X-ball/NPPL Super 7/Millennium - where do we stand ?

[Robbo]

Re: Pete

Originally posted by Wadidiz
(There's been a lot of talk about thread-jacking these days vis-à-vis the new regime. I personally think it's o.k. to take a slight parenthetic departure for a couple of posts as long as it doesn't become a full-fledged spin-off.)

I've mentioned in other contexts that I appreciate the Britishness of this forum because Brits tend to be able to have serious debate, keep it civilized and because of that not get bent out of shape, compared to many Americans. (Stereotypes, for sure, that have many exceptions.) I have had British friends and friends of other nationalilites accuse me and Americans in general (because our lack of diplomatic skills) of being know-it-alls, besserweiser. It may be a stereotype but there's truth to it.
I think the Brits can be argued with without them going ballistic if we use the conventions of civility. Just like it's possible to speak English in Paris if you begin by saying "Bonjour" and asking "Parlez-vous francais?"and apologize for not speaking French.
If the tone seems arrogant or overbearing then we can see definite evidence of Brits getting bent out of shape. (Doh!)
Just some thoughts. In my humble opinion. What do you think?
So, Chris, sign up for my course in intercultural communication, dude! Or else!
Steve

I think Chris's posts will be fine....in about 5 years time !!!!
Robbo

 

[Buddha 3]

Re: Pete

Originally posted by Wadidiz
Just like it's possible to speak English in Paris if you begin by saying "Bonjour" and asking "Parlez-vous francais?"and apologize for not speaking French.

Errr....Isn't that like asking a bear if it sh*ts in the woods?

Back to our regularly scheduled thread now....

 

[Wadidiz]

Doh! Anglais, of course.

(Damned Dutch know-it-alls!)

Now back to the real thread.

Steve

 

[Mark/Static]

Re: Is

Originally posted by Gee
Each X-Ball tourney has a certain number of spots for teams. The league teams take up their places and then then remaining spots are opened up to Semi-Pro then Am then novice until all are filled.

I think the initial deal (the only one I've seen or heard so far) was for 16 Division 1 teams, consisting of the non-franchised pro teams, or semi-pro, and whatever amatuer teams that want to play, and were ranked high enough at seasons end 2002. Figure the top 10 amateur teams will go for this, not counting the teams that went pro and got an X-Ball franchise.
Then the top 16 novice teams are to make a Division 2, minus the teams that went amateur.

I don't see this working very well. Not only do you take away one of the main motivations for many teams to attend a PSP event, namely the opportunity to play teams like Aftershock and Strange, but you also take away the rest of the better teams in each classification as well.
Then you have 3 groups of the better PSP teams playing X-Ball, along side a very talent-deluted amateur and novice 10-man tournament. With the shift in talent, I don't see a need to maintain a rookie class now.

 

[raehl]

Heh...

Have you ever tried speaking English in Paris? Actual story:

Friend of mine and I have freshly arrived in Paris. We're staying with a friend of ours who lives in the 'burbs, and we're trying to figure out how to get to her place. I know English and German, he knows English and Spanish, and we're both pathetic with French. So we find an employee working in the station, and in French, ask if he knows spanish, which he doesn't. In french, we ask if he knows english, which he claims he doesn't (it's obvious he does). We ask (in French again) if he knows German, which he claims he doesn't.

And then we laughed at him, because while he was holding us in obvious contempt, we'd just managed to speak 4 languages at him while he contemptiously acted like he only knew one. Damned Parisans.

Once you get outside of Paris though, the French are really cool.


As for being nice, I apologize if I come off as curt sometimes, but come on guys, you bitch when my posts are long, so I cut them down to the bare essentials, and then you bitch that they're too direct. What's a guy to do?



Liz, I'm in no way trying to argue that X Ball is cheaper than the regular format, just that pricing is similar.

