[catscratch]

Figure it's worth a shot. So few people play laser-tag as anything more than a kiddie birthday game, and fewer still are aware that there is a tourney scene, that I figure - what the heck. If we're marginal enough to be interested in >$1k headphones, maybe we'll have a few laser tag players as well.

Identify yourselves!!

I play Laser Storm 5.3, though I started out in 3.1. My home arena is the Laser Park in Princeton, NJ ( http://www.laserpark.com/Contact.asp yes it's a horrible site, but the arena's pretty good), but after meeting a few people from NATs last year I've been getting into the tourney scene and exploring other systems. I've been playing Laser Quest (just got reamed in the regionals in Michigan... but good practice, especially since I came into the tourney with just 10 games of Quest under my belt), Laser Blast, Ultrazone/Infusion, Actual Reality, Laser Tron (LT9 & LT11), and even tried Laser Force. I'll be playing in Armageddon this year and the next, probably at the Laser Tron World Champoinships in Buffalo this August (if I can get enough practice), and of course, every tourney in Laser Storm that I can get my hands on. I really do love my home system, though I wish we never upgraded to 5.3!

... I hope I'm not the only LT player here

Few enough of us already.

 

[cire]

i prefer paintball. lighting people up with balls filled with paint at 280ft/s is just that much more fulfilling.

 

[jumpinjohn1234]

Airsoft, I like using real guns (well 1:1 copy scale) with colt trademarks

 

[creyc]

But paint has that satisfying "splat!"

On the other hand you get to play with lasers in the dark with laser tag. So it kind of evens out.

Hmm, night paintball, with fluorescent paintballs maybe?

That would be so horrible i think.

 

[skudmunky]

Well gee, I like airsoft, paintball, and lasertag! I did a lasertag party once, it was a blast. My freinds and I all dink around with Airsoft spring pistols, since no one wants to buy an electric gun since we wouldn't use it enough. I haven't gotten into paintball heavily yet because that stuff is darned expensive, I've got other things to spend money on. Maybe this summer though...

 

[lewtz]

MY brother was HEAVY into paintball for a while. That hobby can put headphones to shame. He has gone through many different Angels, Shockers, Autocockers, and something else. One of the other big fancy guns, not counting countless uniforms, jerseys, pods of paint, and the paint itself.

When your going through $150-200+ worth of paint a weekend, it adds up quick. Course this is tourney level paintball, not backwoods fun paintball.

Course now he golfs, sold all his paintball crap and got him a set of Ping G5 clubs, atleast working at a golf course he got everything cheaper then the pro shop could get it, b/c he knew the Ping rep.

 

[kdaq]

Used to get together with high school buds to play lasertag with some crappy portable equipment. We played in the woods and such...did some capture the flag. That was sweet.

 

[catscratch]

Well I'm no pro paintball player, but strangely enough, I found laser-tag to be more physical, at least when you play it on a more competitive level. Here you can actually dodge shots (depending on the system of course). In Laser Storm 3.1 or 5.3 you're moving and dodging non-stop for the duration of the game (if you're playing undivided arenas), and you're absolutely drenched with sweat by the time you come out (and if you're in bad shape, you'll just collapse halfway through). Laser Quest tends to be very physical also, since you're required to do a full-body dodge in a fairly bulky vest. Heck, I've heard of arenas that allow full-contact (meaning hockey-like rules, not being allowed to bean someone over the head with your rifle

).

Another analogy would be that paintball is more akin to Counter-strike while laser-tag is closer to Quake or Unreal Tournament. There's a more prolonged dogfight in l-t, at least in Laser Storm, Laser Blast, Laser Quest, and other more dogfighting-oriented systems. Hence, the whole physical aspect of it is really at another level. Yes, paintball hurts more

but you'll be surprised how sore you are after 5 straight days of tourney where you play 18 hours per day...

It's really too bad there isn't more competition, especially in the northeast. My group of friends is trying to create competition here in Storm 5.3 and whatever else we can get our hands on, but it's pretty hard. Most of the really good people are on the west coast. The closest very good Storm teams to us are in Pittsburgh and Ohio (and the Ohio arena just closed down

).

 

[marvin]

Heh, I'd like to see a system that gave points for rifle butting or pistol whipping someone.

I've had the same experience, but I'm only a casual player. Paintball is more "tactical" while laser tag is more physical. I think it has to do with the pain reinforcement that paintball provides.

Airsoft gives me the creeps though.

 

[creyc]

^ Agree.

At least in woodsball, when you're creeping through the brush, darting from bunker to bunker and constantly on the lookout for signs of movement, yes the fear aspect associated with pain does come into play.

Even though it doesn't hurt that bad, you're sitting and waiting and psyching yourself up for it. In a good field with good players I definitely experience this and it's great.

 

[Jam_Master_J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cire i prefer paintball. lighting people up with balls filled with paint at 280ft/s is just that much more fulfilling.

Me too. I love ripping my gun at 20bps(ramped

) and lighting someone up.

 

[creyc]

*full mech auto-cocker*

Thinking about an e-blade...then thinking about the paint cost. No longer thinking about that eblade.