Paintball Journal

Indoor paintball is officially the most difficult sport to photograph. No matter where you go, no matter how well lighted it appears to you, your camera will not agree. In fact, your camera will disagree so wholeheartedly with the whole process that it will probably render the majority of your pictures vague gray blobs with ISOs in the upper thousands and grain from hell.

Admittedly, if you’re not a photographer, you might not know what all that means exactly, but just know that it is overall bad.

Here are some examples from last weekend.

As you can see, they don’t turn out so hot. The best that you can do is get close and take flash shots, or dress them up later in a photo editing program. Here’s an example of each, in order of how I mentioned them.

A little bit better, but impractical at best. You can’t really win photographing paintball indoors. However, I think I managed to catch my first paintball in flight this time around, and I was pretty dang excited.

Check it out.

I’m pretty stoked about that whole thing, plus I didn’t get shot too much and my camera didn’t even explode, so all in all, a decent weekend for photography.

Some tips for shooting paintball in general:

Get as close as possible to the action.
Don’t shoot through netting.
Don’t shoot indoor paintball.
Use a ref shield!
Fast shutter, low ISO, etc. etc. Paintball is incredibly fast.
Watch the game, and the shots will come. Know when people are going to make their moves.

Well, it’s been a fairly busy week here on Paintball Journal, but if you are still looking for reading material, here’s what’s been happening over at my other blog for Xtreme Paintball.

Eclipse’s Board Settings for New ROF Limits

Both PSP and Millennium have lowered their ROF limits, and Planet Eclipse wants to let you know exactly how to deal with the new firing modes on their guns. Definitely worth a read if you have an Ego or Etek.

WGP’s New Website

WGP hasn’t really brought a whole lot to the table that people have noticed lately. With this new website, it gives me hope that they will have some great new products to sell on it sooner rather than later. Cool design, but hopefully they keep it updated. If you want to know more, just click away!

Ultimate Strategy

For those of you who have guns that don’t shoot very fast, but want to know how to win against the kids who do. Techniques, strategies, and overall tips on showing up those punks with the fast guns.

Hybrid Says Buh-Bye Now

Just a copy of the original Hybrid note. You can read my thoughts about it here on Paintball Journal.

Spyder RSX To Sport Tadao Board

Okay, so technically we’re heading into last week, but this is an interesting article on Kingman Spyder’s latest announcement regarding their RS line, at least one of which will come stock with a Tadao board. A great move for both companies, certainly.

Brass Eagle Ambush - For The Illest

Oh, yeah, and I can’t forget the most insane gun of the year, the BE Ambush. If you want to learn more about this sheer amazingness, head over the Xtreme.

In what is looking to be the biggest news all month, Hybrid has penned a note of farewell to their contract killers and muppet mowers, as well as the entire paintball community. It details an interesting back story of misfortune for Hybrid this past year, but doesn’t tell everything. First of all, I think it’s important to point out that, while it spends a great deal of time talking about the problem, specifics aren’t mentioned. That’s probably a wise move for a company that’s trying to bide its time rather than quit outright, but it makes for a goodbye letter that’s difficult to fully understand.

Just as interesting are the allegations flying around that Hybrid was having manufacturing problems in China, while still engaged in a legal battle with NPS (currently Kee Action Sports) over their company name. Though these things may be true, more important are the things listed in the note, which you can read below. Also on the Hybrid site is a video tribute to those who have proudly carried the Hybrid Contract Killer status throughout the company’s life.

And so Hybrid leaves behind an industry whose image it helped form with the many trendy, stylish, and otherwise “agg” items that it marketed to all of the tournament players who wanted to be just like those SoCal ballers. Though I can’t say that it was an image that ever appealed to me enough to make me buy Hybrid stuff, the influence of Hybrid, whether good or bad is certainly evident no matter where you look in tournament paintball today.

Click below to read full copy of Hybrid’s farewell letter.

(more…)

Here are some of the things that have been going on at and around Paintball Journal HQ.

A Comment on Comments

First of all, thanks for being patient with posting comments on this site. I know the askimet spam filter has been under performing miserably as of late, but once I figured out that comments weren’t getting through, I started checking the filter daily. So if you post a comment, don’t worry if it doesn’t show up immediately. However, if it’s something you’d really like to talk about, don’t hesitate to hit the “Contact Me” button in the left hand column.

