[Bugman]

Speedball or woodsball? What is mostly played at commercial fields these days. Is it a good mix or is one being played more. How much does tournament play drive players today? From what I am seeing on the net, it seems to me that Speedball and Speedball tournaments are what players seem to be talking about more. The specialized guns and equipment need for speedball seems to be what most are talking about. Is this because the bulk of players are playing speedball these days? Do the smaller local tournaments get lots of regular players out to play now?

Not concern about pro-players just your regular player type that plays several time a year.

[Panda Man]

little more xball but really nothing has changed since 2003.

[Woodyballer29]

Woodsball and rec ball up here!

This post has been edited by Woodyballer29: 30 January 2013 - 02:23 PM

[AJpaintball4life]

Bugman, on 30 January 2013 - 02:02 PM, said:

Speedball or woodsball? What is mostly played at commercial fields these days. Is it a good mix or is one being played more. How much does tournament play drive players today? From what I am seeing on the net, it seems to me that Speedball and Speedball tournaments are what players seem to be talking about more. The specialized guns and equipment need for speedball seems to be what most are talking about. Is this because the bulk of players are playing speedball these days? Do the smaller local tournaments get lots of regular players out to play now?

Not concern about pro-players just your regular player type that plays several time a year.

Hey mate, I saw you were wondering about speedball or woodsball. Checkout this article, it'll shed light on some your questions hopefully;
http://paintballgunsforsalenow.com/paintball-articles/

[dustyshouri]

AJpaintball4life, on 30 January 2013 - 03:41 PM, said:

Bugman, on 30 January 2013 - 02:02 PM, said:

Speedball or woodsball? What is mostly played at commercial fields these days. Is it a good mix or is one being played more. How much does tournament play drive players today? From what I am seeing on the net, it seems to me that Speedball and Speedball tournaments are what players seem to be talking about more. The specialized guns and equipment need for speedball seems to be what most are talking about. Is this because the bulk of players are playing speedball these days? Do the smaller local tournaments get lots of regular players out to play now?

Not concern about pro-players just your regular player type that plays several time a year.

Hey mate, I saw you were wondering about speedball or woodsball. Checkout this article, it'll shed light on some your questions hopefully;
http://paintballgunsforsalenow.com/paintball-articles/

Hey, thought I'd chime in on your link. The only thing I can suggest, and something I think that makes a big deal, is to tone down the self-advertising cues. When you're trying to have a helpful article people can read into things and feel as though you're trying to manipulate them and sneakily push products onto them, and thus your credibility is compromised. A simple change that can make your articles seem so much less pushy would be for example, changing:

Quote

most players will dress up in camouflage, carry very realistic military replica paintballs guns such as our MRX Elite and our MR guns.

to:

Quote

most players will dress up in camouflage, carry very realistic military replica paintballs guns such as the MRX Elite and the MR guns.

You can still link to your product sales page, but just don't be so outright about the fact that you're pushing your products on the reader; it's just off-putting, as a reader, in my opinion.

This post has been edited by dustyshouri: 30 January 2013 - 04:28 PM

[Bugman]

Well those articles are not exactly what I am looking for. I am a returning player and former field owner. I have not played Speedball with the Blowup Dolls. But I was sort of a pioneer back in the Day. We used to play a version of Speedball in our town area on the field back in 1990. I started play in 1989 so Mike and I started around the same time. Though I am a bit older, I was 27 when I started. Back in those days most players where in there mid 20's or early 30's, with some college age guys. Not very many teenagers, some but not many. We played on mostly improved woodsball courses with buildings and bunkers. Pump guns like the WPG Sniper, Phantom, and 68 Magnum ruled the day mostly. 40 round feeder boxes and 7 oz co2 tanks. Many guys still played with pistols, infact field rentals often were pistols in 1989. I even played some National Tournaments a couple of times.

I left the Game in 1999 and closed my field. I returned briefly in about 2003 to 2006 taking my stepson and his school buddies to play a couple times a year at the field where I first learned the game. I then returned this past October taking my 12 yearold and his friend. To the same field. Paintball really has not changed much at that field. But that field really does not seem to be known for speedball. Player count seems down from the old days. The players seem younger also.

Just wondering what the majority of players are playing these days?

Hoping to get out about 10-12 times this year, and bringing many new and some old players with me.

