Mercenaries Star
Mercenaries Star (also known as MercStar) was a New Zealand paintball information website active in the early 2000s. It published tournament calendars, competition results, national team rankings, historical articles and directories of New Zealand paintball teams, fields and businesses.
The website hosted the Valhalla national team ranking database and preserved historical documents relating to organised tournament paintball in New Zealand.[1]
History
[edit]Mercenaries Star was hosted on GeoCities and operated as an independent information resource for New Zealand's paintball community.
By 2001, the website maintained a national tournament calendar, historical competition results, team profiles, a directory of paintball-related websites and a collection of tournament rules.[1][2]
Neil M. Harris was involved in maintaining the website and compiling information. The tournament calendar and other pages identified Harris as a contact for tournament announcements, corrections and submissions.[2]
The website's original establishment date and founder have not been independently confirmed.
Valhalla national rankings
[edit]One of Mercenaries Star's principal features was the Valhalla national paintball ranking database.
Valhalla compiled tournament results from across New Zealand to produce annual rankings of competitive teams. Its first published ranking season was 2000.[3][4]
The system compared teams using their tournament performance relative to the maximum points available in each round. Final rounds received additional weighting, while teams fielding multiple squads were generally ranked separately.[3]
The methodology was revised to incorporate regional competitions and accommodate differences between tournament formats.
Published rankings
[edit]The surviving records identify the following leading teams:
| Year | Format | Leading team |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Combined rankings | Saints Gold |
| 2001 | Seven-man | Saints Gold |
| 2001 | Five-man | Tag n' Release |
| 2001 | Three-man | DamNatives Red |
These standings represent Valhalla's calculated rankings rather than the results of a single national championship tournament.[4][5]
The database also documented teams including Insane, Katipo, Flashpoint, House Steiner, Warp Speed and Phoenix.
Tournament records
[edit]Mercenaries Star maintained an annual tournament calendar covering competitions throughout New Zealand.
Its 2001 calendar included the Northland Open, Hawke's Bay Triples, South Pacific Championship, Volcanic Rotorua, Wellington Cup, New Zealand Nationals and competitions in Dunedin and Invercargill.[2]
The website also published tournament reports, historical results and announcements submitted by players and event organisers.
National Paintball League archive
[edit]Mercenaries Star preserved historical documents relating to the original National Paintball League (NPL), which operated from 1997 to 1999.
These included the league's introductory letter and an article titled The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League.[6]
The historical account documented the league's establishment by Ian Southern and Dave Pellet, its divisional structure and the involvement of commercial paintball field operators.
Team and field directories
[edit]Mercenaries Star maintained a directory of New Zealand paintball teams, fields, clubs, manufacturers and community websites.
The surviving directory includes references to teams such as Insane, Katipo, Phoenix, Rangers and Tag n' Release, alongside commercial operators including Splatman and Actions Paintball Sports Arena.[7]
The website also published contributed team profiles containing information about team histories, members and tournament participation.
Preservation
[edit]Mercenaries Star's original GeoCities website is preserved through the Oocities archival mirror.
Its surviving pages provide contemporary records of New Zealand competitive paintball during the late 1990s and early 2000s, including tournament results, national rankings, team information and historical league documents.
The archive remains a source for researching New Zealand paintball history, although its surviving content does not establish the website's complete operational history.
See also
[edit]- History of paintball in New Zealand
- Paintball in New Zealand
- National Paintball League (New Zealand)
- New Zealand Paintball Players League
References
[edit]- Mercenaries Star, archived GeoCities website. Oocities.
- Mercenaries Star, Annual Tournament Events, 2001.
- Mercenaries Star, Valhalla National Team Ranking Methodology.
- Mercenaries Star, Valhalla National Rankings, 2000.
- Mercenaries Star, Valhalla National Rankings, 2001.
- Mercenaries Star, The Rise and Fall of the New Zealand National Paintball League.
- Mercenaries Star, New Zealand Paintball Online Directory.