451 Downsizes

In other news, this network is in the process of some pretty major reforms. Now, this blog’s safe, so fear ye not, but expect some major changes around here. I may also be taking on some other blogs as well, but this one will always be my precious. My preeecciousss…ss…ss…..

Tournament Time

I know what a lot of you are thinking. You’re thinking “Hey, Dana, how can we trust the information we get from a kid who probably doesn’t even play paintball that much?” Well, that’s something I’m hoping to remedy somewhat in the near future.

In accordance with such bold statements, I’ve also gone and bought a Halo B that matches my trigger quite nicely, and should help my consistency.

I’ll probably be playing in Splatz’s next tournament, on February 16th. It’s a charity tournament that will benefit the local food bank. I’m pretty stoked about that whole thing.

That’s all for tonight, I’ve got a paper to write about Barack Obama or something. I’ll see you tomorrow.

It’s one of the most important factors you should take into account about your gun. It’s what determines whether you’ll get the shot of first, or if you’re gonna be sucking paint through your grill. It’s what makes a lot of inexperienced and experienced players alike shoot their own bunkers, feet, and teammates. I’m talking about trigger lengths, and I want to know what yours is.

Shall we? I’d really like to know just exactly how far everyone has to go in order to shoot a paintball. Of course, I’m not asking you to do this without putting my own info out there first. Let’s take a look.

That’s my blue CP Sling trigger on my stock Ion frame. Pull length of 1/8 inch.

The calculations were made using a wooden standard Westcott Ruler and a Texas Instruments TI-83 calculator. I had to use the calculator to determine how many eighths two sixteenths equaled.

Not really. I used it to do the centimeter conversion. For those of you who deem the imperial system too lame to use and prefer metricism, the 1/8 inch is 0.3175 cm.

I measured how far the bottom tip of the trigger traveled before activating the microswitch. For those of you using mechanical, optical, or sear trigger systems, just the distance the trigger travels to activate the marker is necessary.

Pictures are also nice, but not necessary. Just take some high precision evaluative devices such as what I listed above and record the distance on a pad of paper. Come to your computer, log onto the internet, and come here to post your findings. Shortest and longest trigger lengths win something fantastic! Oh, and do post your trigger and gun model.

Good evening. This is Dana Granholm reporting from Paintball Journal HQ.

Here’s what’s happening in your world today.

Both the tank cover and pack that you see here are confirmed members of the 2008 Redz Catalog. Unfortunately, the catalog isn’t available yet, so we have to content ourselves with drooling over Myspace pictures of Redz Teams. I of course mean real Redz teams, not every other team that just got sponsored by them because they sent in the sponsorship package.

Kee has announced that it is raising its paintball product prices due to oil prices, which have continued to go up over the past few years. If you’d like a list of things to be affected by this, check this link to their product lines.

Left click then “view image” to enlarge! Can’t promise it’ll make everything bigger, but it’ll sure make it easier to read the document.

Not one to be left behind when profits are increasing, ProCaps distributors have also raised their prices. Citing similar reasons for their price increase, ProCaps issued a similar statement, except in better colors, proving once and for all who is the better umbrella company.

(Again left click to enlarge. Prostate, etc.)

What this means for you as a customer is an incremental increase in price. Expect prices to go up approximately 3-5%. If they go up higher than that, it’s probably stores making up for their own costs, which are getting higher all the time.

Don’t begrudge anyone for trying to stay afloat in a paintball economy that’s barely stable enough to exist.

Oh, you know you want them. It’ll be magical. I promise. Just like certain other 08 Eclipse products…

Actually, I’ve been here before. As I peer around, I realize that this territory most definitely looks familiar. I join battle here, much as I have before, against the forces of evil and apathy!

Here are some of the things that I’ve written in the past about cheating in paintball, and what you can do to help remedy the situation.

There is a rot in paintball today. That comes in the form, not only of cheaters, but those who don’t complain and call out the cheaters who degrade our sport. They are just as bad, because they are the enablers to the cheaters. Easily the worst of the whole category goes to every pro player who’s ever wiped. I’d rather give up paintball forever than do what you do and get perks for it.

