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Paintball
Paintball is any one of several game variations where two or more players attempt to "mark" each other by firing "paintballs" at each other from a "paintball marker" (paintgun). A player is marked if a paintball contacts, bursts and sheds its colored fill on him or his marker. A typical rule of thumb is that the splatter should be contiguous over an area the size of a US quarter (25 mm), but not all fields use this. "Bouncers" don't count as hits in a game. Bouncers are hits that do not burst on the player. In other instances, people also play by being hit more than once in a game and keep playing. Referees are also in the sport like any other to enforce the rules and ensure safety for players of all ages. They are also there to make sure that no one is violating the rules and to check players on the field for hits. Violators are usually thrown from the game.
In addition to paintballs and markers, players also need a "hopper" to hold their paintballs (this also includes the use of an agitating hopper that feeds the marker faster for a steady rate of fire) and an air source (like a small tank of carbon dioxide) to propel the paintball from the marker. Nitrogen or High Pressure Air can also be used to propel the ball. These are also held in a bottle-like container. Because CO2 becomes a liquid when compressed, it needs to expand to a gas to be used by the paintball gun. This expansion is not adeobatic and requires energy, causing the tank to cool as heat is used to expand the liquid CO2 into gas. Eventually, under sustained fire, and especially in cold weather, the tank can become so cold that the liquid CO2 will not evaporate into gas and liquid CO2 enters the gun. The liquid CO2 then evaporates in the gun instead of the tank, causing the gun to freeze. This can cause damage to internal seals and also puts the gun out of commission for a good 15 minutes while it warms back up. When nitrogen is compressed, it remains a gas. When it expands, it also cools the tank, but at an unoticable rate because it does not have to transition the N2 from liquid to gas. Therefore it is viewed as a superior source of propulsion. However, because High Pressure Air is stored at up to 4500 PSI while liquid CO2 is stored at 1200 PSI, tanks for HPA are more expensive. Nitrogen tanks can ether be filled with pure N2 or compressed air, which is 79% N2. These air sources are primarily used by people who play often and have tournament-grade markers.
Players must don a paintball mask and goggles (preferably goggles with "thermal lenses" to avoid fogging) to avoid serious injury to the face, ears, and eyes. Regulated fields require masks, goggles and marker plugs or barrel covers to play on the field. The plugs and covers are used to prevent accidental firing of a paintball while not engaged in a game. Most fields take these safety precautions extremely seriously and will eject players for violating safety rules. Paintballs travel at about 300 ft/s (91 m/s) and getting hit with a paintball usually stings and leaves a welt or bruise on the skin. In general, getting hit by a paintball from far away hurts less than getting hit at close range. Also, getting hit can hurt more if the ball does not break, and instead bounces.
Players usually fall into two categories: recreational and tournament players. Tournament players take the game seriously, investing in excess of US$2,000 in paintball gear. They also attend tournaments in teams consisting of 3-10 people. A common tournament team game is "Speedball", where players play on an enclosed field with a single central flag and hide behind small scattered walls and barrels. A top of the line paintball marker can cost US$700 - US$1,500. A recreational marker can however be purchased for US$80 to US$300.
The prime difference between the low end and the high end paintball markers is that the high end markers have all become elctro-pneumatic. Meaning that the firing system is all controlled electronically. This allows for firing of the marker with less effort than it requires to click a button on your mouse. It also enables markers to have several different firing modes such as 3 shot bursts, 6 shot bursts or even fully automatic. However, virtually all tournaments and paintball fields only allow semiautomatic mode (1 trigger pull, one shot). Because of this, most high end markers ship with a control board only allowing semiautomatic, and for fully auto modes the board will need to be replaced.
With the lower end markers, the action is controlled solely through mechanical means. Many mechanical markers have a hammer which when cocked is held back by a catch connected to the trigger. It will also have a spring trying to push the hammer forward. When the trigger is pulled, the catch is released and the hammer is allowed to slam in to the valve. This diverts the flow of air from the tank, through the bolt and into the paintball, propelling it out the barrel. Excess air not used to propel the ball is then used to recock the hammer.