[BraiNfreeZe]

I would tend to say that the speedball scene is more popular these days, although idk what it looks like in your neck of the woods.... Mostly people playing woodsball are scenario players, rec ball, and kids at parties. I prefer speed ball personally, however a good round of woods is a hell of a lot of fun...

[Bugman]

It just seems to me most of the chatter on the net is geared towards speedball equipment. There seems to be more indoor fields in my area now (MI), but they are small in size. Seems like most are setup with inflatbles and designed for 7on7 or less. I played in some big indoor fields in Detroit many years ago that could handle 100 on 100 back in the early 90's. Based on the pics I have seen, the new indoor fields are nicer fascilities, but much smaller.

Do many of you play speedball tournaments at the local level or national level? or is it mostly recball on speedball courses?

I like the looks and feel of the new light weight speedball guns, frankly I think they would make great woodsball guns. I am not really that fired up about the whole milisim thing. Back in the Day we had to be real careful about how the game was presented to the non-playing public. Going to a zoning board was not very fun, trying to explain the game to politicians.

[ThePBLady]

It depends a lot on where you are located. We have a lot of major scenario and woodsball games int he Northeast, but at the same time we do have the speedball leagues close by. Speedball is definitely more popular in the news, but a lot of local fields know that woodsball and scenario are what the general public can afford and know when it comes to paintball.

[III Kezia III]

its all rec ball really. i doubt you'll ever find a field that is exclusive to either speedball or woodsball. speedball is based off a format so they can't really have more than 7 people on a team at a time. speedball is just there for people who already have their own stuff and aren't renters. yes granted you could play speedball with a renter but it wouldn't be as fun.

[Panda Man]

III Kezia III, on 31 January 2013 - 10:31 AM, said:

its all rec ball really. i doubt you'll ever find a field that is exclusive to either speedball or woodsball. speedball is based off a format so they can't really have more than 7 people on a team at a time. speedball is just there for people who already have their own stuff and aren't renters. yes granted you could play speedball with a renter but it wouldn't be as fun.

Bull honkey!

My field is exclusively a speedball style field and I see renters in their all the time having fun.

[unfated33]

I got my start within a few years after you, but I was probably one of those rare teenagers at the time. My original field is still basically the same as it always has been - all in the woods with lots of hard structures built for cover, with one field that really is just being in the woods. Now that I've moved to a bigger city, there are about 8 or 9 fields within driving distance. Of those, one is dedicated airball, one is an airball tournament field, and two others have one airball field each on the premises. The rest are all still strictly woodsball fields.

Personally, I like playing speedball-style games on woodsball hard structure courses. If you go look for the videos by user Gmore70, you can see this in all of his videos for his local field. I have played some fun games on the airball courses, but the style of play that is cultivated in airball is not my favorite type of sport - this largely involves faster firing markers with faster loading to get firing speeds of 12-20 bps depending on field restrictions. This environment is not at all conducive to rental play when rental markers are almost always the Tippman 98c or Empire BT-4 markers (heavier, single trigger, gravity fed). When an airball field is being played with only people using rental markers, I think it's fantastic fun. For those that like a high rate of fire, I'm sure it's also fun when all players have sufficient electropneumatic markers to compete. Some pump players like the thrill of getting in the mix with high speed electros on the airball course, but aside from that it just seems like a bad idea to me.

Personally, I think whether in the woods, hyperball hard courses, or airball, the rate of fire is too fast. I'd like to see it come down a lot, perhaps in the area of 6 to 8 balls per second capped.

[NJC]

it depends on your region

[Pakistani]

Nationwide, Woodsball and Scenario is much much more common than speedball. Everyone starts out in the woods and most fields have a really hard time staying afloat unless they cater to the woodsball players.
Woodsball players are willing to pay more for paint, are willing to spend more on gear, and they are extremely common because when most people think paintball, they think woodsball. so thats exactly where they go when they want to play for the 1st time.



Forums like these aren't indicitive of what players play more. most guys here probably play speedball. Most people who play in the woods. especially those who aren't into scenario play, dont really have a reason to hop on a forum and talk about it.

[Bugman]

Pakistani, on 01 February 2013 - 01:29 AM, said:

Nationwide, Woodsball and Scenario is much much more common than speedball. Everyone starts out in the woods and most fields have a really hard time staying afloat unless they cater to the woodsball players.

