Airsoft Sites!

[MalHollywood]

I think you can get as much as possible or very little out of any game mode!

it’s largely down to the level of communication from Marshals and between players in my opinion.

if the communication drops then you’ve got no chance and it just becomes a field of people wandering around and getting in each others way!

if you get spawn trapped speak to your team about how to get out of it, if you manage it you’ll leave with a massive sense of achievement!

Feedback to the marshals as well so they can edit the rule set the next time they use that game mode if it wasn’t flowing well ??

 

[shadowfacex]

I’m yet to experience a large scale battle similar to how Rush game mode worked in Battlefield 3. Back in the day I thought it was a perfect template for Airsoft skirmishes

It adds variety, adds dynamism and prevents from camping, because as long as there’s multiple respawn points you’re never sure where the attack will come from.

In addition, I always enjoyed game types such as VIP extraction, where speed and tactics are the key.

The trouble is, most airsoft event organisers don’t take cues from game designers who spent thousands of hours perfecting game modes for causal players. Instead, they invent bullshit like “three-way warfare” where you have no idea wtf is going on until the day ends and someone somehow calculates points and declares a winning team.

Apart from that, causal players and kids want just to shoot someone with BBs, which is not uncommon, and quite expectable. So how the heck do you reconcile the two worlds?

I don’t think organisers aren’t capable of designing cool games, but most of the time they are way too detached or cocksure to admit they failed or could improve. Ego is the enemy.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

The trouble is, most airsoft event organisers don’t take cues from game designers who spent thousands of hours perfecting game modes for causal players.

problem with using video games as inspiration is that mechanics that work well in games when enforced automatically such as being able to respawn at captured points don't work in airsoft where you can guarantee at least one person will either through ignorance or cuntishness respawn at an enemy held point and proceed to wipe everyone out.

at least every game i've played with capturable respawns that's what happened.

 

[shadowfacex]

problem with using video games as inspiration is that mechanics that work well in games when enforced automatically such as being able to respawn at captured points don't work in airsoft where you can guarantee at least one person will either through ignorance or cuntishness respawn at an enemy held point and proceed to wipe everyone out.

at least every game i've played with capturable respawns that's what happened.

That's precisely why I asked how do we reconcile players who are honourable with those who don’t give a shit or are malevolent by nature?

I do agree that porting rules from video games directly does not work, however there are ways to optimise gameplay for LARPing. You will always get idiots who want to spoil the fun for others but being a proper arse, and since this is a given, the simpler the games the better.

Having proper medics can be super fun though, especially when you’re a medic yourself, but I’d say that if players want to experience something more than shooting/being shot, then regular open-day skirmishes aren’t advisable. You get what you pay for, so to speak.

Are there any methods you guys know that work in engaging the players more in gameplay while keeping cunts at bay?

 

[Adolf Hamster]

That's precisely why I asked how do we reconcile players who are honourable with those who don’t give a shit or are malevolent by nature?

sadly we can't, it's what's put me off the hobby tbh as over lockdown kinda reached the conclusion this state of affairs will never change as long as it's a game played by humans.

i mean even in the controlled and enforced ruleset of a video game people will creatively exploit/cheat various mechanics.

I do agree that porting rules from video games directly does not work, however there are ways to optimise gameplay for LARPing. You will always get idiots who want to spoil the fun for others but being a proper arse, and since this is a given, the simpler the games the better.

does depend on the game.

I'd have loved a decent variant on trouble in terrorist town but literally every single time I've convinced a site to try it you get a minimum of one person treats it like a free for all deathmatch regardless of wether or not they're a traitor.

then sites implement rules like "if you shoot someone on your own team it's you that dies" which leads to a riot between people who understand that concept and people that dont.

Having proper medics can be super fun though, especially when you’re a medic yourself, but I’d say that if players want to experience something more than shooting/being shot, then regular open-day skirmishes aren’t advisable. You get what you pay for, so to speak.

i do love the concept of medics, and i can see how it would be a great mechanic, but it's reliant on the medic playing to the role which isn't guaranteed.

Are there any methods you guys know that work in engaging the players more in gameplay while keeping cunts at bay?

looping back to my first point i'm afraid not. reckon the best a site can hope for even if they actually put effort into enforcing their given rulesets and developing a reputation as such is to ensure the core regular player base is good. at least assuming they don't fall down the rabbit hole of favoritism that is.....

but it still just takes one group from a different site to show up and ruin everything, whether it's intentionally partaking in the popular creative game mechanics or blanket assuming the rules they're used to apply at the site they're playing at.

for example the number of times i've heard things like "where i play headshots dont count", "most sites i go to gun-hits are a kill", "friendly fire does/doesn't count" or "i don't do bang kills" when on the actual site they're playing on those rules are different/don't exist.

granted sites are as much to blame for this, given how some of the more fluid rules (enforced/voluntary/prohibited bang kills being a good example) are so rarely actually stated clearly or are changed on a game by game basis.

 

[Tackle]

Are there any methods you guys know that work in engaging the players more in gameplay while keeping cunts at bay?

That's easy, last one in makes sure they shut the gate properly after them ?

View attachment 77934

 

[Tommikka]

The trouble is, most airsoft event organisers don’t take cues from game designers who spent thousands of hours perfecting game modes for causal players. Instead, they invent bullshit like “three-way warfare” where you have no idea wtf is going on until the day ends and someone somehow calculates points and declares a winning team.

