Laser Quest

Laser Quest
Type	Private
Industry	Lasertag
Founded	Manchester, England (1989)
Headquarters	Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK.
Website	www.laserquest.com http://www.laserquest.co.uk

Laser Quest was the name of a Canadian/English indoor lasertag game using infrared (IR) hand-held units and vests. It closed its doors for good in North America in August 2020 during the covid pandemic. It is also the name of the company which operates each game centre. There are over 100 Laser Quest centres worldwide, including sites in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the UK, the Republic of Ireland, France, Reunion Island, Portugal, Singapore and the Netherlands. Laser Quest's oldest centre is located in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England.[1]

Overview of the game of Laser Quest

The player's goal in Laser Quest is to tag their opponents as many times as possible, while the player avoids being tagged. The players are equipped with an infrared/laser hand held unit and a pack with infrared sensors. Players start the game in a large multi-level maze-like arena filled with ramps, catwalks and windows. In Laser Quest centres, the playing arenas are filled with theatrical fog and black light, strobes and UV-reactive painted surfaces. While play can seem chaotic, there are rules that are enforced. Players recite a "Player's Code" in the Briefing Room, where they go to learn how to play the game. The Player's Code includes a vow not to run, climb, jump, sit, kneel, lie down, cover any sensors, make physical contact with other players, use offensive language, and to 'play hard, play smart, and play to survive!'. At least one employee or "Marshal" is present in the arena at all times, to ensure fair and safe game play and to make sure people enjoy their time.

Equipment

Every LQ centre is equipped with approximately 30 packs, also called vests or ponchos. This number varies with busier arenas having more packs to accommodate larger crowds. The pack is made of a thick canvas-type material that hangs over the shoulders. When laid out flat on a table the vest forms a diamond shape. Sensors placed on various parts of the vest covering the chest, the back, and each shoulder. "There are additional sensors housed within the hand-held 'laser' unit located at the front, and both sides of the laser."

The infrared sensors are attached to printed circuit boards, which include several colours of LEDs, often red and green or red and blue, that light up when the pack is active. Each PCB is housed in a hard plastic cover. Part of each cover is made from clear plastic to allow the IR beams to reach the sensors.

Inside the laser shell is the PCB with sensors and lights, a speaker to indicate the status of the pack, a trigger, and an LCD to display the status of the pack to the player. The IR unit is what emits the visible laser the eye sees and the invisible IR beam which "tags" the opponent's packs.

The laser has a display in the rear. When a player is tagged, it displays the codename of the tagger and the location of the tag. It also occasionally displays the player's current ranking as the game progresses.

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 players, or when they are caught in a trap. The number of points lost depends on where the player hit and game settings. The scale for a typical game is as follows:

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

Players always gain more points for making a tag than they lose for being tagged. In a standardized game, a player gains ten points when tagging another, and loses points corresponding to the above scale when they are tagged themselves.

Players may also be awarded bonus points 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. In a standard 'Solo' game, this bonus is limited to a maximum of 100 points, far less than the theoretical maximum of 1000 points awarded to a 100% accuracy. This prevents players tagging one person with their first tag and then hiding for the rest of the game. As it is possible to tag multiple players with one tag, it is possible for a player's accuracy ratio to exceed 100%.

In team games, the team score is the sum of all similarly-colored players' individual scores.

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, with the exception of 'sentinel' packs that have the ability to give lives and ammunition to teammates. These packs are identified by an alternate light pattern on the front and back sensor.

The settings which can be altered are:

Available settings	options	standard game settings
Game type	All-on-all, 2-team, 3-team, 4-team	All-on-all
Game time (minutes)	1 to 99	15
Number of lives	1 to 99 or unlimited	unlimited
Number of shots	1 to 9999 or unlimited	unlimited
Downtime (seconds)	1 to 99	2-5
Shoulder sensors	on/off	on
Laser sensors	on/off	on
Base	on/off	off
Replenishers	on/off	off
Replenisher values for lives and shots		off
Sentinel effect	on/off	off
Sentinel values for lives and shots		off

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. The average is 6% ratio of accuracy.

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.

Cheating

Although all players are required to recite a code of conduct before play, some may still cheat. One of the main ways in which players cheat is by taking duct tape into the arena and placing it over the sensors. Although duct tape does not completely stop the sensor from getting tagged, it does make the play difficult. Most cheating is stopped by the marshal instantly and will have the player ejected from the game for that type of behaviour. Laser pointers do not work as the hit is determined by the IR beam and not the laser beam. Another way is what players call 'Spocking', when a player makes a 'V' shape with their hand and blocks the sensor on the end of the laser.

