It's unfortunate, considering jitspoe dedicated so much time for develeoping this game and how much time we spend playing it, having great fun in our teen ages. But the truth is, the scene is dimishing for years now, ultimately passing it's half-life.
The game itself isn't the issue I guess. Sure, it lacks standarts other games provide, but those games are written by more than a single guy who spends his heart blood in what was once his youth project.
Implementing these standarts wouldn't change much at all. It woudln't attract newer players, nor pull those who quit years ago. In the best case szenario it'd keep the established player base, though this base is thinner than it ever was.
The reasons for PB's slow death aren't that plain. I personally believe, the current generation of fps-shooters had an incredibly large imapct on pb's lifespan. If you want to play some rounds of fps nowadays, you just turn on your steam/ps3/360, play Modern Warfare or BF;BC with TDm or FFA. You'll get easy rewards, graphics, full servers and a feeling of accomplishment when you constantly pwn some pubnoobs (which I never felt when playing DB, there wasn't any competition pub, ever) and you can leave anytime, since you don't know anybody (which is very unpersonal and, from my pov, boring).
Back then, in the 2005s, for example, there wasn't a game like CODMW. Also, not every 12 years old had a 360 + xboxlive. PB seemed like a good alternative from other games such as CS or CC. Playing a little more actively almost always ended in joining clans and matches, which were so much fun playing because we knew each other.
Unfortunately, jitspoe couldn't really capitalize on the game, having an established, big player base. The lack of money, volunteers, promotion and time slowly killed paintball. The game changed since then, but it made almost no progression.
Another important fact: the players grew up. I started this game when I was 13. It was my first online game, it was free, it reminded me of q3 arena, there were other germans to talk and troll and people I admired in a way, which led me to exessive play, in order to surpass them.
3 months from now on, I'll celebrate my 20th birthday. I changed as a person, developed my interessts, going to join university soon. For me, it's no fun to play pub because seriously, even after 2 years of pause, I still beat the crap out of these newbies. But I can't spend my whole time on IRC, either, just to get a match started. There are other things i could do. And even tough one could say I should play matches occasionaly I refuse to, because of a simple reason: the less you practice, the worse you are. It wouldn't be fun to match and getting rolfstomped all day long.
I pity jitspoe, for he has spend so much time and money on this game. And I have a strange feel of pain, anytime I remember the good old pb time. It's been a part of my childhood but it can#t be helped. I really do think nothing can help this game surviving
