Quote:
Originally Posted by lyners
Thats "how it was meant to be played" Quoted from Richmond Italia. 
Also im just saying its the way xball started in NXL and then it became this race to # points, which is not how it was originally, Italia wanted the full time limit to be used and such, not who can make 5/7/9 points first.So technically its not the original xball, more like xball with a twist, i guess you could day  . Im just answering a question Chris  |
What I was getting at is that calling CXBL/AXBL 'real' XBall is arbitrary. There's nothing that makes it the 'real' version more than any other present version. And if you're going to argue that CXBL/AXBL is the 'real' version because it's closer to the original XBall, then you'd have to accept that the REAL 'real' XBall is NCPA XBall.
- Only NCPA XBall still uses semi-auto
- Only NCPA XBall still allows on-field coaching
- NCPA doesn't have race-to scoring either.
On top of preserving the original rules....
- NCPA has been running XBall longer than anyone else
- Only NCPA XBall is currently televised
Of course, we don't market our version of XBall as 'real' XBall, because we understand that it's not exactly an informative label. It makes about as much sense as arbitrarily deciding that 'real' football is football as it was played in the NFL in 1958. Why is XBall as played in the NXL in 2005 the 'real' XBall? If you're going to pick 2005, why not 2003? Or 2008?
And we're also don't have any illusions about why the NCPA format is the way it is - it's that way because it looks good on television. Fits perfectly into an hour-long broadcast, semi-auto helps movement, and coaching on the field adds drama and makes the coaches visible to the viewer.
I think if you're going to call something REAL XBall, it would be XBall as played at IAO plus coaching. MAYBE XBall as played in the NXL in 2003.
It also doesn't make much sense to me to advertise something as 'real' XBall while at the same time advertising it as 15 bps ramping - especially considering the only people to use 15 bps ramping are the same people who use the race-to format. No Richmond-Italia XBall has ever used ramping, that's a PSP thing, and if you're going to accept PSP changing the gun rules, you might as well let them add a mercy rule.
Of course, that's all a separate issue of whether CXBL/AXBL is the 'right' way to play XBall. Obviously, I like all the things it shares with the NCPA format. And the match length may be 'better' for what CXBL/AXBL is doing, esp. since they don't have to worry about televising it. Semi vs. 15 bps ramp is going to be a preference thing.
When you get down to it, anything with a repeating point, timed, center-flag format is just as much XBall as anything else.
- Chris
