First night op - tips

[AshOnSnow]

First night op coming up. To be honest, I'm a bit worried I'm going to be up against ridiculously geared up airsofters with FLIR scopes, tritium sights, drones and all sorts. No idea what to expect.

If you would take one piece of equipment to a night game, what would it be? (EXCEPT TORCHES AND LIGHTS!!!)

 

[Spectre77]

Anything: gen3 night vision

Realistically within my (and possibly your) immediately spendable budget: A powerful torch. Night-vision is all very well and good in low light conditions, but it's useless when someones shining you with a 1000 lumen strobe. Your general ability to see at night isn't actually that bad when your surroundings are dark, so a hard counter to most night vision equiptment is quite simply to bombard it with light.

Either that, or a team mate with night vision and a laser. Have him point the target out, then the rest of the team just have to shoot at the dot.

 

[airbaseNG]

Eat lots of carrots

 

[jcheeseright]

Bright torch with a momentary switch. Don't bother with a strobe it'a just as bad for you as it is for them.

Gen3 night vision and an infrared laser is obviously the gold standard, but you're looking at £2k+ for a workable setup.

 

[TheFull9]

On top of the bright torch with a momentary only cap/remote switch, a small, fairly dim, red/green/blue (preferably red, just not white) light somewhere on your gun or helmet, or somewhere easily accessible. If all you've got is a bright white light, you'll be shining a massive "HELLO, I'M OVER HERE" every single time you're in a dark place and need to safely navigate your way around anywhere. Gives away where you are, lights up your team mates, really stands out amongst the darkness from long distances. Should be able to pick up what you need for very little money on ebay.

 

[Snakeeyes75]

Bum bag! Organization is key.. My first night was spent panicking over my lost car keys!

 

[Samurai]

Also move slowly and stay still a lot. You will be invisible to most night visions that way.

Try to use your natural night vision. Your eyes adjust in a few minutes but if you shine a light, the adjusting starts again.

This one is a bit pirate: if you need to use a light for a short time to orient yourself, keep one eye closed. That eye will still see in the dark when you turn the light off. Allegedly that's why pirates used the eye patch. When they went below deck from the bright sunshine, they removed the eye patch and could still fight.

 

[Greg1933]

Just take along a GSOH...and enjoy yourself....

 

[AshOnSnow]

[double post]

 

[AshOnSnow]

Anything: gen3 night vision

Realistically within my (and possibly your) immediately spendable budget: A powerful torch. Night-vision is all very well and good in low light conditions, but it's useless when someones shining you with a 1000 lumen strobe. Your general ability to see at night isn't actually that bad when your surroundings are dark, so a hard counter to most night vision equiptment is quite simply to bombard it with light.

Either that, or a team mate with night vision and a laser. Have him point the target out, then the rest of the team just have to shoot at the dot.

Lol £14,000 for airsoft night vision - that's what I call overkill!

Eat lots of carrots

Bright torch with a momentary switch. Don't bother with a strobe it'a just as bad for you as it is for them.

Gen3 night vision and an infrared laser is obviously the gold standard, but you're looking at £2k+ for a workable setup.

On top of the bright torch with a momentary only cap/remote switch, a small, fairly dim, red/green/blue (preferably red, just not white) light somewhere on your gun or helmet, or somewhere easily accessible. If all you've got is a bright white light, you'll be shining a massive "HELLO, I'M OVER HERE" every single time you're in a dark place and need to safely navigate your way around anywhere. Gives away where you are, lights up your team mates, really stands out amongst the darkness from long distances. Should be able to pick up what you need for very little money on ebay.

I probably should have mentioned at the very start that there are no personal torches (I assume that includes weaponlights, otherwise I'd take my 600lm pistol light) allowed for the op!

A laser is a good idea though. Any suggestions? And what occurred to me in the night was probably some knee pads and elbow pads because I will almost certainly trip over something and land on rubble or concrete at some point. You know you obsess over airsoft a bit too much when you dream about airsoft shopping

Bum bag! Organization is key.. My first night was spent panicking over my lost car keys!