I think the major point of disagreement is that if you do X Ball, instead of 40 teams who each play 8 games, you do 40 teams who each play *ONE* X Ball match. Similar amount of play time, only all against one team. Then, instead of having a "winner" every tournament, the win record for your matches across the season determines end of season standing, and probably eligibility for a playoffs of some sort.

Although really, if you were doing X Ball, you'd probably not do a season with 40 teams, but only let 10 teams play X. Then you just need one day's worth of one field do do a match for each team - which is quite easy (and inexpensive) to do if your last day of a tournament is semis and finals and you have a field left over from prelims.

So, on that field:

8 AM: Team 1 vs. 2
10 AM: Team 3 vs. 4
12 PM: Team 5 vs. 6
2 PM: Team 7 vs. 8
4 PM: Team 9 vs. 10

10 teams, one field, one day.

On the paint front, it can't be more expensive, on a per-minute basis: You'll use a similar amount of paint playing 10 minutes of 5-man on an X Ball field as you will playing 10 minutes of 5-man elsewhere. If paint is more expensive, you're playing more, which means it's actually costing you LESS to play on a per-minute basis after you factor in travel etc.


As for reffing costs, slight reduction, under the assumption that paying refs to stay overnight to get double the play time is less expensive than paying refs to travel twice to get the same play time over two weekends. Stateside, the country is big, lodging (per ref) can be done for $20, but airfare is much more than that.


- Chris

 

[Robbo]

Heh...

Originally posted by raehl
As for being nice, I apologize if I come off as curt sometimes, but come on guys, you bitch when my posts are long, so I cut them down to the bare essentials, and then you bitch that they're too direct. What's a guy to do?
- Chris

Curt ????????????
Chris, what is it with you where you seem to have some sort of word blindness going on?
It's not 'curt' we are going on about it's 'courteous', it's being not so arrogant, not so dismissive, not so 'know it all' and so on.

Unless you actually read these posts that try to help you, then acknowledge them and then at least try to act on their well meant advice, you ain't gonna get nowhere !!
People are trying to help you Chris, accept their observations as constructive criticisms that can help you instead of just emulating an ostrich.
Robbo

 

[Mark Toye-Nexus]

 

[raehl]

Rookie Class

I think it's a good thing to keep around, especially in a lower entry, no prizes format for teams who play their local events and maybe cup, or just cup. I'd be more in favor of just eliminating the Pro class (since, indeed, those are the teams that are gone) and just playing Rook - Nov - Am 10-man divisions if indeed 4 divisions is too much.

Sandbagging is going to go away this year, so having a bonafide Rookie class is a great no-pressure way to get people to try competing at the National level.


- Chris

 

[Buddha 3]

Is

Originally posted by TJ Lambini
X-Ball now open to ALL PSP teams, or is that just a rumor?

Hmm. Sounds a lot like PSP is sh*tting it's pants, and is desperate. This just smells a lot like playing the "X-ball trump card" to draw more teams to the PSP events. Sounds like they are mighty scared of Chuck's plans.
I don't know if I'm too impressed by it though. It would make X-ball a whole lot less "wow", wouldn't it?
Oh, and how are they gonna justify charging a gazillion bucks from the pro teams that want to be part of it, while at the same time they'll also let Billy Bob's Rambo Boyz join in? Makes no sense...
Let's see what they'll come up with next.

 

[raehl]

Or...

PSP could simply be offering a product people want. X Ball rules. If people want to play it, PSP should try and give it to 'em.

As for the franchise fee, keep in mind that the $250k doesn't just buy you the right to play, it also buys you a share of the profits. These guys dropping the $250k are making an investment, a bet that X Ball will become profitable enough in the future to justify the investment. I don't think these guys are looking for returns on this next year or maybe not even 3 years, they're in this for the long haul, which is very atypical for paintball, and a very welcome change.

I'll go back to something I said before: I don't think it's going to come down to whether S7 of PSP is better. I think they'll both offer something that's of value to different groups of customers.


- Chris