To keep the game play dynamic , and prevent a back-and-forth battle on one skirmish line , the Collapse includes a giant hazard zone in the middle of the field which disrupts play . Throughout the game , an enormous foam cannon filled with the reminants of a failed science experiment goes off , and a hazard zone , marked by flashing lights and caution tape , is created . Players and commanders alike have to be congnizant if the area is active and contaminated , making it a dead zone , or if it is a playable area .
And to further complicate things , the producers introduced a new element into this edition as well : Air strikes to disrupt point values throughout the field .
“ If you come into this with the same mentality of flip sticks and field control , you will fail ,” said Patrick “ Mercer ” Whalen , producer and member of Cypher Scenario Consulting . “ You have to be able to pick and choose which missions to execute and which ones to let go .”
Unlike other productions , this production staff has committed to changing this up and continuously evolving . To keep the game from becoming stale , they eliminate props after they have been used twice . Or , maybe they just tweek them in an annoying way .
“ After the Collapse 1 , we heard the kryolite sucked , so we brought it back . After the Collapse 2 , we heard kryolite sucked , so the third time we made it even worse ,” said Ryan Galvin , member of Cypher and propmaster for the Collapse .
He went on to explain , “ The game is meant to be challenging for both the players and the commanders , and we are continuing to innovate to make it more difficult .”
The making of a cult following all its own
Another thing that continues to set this production apart from other scenario paintball games is how story heavy it really is . For the player that is interested in the fully immersive experience , the producers have used social media to keep them engage all year long . Regular social media posts containing video clips , reels , story updates , and dossiers of the role players were seeded throughout the season .
Remember , this game is not about field domination . It is about which team can come closest to unlocking the puzzle that is the game .
The role players then brought these characters to life on field .
Throughout the game , players could trade props with these characters , such as bottles of liquor , packs of cigarettes , and other contraband in exchange for valuable information about the game , floppy disks , or coded documents to be deciphered for instructions on a mission .
And , for these players , there was even a cliff hanger ending to keep them guessing about what comes next .
066 paintball . media magazine