Round 2 - Should there be a universal format for tournament paintball?



Feel free to weigh in on the poll and answer here as well. Here are the second two questions I asked the professionals:



1. What is your ideal paintball format?



2. Do you think a single paintball format worldwide is better? Or do you prefer to play different formats?





Please remember since I only interviewed players who had played both with limited (Millennium) and unlimited paint (NXL), lots of these players have strong ties to the leagues one way or the other. That in no way discounts their opinions, but it certainly might influence them.



Please be polite here. We obviously appreciate them speaking about this type of subject so no insults.



And if you missed it, here's the first round of questions we already published about the new Win bunker and the current field kit:





What is your ideal paintball format?

(Player answers are in the order they got back to me.)







Raney Stanczak of Edmonton Impact

My ideal format for a tournament is 5man as of now, but we really haven't messed around with 3 man 4 man or even 6 man (at the Pro level). I do enjoy the 15 minute games with no race-to format. The current NXL format is extremely fun and does allow for a lot of skill to prevail especially with no coaching. However, I always thought a tournament structured like a game of counter strike with super limited paint on a much larger scale could create a bigger turn out. Imagine Impact playing against Dynasty in capture the flag with only 50 paintballs. Sounds crazy, but I think it would be super exciting to watch and would allow lots of squads of different ages and (physical) sizes to compete.







Tim Montressor of Tampa Bay Damage and Five Star Lleida

My ideal format is ten man. But that's my personal preference. I like the strategy and team work involved with teams that large. I wish semi auto existed in its true form, but given all of the issues that comes with electronic markers and force fed loaders, the most fair method is the old PSP ramping mode capped at ten balls per second. I also think larger fields are better, as a bigger field provides the ability to move around and create more strategy.



As much as I like tournament paintball currently, I do think that eventually some changes need to be made to the game to allow more people to play from more age demographics. The Xball/ Race 2 formats are great, but sometimes become monotonous and boring over time.







Axel Gaudin of TonTons and Russian Legion

The ideal paintball format is a no mercy 15 minutes games, 10BPS, limited paint. The new limited paint format brings a lot of new dimensions to the game and stop the bounce shots and long cross-shooting. No mercy because goal average (point differential) is important.







Bobby Aviles of the LA Ironmen and Dornbirn Daltons

I am a paintball addict. So that being said most every format will keep me happy. But ideally I feel 5 v 5, 15 bps and two 15 minute periods. I feel the current size of NXL field is just fine.







Ryan Smith from Houston Heat and Five Star Lleida

My ideal format might sound crazy…

5 Players

True Semi (PSP 2015 version)

No layout ahead of time.

Two halves 10-15mins each.

Field size leave as is.

4 Tubes and loader per player.

My favorite paintball to watch is professionals running around trying to figure out a field, making mistakes, making sweet moves, getting ballsy, and showing off their true talent. NOT just shooting bounce shots and holding zones.







Chad "Yaya" Bouchez of Houston Heat

After many years of playing all kinds of formats from 3, 7, and 10 man to even 18-man roster in Xball, I truly believe this M500 with a 7-man roster is very ideal. My reason behind this is because most top teams are only playing 7 guys out of a 10 man roster. Also, the budget for teams is way more realistic for many teams to grow and actually stay in the sport. We as a whole in paintball have watched so many teams fall off the map just because they couldn't afford it.







Blake Yarber of San Diego Dynasty and Ramstein Instinct

Any field, and format, any type of gun or modes. I like playing them all, it keeps the game interesting. As far as team size I like 5 on 5, that's just enough dudes to be a challenge through teamwork, become really close with and build a bond through the game; yet small enough that you're not constantly reloading your roster for people that have disappeared from the team.







Marcello Margott of San Diego Dynasty and Rangers Warsaw

Honestly I think there are many formats that can work and have worked. I have been on the pro scene for ten years now and have watched the different leagues change the varying formats seemingly all the time. While it has always been fun, some have been more spectator friendly than others. Some have been easier to webcast than others, and some have been more logical. At this point in my career I’m not as concerned with how it plays as to how it looks to outside viewers. Ideally we would have a format that is easy for spectators to follow. A traditional two team match (rather than split deck) with two 15 minute halves. 15 bps semi automatic (I think how fast you can shoot should be a more valued skill). Field size could stay the same as it is now, and the teams would duke it out. Full point system with 2 minute breaks and a 5 minute half time. As I said before, the format isn’t the biggest concern and I think we as an industry have been too focused on the small details of format for too long. Assuming that changing the ROF from 12 to 10 or from 10 to 15 will be the game changer. It is not. To gain outside interest we need to be able to tell a good story. Don’t get me wrong, the format needs to be fun, logical, spectator friendly, all of the above - but it's not the end all be all.







