One of my favourite moments when we’re hosting a lasertag party is the big reveal. That moment when we pull back the cover to show off our gaming guns never fails to get a big WOW! from the crowd.
Over the next few weeks we’re going to give you a taste of what to expect as we showcase our equipment in more detail. This week though, we’re going to start with an overview of the technology behind the hardware, an advanced gaming system called SATR, developed by our good friends at Battlefield Sports.
Real-time feedback
Small-Arms-Transmitter-Receiver (SATR) is what really sets our equipment apart from the competition. The system provides real-time feedback on your game through advanced light, sound and voice effects.
Say you spot another player taking cover 120 metres away; you take a few shots and manage to tag them. Their gaming gun not only makes a sound effect so that they know they’re in trouble, but it also sends a radio signal back to your gaming gun to confirm the hit so you know you’re on target. It’s a much more immersive and entertaining experience and our customers love it!
Unlike traditional indoor systems, SATR is not constrained by having to have a central computer controlling the game. It is completely portable, ideal for indoor and outdoor use, and the number of players is effectively unlimited. Battlefield Sports recently broke the world record with 436 gamers playing at the same time.
Flexibility
SATR is highly configurable. It can emulate the sound effects of 69 different weapons, from a single-shot musket (they take ages to reload!) to modern day machine guns and futuristic sci-fi themed phasers. The voice feedback comes in 13 different languages and can be customised even further (I really want Homer Simpson saying D’oh! when you get tagged!).
The system controls the infra-red power setting of the gaming gun and this allows the the event to be adjusted to match the environment, whether that’s a small indoor venue (short-range), a sports field (medium-range) or large woodland setting where you set it to long range.
We’re very much about the team effort, but the system does collect real-time statistics for the individual player. The data is displayed on the LCD screen of each gaming gun and can show how the player performed, including number of tags, accuracy etc.
Zombies!
For us at Peninsula Lasertag, the flexibility of SATR gives us the ability to tailor our customers’ experience to their needs. The sci-fi theme is great for younger kids; older kids and adult groups love the more military sounding effects. There’s even a zombie mode, complete with bone-chilling voice effects! Watch this space as we get closer to Halloween.
Next week we’ll take a look at our most commonly used gaming gun – the Cobra Phaser.
Images: thanks to John of SuJon Photography.