion, sing, a little keyboard, written a few songs, play in two bands) and am very active--even get paid sometimes. Gladly there is not nearly as much controversy and hate in that arena. Being on stage and occasionally in the spotlight gives me a little bit of that positive adrenalin but in a different way. Mistakes there are far more forgiving.

I can imagine that the downturned world economy has taken its toll on the industry. And I hope the cheating and much of the BS has gotten under better control.

Maybe I can get involved on the business or support side of PB somehow in the near future. I really miss it.

All the best...

 

[Robbo]

Steve, although the economic downturn has taken its toll on sponsorship and has basically drained a lot of the money away from the tournament side of things, a lot of the bad stuff is still making an unwelcome appearance.

Politics, ego-wrestling, cheating and all that bollox are still rife but maybe there's less of it due to there being a lot worse things to worry about now .... I dunno really, it feels that way anyway.
As for you coming back and in some way regretting past actions?

Steve, nobody could ever doubt your passion for our sport and for all of us on the front line, passion is the one ingredient that gets us all into trouble; it's the nature of the beast mate.

If we weren't passionate about things, we wouldn't care .... and it's because we care so much about what happens inside our sport that makes us steadfast in whatever opinions we hold.
That as you know holds a dual passport of being both a good thing and bad.
Generally speaking, forums aren't the best place for expressing yourself because of the limitations we have in this media of communication, and in my experience, it's the tone of what people write that kicks things off as against the subject matter itself.
Problem is, that 'tone' is soo often misinterpreted ... and this is entirely due to the limitations I previously mentioned.

We need people like yourself to bounce off, we all bounce off each other as you know and it's this process that helps set the direction our sport travels in.
It's good to have you back ... have fun!!!

 

[Buddha 3]

Gladly there is not nearly as much controversy and hate in that arena.

We must not work in the same music industry then.
Sometimes it feels to me like a giant pool of sharks. So I just made sure I have the biggest set of teeth to go around in order to stay afloat.

Seriously though, on the musician's level things are quite friendly in the bizz, but the business side of the industry... Getting your money for work you've already done is sometimes like squeezing blood from a rock. Good thing I have large hands.

Good to hear from you again. Any plans of travelling to Amsterdam any time soon, with the band(s) maybe?

 

[Wadidiz]

Pete, As for regretting past actions I regret the way I used the various fora and particularly this one. I was warned by Millennium folk to take it easy but I was stupid. Sometimes I imagined myself a hero for the common player and came across as disloyal to Millennium. I've even got into trouble on FB because I had a difficult time keeping my hands off the keyboard and often thought I could convince peeps that my way of thinking was right. I think I've learned now and I'm trying very hard to not repeat those mistakes now for the very reasons you mention about the limitations. Then--of course--there's the difficulty of egos getting involved in public discussions. One can take criticism or a valid discussion face-to-face but on a forum there is prestige at stake. I've finally learned not to debate politics and religion on FB, for example, because it's a minefield.

Just like you, Pete, I only had the best intentions and a sincere desire and passion to improve things. If I get involved again somehow I believe I'll have a much wiser approach to things.

 

[Wadidiz]

We must not work in the same music industry then.

Thnx for the welcome, Buddha.

The operating words in my comment are "not nearly as much". There is some petty jealousy and back-biting, of course. And there are always problems getting paid. My approach is to do Jedi mind-tricks on myself about expectations. There is tremendous competition here in Stockholm as there is an abundance of great musicians here in just about every category. I still play for free or for food and drink more often than get paid but that's part of the dues I have to pay to get paid more often which is starting to happen. And--as you know--it's unfortunately a whole lot more about networking than about talent. Right now the joy of getting to express myself with other good musicians in front of mostly appreciative audiences (usually drunk) motivates me and I consider whatever else I get pay-wise as gravy.

I wish I could get back to the 'Dam sometime in the not-too-distant future. Really miss it since I used to consider it my second-favorite European city (after Stockholm). The Swedish ska/punk/reggae band I play with called Rumprytm (gotta love that name!) only sings in Swedish. The other band--Irish folk-rock called Arish--sings in English and could plausibly play in the Netherlands. Any tips appreciated.

Need a percussionist and additional vocalist?

Now--we gotta get back on topic before I get banned by some Stalinist!