Reviewing Competition

Competition:

Mostly this has to do with the kind of players that show up to the field. How good they are is only part of the evaluation. Sportsmanship is of an even higher consideration when it comes to me rating the level of competition. Does a local tourney team show up to overshoot the newbies, or are the more experienced players good natured and welcoming/teaching those who are still developing their game.

Some may say that it isn’t fair for me to rate the level of competition because it is out of the field owners, but the how the field is run has a lot to do with what type of players continue to show up week after week. Do the refs keep teams balanced? Are tournament players grouped together with rec players? How friendly are the games to new players? And how do the refs/owners deal with players who make the games un-enjoyable for the others on the field.

Reviewing Amenities

Amenities:

Lets start this section with one of the first things I notice about a field. Bathrooms. Is there an adequate amount of bathroom facilities for the number of people who show up at the field. If it is a special event, has more bathrooms been added. Are they clean? If they are port-a-crappers are they serviced regularly?

The rest is pretty simple to impress me. Have enough parking spaces, some benches and tables for people to sit down between games and work on their gear, and some undercover spaces for when it rains. With that said, I saw a recent thing on TV. They served a meal to two groups of people. One group was served on paper plates and plastic cups and forks, the other had crystal, china and waiters and the food was arranged and garnished. Those at the “fancy” place reported that the food tasted significantly better than those who ate with the bare minimum of elegance. The lesson, if your place looks like a dump, you’re customers aren’t going to be expecting much.

Reviewing Pricing

Pricing:
There’s not to much to say about price. Fields need to turn a profit for their owners and property, staff, insurance and paintballs cost money. We the players get the honor of paying for these things. Maybe someday in a perfect world it wont be necessary, but I don’t see that day coming soon. So in the mean time, prices are going to be comparative to other fields. As long as there isn’t some massive overcharging of something, there won’t be much to say.

There is another part of price, and that is the value of what we the players are paying for. Some fields offer have better staff, better fields, or in some way are just better. This can also include how many hours of play you are paying for. Better often costs more to produce, and I for one am willing to pay more for a better product, within reasonable levels anyway.

One last comment about pricing. Rentals. Rentals are the door thorough which most new players enter this sport. For some reason, it seems that there are a large amount of fields who want to charge top dollar of a poorly maintained rental equipment.

Reviewing the Field

Fields:
The important parts of a good woods/scenario field is are primarily 3 things; the size of the field, the construction of the field, and the layout/maintenance of the field.

Fields need to be the correct size for the game that is being played. A good woodsball field needs to be long enough so the teams can’t see each other at the start of the game, and wide enough that the flankers on one sideline can shoot those on the other. Also, the field needs the be big enough for the number of players that use the field. If there isn’t enough room for the players to maneuver, then the game stalemates into a game where both teams form a line and shoot at the other team, eventually thinning their numbers until movement is once again possible. These games are quite boring, and expensive as players are shooting at the worst possible angle, at close to max range. Fields will sell a lot of paint though, and that is why these smaller fields can be found quite regularly. Paintball is first and foremost a game of movement, and fields need to be built with this in mind.

When you construct a woodsball field, for me, the most important thing to start with is some woods. I am a little fed up that in the state of Washington, where trees are quite plentiful, people are choosing clear cut land to place a field on. Granted, there are ways to make a recreation field like a town or theme field where there isn’t much in the way of vegetation, and it’s okay to have one of these fields as it is a good change of pace. But lets be honest, paintball is made to be played where there are trees and shrubs. Shrubs are important, they obscure vision, can be shot through and can also provide cover. Also, use the terrain of the field to your advantage. I hate fields that are built on the edge of a cliff or around some impassible wetland. Lastly, are the bunkers made out of things that are safe? Rusty old cars may not be the might be fun, but can also require a tetanus shot.

The maintenance of the field is important to keep the fields playable. Are the boundaries well marked? Are blackberry bushes kept back to a manageable level? Have bee hives and wasps nests been disposed of or at the least marked off? Are safety hazards taken care of? Such as rusty metal on bunkers, towers about to collapse, holes or roots in major pathways.

Spring: New Life/ New Season

I'm looking forward to getting back out there and trading paint with fellow players at the local fields. I am in the process of thinking about reviews and what I am looking for as I go to fields and rate what they have to offer. I'm going over this because I would also like to post reviews by others who stop by and have something to say on the places they've played. I'm going over this now so that everyone who may wish to enter a review will be on the same page when the are rating their experience.

Fields will be rated on the following

• Fields
• Staff
• Price
• Amenities
• Competition
• Promotions

I will be describing these categories in more detail in the coming days. See you on the field

Events Happening this Spring

Make your plans now, here is the upcoming events planned at our local NW fields.

March 7th
Hamberger Hill
@ Danger Zone Paintball
Big Game

MARCH 14TH
MARCH MADNESS
@ TPS
Free field fee and air day.

MARCH 14TH
Hey that Leprechaun’s Armed!
@ Royal Ridges Paintball

March 21st
Armed Forces War 2
@ NiteHawk Paintball
4 team Big Game

March 28th
Blue – Grey Game
@ K.C. Crusaders
Big Game/scenario

April 11th
Easter Egg Hunt
@ Danger Zone Paintball
No info yet

April 18th
Any Bunny wanna play?
@ Royal Ridges Paintball

April 18th
There are rumors of a possible game
@ Hosking Field

May 2nd
Supergame XXXVII
@ Warpaint International
Very Big Game/scenario

May 9th
All Pump Day
Royal Ridges Paintball
May 9th
Girls Play Free
@ Forest Fire

May 23rd
Mass Distraction
Royal Ridges Paintball

Groundhogs Day

Like bears, paintballers hibernate. The chill air comes, the days grow short and the woods grow quiet as its creatures retreat to their shelter to fatten up on Thanksgiving turkey and wait out the winter. But now the power invested in some stupid, subterranean rodent has decreed that spring is on the way. The creatures are stirring, awakening to the coming dawn. Once again the woods will be filled with the pitter patter of paint breaking on trees.

Okay, enough poetic crap!

Spring is on its way and it’s time to start thinking about this upcoming paintball season. Time to clean up gear, browse for new toys, and set goals for the year.
Groundhogs Day
I’ll start with a note about being prepared. Now is the time to check your safety gear. Replace lenses people! You only get one set of eyes. Also, check to make sure that your air tanks are up to date and if not, replace or get them tested.

Goals for the year? Lets see.
Play more
Keep reviewing fields
Update the blog on a more regular basis (bi-weekly?)
Network, with other players, teams, field employee’s etc.
Start/join a team as to better get involved in the NW scenario games.

Not a bad start. I’ll be getting ready, hope you are too. 2 weeks till the time change. See you on the field.

Caff