Kyle Spicka of San Diego Dynasty and the ML Kings

My ideal format would be a 5v5 Xball, 10.5 ramping, two 15 min halves with a minimum of 4-5 pods allowed per person per point. A longer time limit would reduce stagnant points and open up bigger moves and players taking more entertaining risks on the field.







Greg Siewers of Houston Heat

5 players, semi-auto, 20 min. halves, current field sizes, no point limit and no coaching! Essentially, the best of 7man and original x-ball. It’s a great way to see the stand out players perform on every level. The best part about paintball has always been shooting your gun and making people look bad by out smarting them. These rules give you both and a lot of it. It brings emotion back into the game!







Chad George from Houston Heat

I feel like the format we have now in the NXL is the best version to date.







Ryan Moorhead of Houston Heat

My ideal format would be two 20 minute halves, 7-man, current NXL firing mode at 10.5 bps on a 175' x 150' field.







Zachary Yachimec of Edmonton Impact

My ideal paintball format is currently the same format played by the NXL. The fire mode/rate of fire is ideal right now because it gives players a chance to get wide and move while still holding lanes. The game length is fine. We played M500 in Europe and the two pod plus a loader was not enough paint.



That being said I would be interested in trying an M1000 rule where players can carry four pods each. I think it would reduce the overall amount of paint used (to make it more affordable for teams) while making the games more exciting. A lot of the games slowed down after teams ran out of their two pods in the M500.







Ryan Greenspan of San Diego Dynasty and ML Kings

My ideal format? That is tough. Dynasty has been successful on all of the formats that paintball has thrown at us. 10 man, woodsball, hyperball, 3 man, 5 man, 7 man, Race To, 15 bps, semi auto, 10.3, 10.5, NPPL, NXL, Millennium, M-500, etc. My favorite though, is very difficult to pinpoint. I find it funny that every single adaptation of the new bunkers or the field layout is the key to "revolutionizing" the game and will "change everything," as commented by the owner of the Millennium series and Airball bunkers when discussing the W bunker. I am happy to play the current format.







