• Paintball Chat Thread
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[U][B] Welcome to the Paintball Chat Thread! [/B][/U]Here's a thread for discussing everything that is the sport/hobby of Paintball. Newcomers are welcome! [I][B]What Is Paintball?[/B][/I] [quote="Wikipedia"] [B]Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water-soluble dye and featuring a gelatin outer shell (referred to as [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball_equipment#Paintballs"]paintballs[/URL]) propelled from a device called a [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paintball_marker"]paintball marker[/URL] (commonly referred to as a paintball gun). Games can be played on indoor or outdoor fields of varying sizes. A game field is scattered with natural or artificial [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrain"]terrain[/URL], which players use for tactical cover. Game types in paintball vary, but can include [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_the_flag"]capture the flag[/URL], elimination, ammunition limits, defending or attacking a particular point or area, or capturing objects of interest hidden in the playing area. Depending on the variant played, games can last from seconds to hours, or even days in scenario play.[/B][/quote] Paintball can be most basically describe as a game of tag. If you get marked, you're out. This basic rule is significant to the game's many different rulesets, such as scenario, woodsball, and speedball. [U][B]GameTypes:[/B][/U] [B]Speedball[/B] The more "sport" aspect of the game, speedball is, as the name describes, very fast. Balls are unloaded at a faster rate than normal. There is paint everywhere. Games usually last 5-10 minutes, with teams of 5-7 depending on the ruleset. Basically, anywhere played on a kept field that doesn't have twigs and trees popping out of the grass. [B]Woodsball[/B] Played in the woods, larger fields, cover is usually made out of debris like barrels (unlike Speedball/Airball, blow up bunkers). Games are played slower, as players can hide and surprise opposing players trying to rush them. The only big difference between speedball and woodsball is the field. The same games and rulesets can be played, however games just tend to be slower due to more cover and more options for movement. The largest paintball games played are set in woodsball "fields". A woodsball field can really be just an entire forest, its played in the woods. Bang. Woodsball. If you're a beginner, and have a group of friends, go outback and play a game in the woods. You just played your first match. This is the most beginner friendly version of the game. [B]Milsim[/B] Milsim is a lot like Airsoft. Players tend to use mag-loaded paintball guns instead of hopper loaded guns. This allows for more "realism" and tactics to unfold. Usually a mission is played. Really, the only thing that makes milsim "military" is the magazine loaded paintball guns and outfits that put you in a severe disadvantage playing paintball. However, whatever floats your boat. It's great fun, but costs a lot more to really get into if you want the coolest looking gun. Paintball has come really far when it comes to mag loaded. Not quite airsoft levels of replication, but it gets the job done and still has that "paintball" look. (Tip: sights do not work for paintball aiming, you're wasting your money. Combat Helmets are a bigger target.)[/s] [U][B]Tools of the Trade: [/B][/U]A basic rundown. Nothing too detailed. [B]Paintball Markers:[/B] Paintball markers come in two basic types: Electro, and Mechanical. There are so many more differences than that, however those are the main two categories. Electrics shoot a lot faster than a mechanical ever can, simply because they have computers inside of them. That doesn't mean mechanicals are bad, however. You'll find that most of the time, a marker does not make the player. Some players play with pump paintball markers that require the marker to be cocked every time it is shot. People enjoy the challenge and get a little bit more accuracy out of these, and can play longer without having to refill/buy more paint. All paintball markers shoot ~300 FPS. Some are more accurate than others, some are louder than others. The more you spend, the better marker you'll get. However, that doesn't mean you need to drop $600 dollars starting the sport. Tippmann 98's and GOG ENMeys are great guns for under $200 dollars, and wont require that much maintenance. The biggest differences is balls per second. The more balls you can send down the field, the better. [B]"Air" Supply: [/B]The two main forms of "air" are High Pressurized Air tanks, and CO2 Tanks. HPA is the best choice to go with. CO2 isn't awful however it is a temperate gas. It has problems with keeping up with high firing rates, it can freeze up your internals, and its just in general not better than HPA besides cost and availability. CO2 is GREAT for beginners, because you wont run into these kind of problems with it until you get a hang of the sport! [B]Hoppers/Loaders: [/B]The goofy looking things on top of paintball markers. These hold your paintballs and feed them to your gun. There are gravity fed hoppers, which just plop the next ball in, and there are electronic loaders, which have systems that keep balls from jamming and keep the paintballs fed no matter what rate you fire at. A good hopper can make a huge difference. [B]Pods/Pod Packs: [/B]Pods are tubes that hold your balls. You keep them in a pod pack around your waist, and reload your hopper with them by dumping the balls in. Thats how you reload in paintball. [B] Goggles/Mask: [/B]The most important piece of equipment. If you can't see, you can't win. A good mask is necessary for competitive paintball. Anti-fog thermal lenses, breathable and audible masks are game changers. This should be your first big investment. [B]to be finished [/B][img_thumb]http://www.theshackpaintball.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/shack-banner-2015-980x336.jpg[/img_thumb]
Nice OP. Never played it myself, is it an expensive hobby?
[QUOTE=misterv;48948555]Nice OP. Never played it myself, is it an expensive hobby?[/QUOTE] Damn right it is, at least in the UK. At my local field, it costs ~£70 for enough paint to last the day without having to worry too much about conserving it throughout - assuming you're not gonna be a pussy and sit way back at your start point attempting to snipe through fogged goggles with a marker that can't hit the broad side of a wheelie bin at 20m - it's hilarious how many people I've seen doing this. Except for big scenario-type things, most don't allow you to bring your own and will stop the game if someone's found to be using paint not purchased there and on the day. If you've got the cash though, it's well worth it. I'd advise bringing a straw-bottle or a camelbak if you have one because it's easy to get dehydrated during a game. Also pad your balls (the ones between your legs), I can't stress this enough.
Paintball is pretty cool. I've only been a few times, and borrowed by buddy's paintball gun when I did. Still ended up costing me a lot, though.
[QUOTE=misterv;48948555]Nice OP. Never played it myself, is it an expensive hobby?[/QUOTE] Its expensive if you really want to get into it. Otherwise, if you go with a group of friends, split a box of paint, and rent your marker, its really not that bad.
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