Laser Quest

Laser Quest

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

Laser Quest is the name of a Canadian-based 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 worldwide, including ones in Canada, the United States, the UK, France, Portugal, Singapore, Costa Rica, Thailand, South Africa, and the Netherlands. Laser Quest's oldest center is located in Stourbridge, West Midlands, England.

Overview of the game of Laser Quest

The aim of Laser Quest is to tag the player's 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 centers, 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, physically contact anyone, use offensive language, and to 'play fair, play smart, and give it my all!'. At least one Employee or "Marshal" is present in the arena at all times, to ensure fair and safe game play.

Equipment

Every LQ center 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. Additional sensors are contained in the hand-held 'laser' unit (see below).

The infrared sensors are attached to printed circuit boards, which include red and green LEDs 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. Although now sold and repaired as one piece, the IR unit and the PCB are two separate pieces. 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 you are tagged, it displays the codename of the player who tagged you. It also displays your 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 people, 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:

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

Players always gain more points for making a tag than they lose for being tagged.

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. 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 (typically around 200 points).

The team score is the sum of all the individual players' scores (when applicable).

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:

Available settings	options	standard game settings
Game type	All-on-all, 2-team, 3-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
Bases	on/off	on
Replenishers	on/off	on
Replenisher values for lives and shots		on
Sentinel effect	on/off	on	on	Sentinel values for lives and shots		on

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, few players also 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 behavior. 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. Another way is covering the front sensor with their laser and hiding in a corner.

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 hold a series of tryouts. 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 center closures, and new centers opening, regional lines were redrawn and three regions formed.

Changed again in 2010, each center 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
2011 Details	NRH North Richland Hills TX	TBA	TBA	TBA	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

(ELC) European LaserQuest Championship

This 9-man constructed team tournament consists of players from UK, France and Holland (Starting 2010 USA and Canada will join as well). The tournament is held annually, with the location alternating amongst participating countries. 2007 championships were held in Longwell Green, Bristol the cup final was won by Sorry Team, with LQ Legends winning the plate finals. The 2006 cup finals were won by LQ Legends with Badgers winning the plate final held in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The 2005 event was played in Reims, France. In 2010 the ELC was held at Bournemouth LQ the winning team was Tribe Called Quest in 2nd place was France. With Bournemouth A winning the plate 7 teams participated.

External links

• The Laser Quest site
• Website Of LaserQuest Sutton (UK)
• Website Of LaserQuest Sheffield (UK)