World Laser Quest Challenge/Championship (WLC)

This tournament occurs every couple of years where teams and players from the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, France, and the UK compete to be the best in the world. The WLC alternates between participating countries.

WLC Champions

Year	Location	Champion
2002	Las Vegas (USA)	Team USA (USA)
2004	Swindon (UK)	A Tribe Called Quest (UK)
2007	Mississauga (Canada)	Team Canada (Canada)
2010	Coignieres/Maurepas, Yvelines (France)	Team USA (USA)
2012	Mississauga (Canada)	Team USA (USA)
2017	Woking (UK)	Team North America (USA/Canada)
2019	San Jose, California (USA)	NAC (USA/Canada)

The current format of the tournament is 6-man teams compete in quad or triple quest prelim games, then depending on their prelim rank they will either play the cup or plate knockouts which are pack-set double/triple quest games. The top teams in the cup and the plate will then go onto the finals which are pack-set double-quest games.

The next WLC will be held in Europe in 2021.

North America Challenge (NAC)

Laser Quest used to hold a corporate tournament called the North America Challenge, or NAC. To qualify for NAC, members from a particular centre hold a series of try-outs. The top nine players, plus one potential alternate, then go to one of three 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 teams from each regional tournaments compete in the national event to determine the best team in Laser Quest.

Beginning in 1999, and continuing until 2007, the top five teams from each of the four North American regions advanced. Following a series of centre closures, and new centres opening, regional lines were redrawn and three regions formed.[2]

Changed again in 2010, each centre did not have a tryout, and teams were able to form their own homegrown teams, with 8 starters, and 1 extra for an alternate.

NAC Champions and Runners Up

Year	Winner	First Runner Up	Third Place	Consolation Winner/4th	Finals Location
2012 Details	TSA Toronto ON	NRH North Richland Hills TX	Mesa Mesa AZ	Denver Denver CO	Las Vegas NV
2011 Details	NRH North Richland Hills TX	TSA Toronto ON	Mesa Mesa AZ	Federal Way Seattle WA	Las Vegas NV
2010 Details	TSA Toronto ON	NRH North Richland Hills TX	Mesa Mesa AZ	Federal Way Seattle WA	Hoffman Estates IL
2009 Details	NRH North Richland Hills TX	TSA Toronto ON	Federal Way Seattle WA	Team OFF Hoffman Estates IL	Las Vegas NV
2008 Details	NRH North Richland Hills TX	ShadowZ Lincoln NE	TSA Scarborough ON	Team OFF Hoffman Estates IL	Hoffman Estates IL
2007 Details	9 Deadly Venoms Houston TX	Brampton Brew Crew Brampton ON	Team OFF Hoffman Estates IL	NRH North Richland Hills TX	Gwinnett GA
2006 Details	ShadowZ Lincoln NE	Westland Wolfpack Westland MI	42 Appleton WI	Brampton Brew Crew Brampton ON	Las Vegas NV
2005 Details	NRH North Richland Hills TX	9 Deadly Venoms Houston TX	Westland Wolfpack Westland MI	Brampton Brew Crew Brampton ON	Mesquite TX
2004 Details	Brampton Brew Crew Brampton ON	NRH North Richland Hills TX	9 Deadly Venoms Houston TX	Phoenix Pyros Phoenix AZ	Rochester NY
2003 Details	Paragon Denver CO	Westland Wolfpack Westland MI	ShadowZ Lincoln NE	Brampton Brew Crew Brampton ON	North Richland Hills TX
2002 Details	Paragon Denver CO	Phoenix Pyros Phoenix AZ	9 Deadly Venoms Houston TX	ShadowZ Lincoln NE	Norridge IL
2001 Details	Paragon Denver CO	Westland Wolfpack Westland MI	San Antonio San Antonio TX	Austin Austin TX	Colorado Springs CO
2000 Details	Phoenix Pyros Phoenix AZ	Paragon Denver CO	Tulsa Whoopdonkeys Tulsa OK	Westland Wolfpack Westland MI	Scarborough ON
1999 Details	Phoenix Pyros Phoenix AZ	Paragon Denver CO	Austin Austin TX	NRH North Richland Hills TX	North Richland Hills TX
1998 Details	9 Deadly Venoms Houston TX	Phoenix Pyros Phoenix AZ	Armageddon Lincoln NE	Mesa Mesa AZ	Knoxville TN
1997 Details	Team MAD Madison Heights MI	Paragon Denver CO	Oshawa Oshawa ON	Phoenix Pyros Phoenix AZ	Downers Grove IL
1996 Details	Oshawa Oshawa ON	London London ON	Brampton Brew Crew Brampton ON	Charlotte Charlotte NC	London ON
1995 Details	Oshawa Oshawa ON	Brampton Generals Brampton ON	Brampton Wildfire Brampton ON		London ON