First of all, I won’t go into every argument of why wiping and playing on and using cheater boards are all cheating and are not “just penalties” like any other sport.

I’m not gonna do it. I’ve argued that far too many times before to do it again tonight. If you’d really like to read my arguments, look around this site for a couple of minutes, or go visit my other blog at xpaintball.

Instead of all that, I’ll tell you who is ultimately responsible for what’s happened and what is happening. It is the industry and the leagues. Here’s what needs to happen to remedy the situation.

First of all, some sort of standardization within the leagues has got to take place. That means with equipment (read: boards) or rules (read: ROF and refs). Or both.

Boards are needed to force a cap on ROF that is actually completely and totally enforceable. Today, that’s difficult at best, and impossible with semi-auto. That is, without changing other gear regulations (gravity fed hoppers only, mechanical guns only, single trigger only, etc.).

Rules are needed, not that there aren’t sufficient rules today, but that they aren’t actually enforced. Professional refs need to be just that, professional and paid to do their work well.

This post also displays my defense of Rant Week. I’m complaining sure, but I’m complaining about things that can genuinely change, as well as *gasp* suggesting changes!

I’m going to define “rich kids” right off the bat here, so that there’s no mix up and innocent bystanders aren’t offended too badly. These rich kids that I refer to are those that do not work, and/or do not pay for the majority of their paintballing shenanigans, yet have the most expensive gear that money can buy and enjoy looking flashy in their matching outfit and gun combos.

Typically, they are the least motivated paintballers to get better because they haven’t had to work to get to where they are, don’t know their equipment well, and simply are annoying to be around for someone who puts money towards college and has to scrounge to play on the weekends.

This weekend I saw one kid probably a year or two younger than me decked out in full Dye C7 gear with matching colors that corresponded with his red/black fade DM7. He was a pretty bad player. He shot some paint, but wouldn’t move or expose himself. In fact, there was little at all to be said about his playing style.

My complaint is from the perspective of the sport. He contributes nothing. He can’t give advice to save his life. But who will kids look up to? Me, the guy shooting an Ion dressed in some khakis and a hoodie? My friends, shooting their hodgepodge of paint weaponry, with some of the most ghetto rigged set-ups I’ve ever seen? Or this punk decked out in red?

Every time, it will be the kid in red.

So, what’s the solution to this? Actually, it’s pretty simple. You get better, be friendly, give advice freely, and never brag. Eventually everyone learns to take a second look at kids who are dressed from head to toe in fancy gear. I learned long ago that it was the player on the inside that mattered much more than the player on the outside. By showing the world that it doesn’t take the most expensive gear to win, we make the change for the better.

Guess what week it is, boys and girls! Oh, yeah! It’s rant week for Dana! That means you get five, count ‘em, five! angry pictures of me this week!

First of all, these rants are made in good humor, and I harbor no true ill-will towards those who propagate that which I rant against. Er, well… if I do it’s just a wee bit. A little righteous anger never hurt anybody.

Secondly, here’s my first angry picture of the week, yar!

And we’re off.

I went along with some of my friends to mess around at the local rec ball field this weekend and saw some of the most ridiculous stuff. Now, I understand that you should take advantage of the field set-up and layout, but there was just some basic stuff that should be below anyone.

First of all, blind firing around a corner has to be my biggest annoyance. I invariably have to give a lecture about it when I play with new players. Usually that lecture takes place on the field while they’re blind firing at me, whereupon I take up the task of informing them of the dangers of shooting blind around a corner.

It is dangerous, it is illegal, it is dumb. It makes me bunker these kids. I can’t help it, I don’t want to, it just happens…

Next up we have shooting through holes in wooden bunkers that only a barrel can fit through. Someone called it chicken shooting yesterday, which I kinda like. Similar to blind firing, except slightly more effective. Though there’s nothing “wrong” with doing it, it still ticks me off, because I’d never do it.

I may or may not have viciously bunkered a dude who was doing that to my teammates yesterday. In fact, I may or may not have run across the entire field and got shot up myself in order to do so.

