No more yellow - Poll results so far

I ran a poll regarding the 'No more yellow' post and so far, EVERYONE is against yellow as a second protected color after orange. For those that missed the poll, it's right there at the right side bar for this blog.

For all its worth, I still think the solution is not pushing the bulk of the problem to the players.

*Photos are owned by their respective owners.

Paintball Manager - Web based paintball game!

Here's a game that I've been playing for quite awhile. It's called Paintball Manager. In this game, you take over a paintball team with a set of roster and try to build the team up to greater glory. Think of Championship Manager or one of those sports management game - and add paintball into it. So, when you're in between real life tournaments and looking to kill that paintball addiction, here's the game for you. You can play it anywhere and anytime.

Main team page

Here's a quick guide on how to start the game. I won't go into the details as there is a help link inside the game itself that could explain more.

After registering a team, you'll be given a team in the most lower division (Division 4) in a league. If you're from Malaysia or other country (where there aren't many teams/players), you'll be definitely be grouped in the International League. You will automatically take over a bot team that is already there. Without user control, bot teams usually played like chicken and cows, no strategy whatsoever. So once you take over a team, you have to start deploying tactics.

Team's league standings, schedule and results

Explore the control around and feel your way around the it. What I would recommend is to look at your team's league standing. If there is a high chance you'll finish strong and with some prize money, then good. You can start scouting for better players to strengthen the team.

Then, try to enter tournaments on to win money and keep your players form up. You can win alot of money winning tournaments in a week. In a typical week, you have 3 tournament days you can enter - Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Paintball TV - Watch your team live in action!

Now that we got games going on, look ahead into your schedule and check the field you're playing. Create tactics and select your lineup for each field you're playing. After a few games, you will want to start tweaking and fine tuning your tactics. Or maybe, upgrade your arena for better home ticket sales. More sales, means more money for the team.

Watch from your players point of view!

And do upgrade your Java engine cause you need it to view paintball TV. One of the coolest features in this game is watching the game live! Click on the TV icon at your fixture and wait for the Java applet to load up and enjoy your game.

See which moves or tactics works best or watch how your opponents play and learn from them. After each game, you will be given the game stats on how each players perform. Oh, did I mention that this whole game is X-Ball format, race to 7.

Currently there are like 5 Malaysian teams in this game and we're all grouped in the International League and in different divisions. If we can get alot more Malaysian players to join, we just might get our own league!

View the game from the top in Paintball TV

Set your tactics - 2D View

Set your tactics - 3D View

As of now, National Team has only just starting up and awaiting its official tournament. And I'm looking for more in-game Malaysian 'players' to join the national team.

PaintBaller.ie spoke to Markus about this game he created.

PaintBaller.ie - When and where did you get the idea for an online paintball game?
Markus - I have always been big fan of manager games and played lot of old footy manager games. Some years ago I started playing a bit similar game as Paintball Manager. It was fun at first, but I felt I could create much better match simulation, because I had been doing some artificial intelligence work for games earlier. So I started to write my own simulation and eventually it turned into full game.

PB.ie - What is your own paintball background?
Markus - I have followed professional paintball for some years, especially PSP and LA Ironmen, but other than that I don't have serious paintballer background.

PB.ie - What are your plans for future development of the game if any?
Markus - At the moment I am focusing on finishing some missing features such as layout editor, friendly leagues and national teams. It would be great to work with paintball industry, but I feel that the game needs to be fully functional first until you can start talks with other parties.

PB.ie - How about a fantasy paintball league based on actual players in the Millennium Series or PSP?
Markus - That's obviously something you cannot just start on your on, but if a league provides financial support I would love to be part of making fantasy paintball game. I guess in current economic situation this is not really possible.

Join the game here - http://www.paintballmanager.com

No more yellow

Recently the Malaysian government made it a ruling that all cars more than 10 years old would have to go for a yearly checkup with Puspakom. They will have to be scrutinized and checked for road worthiness - In their hope of making sure all the 'aged' cars are still safe to drive.

The government has also forgotten that, the road users wouldn't have to keep the old cars if they didn't impose hefty tax on imported cars, high interest rates on loans, strict terms for loans and others. If they make imported or local cars cheaper and also easy on the loans, I'm sure we would all change cars every 4-5 years and we won't have any problems with old cars.

Instead they shot themselves on their foot by making it harder to buy a new car, then made it even harder by having yearly inspection after 10 years, and if it's not road worthiness - you're effed. Either you have to get a new car (which is already hard in the beginning) and you don't at all. See the problem?

That's pretty sad so my mind wanders back to paintball.

MY-NPL 2010 - New Rules and Regulations
Beginning of 2010, orange and YELLOW will be prohibited colors. I understand perfectly with orange, but yellow?

Unless I'm missing something, there weren't any problems regarding yellow equipments from the Millennium Series, NPPL and even here. Joy Division with their classic leopard prints jersey were not a problem at all - even when playing X-ball (where everything is just blazing fast@)

Yellow and the Pro Teams
We pitted with Stockholm Ignition in Paris, and yes they wore bright yellow and blue, and I can really see which were new hits and which were old hits. The good orange fill they were using there is just great! Thick and bright orange. You can spot it very easily.

That brings it back to us. If the Millennium Series didn't have any problems with it, why are we? Are we doing something wrong here?

Is the sun light here so different that it sheds different kind of 'light' here? which makes the yellow appears orange-ish or the other way round?

I'm sure most of you played in the recent World Cup Asia and were there any problems in using yellow gears? Black jerseys with yellow highlights, or vice versa. Of course it's understandable that you can't use yellow or transparent hoppers. But other than that, I think yellow is ok.

Why it's not a good move
A good friend of mine raised his concerns in his facebook recently about this issue. He has a really good point. Some new players and teams probably have bought expensive tournament gears and just couldn't wait for next year to start playing and only to find out, their gears can't be use cause it has yellow on it.

They effed. Gears aren't cheap. They probably have spent alot of their own money and maybe some of their parents to get these gears and it's pretty much worthless now. Now, the sport is suffering.

Having these restrictions (especially unnecessary ones) is actually putting a dent in the sports growth. I'm sure most of us would like to see more players and teams coming in every year and for each tournament.

If its easy to come in for a tournament and have fun, I'm sure they'll be coming in again and maybe next time, bring more new friends and teams.

We're still discouraging players to wear anything resembles real combat/camouflage, but at the same time we're also doing this.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it
I don't remember that the league or the refs were having problems with orange paint on yellow equipments before and I certainly don't want to think that this move is just to make the refs job any easier - cause it won't.

What the organizer could do is to keep things the way there are and only make sure that the next batch of paint will have the thick, super bright orange fill. That would be so much easier.

Oh, and the organizer is still asking for feedbacks and suggestions - so if you guys have any thoughts on this issue, share it with us.

Meanwhile, here are some teams that rocked yellow!

Sacramento XSV

Toulouse Ton Ton

Stockholm Joy Division

Stockholm Ignition

Sydney SWAT

Unless the organizer has already decided to introduce yellow fill paint (behind this whole yellow rule thing) then that is another whole story.

*Photos are owned by their respective owners.