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:: AN INTERVIEW WITH ALAN KEEPING (LASER BLAST) ::
TRUTNEE: - Can you please tell the number of laser tag sites currently operating your system?
LASER BLAST: - We have 80 locations open in world wide with 3 that are non-commercial. We are opening 11 additional locations in the next 3 or 4 months.
TRUTNEE: - At present time you are producing four different systems: LightBlast, BasicBlast, ClassicBlast IR system and HyperBlast. What are the primary differences between them and what system is the best-seller? What is the price difference?
LASER BLAST: - LiteBlast - IR game, calculated scores, hand held starter. Low cost and portable. No computer required. Perfect for inflatable laser tag operator.
BasicBlast - Radio based real time scoring. Score sheets, Digital dispaly of individual or team scores in real time. Several adjustable game parameters. No computer required. Suitable for portable attractions or as an add-on to an existing entertainment facility. Does not support arena devices like team bases. ClassicBlast - Original IR download game. Advanced game formats, support for arena devices, score sheets, game scores displayed on monitor at the end of the game.
HyperBlast - Radio based real time scoring. Everything an operator needs for a high quality laser tag experience for his guests.
Prices range from less than $10K USD for a typical LiteBlast game to the mid to upper $60's for a large, full featured HyperBlast game. We have equipment and price points to meet an operators needs anywhere in that range.
TRUTNEE: - Phasor: though LaserBlast phasors look a little bit fragile, they proved to be extra durable. I've heard that the absence of colour in the plastics the phasor's casing is made of, increases the durability. Is it really true? By the way, was it LaserBlast that introduced the clear phasor casings to the industry?
LASER BLAST: - Yes. Our engineering department conducted impact tests on various coatings and dyes. Even the "plastic compatible" coatings significantly reduced the impact strength of the plastic. The test consists of dropping an 8 lb. sledge hammer on a plastic sitting on concrete from various heights and at different angles. I am pretty sure we were the first to use clear plastics. As you know, today several manufacturers have adopted this feature.
TRUTNEE: - Game Setup Flexibility: At the 'LaserBlast Competition' table published at your webpage, it is said that '98% of games played... use the standard settings', alas you offer over 30 different game parameters. But why bothering with extra parameters if they are used in 2% of games only? Isn't it better to skip all the extra parameters and features (used by 2% of games only) thus decreasing the system's price?
LASER BLAST: - What you suggest is exactly why we introduced the "BasicBlast" game. A great game for laser tag at substantial savings over the full featured "HyperBlast" game. We belive it is important to have a robust game for those operators who cater to a more serious laser tag crowd. This is particularly true outside the US where the customer base is not so heavily weighted toward birthday parties.
TRUTNEE: - By the way, can you please name all these game parameters which can be controlled? Among them, what are the most popular ones? And what are the features/parameters which you especially proud of?
LASER BLAST: - Game time, Stun time, Deac time, Bases allowed (number of times a single player can tag a base), Shot delay, number of photons, number of shields, number of shots, stuns/deac, lives allowed, antistalker, rapid fire, limited lives, stealth mode, change colors (y/n), one or two handed play. Base behavior includes hit delay, relay delay, and base tag required (means a player cannot have consecutive base tags without a team mate tagging it first. Special games - capture the flag, with or without flag passing and king of the arena. We've had great feed back from our customers on the "king of the arena" game. It works in one of two ways. The computer picks a player at random to become king. His/her vest flashes in a special way so all players know who is king. As long as the player remains king, by not getting tagged, he earns extra points. When he gets tagged, either another player is selected at random, or the player who made the tag becomes king.
TRUTNEE: - Blaster Tubes: this device looks to be a rather unique one. Can you please give a detailed description of it?
LASER BLAST: - Blaster tubes were an idea that never caught on. No longer available.
TRUTNEE: - Absentee Owner Reporting: 'LaserBlast stores the number of games played in each phaser; this information cannot be altered or tampered with to allow an absentee owner to check on cash flow'. It is a really great feature (I personally used to know some dishonest arena staff members who 'stole' games during their shift; they were operating some other laser tag equipment, of course). Can you please describe this feature in details? It can be of a great interest for the potential investors here, you know...
LASER BLAST: - I suspect that most laser tag systems on the market have some method to count games. The information is often stored on the computer in some kind of database format. Unfortunately, information stored on the computer can be manipulated or lost in the event of a computer failure. Our phasers maintain a record as a back up to our PC version. The Phaser count is maintained in non-volitale memory on the phaser board and cannot be accessed, but can be polled by the computer generating accurate game counts. The resulting data is 100% reliable.