You know, just things to keep in mind when playing cheap and dirty.

My final annoyance today falls much in line with the other two, which is shooting under bunkers. Bunkers are not actually meant to be shot under. If there is a gap in the bunker, move away from it, then ignore. If there should be more than one gap in said bunker, simply go back to step one and repeat.

If not, you may have one angry Ion-wielding Asian in a Santa hat bunkering you very soon.

On December 31st, 2007, Indian Creek Design announced that they would be hanging over ICD’s remaining paintball interests to Vaporworks, one of the companies that had long been a supporter and manufacturer of third party items for ICD.

From Vaporworks:

Vaporworks taking over ICD service work!
ICDO Sponsor NewsTaking on more work! Send it our way!

Vaporworks was one of the first factory certified repair centers for ICD markers outside of the factory. Now after nearly 8 years of servicing these paintball markers, ICD is handing the reigns to us. They are stepping away from the paintball business and we are taking over their service work for them. In the new year, ICD will stop doing all service work on their markers and sending customers to Vaporworks for repair and service work.

We have long been a doing our best to support ICD products and will now do our best to carry on work on their markers for them. You’ll get the same service level you’d expect from ICD, only in Kansas instead of Idaho!

You know ICD for their Bushmaster and Promaster Series, as well as their new generation, professional FreeStyle series. I’ve seen both in action and have heard nothing but good things about the guns themselves. The notoriously bad customer service had even improved, last I heard. In the long run though, I think everyone knew a version of this was coming. Though the FS series could have been a strong competitor, especially with the Naughty Dogs shooting them, the support just wasn’t there, and after peaking with the FS7, the line died out fairly quickly thereafter.

Inconsistencies in gun manufacture and customer service were the main sources of complaint against ICD, and still hold true today. Depending on who you talk to, they’ll either be quite unhappy or rather delighted to see ICD go out of business. There isn’t a whole lot of middle ground.

What this means for you is an even further reduced price. With the FS8, this is a great thing. Find a well cared for one and you’ll be in business for years. We’re talking a fully upped FS8 running you probably $300-400.

Oh, and on a final side note, remember that this is just Indian Creek Design’s Paintball division that’s calling it quits. ICD remains a company that still manufactures many consumer goods like soft cases and things like that. So though they won’t be making paintball equipment any longer, they will probably be around for quite a while still.

I certainly won’t be taking away the witty commentary, the cutting edge news, or the multifarious reviews and articles. However, there’s plenty to look forward to this year and it’s about time I stopped rummaging through ST on PBNation and started peering into the actual paintball information that’s been running rampant through the holidays and into the new year.

So, first let me start off the year by wishing you a Happy New Year!

Now that that’s over with, let’s get started on what to expect from Paintball Journal in the coming year.

First off, plenty of coverage of national events, teams, and possibly even some true recounted experiences from me. I’d really like to get able to see an even this year before college, and if I and a couple friends can scrounge the money, expect to see us in Chi-Town for PSP’s Chicago Open.

I’m excited about the established PSP format and NPPL’s new professional venue format that have emerged this year as one of the largest differences between the two series.

PSP is largely staying put this year, with the standard MAO and Chicago Open, as well as the one event to rule them all - World Cup.

NPPL on the other hand is carrying the new trend of professional stadium venues to a new height this year, with every event except for the traditional Huntington Beach occurring in an NFL stadium.

With so much happening in the national series alone, it’s hard to even look at other events, but we will because of the changes likely to occur in the PSP. In case you hadn’t heard, PSP is almost certainly going to drop the rate of fire from 15.4 BPS down to 12-13 BPS. The most definite answer I’ve heard so far is 13.33 BPS, but even that is not confirmed.

The changes are likely to affect attendance and general public opinion, and I’m most interested in seeing how feeder series such as CFOA and XPSL will react, as well as independent series such as CTS and NCPA. Will these changes be enacted elsewhere? Will the NPPL change anything in such a drastic way as that in the future?

I can’t even begin to list all of the new stuff coming out that excites me, although foremost in mind is currently NXe’s JRNY hopper, set for release next month. I can’t wait. Can you?

Didn’t think so.