Hyperball

Hyperball is a type of paintball playing field constructed using large corrugated plastic pipes arranged as artificial bunkers. Developed and popularised during the mid-1990s, Hyperball became an important format in the transition from woodland tournament paintball to modern speedball.[1]

The original Hyperball concept was developed in the United Kingdom by WDP, the manufacturer of the WDP Angel paintball marker. It was introduced to American tournament competition by Brass Eagle at the 1996 Paintball World Cup in Florida.[1][2]

Hyperball fields became common in professional and amateur competitions during the late 1990s before inflatable Sup'AirBall fields became the predominant format at major tournaments.[3]

History

Development in the United Kingdom

During the early 1990s, most major paintball tournaments were played on woodland fields.

British paintball company WDP developed Hyperball as an alternative, using large corrugated plastic drainage pipes arranged to create an open, spectator-friendly playing environment.

The pipes could be placed vertically, horizontally or in connected formations, providing different types of cover while allowing spectators to follow the action more easily.

WDP introduced Hyperball competition in the United Kingdom during 1996.

The company's organiser, Ged Green, subsequently described the introduction of Hyperball at a Birmingham tournament in 1996, followed by a larger event the following year.[2]

The World Hyperball Championships became associated with the development of the format.

A 1997 championship in Birmingham featured 40 ten-player teams, including competitors from Europe and the United States.

The Banzai Bandits, a British team associated with the development of Planet Eclipse, won the event, defeating Shades of Grey in the final.[4]

The tournament combined traditional woodland competition with Hyperball games, with the final stages played on the artificial-bunker field.

Introduction to the United States

Hyperball made its American tournament debut at the 1996 NPPL Paintball World Cup in Kissimmee, Florida.

Brass Eagle constructed a dedicated Hyperball field at the event, based on the British concept developed by WDP.

Contemporary reporting by WARPIG identified WDP as the owner of the original Hyperball concept and Brass Eagle as its American distributor.[1]

The World Cup field featured large vertical and horizontal plastic pipes, surrounded by protective netting and spectator seating.

Brass Eagle also announced plans to market complete Hyperball field packages and related business services to paintball operators throughout North America.[1]

The introduction was an important stage in the movement towards purpose-built tournament fields, although woodland competition continued alongside Hyperball during the following years.

Expansion during the late 1990s

Hyperball became increasingly common at American tournament venues.

At the 1998 NPPL Chicago Open, held at The Badlandz in Illinois, a Hyperball field was used alongside woodland and inflatable-bunker fields.[5]

The 1999 NPPL Boston tournament at S.L.A.M. Paintball in Massachusetts included a Hyperball field, a Sup'AirBall field and two woodland fields.[6]

In California, SC Village developed the SC Arenas tournament complex, incorporating Hyperball, inflatable bunkers and constructed earth-mound fields.

The complex hosted the 2000 NPPL Los Angeles Open and other national competitions.[7]

SC Village's retrospective history also credits its own design team with developing Hyperball. However, contemporary WARPIG coverage documents the British WDP concept and its American introduction in 1996. SC Village's later development of Hyperball facilities should therefore be distinguished from the earlier documented origins of the format.[1][8]

Transition to inflatable bunkers

The introduction of inflatable paintball bunkers provided tournament organisers with an alternative to corrugated plastic pipes.

Sup'AirBall made its American World Cup debut in 1997.

Inflatable systems were lighter and easier to transport than Hyperball installations, and permitted rapid changes to field layouts.

During the late 1990s, tournaments frequently used a mixture of Hyperball, inflatable fields and woodland areas.

By 2000, the Paintball World Cup had moved entirely to constructed concept fields. During the following decade, inflatable bunkers became the predominant field type in professional tournament paintball.[3]

Field design

Hyperball fields use large-diameter corrugated plastic pipes, commonly designed for industrial drainage applications.

The pipes are arranged into bunkers of different heights and configurations.

Common arrangements include:

Vertical pipes providing standing cover.
Horizontal pipes providing elongated barriers.
Stacked pipes forming wider bunkers.
Connected or curved arrangements creating enclosed or partially enclosed positions.

Unlike inflatable bunkers, Hyperball obstacles are rigid structures.

Their curved surfaces and openings influence player movement, shooting angles and the available cover.

Hyperball describes the field construction rather than a specific competition rulebook. Fields can accommodate different team sizes and game formats.

Continued use

Although Hyperball is no longer the dominant field type in professional speedball, it remains in use at recreational paintball facilities and specialist tournaments.

The International Classic Paintball League (ICPL) includes Hyperball among the field types associated with classic mechanical paintball competition, alongside woodland and earth-mound layouts.[9]

Hyperball remains a distinctive part of paintball's tournament history, particularly the transition from woodland competition to artificial-bunker fields during the 1990s.

References

External links