Apart from that, causal players and kids want just to shoot someone with BBs, which is not uncommon, and quite expectable. So how the heck do you reconcile the two worlds?

I don’t think organisers aren’t capable of designing cool games, but most of the time they are way too detached or cocksure to admit they failed or could improve. Ego is the enemy.

There’s a challenge 

As a scenario paintball organiser airsofters used to tell me that they wanted to play the game formats, and they were “well into all the missions because airsoft is about realism”

So with a simple game format running I then got told “This is far too complicated, airsofters want to just have a simple shootout”

The truth is - people want to play games the way they like to play games 

Some want to pose, some want to tinker & chat in the safe zone, some want to shoot people, some want the adrenaline of possibly getting shot, some want to run around like demented idiots, some want to sneak around, some want to sit and take potshots, some want to find objects, some want a super special mission,  some want to watch and laugh at everyone else around them 

At a regular site the games played are a combination of what the regulars like to play every week/month

At an organised event it depends on the organiser and what they think people will come and pay to play

At an event organised by us it is a collection of ideas we have taken from others, missions/games that we want to play, ideas that we have had and fancy seeing how people will play them

Our most popular theme was based on the battle of Takhur Ghar / Roberts ridge, and then spun off to numerous sequels bringing in Columbian drug dealers & somali pirates 

Our most popular format was intended to be a one off mini game version of Battle Royale intended as a laugh and a method of bringing in a competition format to bring one person on stage and win a bag full of sponsors products

 

[Impulse]

Skirmish days will tend towards just that, simple skirmish games. A lot of people go to skirmish days for that brainless video game-esque experience of "hold this area" or "capture that objective". Yes, I call it "brainless", but that's a good thing. Silly skirmish fun is a great time at the end of the day, especially if you have friends at the site and can laugh about the stupid stuff that happens. Sounds like the spawn ideas were awful though and I dislike both teams having the same spawn points. My local site has been trying this idea and a few of us are feeding back that it doesn't work well as it promotes two negative play types: first, it allows you to just walk in the open, get hit, then walk to a spawn point behind the enemy, removing any impact from the stealthy players who would normally spend huge portions of the game simply moving low and slow to avoid detection to get on the flank. Secondly, even if you tell people not to spawn camp, it happens. If you respawn, then 5 mins later a wave of enemies respawn from the same place, you're going to engage them.

I've seen my local site has started doing longer games once a month, tending a little more towards the filmsim side, and it has been well received, but I think doing it every week would dissuade a lot of people from attending the site regularly, as sometimes you just want to go to the woods and shoot each other with toy guns without thinking too hard. Variety is the spice of life, and if all I did was narrative filmsim every week, I think I'd get tired of it.

If you find skirmish tedious, maybe you should look at attending milsim events, or film/battlesim, or even period airsoft. They're a very different experience to skirmish days; it's not an experience that I'm that keen on (milsim, that is...), but it's another way to experience the airsoft hobby. I attended my first milsim a few months ago and I'm going to my first Vietnam game in a month or so. As I said earlier, variety is the spice of life.

 

[Jaylordofwaargh]

I'm going to my first Vietnam game in a month or so

Do let us know how it goes, i keep looking at this style/era of filmsim style games.

Ambush (botley) do a game once a month or so called Plunder which my brothers  seem to enjoy, a rolling multi objective with the odd npc and other props. I plan to hit one next chance i get to go down there. 

Then my first weekender is coming up soon as well. Which i am super excited about, larp, shooting, npcs, multi objectives. 

As mentioned veriaty is the spice....

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

I'm going to my first Vietnam game in a month or so. As I said earlier, variety is the spice of life.

I agree.  Which game are you going to?  If you are off to Luton give me a shout if you like.  Plenty of room round our campfire.  

 

[Impulse]

I agree.  Which game are you going to?  If you are off to Luton give me a shout if you like.  Plenty of room round our campfire.  

That's the one. The Devil's Pit, Luton. I'll be VC with my "stolen" VSR (Remington 700) and 1911, going up with two guys I get a lift with to Worthing who do a lot of Vietnam stuff (they're both big into their Russian kit).

We will only be up for the Saturday though, as the Sunday is a Worthing game day and one of the guys in our trio is staff, so he has to be there.

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

I'll be running an RPK and PAVN kit.   Sniping as VC is brilliant.  Harassing the US is great fun.  

I usually run as support in a two riflemen, one support and one sniper fire team.  All depends who shows up though.

Shame you can't stay for the evening.  The beer fuelled game post-mortem is a real laugh.   

 

[Impulse]

I'll be running an RPK and PAVN kit.   Sniping as VC is brilliant.  Harassing the US is great fun.  

I usually run as support in a two riflemen, one support and one sniper fire team.  All depends who shows up though.

Shame you can't stay for the evening.  The beer fuelled game post-mortem is a real laugh.   

Yeah, we totally would have stayed if we didn't have to be at Worthing for the Sunday. It's a bit of a bummer, but it's how the skirmish days fall unfortunately. I'm looking forward to harassing the US as a VC sniper, as that's usually how I enjoy playing at skirmish days too. I think I'll always be an OpFor player at any of these sorts of events, as it just feels more fun to me. I'm on Cartel side for AI500 too  

 

[garett27]

Sorry but without any context this just looks like a whinning tantrum about a site not being run how you want

I would say that also