TRUTNEE: - I must admit, that I really admire the idea of the BasicBlast system. I mean, the situation when operator can purchase a "simplified" system with limited options (in comparison with HyperBlast and ClassicBlast systems), but at a cheaper price. Yet, when a competitor appears nearby to his/her laser tag arena, this operator can simply add a computer, software, and desired options to have a full blown HyperBlast system with the aim to withstand the competition with that new neighboring arena. Looks brilliant; this way of 'investment protection' becomes really unique! By the way, how much the typical upgrade of the system to the level of HyperBlast costs and how much time this upgrade can take?
LASER BLAST: - LaserBlast's engineering philosophy over the years has been to continuously improve our product. Other manufacturers do the same. The big difference is that at LaserBlast we design those improvements to be backward compatible with equipment owned by existing customers. For example when we moved from IR download equipment to Radio based systems, the upgrade involves replacing the phaser board and changing a chip on the chest board. This can be accomplished for about $450 USD. Several of our IR customers have upgraded to radios. Many continue to use the IR equipment. Due to reliability, some of these locations run upward of 100,000 games per year.
TRUTNEE: - I've heard you use some kind of special 'clever' battery chargers at your systems. Can you please describe their advantages?
LASER BLAST: - Our battery charger contains 5 micro processors and some very clever software to "manage" the way a battery charges. We take into consideration the battery voltage, battery temperature (our batteries contain a thermistor that provides an input to the charger that is an analog of dynamic temperature change). The charge rate is the ratio of the change in voltage to the change in time for each individual battery. Bottom line is that the batteries charge in the fastest manner possible without adversely impacting the battery itself.
TRUTNEE: - As I have noticed, your Company is a very dynamic laser tag Manufacturer and is in a constant technological progress. They even say that two identical LaserBlast systems hardly exist - as you are constantly adding something new to the equipment and improving it. Yet, are these upgrades available to your previous customers? For example, if a person purchases your system today, and - say - a couple of months later you announce some new improvement, will that person get such improvement for free, or shall he/she purchase it at additional price (taking into consideration that the total system's price for the new customers remains the same as it was earlier)?
LASER BLAST: - As I explained earlier, some major improvements like changing from IR to radios will involve additional cost. Many improvements such as software upgrades and so forth are made available upon request at no charge.
TRUTNEE: - Warranty: how much time it usually takes you to replace the broken part? Do you have a stock of critical spare parts in Europe, or in the States only? What is the maximal warranty term you offer to the customers?
LASER BLAST: - We have a one year "no nonsense" warranty. That means if it breaks, we fix it. We have never told a customer during our warranty period that a failure is not covered due to abuse. After the first year, for customers who want continued warranty coverage, we will make a quotation based on our experience with that customer. As you might expect, some operatations are better managed than others with the result being lower maintenance costs at locations where the equipment is looked after. Any manufacturer that offers multi-year warranties has to include the expected costs in their price. We are of the opinion that it does not make sense to have one price for locations that are careful and those that are less focused on taking care of their equipment. As a practical matter, after experiencing relative minor equipment issues during the first year, most of customers elect to have repairs done on a time and material basis. Equipment received at our shop for repair is fixed in 24 to 48 hours and returned to the customer. All spare parts are in stock all of the time.
Our support rationale so far for our customers geographically removed from North America has been to supply individual customer locations with the kinds of spares that we know will be required. As our volume picks up in international markets, it will make sense to have centralized local service in those markets.
TRUTNEE: - Marketing: it is said at your webpage that your Company conducts annual sales and training seminars. Can the owners of LaserBlast arenas attend them for free or shall they pay for participation? What other means of marketing support can you offer to your customers?
LASER BLAST: - The training we have done and continue to do for our customers is available at no charge. Upon request, we help our locations develop short and long term marketing goals and assist in the development and preparation of the materials to attain these goals. We have had good success using the "webinar" format for customer feedback and training. LaserBlast's marketing department employs staff directly from the laser tag industry to stay ahead of industry trends. Clients are able to use our brand name and logo for their own use. Due to the quality of our products, LaserBlast clients spend less time and money on repairs, so they can focus more on operations and marketing. Our ten year history has 90% of our clients still generating great revenue from our superior products and support.
TRUTNEE: - Thank you for your answers!
* Dear readers, if you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail Alan at akeeping@laser-blast.com.
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