On my first skirmish, I locked my car keys in the boot. I have such a first name, a few people just called me car keys, or no keys, after that. It kinda stuck.

Managed to get the keys back by shimmying open the back window, then using a broom handle hook contraption to pick them up and bring them out the rear window. Missed the entire first game

Also move slowly and stay still a lot. You will be invisible to most night visions that way.

Try to use your natural night vision. Your eyes adjust in a few minutes but if you shine a light, the adjusting starts again.

This one is a bit pirate: if you need to use a light for a short time to orient yourself, keep one eye closed. That eye will still see in the dark when you turn the light off. Allegedly that's why pirates used the eye patch. When they went below deck from the bright sunshine, they removed the eye patch and could still fight.

Just take along a GSOH...and enjoy yourself....

I always go along with a sense of humour. Sometimes that pisses people off, mind. There was a dude on my team at a sunday skirmish once in full genuine British army kit - MK6 helmet, armour plates and all - who started shouting at me to go and do push ups because I kept giggling at him - every time a marshal walked past, he'd stop and shout "atteeeeeeenSHUN!" Apparently that kind of guy is what you refer to as "Captain Milsim"

 

[Greg1933]

You could always get a thermal imager for your phone (£200 approx.)...

 

[Greg1933]

@AshonShow...'Apparently that kind of guy is what you refer to as "Captain Milsim" '

I think I would call him "Captain Muppet" or something less kind personally !!

 

[TheFull9]

Seriously? No torches allowed? To a night game? ...

That's the most fucking ridiculous thing I've read today. Either they must be lending everyone some kind of lights or the site is lit or something else, because not allowing you any sort of torch to see where the hell you're going isn't making a fun, suspenseful game, it's bloody unsafe. It's rarely BBs that injure people in this game, it's falling over and hitting their heads or damaging limbs etc etc; wondering around at night with no lights allowed is pure lunacy.

I always go along with a sense of humour. Sometimes that pisses people off, mind. There was a dude on my team at a sunday skirmish once in full genuine British army kit - MK6 helmet, armour plates and all - who started shouting at me to go and do push ups because I kept giggling at him - every time a marshal walked past, he'd stop and shout "atteeeeeeenSHUN!" Apparently that kind of guy is what you refer to as "Captain Milsim"

That sounds like someone who is either going hard with the jokes and has the world's driest sense of humour, or someone who is quite genuinely unwell in the head. Not in any sort of funny way, like actually ill in some unfortunate manner.

 

[Samurai]

Seriously? No torches allowed? To a night game? ...

I think that the organizer has a nice night vision and on his last game he got wasted by a guy with a £5 torch so now it's banned.

 

[AshOnSnow]

Seriously? No torches allowed? To a night game? ...

That's the most f*cking ridiculous thing I've read today. Either they must be lending everyone some kind of lights or the site is lit or something else, because not allowing you any sort of torch to see where the hell you're going isn't making a fun, suspenseful game, it's bloody unsafe. It's rarely BBs that injure people in this game, it's falling over and hitting their heads or damaging limbs etc etc; wondering around at night with no lights allowed is pure lunacy.

That sounds like someone who is either going hard with the jokes and has the world's driest sense of humour, or someone who is quite genuinely unwell in the head. Not in any sort of funny way, like actually ill in some unfortunate manner.

They give you a small torch but you can only use it in an emergency to signal a marshal. Using a torch otherwise I think will get you kicked off the game.

It's on an old abandoned WW2 army site with bunkers, trenches, rubble piles and all sorts, and I think it's going to be pretty much pitch for the last half of the game. It's not lit as far as I know, so yeah, I posted in the classifieds for a helmet and some elbow and knee protection.

 

[AnotherOopsie]

First game I went to a few weeks back was a night game.

Started around 7pm and 30 mins later, the sun was gone.

I'd definitely reccomend knee pads. Being able to just see the figure of things right in front of you while standing, it's a certainty just like I did, that you'll stumble/trip over some things, or even when you take a knee have something jab your leg.