There are many types of recreational players, ("rec ballers"). Many if not most play games in commercially licensed and insured paintball fields. Paintball is often played by casual or first-time players who play with an organized group, for example, office and birthday parties and team building exercises. Sometimes, if there are not enough players, "walk on" players who are not part of the group may join in to even the teams. "Renegade" players use unregulated fields often in wooded areas, many times without the owner's knowledge. It shouldn't be thought that these "Renegade" players are unsafe or breaking any laws. There are many people who don't play on regulated fields, however they do abide by all the safety rules the fields enforce. Finally, "scenario" players are ones that gather at paintball fields for "Scenario games". These can range from a simple game of "cops and robbers", to elaborate full scale military style conflicts which may last for days.
There are many markers brands including Air Gun Designs, Tippmann, Kingman, Worr Games Products, JT, Sheridan, WDP, etc
Paintball variants
- Airsoft is a sport similar to Paintball, but uses a different type of projectile and gun.
External links
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Northern California Paintball Paintball in Northern California. http://www.stormloader.com/everquest/index.html
Blackfoot Paintball Information about fields, events, and teams in Montana. http://www.blackfootpaintball.com/
Sioux Valley Paintball Paintball information for the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area. http://www.geocities.com/neelzebub/
Asosiasi Paintball Indonesia Community of players in Indonesia. News, tips, photographs, and a forum. http://www.paintball-indonesia.org
Tunka A group of paintballers who would like to find team members to play paintball in Boulder, CO (and surrounding areas such as Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Broomfield). http://www.tunka.com/
United Kingdom Paintball Sports Federation The governing body in the United Kingdom. Links, members, events, teams, and contacts. http://www.ukpsf.com/
Combat UK Offers stag weekends, business training, individuals, groups, and companies. http://www.combatuk.com/
Illinois Paintball League A tournament paintball league offering cash prizes and an elite reffing crew. http://www.ipl.20m.com/
Paintball Ontario Covering and supporting Paintball in the Province of Ontario, Canada. News, articles, events, fields, and links. http://www.onpaintball.ca/
PaintGames.com Field and store database covering Texas and Oklahoma. http://www.paintgames.com/
New Zealand Paintball New Zealand news, events, teams, fields, clubs, and message board. http://www.paintball.co.nz/
Central Florida Paintball Helping to join Central Florida paintball players. http://www.geocities.com/xxorlandoxx/
UK Paintball Guide Directory of paintball venues across the UK. http://www.paintballguide.co.uk/
Minnesota Paintball League (MPL) Promoting paintball safety in the great state of Minnesota. http://www.paint-ball.org/
Warhaus Dedicated to paintball in South-Central Indiana. Team listings, tech, player database, photos, proshop and field listings. http://www.warhaus.com/
Division X Tournament Series The official site with format, schedule, teams, forms, prices, rules, and standings. http://www.divisionxpaintball.com/
Tampa Bay Paintball Information for new players, local stores and fields, links, and events. http://www.tampabaypaintball.com/
FMPaintball.Com Includes events, news, forums, classifieds, and links relating to paintball in the Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN areas. http://www.fmpaintball.com/main.asp
Doug and Bob's Extreme Paintball Information on paintball activities within the Spokane, Washington area. Chat room, links to fields, maps, game dates. http://www.dougbob.com/DB_Extreme/index.html
Sacramento Paintballers Forums, articles, reviews, auctions, fields, links, and mailing list for players in northern California. http://www.sacpaintball.com/ie/index.shtml
Paintball in Arizona Paintball teams, forums, fields, and store information for the state of Arizona. http://www.paintballarizona.com/
Paintball on Guam Bob Cruz publishes listings of groups, clubs, and suppliers, photos of markers, photos of Team Magodai and other players, and links. http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/Dropzone/8298/
Helena Paintball Club Helena, Montana players provide, FAQ, rules, recuritment information, forums, photos, a bore guide, and annotated links. http://www.helenapaintball.com/
