Company
While I like the aesthetics of Nerf and the cheap prices of Buzz Bee, I would have to say that the ideal company for this perfect blaster would be BOOMco. When it comes to darts, BOOMco darts are so far superior to Nerf and Buzz Bee darts that theres really no other option. The fact that BOOMco darts are extremely durable (one time I twisted up a dart and chewed on it to make a point, it still fired), and extremely accurate make them the obvious choice for HvZ, where accuracy matters above anything else. BOOMco is the obvious company to make this perfect blaster.
Aesthetics
As much as I like the look of many of the current BOOMco blasters, in designing a blaster I'd probably choose to go for a bit more "tactical" look. I'd want there to be tactical rails for attachments, and a blaster that combines parts of the BOOMco aesthetic with some more tactical elements would appeal to people who like the tactical realism of Nerf, but also people who like the less serious design of BOOMco blasters. I would also want this blaster to be small, since in HvZ the ability to put your blaster in your backpack or a small bag is extremely useful, a smaller blaster makes a lot more sense than a huge one.
Functionality
Obviously, when it comes to designing a perfect blaster, how it functions is a huge part. I think that the best mechanism for a blaster is a pump-action spring powered blaster. When using a spring instead of flywheels, a player doesn't have to spend the extra money on batteries, doesn't have to carry extra batteries with them while playing, and doesn't have to worry about adverse weather. While feeding a blaster from an integrated open faced revolving cylinder has some advantages, such as being able to quickly reload from scavenged darts, I think that using BOOMco's clip system is the best option. With the open faced clips it is still possible to add in darts that you've scavenged, but you retain the ability to quickly swap out an empty clip for a full clip. Factor in that BOOMco 40 clips are fairly small for their massive capacity, and a clip fed blaster is the best option. After using many different clip fed BOOMco blasters, I've also decided that a clip that feeds horizontally is the best option. A vertical fed blaster means that the priming pump would have to be further forward, and there would be less space on the top for tactical rails. A horizontal feeding clip makes the blaster asymmetrical and sometimes off balance, but I think that is an okay trade off for a more compact blaster.
Performance
People might expect that the perfect blaster should shoot ~120 fps out of the box. I would disagree. For a college HvZ game, I think a velocity of around 85 fps would be ideal. That keeps it low enough to be allowed at every game I've played at, but high enough to get perfectly acceptable ranges. HvZ is a fairly short ranged game, with most shots being taken at zombies that are within 20 feet of you, so having a velocity of 85 fps gives you plenty of range to hit those targets, while not hurting people from point blank. My current HvZ primary shoots about 85, and while I could easily modify it further to shoot harder, I feel no need for more performance out of it.
Customization
In a perfect blaster, there should be lots of options available to the user for how they want their blaster to look. My perfect blaster would have a stock attachment point at the back, so people who prefer the "rifle" form factor could put on a stock of their choosing. I would also have at least 2 tactical rails on the top of the blaster, possibly with an additional rail on each side. This would make adding on flashlights, dart holders and other accessories easy.
In The Box
So, what would this blaster come with? My initial thought is several 40 clips, a stock and some dart holders, but when it comes to HvZ, not everyone needs that much. Many people at my school start playing with just one or two 12 dart magazines and no attachments at all. I think the best option would be to include 2 20 dart clips, giving people the option to carry 40 darts on them if needed, but without the bulk of a 40 dart clip. This way, if someone only thought they'd need 20 darts, they could just carry one clip. As much as I love blasters that have stocks, not everyone needs a stock on their blaster. I think that this blaster would be better off shipping without a stock, which would keep the price low and accessible for new players, while offering the option to upgrade if wanted.
Accessories
As much as I don't like a lot of the things Nerf has done with their lines of blasters, I think that the Modulus line was a great idea. The ability to customize your blaster with the parts that you want makes having a blaster feel much more satisfying, and even if everyone has the same blaster, you can make yours unique. I think that this perfect blaster should be sold alongside an upgrade kit, which would come with a stock that could store an extra clip, as well as one or two tactical rail dart holders and maybe even a strap or a 40 dart clip. When I run a blaster in an HvZ game, I always keep a strap on it, and if possible, I like to use a stock and some dart holders for extra ammo. While I realize that this doesn't fit everyone's playstyle, having it as an optional upgrade kit would let the buyers choose if they want to upgrade or not.
Cost
So, how much would this blaster cost? Comparing the size and features of the base blaster to other products made by BOOMco, I'd say around $25-30. This price range makes it extremely accessible to new players who want to get into the game but don't want to spend a fortune. The proposed accessory kit with a stock, strap, 40 dart clip and tactical rail dart holders would likely be another $20, depending on the exact contents. That means that a new player who wants to get a good, full loadout could do it easily with 2 purchases, totaling a maximum price of $50. I have a friend who has spent over $70 on modifying one single Hammershot to perfection, so spending $50 on a full loadout for an HvZ game seems extremely possible and doable.
Overall Thoughts
In the end, my design for a perfect blaster comes out to be a pump-action, horizontal clip fed BOOMco blaster that features a stock attachment point and several tactical rails, and comes with 2 20 dart clips, with an optional upgrade pack sold separately that would add a higher capacity 40 dart clip, as well as a strap to help carry the blaster, a stock that could carry a clip, and some dart holders that would mount on tactical rails. The base blaster would cost $25-30, with the upgrade kit adding on another $20. This blaster would make it extremely easy for a new player to get everything they need for a game, for a relatively low price. If something like this were to exist, I would not even think about recommending any other blaster for a new player, and there would really be nothing that could compete. Hopefully someday we'll get something close to this, but until then, I'll just have to keep modifying my blasters to get close to this ideal goal.
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