The Friday Poll: All things being equal, which format would you like to play in 2006:

[Wadidiz]

Originally posted by Gyroscope
There is a greater importance to every little thing, and therefore more intense drama in 7 man.

It is true that there CAN be more intense drama in a single-goal game because it is single-goal, just like a showdown at high noon. And to be fair, as has oft been pointed out, the more players there are one each side in a game of paintball the more strategic it becomes--which is fun. However, both X Ball and standard 7-player have their strategic elements, just different. And they both benefit very much from individual gun-fighting and other skills, just X Ball somewhat more than 7-player.

To be fair in the comparison many of the advantages of X Ball as we know it could be applied to a 7-player format. We could have an arena set-up like X Ball and have multiple rounds instead of single-goal and then moving on to a different field and opponents. We could have center flag or no flag and could get rid of pestery armbands. We could amend the rules to create effective deterents against playing on.

The main point is 7-player, single-goal the way it has been presented up until now is about as much fun as going to an NBA basketball game and then going home as soon as the first basketball swoshes through a net.

It could be modified however.

 

[Steve Hancock]

The only 'xball' I've played was at a team scrimmaging session. Not true xball, but even that was enough to convince me of the benefits of match format. However I think some form of Lite would be the best idea, for my wallet, and also for a more widely assessable and therefore more universal format.

 

[duffistuta]

Originally posted by Baca Loco


--Duffy's thinking man's game which I think is code for too old, too slow to compete and hoping to sneak up on somebody to get a kill.

Busted

 

[Nick Brockdorff]

From a player perspective, 7-man is way more intense - because when you hear "10 seconds" you know you've only got the ONE shot at beating this team.

That having been said - I prefer X for a variety of reasons: media, fairness, spectator involvement, more aggressive, the chance to outthink your opponent during a match, etc.

Nick

 

[Robbo]

I think it's quite clear from these votes so far, 7 man is, or rather should be dead and buried but this is no recent revelation.

People on the circuit have been saying as much for a long time now with the only thing keeping it alive in the US was Chuck in the NPPL.
Some people listened, some didn't.
I am not gonna criticize the Millennium for doing the same because theirs was a default position and one that necessarily had to be adopted.

I will add this however; the Millennium most definitely had plans in place to revise their adherence to the traditional 7 man format and were considering changing it long before those integration talks between the NPPL and PSP were started.
This fact alone tells me the Millennium guys are a lot more forward thinking than the NPPL (not Pure Promotions).

If the NPPL has no massive outside sponsor waiting in the wings or a significant TV deal then its options are quite clear, but unpalatable.

I really think they need to sit down and try to think outside their box because if they continue to adopt their present philosophies along with a somewhat schizophrenic input to their decision making, then I honestly think this situation will gain momentum and eventually career away to a point where they have little to no control.
Most things come down to personalities, or rather the nature of the people concerned and as I said all along if Ged Green and Dave Youngblood had been the sole reps from each camp, then we would have a truly united world federation, of that I am sure.

The only people I would have let into those talks would have been Owen from the NPPL side and Lane from the PSP side.
Certainly nobody else from the NPPL camp.

 

[SteveD]

so, let's see:

15 man was 'too expensive' and 'too difficult for any decent number of people to get a good team together'...

10 man was 'too difficult to get a good team together', and its too damned expensive...

7 man is no fun, boring and, gee, those extra two decent players are just too hard to find these days...

5 man is too expensive...

3 man rage in the cage, no one is supporting it because its on tv with a 'real deal' and therefore a threat to all and sundry...

I can hear it, faintly, off in the distance...five man x-ball lite it too expensive and gee, finding those extra two guys who are decent is just too difficult...

and even further off, I hear, with my ear to the ground, 3 man is just too damned expensive...

One of the things that kept 'old skool' paintball "honest" was the fact that it was just too damned difficult to put a decent squad together for most people. In my book, that meant that the teams that did manage to show up fit into two distinct categories - teams and players that belonged there or folks who were just ignorant of what it took to cut it and this current event will be their last one.