European Laser Quest Championship (ELC)

This 9-man constructed team tournament consists of players from UK, France and the Netherlands. The tournament is held annually, with the location alternating amongst participating countries. The current format of the tournament is 6-man teams compete in triple-quest prelim games, then depending on their prelim rank they will either play the cup or plate knockouts which are pack-set double/triple quest games. The top teams in the cup and the plate will then go onto the finals which are pack-set double-quest games.

ELC Results

Year	Location	1st Place	2nd Place	Plate Winner
2001 [3]	'Guildford / Woking (UK)' [4]	'A Tribe Called Quest'[5] UK	'Wildcards'[6] NL	'Freestylaz'[7] UK
2003[8]	'Swindon (UK)'[9]	'A Tribe Called Quest'[10] UK	'Badgers'[11] UK	'Holland Antje'[12] NL
2004[13]	'Groningen (NL)'[14]	'LQ Legends'[15] NL	'A Tribe Called Quest'[16] UK	'DTC'[17] FR
2005[18]	'Reims (FR)'[19]	'A Tribe Called Quest'[20] UK	'RAW'[21] UK	'Phoenix Cende'[22] FR
2006[23]	'Eindhoven (NL)'[24]	'LQ Legends'[25] NL	'Team Win'[26] UK	'Badgers'[27] UK
2007[28]	'Bristol (UK)'	'Sorry Team'[29] FR	'A Tribe Called Quest'[30] UK	'LQ Legends'[31] NL
2008[32]	'Bourges[33] (FR)'	'Sorry Team'[34] FR	'A Tribe Called Quest'[35] UK	'Badgers' UK
2009[36]	'Bournemouth[37] (UK)'	'A Tribe Called Quest'[38] UK	'UK Rage'[39] UK
2010	'Bournemouth (UK)'	'A Tribe Called Quest' UK/FR/CAN	'France' FR	'Bournemouth' UK
2012	'Beauvais (FR)'	'Phoenix'[40] FR	'Roxxage'[41] FR	'Fromage'[42] NL
2013	'Coventry (UK)'	'Mixteam'[43] FR	'Phoenix'[44] FR	'The Good Looking TCQ'[45] UK
2014	'Eindhoven (NL)'	'Sorry Team' FR	'Phoenix' FR	'LQ Legends' NL
2015	'Boulogne-Sur-Mer (FR)'	'Phoenix' FR	'Roxxage' FR	'LQ Legends' NL
2019	'Woking (UK)'	'Phoenix' FR	'A Tribe Called Quest' UK	'LQ Legends' NL
2021	'Eindhoven (NL)'

Currently, 14 European Championships have taken place. France currently holds 7 European titles. The UK holds 5 European titles. The Netherlands holds 2 European titles. France are the current European Champions. However, The Tribe Called Quest hold the most titles.

The next ELC will be held at Laser Quest Eindhoven, NL, 2021.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Laser Quest gets birthday boost, Stourbridge News, 22 December 2008

[2] "Laser Quest – Live Action Laser Tag at Its Best!" (PDF). Laser Quest.

[3] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[4] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[5] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[6] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[7] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[8] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[9] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[10] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[11] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[12] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[13] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[14] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[15] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[16] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[17] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[18] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[19] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[20] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[21] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[22] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[23] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[24] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[25] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[26] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[27] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[28] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[29] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[30] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[31] ttp://www.lqa.info/~elc2007/results.html

[32] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[33] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[34] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[35] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[36] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[37] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[38] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[39] ttp://lqa.a20xx.com/viewtopic.php?t=22482

[40] ttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Yn2ScVzamsom7uyZ7_CHqtmsSuj2LarTXNrFWLpqRPI/pub?output=html

[41] ttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Yn2ScVzamsom7uyZ7_CHqtmsSuj2LarTXNrFWLpqRPI/pub?output=html

[42] ttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Yn2ScVzamsom7uyZ7_CHqtmsSuj2LarTXNrFWLpqRPI/pub?output=html

[43] ttps://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4d8RRVVZhtpX0E0R2VqSEdNWTg/edit

[44] ttps://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4d8RRVVZhtpX0E0R2VqSEdNWTg/edit

[45] ttps://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4d8RRVVZhtpX0E0R2VqSEdNWTg/edit

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