Laser Quest

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Laser Quest
Type Private
Founded Manchester, England (1989)
Headquarters Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Industry Lasertag
Website www.laserquest.com

Laser Quest is the name of an indoor lasertag game based around infrared (IR) hand held units and vests, as well as the name of the company which operates each game center. There are over 140 Laser Quest centers world-wide, including ones in Canada, the United States, the UK, France, Portugal, Singapore, Costa Rica, Thailand, South Africa and The Netherlands.

Contents

[edit] Overview of Laser Tag

Main article: Laser Tag

The general aim of laser tag and is to tag as many other players with one's laser as possible, while avoiding being tagged oneself. The players are equipped with infrared/laser hand held units and packs with sensors on, and let into a large multi-level, maze-like arena filled with ramps, catwalks and windows. In Laser Quest centers, the playing arenas are fog filled and black light lit.

[edit] Equipment

All the equipment needed to play Laser Quest is provided by them. The main items are a vest-like pack and an attached laser. Both have sensors attached, so the pack can tell when a player has been tagged.

[edit] Lights

Around each of the packs sensors, there are flashing lights. These are usually coloured LEDs. The lights can be used to help locate other players, to tell you what team (if any) they are on, and to tell you if they are currently deactivated. The three possible team 'colors' are Red, Green, and Mixed. For individual battles, the lights alternate Red and Green.

[edit] Traps

There are only two Laser Quest centres in the UK with traps (one in Whitstable in Kent, and the other in The Trafford Centre near Manchester). These consist of a fixed sensor and a line of IR emmitters. The IR emitters constantly fire. The traps are marked with visible red lasers, but these are not the beams which shoot you. The traps can be temporarily deactivated by shooting a nearby sensor, which is mounted to the wall. Getting caught in a trap counts as a kill by the Marshal, and can cost you up to 50 points. Currently, no North American center employs these in tournament play.

[edit] Bases

Some LQ centers include bases. In each center that includes bases, there are two or three bases in opposite corners of the arena. One belongs to each team. The base consists of two prominent flashing targets with sensors at the centre. If an opposing team shoots both targets within 10 seconds of each other, they get 50 points. Once a base has been shot like this, it will become inactive for 30 seconds, after which points can be scored again. Bases can also give you points in solo games if you hold continuous fire on it for 5 seconds.

[edit] Replenishers

Not every arena has replenishers; generally they are not found in newer centers. In centers where they do occur, there are two replenishers in opposite corners of the arena. One belongs to each team. They are used in some specialty games. Their purpose is to add lives back to deactivated players. Replenishers can also be set in Solo games as a tactic to help even the game.

[edit] Other equipment

At the end of a game, all players return to the starting point ('Airlock'). The packs then transmit information about who tagged them back to the main computer, which calculates the final scores. This wireless link is also used to initialize the packs at the start of the game. Typically, scores are available approximately five minutes after the end of a game.

[edit] Problems

Several inherent flaws in the LQ equipment have been embraced by players as the defining feature of the system. These problems--"shot cancellation", "hit cancellation," and "pack variance"--give LQ an aggressive, athletic style when compared with other laser tag systems.

[edit] Shot Cancellation

One flaw is that, in many centers, the firing of the laser takes precedence over detecting hits in the sensors. Thus, a player firing the laser at its maximum rate will introduce momentary instants of invulnerability while firing. This is called shot cancellation.

When this effect is combined with players moving their body quickly to dodge shots, the end result is dogfighting, a style of play where opponents attempt to tag each other while standing very close together. It can take as many as ten seconds for one player to successfully place a shot on the opponent's sensor during a gap in the invulnerability. Additionally, even at a distance against a non-moving opponent, it will often take several shots to deactivate the opponent.

[edit] Hit Cancellation

Another flaw is hit cancellation. This is the inability of the pack to handle two simultaneous hits. The flaw result in a single player being shot by many opponents at the same time without deactivating. A skilled player can use this to his advantage by jumping into the middle of several opponents, and utilizing both shot cancellation and hit cancellation, deactivate all who are shooting at him one by one. This effect requires teammates to work together to avoid shooting the same target at the same time.

[edit] Pack Variance

The final flaw is pack variance. This type of flaw is not exclusive to LQ, but plays a key part in players' strategies. Pack variance is the tendency for LQ packs to behave very differently from one another during competitive play. The difference between packs at a single center can be dramatic; as a result, most tournaments have strict rules regarding pack assignments in order to ensure that no team receives an unfair advantage. Packs that give the user a big advantage are oft known as "god packs" and the reverse are known as "crap packs". Players will often visit other centers in order to gather data on packs that can be used in upcoming tournaments. This data is used to assign packs to players on the team who can best maximize the advantages and minimize the disadvantages of each pack.