Husky Paintball Club at University of Washington Players provide schedule, pricing and field information, gallery, and annotated links. http://students.washington.edu/hpc/
South Carolina Paintball Players Association (SCPPA) Paintball fields, stores, and equipment. http://www.free-mind.com/scpball/
NY Paintball Pictures, field and store lists, and links covering New York state. http://www.ny-paintball.com/
Islan Guahan Paintball Players Association News, events, photographs, and links relating to paintball on the island of Guam. http://www.igppa.org/html/home.htm
Stevens Point Paint Ball Store and field listings, public land maps, and big game notifications relating to paintball in and near the city of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. http://storm.prohosting.com/~sppb/
Wisconsin Paintball Teams Lists teams and fields that play paintball throughout the state. http://www.wisconsinpaintballteams.com/
My Paintball General directory to paintball parks and tournaments throughout Utah. Includes regional directory of facilities, clubs, as well as photos of competitions. http://www.mypaintball.com/
Missouri Paintball Lists fields and events in Missouri, and provides photos and forums. http://www.mopaintball.com/
Directory of Paint Ball venues A directory with field listing for the Dallas Fort Worth DFW Metroplex. http://www.town-mall.net/entertainment/paintball.html
Paintball.co.uk Information on paintball in the United Kingdom, with field, player, and company lists. http://www.paintball.co.uk/index.php
Paintball Oregon Forums and field and store listings for players in Oregon. http://www.paintballcow.com/
Paintball Northwest Paintball news and tournament standings in the Pacific Northwest. http://mortonwebdesign.com/PaintballNWentrance.htm
Splattertown California paintball news, equipment reviews, playing tips, pictures, chat room, stores, California field listing, stories, and a forum. http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/9097/
Paintball Central Information on paintball and fields in eastern Tennessee. http://www.pbcentral.net/
Upper Midwest Paintball Directory Listing of sites for North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin teams, tournaments, special events, companies, fields, and stores. http://www.paintball-games.com/
Maine Recreational Paintball League Philosophy, safety guides, membership information and applications, tournament pictures, rules, calendar of events, and field finder for this Maine-based recreational league for shops, players, teams, and fields. http://www.mrpl.org/
Bay Area Paintball Covers the San Francisco Bay area. http://alumni.eecs.berkeley.edu/~gmartin/paintball.html
Southwest Paintball (UK) Information, resources and services for tournament and recreational paintball in the Southwest UK. http://www.southwestpaintball.co.uk/
Big Valley Paintball Resource Guide to stores and fields in the San Joaquin Valley, California. http://www.geocities.com/bigvalleypaintball/
Cincy Paintball News, play dates, reviews, and information about paintball in Cincinnati. http://www.angelfire.com/extreme2/cincypball/
Paintball Games UK A directory of fields in the United Kingdom. http://www.paintballgamesuk.org.uk/
Kansas City Paintball Field and store finders, team directory, links, and technical tips. http://www.kansascitypaintballpage.homestead.com/
Paintball Wilderness Canadian source for paintball information by TEAM Ignite. Certified air smiths, reviews and forum. http://www.paintballwilderness.net/
Pittsburgh Recreational Paintball Meet other players, event calendar, field listing and community information. http://www.tbns.net/pghpaintball/
Houston Paintball Descriptions of Houston area paintball fields, shops, local news, events and URLs. http://www.hal-pc.org/~billhine/
Play Paintball Colorado Features information and forums for players from Colorado. http://pub89.ezboard.com/bplaypaintballcoloradoalsohomeofthecoloradopaintballclub
Paintball Sites.co.uk Features a directory of paintball fields in the United Kingdom. http://www.paintballsites.co.uk/
Port City Paintball Includes information about fields and stores, forum, and links relating to paintball in Louisiana. http://www.angelfire.com/la3/pcpaintball/
SinCityOutlaws Paintball Includes forum, links, playing tips, and information about stores and fields in Las Vegas, Nevada. http://Sincityoutlaws.com/
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