Style v Functionality

[Wookie]

Whilst...

I pretty much agree that having the flash kit and the eye-candy jersey is an [almost] must for today's modern player, I feel that in some ways the old-skool (e.g. Tyger-esq) players have a good point.

These days, almost anyone can look the part and talk the talk. If you see someone strutting around on a walk-on with a shiny angel with all the fruit, wearing the latest Dye jersey and a Bunker King bandana, you're going to think that he/she's the dog's nuts (lit. A very good player for all you non-Brits). When you get out ont he field and find out that the guy either can't play or can't communicate with his team well enough to make an impact on the game, you have to start wondering about the whole image thing.

I'd like to say that I fall halfway between the Tyger and Robbo views. All the markers I own are plain black. The cocker I had "renewed" by Belsales kept the same body it had when it was made in '94 and I am glad I did. I like to let people think it's ancient when I play a walk-on in my knackered combats and a sweatshirt. Then they find out the truth. However, when I play tourney, I use the Bush2k with the MacDev goodies (again, completely black) and let people know that you don't need an angel to throw out 13 balls a second. Whether or not I hit anything with those 13 is another matter!

You could say that in these times of flash anno jobs (Planet's gorgeous Auroura finish - *drool*) you might stick out from the crowd more with a stock looking marker. You might look more individual at a tourney in the same **** you wore to the last walk-on. But it's not like that. To me it's about your team. If the whole team is dressed the same, with the same shirts, matching cargos and flash markers, you get a good feeling. When you walk on the field looking that good, you get a buzz anyway; it gives you that feeling of being part of something bigger, not just on your own. It gives you a collective image and you need that for tourney play. Who was it that said that a good team is worth more than the sum of it's parts?

That's what image can do for you.

Wookie

 

[Beaker]

It depends on why you do it......

If you get all the kit and give it the big I am then get your but served on a plate then yeah - style sucks.

If you got the style because you want to have a "professional" approach to the game and help out people who need advice/promote sponsors etc then yeah - Style is essential.

My gun's are shiny purely becuase I like shiny things, I don't think half the "upgrades" I did to my Eclipse make the blind but of difference performance wise but hell, they are shiny so must be worth it.

I also think that while being all old shool is comendable it is also not going to progress you (in a sponsorship way) through the sport. So if you do decide to push forth and go up the (tourney) ladder you will HAVE to bit the bullet and get the full team kit etc.

Tyger - one thing that's always puzzeled me..... do any rec players get sponsored in the same way that tourney teams do with paint/kit etc? or is it more association with fields which give help (as a lot of tourney team do as well).

 

[Wookie]

Nice thinking....

As a computer techie, I have to agree with you that shiny is good. Many is the time that I have gone to look at "shiny" stuff and thought: "Gotta get that".

Things in this category include: Widescreen, huge plasma TVs, Playstation 2s, TVRs and computer kit with lots of flashing lights.

They also include pretty much anything with really stunning functionality that works really well. This is the reason that I am still a little dubious about the new Angel. Yes, it's a good marker, possibly the best in the world for the job it does, but I really think that there is too much functionality in there that is not needed for the job it does. In a world of complex solutions, simple is best. The more complex you make something, the more trouble you have with it. I've seen Angels refuse to work if the vibration wiget failed, even though it is not all necessary to it's operation. It's the reason I bought a cocker as a backup and the reason I won't sell it.

Sometimes I think that most paintballers have more than a little magpie in their blood, given the number of shiny bits that get fitted to their markers!

Wookie

 

[Simon Malone]

Sitting on the fence

I played with a stock cocker at Campaign last year and it was so sweet. Nearly totally stock, except the barrel, and rex kit. I had one barrel burst all tournament. The gun cost me like £360, so the rule about needing expensive kit is bull$hit.

Although now i've left education i'm spending money on expensive toys that don't really out perform my old stuff, although they do look nice.

I've decided that flash toys are nice, and if someone wants to give them to me then i'm cool with it, but I won't be shelling out thousands of dollers in future. Well maybe just once more, happy memories and all that

Laters

 

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Robbo:
Dammit Phoenix, a Yank who can not only write well but comes up with a subject that is original and interesting.......you have unsettled me
But to answer your question, for what my opinion is worth anyway, since everybody knows I am both the master of style and the field......oh yeah and full of sh#t, I nearly forgot my most important attribute.
I love the idea of people 'stylising' their game, it can infer upon them a degree of respect from others that perhaps their playing ability might not attract.
Might as well look good at least if you are gonna get your ass handed to you on a plate and if you do manage to win, no better way to do it than draped in 'Extreme' attire rainbowing your way down the field
And to that end, what the hell do you think I been doing all these years ?
Looking good and shooting fools, that's what I been doing
Well ok, till the alarm goes off that is !
Laterz
Robbo
PS Phoenix, good post man, got any articles up your sleeve you wanna send in ?