Brandon Cornell of the LA Ironmen and Comin at Ya

My ideal paintball format would be 2 halves (15 minutes each), 10.5 BPS, same size field, and only two teams playing at a time. I don't like the split deck format because it takes away from not only the story of the match but also the momentum of the players. I asked professional players who had played BOTH the NXL and the Millennium their opinions on their favorite paintball format and their opinions on a worldwide format and here's what they had to say.1. What is your ideal paintball format?2. Do you think a single paintball format worldwide is better? Or do you prefer to play different formats?Please remember since I only interviewed players who had played both with limited (Millennium) and unlimited paint (NXL), lots of these players have strong ties to the leagues one way or the other. That in no way discounts their opinions, but it certainly might influence them.Please be polite here. We obviously appreciate them speaking about this type of subject so no insults.And if you missed it, here's the first round of questions we already published about the new Win bunker and the current field kit: https://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?t=5251346 (Player answers are in the order they got back to me.)My ideal format for a tournament is 5man as of now, but we really haven't messed around with 3 man 4 man or even 6 man (at the Pro level). I do enjoy the 15 minute games with no race-to format. The current NXL format is extremely fun and does allow for a lot of skill to prevail especially with no coaching. However, I always thought a tournament structured like a game of counter strike with super limited paint on a much larger scale could create a bigger turn out. Imagine Impact playing against Dynasty in capture the flag with only 50 paintballs. Sounds crazy, but I think it would be super exciting to watch and would allow lots of squads of different ages and (physical) sizes to compete.My ideal format is ten man. But that's my personal preference. I like the strategy and team work involved with teams that large. I wish semi auto existed in its true form, but given all of the issues that comes with electronic markers and force fed loaders, the most fair method is the old PSP ramping mode capped at ten balls per second. I also think larger fields are better, as a bigger field provides the ability to move around and create more strategy.As much as I like tournament paintball currently, I do think that eventually some changes need to be made to the game to allow more people to play from more age demographics. The Xball/ Race 2 formats are great, but sometimes become monotonous and boring over time.The ideal paintball format is a no mercy 15 minutes games, 10BPS, limited paint. The new limited paint format brings a lot of new dimensions to the game and stop the bounce shots and long cross-shooting. No mercy because goal average (point differential) is important.I am a paintball addict. So that being said most every format will keep me happy. But ideally I feel 5 v 5, 15 bps and two 15 minute periods. I feel the current size of NXL field is just fine.My ideal format might sound crazy…5 PlayersTrue Semi (PSP 2015 version)No layout ahead of time.Two halves 10-15mins each.Field size leave as is.4 Tubes and loader per player.My favorite paintball to watch is professionals running around trying to figure out a field, making mistakes, making sweet moves, getting ballsy, and showing off their true talent. NOT just shooting bounce shots and holding zones.After many years of playing all kinds of formats from 3, 7, and 10 man to even 18-man roster in Xball, I truly believe this M500 with a 7-man roster is very ideal. My reason behind this is because most top teams are only playing 7 guys out of a 10 man roster. Also, the budget for teams is way more realistic for many teams to grow and actually stay in the sport. We as a whole in paintball have watched so many teams fall off the map just because they couldn't afford it.Any field, and format, any type of gun or modes. I like playing them all, it keeps the game interesting. As far as team size I like 5 on 5, that's just enough dudes to be a challenge through teamwork, become really close with and build a bond through the game; yet small enough that you're not constantly reloading your roster for people that have disappeared from the team.Honestly I think there are many formats that can work and have worked. I have been on the pro scene for ten years now and have watched the different leagues change the varying formats seemingly all the time. While it has always been fun, some have been more spectator friendly than others. Some have been easier to webcast than others, and some have been more logical. At this point in my career I’m not as concerned with how it plays as to how it looks to outside viewers. Ideally we would have a format that is easy for spectators to follow. A traditional two team match (rather than split deck) with two 15 minute halves. 15 bps semi automatic (I think how fast you can shoot should be a more valued skill). Field size could stay the same as it is now, and the teams would duke it out. Full point system with 2 minute breaks and a 5 minute half time. As I said before, the format isn’t the biggest concern and I think we as an industry have been too focused on the small details of format for too long. Assuming that changing the ROF from 12 to 10 or from 10 to 15 will be the game changer. It is not. To gain outside interest we need to be able to tell a good story. Don’t get me wrong, the format needs to be fun, logical, spectator friendly, all of the above - but it's not the end all be all.My ideal format would be a 5v5 Xball, 10.5 ramping, two 15 min halves with a minimum of 4-5 pods allowed per person per point. A longer time limit would reduce stagnant points and open up bigger moves and players taking more entertaining risks on the field.5 players, semi-auto, 20 min. halves, current field sizes, no point limit and no coaching! Essentially, the best of 7man and original x-ball. It’s a great way to see the stand out players perform on every level. The best part about paintball has always been shooting your gun and making people look bad by out smarting them. These rules give you both and a lot of it. It brings emotion back into the game!I feel like the format we have now in the NXL is the best version to date.My ideal format would be two 20 minute halves, 7-man, current NXL firing mode at 10.5 bps on a 175' x 150' field.My ideal paintball format is currently the same format played by the NXL. The fire mode/rate of fire is ideal right now because it gives players a chance to get wide and move while still holding lanes. The game length is fine. We played M500 in Europe and the two pod plus a loader was not enough paint.That being said I would be interested in trying an M1000 rule where players can carry four pods each. I think it would reduce the overall amount of paint used (to make it more affordable for teams) while making the games more exciting. A lot of the games slowed down after teams ran out of their two pods in the M500.My ideal format? That is tough. Dynasty has been successful on all of the formats that paintball has thrown at us. 10 man, woodsball, hyperball, 3 man, 5 man, 7 man, Race To, 15 bps, semi auto, 10.3, 10.5, NPPL, NXL, Millennium, M-500, etc. My favorite though, is very difficult to pinpoint. I find it funny that every single adaptation of the new bunkers or the field layout is the key to "revolutionizing" the game and will "change everything," as commented by the owner of the Millennium series and Airball bunkers when discussing the W bunker. I am happy to play the current format.My ideal paintball format would be 2 halves (15 minutes each), 10.5 BPS, same size field, and only two teams playing at a time. I don't like the split deck format because it takes away from not only the story of the match but also the momentum of the players.

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