[edit] Scoring

Laser Quest players gain points by tagging other players or by tagging the opposing team's base. They lose points when they are tagged by other people, or when they are caught in a trap. The number of points lost depends on where the player hit. The scale is as follows:

  • Laser: 3 points
  • Front: 5 points
  • Shoulders: 3 points
  • Back: 4 points

Tagging another player gains a player 10 points, no matter where the other player is hit. Being tagged by the Marshal or (when applicable) by a trap costs 50 points. Tagging the opposing team's base (when applicable) gains a player 50 points. Players always gain more points for making a tag than they lose for being tagged.

Players may also be awarded bonus points based based on their accuracy--usually 10 points for every 1% hit rate. In other words, if a player achieved a hit rate of 10%, he or she would be awarded 100 bonus points. This is usually limited to a maximum bonus of far less than the theoretical maximum of 1000 points in order to prevent people tagging one person with their first attempt and then hiding for the rest of the game.

The team score is the sum of all the individual players' scores.

[edit] Playing styles

There are a number of different recognized playing styles. They are as follows:

Profiling
This involves twisting one's body such that the side is presented to the enemy. This makes the front and back sensors harder to hit, and completely hides one of the shoulders.

Crouching
This is self-explanatory. It has the advantage of protecting front and back sensors, and gives an element of surprise. The shoulder sensors are very exposed. (Illegal in tournament play)

The Tower, AKA Dalek
Involves holding the gun above one's head. Aiming is more difficult, and this leaves the front and back sensors very exposed. It is effective because of the surprise, the better angle on shoulder sensors. It is also effective since many good players instinctively aim for the gun sensor rather than the front, as the gun sensor is usually the easiest to hit, due to the need for a player to aim. If shoulders remain covered while a player is using this style, it is considered illegal in tournament play.

Rowing The Boat
Involves holding the gun below one's waist and ducking down while moving it side to side. Aiming is a bit more difficult, but one's laser is very hard to hit. One's shoulders are also protected fairly well. It is considered illegal in tournament play.

[edit] Game variants

The hardware and software used limit what types of games a Laser Quest center can hold. Up to four different groups of settings can be created; it is normal for everyone on a team to have the same settings, though this is not required. When giving packs within a team different settings, the packs will not be visibly different in-game.

The settings which can be altered are:

  • Game type: All-on-all, 2-team, 3-team
  • Total game time (minutes)
  • Number of lives: 1+, or unlimited
  • Number of shots: 1+, or unlimited
  • Downtime (seconds)
  • Shoulder sensors on/off
  • Gun sensors on/off
  • Bases on/off (only applies to team games)
  • Replenishers on/off (recharge with extra lives and shots if you run out)
  • Replenisher values for lives and shots
  • Sentinel effect on/off (recharge your own teammates)
  • Sentinel values for lives and shots

The number of shots used can be quite large; in certain game types, players routinely fire 3000+ shots. This will give an accuracy rate of perhaps 5%. This seemingly low amount is a result of constant firing and dodging, as players are not directly penalized for missed shots.

Downtime is defined as the period of time after a player is tagged that they remain deactivated. After the downtime has expired, the de-activated player's pack will re-energise and they are able to play as before.

[edit] Normal games

These are offered at most Laser Quest centers. Every player has the same settings, and the games are able to be run with different numbers of people. The settings and tactics are considered to be less complicated than those used in other game types. An extended version of a normal game is called an Ironman game.

[edit] Standard Solo Mission

Suggested settings:

  • Game type: All-on-all
  • Total game time: 15 to 20 minutes
  • Lives: Unlimited
  • Shots: Unlimited
  • Downtime: 3 to 5 seconds
  • Shoulder sensors: On
  • Gun sensors: On

In this game, there are no formal teams; any player can tag any other player, and each player is given an individual score. The game ends when the time limit runs out. Winning is based upon final score--the player with the highest score wins.

There are a variety of playing styles which can work in this game. Which one works best depends on individual strengths/weaknesses, other players' tactics, the layout of the arena etc. Some potential tactics are: sniping, constant movement, and tailing a weaker player individual in order to gain more points.

[edit] Ironman

Suggested settings

  • Game type: All-on-all
  • Total game time: 30 minutes
  • Lives: Unlimited
  • Shots: Unlimited
  • Downtime: 1-3 seconds
  • Shoulder sensors: On
  • Gun sensors: On

This game is essentially a standard solo mission, albeit with a thirty-minute timeframe.

