We're back alright, with a vengeance! LT is ressurrected this summer
as Lazer Tag Team Ops from Tiger/Hasbro, and "this is not your
father's Lazer Tag!" I am one of the co-inventors of the new system,
and I wrote all the code for it. I'll be happy to answer any
questions I can. I posted a bit about it on Adequate.com's Lazer Tag
Forum, a month or two ago now I guess. Basic info is on the above
website, and when the product hits the shelves (in early July of this
year), the www.LazerTag.com website will go active with more info.

My goal with LTTO was to capture a feeling rather like a mixture of
online video gaming and paintballing, make it playable anywhere at
any time, and make it fun for a very wide range of ages (I'm 41, and
I like playing it just as much if not more than my 10-year-old
nephews and neices do).

Pretty much all the options available in online FPS's or in any of
the arena laser games is represented in the new LTTO system. Some
examples:
(1) All scoring is completely automatic, and changes depending on the
type of game played (11 basic game types in the first offering)
(2) There is no way for "cheats" to annoy honest players (other than
blatantly covering the receiver).
(3) Physical areas like rooms or car-ports can become actively scored
to make a zone of contention.
(4) The Host can set a whole variety of options such as: time limits,
number of reloads available, number of tags until tagged-out, number
of seconds of shields time, whether or not friendly fire counts, and
whether or not teammates can give "medic assistance" to each other in
the event one player becomes badly tagged or needs to be "pumped-up"
for a strike mission.
(5) Players receive proximity warnings, "lock-ons," and
Identification-Friend-or-Foe information about the other players.
(6) Players receive audio and visual feedback as to whether or not a
fired tag landed on the target player.
(7) The receiver is integrated with the transmitter in one unit --
there is no extra vest or cap to wear.
(9) The LCD display allows the user to select which game information
he/she is most interested in viewing at any time, rather like a soft-
screen display in a modern fighter jet.
(10) Sound effects can be "muted" for stealth mode, played audibly to
all, or played only through a headset worn by the player.
(11) Headset also includes a transflective Heads-Up-Display which
projects images of 3 "Alert Icons" in space in front of the user --
one for "Locked-On", one for "Scored Hit", and one for "Hit by
Opponent".

Regarding the most anticipated question about LTTO: The first
offering will NOT be compatible with WoW/Tiger LT systems of the
past. I Hope to add that feature to the next offering (slated for
release in Spring 2005), the code for which I am developing as I
write this. The post on Adequate.com explains some of the reasons
why, but please note that since then we have made a minor electrical
modification which may make Tiger- and WoW-compatability modes
possible (might require a very minor hardware hack, I will keep
everyone who is interested posted).

BTW, if anyone wanted to clue me in to their "real requirements" for
using LT gear in their LARPG's I will keep it in mind as I develop
the new system -- things such as:
(1) Under what conditions to you really use the LT gear -- all hours
all weather indoors and out, only at night in darkened rooms, or
something in between?
(2) What kind of range and firing rate do you need under worst-case
conditions (outdoors at high noon in summer)?
(3) Is just a WoW-compatibility mode enough or should it also support
Tiger LT (sorry, Laser Challenge is out of the question due to patent
reasons) and/or compatability with the homebrew systems?
(4) Are there any special features which would make you grin from ear
to ear, etc.?
(5) Any other information you care to put before me, I will consider
and try to accomodate as we move forward.

Keep on Taggin -- with "the game that moves at the speed of light!"
(stadium not included....)

:-)