Woodsball players are willing to pay more for paint, are willing to spend more on gear, and they are extremely common because when most people think paintball, they think woodsball. so thats exactly where they go when they want to play for the 1st time.

Forums like these aren't indicitive of what players play more. most guys here probably play speedball. Most people who play in the woods. especially those who aren't into scenario play, dont really have a reason to hop on a forum and talk about it.

On your first point. I wonder what a national Paintball Player Poll would really show?

It does not seem possible that speeballers are not spending more, considering the cost of their guns and equipment. I thought tournament paint was the most expensive?

More active NET use by Speedballers? Seems plausable to me.

This could explain why I am feeling everyone is playing speedball. Another thing I saw was a player that complained about the lack of enough speedball offered at my old home field. He was wishing for a new field in the area. Complaining that it was not very fun playing on their 1 speedball course (non-airball). Frankly I have always considered this field to have the most unique terrian I have ever seen. I wish my own field had been blessed with this terrain. His statements did shock me though. Maybe the nature of the technology needed in speedball makes those players more active on the Net?

Personally I always likded old Speedball, not sure how I will like the new version, since I am much slower a foot now. But I always enjoyed playing on a improved woodsball course the best. The games can be just as intense as speedball, but with way more variables that come with a larger field of play.IMO..

With that said I am planning on trying a little Airball this year, just to see first hand how the game has changed. This seems to be the biggest change in the game. Certain questions can only be answered on the field of play. Not sure if I will like it, but it does seem to be the Real Deal for some.

[Bugman]

unfated33, on 31 January 2013 - 03:31 PM, said:

I got my start within a few years after you, but I was probably one of those rare teenagers at the time. My original field is still basically the same as it always has been - all in the woods with lots of hard structures built for cover, with one field that really is just being in the woods. Now that I've moved to a bigger city, there are about 8 or 9 fields within driving distance. Of those, one is dedicated airball, one is an airball tournament field, and two others have one airball field each on the premises. The rest are all still strictly woodsball fields.

Personally, I like playing speedball-style games on woodsball hard structure courses. If you go look for the videos by user Gmore70, you can see this in all of his videos for his local field. I have played some fun games on the airball courses, but the style of play that is cultivated in airball is not my favorite type of sport - this largely involves faster firing markers with faster loading to get firing speeds of 12-20 bps depending on field restrictions. This environment is not at all conducive to rental play when rental markers are almost always the Tippman 98c or Empire BT-4 markers (heavier, single trigger, gravity fed). When an airball field is being played with only people using rental markers, I think it's fantastic fun. For those that like a high rate of fire, I'm sure it's also fun when all players have sufficient electropneumatic markers to compete. Some pump players like the thrill of getting in the mix with high speed electros on the airball course, but aside from that it just seems like a bad idea to me.

Personally, I think whether in the woods, hyperball hard courses, or airball, the rate of fire is too fast. I'd like to see it come down a lot, perhaps in the area of 6 to 8 balls per second capped.

My instincts tell me, that when I comeback at the end of the year and revist this post. I will be looking at this, as if I had wrote it myself. Just a prediction. The high ROF's do conern me some. I saw how Pump guns with direct feeds and CA changed the game, then how the first real good semis like the Auto Mag/Cockers changed it again. On the plus side for technology, the Tippmann Prolites/98c really were great for the rental market and field owners. Many new players really struggle with pumps. Each step in tech advancement does change the game.

[Orange Chicken]

For my area, everything is more speedball oriented. The recball fields are basically airball fields with woods and barrels instead of inflatables. Then its a large, flat, organized field with tons of barrels and trenches and such with airplanes and helo's and such, and thats recball too. Up in phoenix its indoor airball or outdoor recball. Not much woodsball here.

[crPaliza]

People play more woodsball over here but I play speedball because I like that style of format more.

[spqr-king]

Players overall seem to enjoy speedball better but more people play woodsball because of its casual fun feel and lower price point. I would love to play speedball everyday but the cost can get ridiculous especially when entering events.

[Rotozip2]

Orange Chicken, on 01 February 2013 - 09:49 AM, said:

For my area, everything is more speedball oriented. The recball fields are basically airball fields with woods and barrels instead of inflatables. Then its a large, flat, organized field with tons of barrels and trenches and such with airplanes and helo's and such, and thats recball too. Up in phoenix its indoor airball or outdoor recball. Not much woodsball here.

You have that reversed. What do you think airball was based off of?