[edit] Last man standing

Suggested settings:

  • Game type: All-on-all
  • Total game time: 15 minutes
  • Lives: 10
  • Shots: Unlimited
  • Downtime: 3 seconds
  • Shoulder sensors: On
  • Gun sensors: On

The last man alive is declared the winner of this game. If there is more than one player left at the end, the game is usually declared a draw; in some variants, however, this would result in no winner.

This game variant is similar to a standard deathmatch, with the addition of a limited number of lives. This makes for a slightly slower, more cautious game. Gun sensors are on, to discourage snipers.

[edit] Standard teams

Suggested settings:

  • Game type: Teams
  • Total game time: 15 minutes
  • Lives: Unlimited
  • Shots: Unlimited
  • Downtime: 5 seconds
  • Shoulder sensors: On
  • Gun sensors: On
  • Bases: Off

The game ends when the time limit runs out. Winning is based on final team score, which is the sum of the scores of every player in that team.

This is the second-most often played game, after Standard Deathmatch. The players are split into two or three teams, each of which has their own colour. Friendly fire will not have any effect. Teams usually start the game in opposite sides of the arena.

[edit] Limited life team game

Suggested settings:

  • Game type: Teams
  • Total game time: 15 minutes
  • Lives: 10
  • Shots: Unlimited
  • Downtime: 5 seconds
  • Shoulder sensors: On
  • Gun sensors: On
  • Bases: Off

The team with the last man standing wins the game. Frequently, more than one person from the winning team will survive. If the time runs out, the game is declared a draw, though this is not the case with all variants (see Last man standing).

[edit] Bases

Suggested settings:

  • Game type: Two Teams
  • Total game time: 15 minutes
  • Lives: Unlimited
  • Shots: Unlimited
  • Downtime: 5 seconds
  • Shoulder sensors: On
  • Gun sensors: On
  • Bases: On

This is a standard team game with bases turned on. Because the bases score 50 points each time they are triggered, they play a central role in this game. This can make the game much more terratorial, as players try to defend their base and attack their opponents'. One tactic is for players to players camp at the opposing team's bases. The winners are the team with the most points when the time runs out.

[edit] North America Challenge

Laser Quest holds a corporate tournament called the North America Challenge, or NAC. To qualify for NAC, members from a particular center must try out The top 9, plus one potential alternate, then go to one of four regional tournaments held in June of each year. The top teams from each of these regional tournaments will then proceed to the continental tournament, typically held in September. The top 20 teams from the regional tournaments(top 5 teams from each regionals get invites) compete in the NAC to determine the best team in Laser Quest.

[edit] Past NAC winners and locations

  • 2006: Location: Las Vegas, NV Winner: ShadowZ, Lincoln, Nebraska
  • 2005: Location: Mesquite, TX Winner: NRH, North Richland Hills, Texas
  • 2004: Location: Rochester, NY Winner: BBC (Brampton Brew Crew) Brampton, Ontario
  • 2003: Location: North Richland Hills, TX Winner: Paragon, Denver, Colorado
  • 2002: Location: Norridge, IL Winner: Paragon, Denver, Colorado
  • 2001: Location: Colorado Springs, CO Winner: Paragon, Denver, Colorado
  • 2000: Location: Toronto, ON Winner: Phoenix Pyros, Phoenix, Arizona
  • 1999: Location: North Richland Hills, TX Winner: Phoenix Pyros, Phoenix, Arizona
  • 1998: Location: Knoxville, TN Winner: 9 Deadly Venoms, Houston, Texas
  • 1997: Location: Downers Grove, IL Winner: Team MAD, Madison Heights, Michigan
  • 1996: Location: London, ON Winner: Oshawa, Ontario
  • 1995: Location: London, ON Winner: Oshawa, Ontario

The largest Laser Quest center in North America is in Spokane, Washington. The center has 3 floors with and includes original features such as a crows nest, a spot located at the very top allowing player(s) to see the whole maze.

[edit] LQ Slang

  • A marshal's laser[1] is a special laser sometimes used by Laser Quest employees, which can be used for normal gameplay as well as to fire "discipline" shots at players violating the rules. Most centers no longer have a marshall laser.
  • Questor is the official name for some one who plays Laser Quest.
  • Spocking is the act of using an object or body part to block one of your sensors. It is considered illegal in tournament play.
  • Home Maze Advantage is the advantage one team gets when they play in their own center, usually refers to tournaments.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Regional Specific Links

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