The Best Laser Tag Power-Ups for Your Players

CHIPS stands for Competitive Human Interactive Player Software. LASERTRON created CHIPS to add to the excitement of the average laser tag game without unbalancing the game. CHIPS provide a "power-up" in laser tag game play to players during the game.

With the recent release of the new LASERTRON LT-11.5 Laser Tag Game System, we now have 12 CHIPS for your guests enjoyment.

Meet the CHIPS

• Deactivator - Ability to deactivate your opponents vest with a single tag. Tagging an opponent once with deactivator will require your opponent to return to the energizer or recharge in place.
  
  
• Energizer - Ability to energize your teams vest with a single tag. This is the only time in LASERTRON where it's to your advantage to tag your own team members. The Energizer player acts just like a mobile recharging unit.
  
  
• Stealth - Impervious to all tags until you fire your phaser or the mode expires. Exiting this mode will leave your vest fully energized. Stealth allows a laser tag player to sneak around the arena to the best location.
  
  
• Super Rapid-Fire - Ability to fire your phaser at incredible speeds. Everybody loves rapid fire in laser tag and the Super Rapid Fire mode is rapid fire on steroids.
  
  
• Freeze-Ray - Ability to disable your opponent's vest with a freeze ray that leaves them frozen for five seconds. Frozen laser tag players cannot fire their phaser, but they can still be tagged.
  
  
• Invincible - Impervious to all tags for a set time period. Invincible is one of the most powerful modes.
  
  
• Force-Field - Impervious to all tags when you are not firing your phaser. Force-Field players drop their force field and can be tagged whenever they fire their phaser.
  
  
• Deflector - Ability to deflect all incoming laser tag pulses to the player that was attempting to tag you. When multiple simultaneous modes are activated, players deflectors can deflect mode tags like deactivator and energizer, too.
  
  
• Computer Virus - Ability to infect and disable your opponents vest with a single tag. Laser tag players infected by the virus must recharge.
  
  
• Spy - Ability to change your team colors and infiltrate the opposing team. Spy's flash their true team colors only when they are tagged by the opposing team. Laser tag players on the spy's own team cannot tag the spy.
  
  
• Invisible - Turns pack lights off so opposing players can't easily see or identify the invisible laser tag player. The player's lights will flash when they fire their phaser.
  
  
• Bonus - Ability to increase the points scored from any tag. Bonus players receive a bonus score for all bases and opposing players they tag.
  
  

The History of CHIPS

Back several years ago, there was an emphasis by some manufacturers to develop interactive arena features. Some systems offered robotic, animatronic or drone units that interacted with the player, usually by tagging and deactivating the player. The interaction was marketed as a way of creating excitement in the game. LASERTRON has always worked hard to have the very best of everything, so we threw ourselves into the task of figuring out how to create the very best interactive game elements.

After experimenting with several different types of interactive devices, we realized there were many downsides to the interactive arena devices. So we made the decision to enhance our human laser tag players and the concept of CHIPS was born.

The Value of CHIPS Power-Ups

For years, video game creators have understood the appeal of adding "power-ups" to their games. Power-ups exponentially increase the game dynamics, changing the game dramatically on the fly. Video games have a variety of methods to get power-ups into the hands of players.

This same philosophy holds true for laser tag play. Manufacturers have attempted to add power-ups early in the evolution of laser tag gear. Just like in video games, there are a whole range of methods and ideas to get these power-ups to the laser tag player.

Methods of Delivering Power-Ups

One of the first power-up delivery ideas allowed players to pay for them through membership or experience playing the game. This allowed the most experienced players to gain advantages over other players. While the idea generated sales of memberships, it tended to disrupt and annoy typical laser tag players and completely frustrated new players.

Other methods allowed players to 'buy' power-ups by tagging wall obstacles or targets after accumulating a certain number of points. Again, this method tends to reward the most experienced players who know what power-ups they want and where they are located in the laser tag arena. Regular or newer laser tag players are largely left out of the opportunity to use the power-ups.

One of LASERTRON's primary goals when designing our CHIPS power-ups was to create a fair system that gave every laser tag player an opportunity to receive and use a power-up. With CHIPS, the power-ups are handed out randomly, bingo style to the same number of laser tag players on each team. This means that every player in the game will receive a CHIPS mode before any player receives his or her second mode. In this way, all laser tag players get to enjoy a short time as a special player.

The Philosophy Behind CHIPS

In addition to a better distribution method, we created other design criteria for LASERTRON CHIPS. Our goal was to create the very best way to give power-ups to laser tag players.

First, all CHIPS modes have a time limit, usually 20-30 seconds as set by the laser tag arena operator. This prevents any one player from receiving a powerful mode and controlling the game.

Second, all CHIPS modes can be "played through." Even when we make the modes simple, some laser tag players do not understand how the mode works in the heat of the game. We designed every CHIPS mode so you can keep on playing the same way you did before getting the CHIPS mode. No player has to take advantage of the power up. The key was having the laser tag equipment operate in virtually the same way it did before the power up.

Finally, it was important that other players be able to identify players who received CHIPS modes. Every CHIPS mode has a different light and sound effect package associated with it. Even newer players can recognize players in CHIPS modes.

Recent Enhancements with the LT-11.5 Laser Tag Game System

CHIPS are now available for multiple team laser tag game formats. Traditionally, LASERTRON CHIPS only worked with our team sport laser tag game with energizing/recharging. However, recent enhancements in the LT-11.5 Laser Tag Game System have made CHIPS available in Shields Recharge games which do not require recharging. You, the operator, can decide which laser tag game format works best for your facility.

You can even have multiple CHIPS modes activating at the same time with the LT-11.5 Laser Tag Game System. While we recommend one mode at a time for simplicity, you can jazz up your laser tag game with different modes simultaneously. Each of the modes interacts seamlessly with the other modes in the game. For example, if a Deactivator player tags a Freeze Ray player the Freeze Ray player will deactivate just like any other player. If a Deactivator player tags a Deflector player the Deactivator player will deactivate him or herself because of the deflection.

The new role-playing function in the LT-11.5 Laser Tag Game System allows you to create totally new games using CHIPS modes. For instance, you can give a mode to a group of players (or a single player) every time modes are handed out. Designed for more complex game formats, the role-playing tool allows you to designate one player to always be the energizer, for instance.

Marketing Value Behind CHIPS

On-going marketing is another important element built into LASERTRON CHIPS modes. Laser tag players enjoy something new when they play. However, changing your entire game format is often too confusing for many players. CHIPS modes are the answer. By switching out which modes you play with in your public laser tag game format, you can market a new game format without changing the basics of how you play in your arena.

At our own laser tag arena in Buffalo, New York, we regularly swap CHIPS modes every 90 days. We market the changes on in-store signs that say "Now Playing" and "Coming Soon" as well as in printed materials like brochures and on our website.

LASERTRON CHIPS can dramatically enhance your laser tag arena. Operators receive all twelve CHIPS Modes with every new LT-11.5 Laser Tag Game System.

When you're ready to experience the LASERTRON LT-11.5 Game System for yourself,, contact Your Advisement Team or call Ann Kessler at (305) 257-3930. Or click here to return to the Game Play index.