We're approaching the limit on diminishing returns AND reduction to the least common denominator. I'm waiting to join the Seniors Top Gun Tour, with rollerblades and clown-nose optional.

Some of the pressure on format has been due to looking for the right one. The majority of it has come from promoters looking to cast the widest net for attendance (entry fees) and not caring whether doing so increased the level of competant competition or not.

OMG - maybe x-ball lite is the answer (why not play it with 7 guys as well?) but I guarantee you that once attendance at those events starts to tail off, there will be a movement to drop the team size even lower so 'more teams can attend'.

Let's just skip the next few years and start '06 with 3 man x-ball lite...

 

[Steve Hancock]

Originally posted by SteveD
Let's just skip the next few years and start '06 with 3 man x-ball lite...

Didn't someone try something similar recently in the UK?

 

[#29]

warren has done 3 man xball light and i thought it worked well it was good fun to play.

 

[Chicago]

There's a reason 3-man in the cage doesn't get industry support, and it has nothing to do with TV or jealousy.

There's no trade show.

People need to understand this about national-level paintball tournaments: They are only half tournament, and half trade show.

All of the industry "support" for NPPL/PSP comes from vendor sales. No major vendor at these events pays the kind of money they pay for exposure - they pay it so they can sell their stuff at events.

some of the paintball companies buy ad time in the WPL shows, and that's exactly the kind of support the WPL wants/needs. If they wanted vendor fees, they'd be having vendors.

It's not like MLB is supported by baseball manufcturers. It's not. It's not supposed to be. NOT having a league supported by the paintball industry is EXACTLY what should be happening, and kudos to WPL for getting us there, even if I wish the format were different.

 

[Robbo]

Originally posted by SteveD
so, let's see:

15 man was 'too expensive' and 'too difficult for any decent number of people to get a good team together'...

10 man was 'too difficult to get a good team together', and its too damned expensive...

7 man is no fun, boring and, gee, those extra two decent players are just too hard to find these days...

5 man is too expensive...

3 man rage in the cage, no one is supporting it because its on tv with a 'real deal' and therefore a threat to all and sundry...

I can hear it, faintly, off in the distance...five man x-ball lite it too expensive and gee, finding those extra two guys who are decent is just too difficult...

and even further off, I hear, with my ear to the ground, 3 man is just too damned expensive...

One of the things that kept 'old skool' paintball "honest" was the fact that it was just too damned difficult to put a decent squad together for most people. In my book, that meant that the teams that did manage to show up fit into two distinct categories - teams and players that belonged there or folks who were just ignorant of what it took to cut it and this current event will be their last one.

We're approaching the limit on diminishing returns AND reduction to the least common denominator. I'm waiting to join the Seniors Top Gun Tour, with rollerblades and clown-nose optional.

Some of the pressure on format has been due to looking for the right one. The majority of it has come from promoters looking to cast the widest net for attendance (entry fees) and not caring whether doing so increased the level of competant competition or not.

OMG - maybe x-ball lite is the answer (why not play it with 7 guys as well?) but I guarantee you that once attendance at those events starts to tail off, there will be a movement to drop the team size even lower so 'more teams can attend'.

Let's just skip the next few years and start '06 with 3 man x-ball lite...

Steve, whether you like it or not, the tournament scene is linked necessarily to the wants and needs of its promoters.

Their respective histories are somewhat checquered I know but until something else comes along, these are the guys who are putting their ass on the line with their money and as such, it's better to work with them.

They will always have to be mindful of their customer base and so cannot divorce themselves too far from the 'real' world of paintball.

I honestly think that all things being considered, with all parties (industry, player and promoter) necessarily taken into account, XBall 5 man lite is the way to go.
It might not be radical enough for you but at the moment it serves a common purpose and is most certainly going in the right direction if not the exact direction in which you want to go.