I can can probably whip a few things up, Robbo. I dropped you an email.

I have to say that, functionally speaking, a chrome blue splashed Sidewinder regulator is not going to perform better than a regular stock black one. But, if that matches your Excalibur (which i will be getting soon ) then you are going to look like you want to get something accomplished. Namely: winning. You have obviously have invested enough effort (working to get the money, saving the money, sacrificing not going to the bars, etc) into our beloved sport that it shows you have a passion for it. In that passion and flare is going to come results. Now, can lack of raw talent make up for a someone dressed to kill? No. Although, it can make the other team think so.

 

[Buddha 3]

You guys that seriously think that looking good will scare the other team enough to give you an edge are so way off!
Trust me, most people that see someone looking like a power ranger strutting around have a tendency to think "I'll show him, arrogant b*st*rd!" Only true newbies get scared by the looks factor.
Like I said earlier, looking good makes you feel good. And all it does is make yourself feel more comfortable, that way enhancing your game. And that my friends, is the truth.

PS Shiny things rule!!! There is no such thing as too much chrome.

 

[Diggie]

Originally posted by Buddha 3
You guys that seriously think that looking good will scare the other team enough to give you an edge are so way off!
Trust me, most people that see someone looking like a power ranger strutting around have a tendency to think "I'll show him, arrogant b*st*rd!" Only true newbies get scared by the looks factor.
Like I said earlier, looking good makes you feel good. And all it does is make yourself feel more comfortable, that way enhancing your game. And that my friends, is the truth.

PS Shiny things rule!!! There is no such thing as too much chrome.

But to feel good automatically makes you come across as more self-confident. In fact, you become more self-confident.

I won't go so far as to thrust this down your throats as "the truth", my friends but I do believe it holds some water.

 

[Tyger]

It depends on why you do it......

Originally posted by Beaker
Tyger - one thing that's always puzzeled me..... do any rec players get sponsored in the same way that tourney teams do with paint/kit etc? or is it more association with fields which give help (as a lot of tourney team do as well).

Not as far as I know. I hear DUrty Dan's been offered, but he doesn't accept it. I've never been offered.

One time a rep from a company told me that he'd rather see me in his jersey than the Raven one I was wearing (and that's your only hint). I looked at him and said "Then sponsor me." He laughed, and dropped it.

They don't sponsor us lowly rec dudes. I think it has to do with the fact that we don't buy stuff in store quantities. Either that or they don't want to be seen on our backs...

-Tyger

 

[Robin Hood]

Like Diggie said, when you're all dressed for the part and you feel good, you feel confident - which is essential for a succesful game. You can't head into a tourney not being 100% sure of yourself, - this can lead to problems with the other teams though, intimidation as such. If you're feeling self consious about your look then you'll automatically be operating at a lower level when the game starts, giving the opposing team an immediate advantage. You can't be worrying about things like what you're wearing, that's why people go all out on it - to maximize their confidence.

With an entire team kitted out too - then there can also be that extra sense of connection between everyone on it, after all paintball is a team sport especially when it comes to tournament play. You must be able to immediately recognise your own members in a split second, thus the aid of uniforms.

As for shiny things, well there's no question about it! Chrome rocks the house any day and is perfect for checking your hair before beginning the game! (Who needs a hopper vanity mirror? ...Robbo... )

I also like simplistic though - whilst fancy milling and hugely complex anodising patterns can be totally awesome, you can never go wrong with returning to the basics.

 

[Beaker]

Re: It depends on why you do it......

Originally posted by Tyger


Not as far as I know. I hear DUrty Dan's been offered, but he doesn't accept it. I've never been offered.

One time a rep from a company told me that he'd rather see me in his jersey than the Raven one I was wearing (and that's your only hint). I looked at him and said "Then sponsor me." He laughed, and dropped it.

They don't sponsor us lowly rec dudes. I think it has to do with the fact that we don't buy stuff in store quantities. Either that or they don't want to be seen on our backs...

-Tyger

Tyger - I've started a new thread you might be interested in