Torches are hit or miss. I found using both high powered torches and dim have their problems.

High power is just screaming "Shoot at this light" whereas a dim torch didn't really light up areas.

I made use of it by turning it on and if shining it on myself and the floor after shouting but so everyone could see I was going back to spawn and wasn't an "alive player".

There was a few guys in the other team who did indeed run night vision, and yes we did get annihilated.

Certainly didn't annoy me in the slightest, nor those actually running night vision who got hit.

The only problem I found from that game in regards to torches was it basically being a huge target, or a team mate behind you with a powerful torch shining it ahead of him and right onto you. Cue most of other team then shooting at you.

There were numerous areas with deep mud/streams. One French (I believe) player was unlucky enough to find himself knee deep in mud during a game, and I was up to my shins in another part of the game site.

No torches does sound odd. I'd have thought that would be a serious health and safety issue.

One item to take? I'd say good supportive boots or knee pads. Definitely helped a lot.

 

[AshOnSnow]

First game I went to a few weeks back was a night game.

Started around 7pm and 30 mins later, the sun was gone.

I'd definitely reccomend knee pads. Being able to just see the figure of things right in front of you while standing, it's a certainty just like I did, that you'll stumble/trip over some things, or even when you take a knee have something jab your leg.

Torches are hit or miss. I found using both high powered torches and dim have their problems.

High power is just screaming "Shoot at this light" whereas a dim torch didn't really light up areas.

I made use of it by turning it on and if shining it on myself and the floor after shouting but so everyone could see I was going back to spawn and wasn't an "alive player".

There was a few guys in the other team who did indeed run night vision, and yes we did get annihilated.

Certainly didn't annoy me in the slightest, nor those actually running night vision who got hit.

The only problem I found from that game in regards to torches was it basically being a huge target, or a team mate behind you with a powerful torch shining it ahead of him and right onto you. Cue most of other team then shooting at you.

There were numerous areas with deep mud/streams. One French (I believe) player was unlucky enough to find himself knee deep in mud during a game, and I was up to my shins in another part of the game site.

No torches does sound odd. I'd have thought that would be a serious health and safety issue.

One item to take? I'd say good supportive boots or knee pads. Definitely helped a lot.

Bought new boots for it a few days ago. I'm not sure if there is an "other" team - it appears to be more of an objective based search and destroy op, rather than a typical team v team.

Although yes - pitch black, no torches and being encouraged to bring our own "inventive" melee weapons does sound like a bit of a recipe for disaster!

 

[jcheeseright]

No torches is fucking retarded, what if you get lost?!

£14k on NV is more than I've heard of anyone spending, PVS15's are less than that new!

 

[AshOnSnow]

No torches is f*cking retarded, what if you get lost?!

£14k on NV is more than I've heard of anyone spending, PVS15's are less than that new!

I think getting lost and disoriented is part of the aim of the organisers in terms of atmosphere.

idk - i just searched night vision on amazon and clicked the first one that came up: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Armasight-Dual-Tube-Vision-Binocular-Phosphor/dp/B018RQSY6K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475777338&sr=8-1&keywords=gen+3+night+vision

 

[TheFull9]

They give you a small torch but you can only use it in an emergency to signal a marshal. Using a torch otherwise I think will get you kicked off the game.

It's on an old abandoned WW2 army site with bunkers, trenches, rubble piles and all sorts, and I think it's going to be pretty much pitch for the last half of the game. It's not lit as far as I know, so yeah, I posted in the classifieds for a helmet and some elbow and knee protection.

I think getting lost and disoriented is part of the aim of the organisers in terms of atmosphere.

idk - i just searched night vision on amazon and clicked the first one that came up:

Personally, I'd never attend an event with a rule like that, quadruply so if the site is as you describe. I'll be my left bollock right now at least 1 person minimum trips over and does at least some damage to themselves, if not worse. If that doesn't happen, it'll only be through the most insane, incredible good fortune imaginable.

The people organising this thing have their priorities ALL f'd up. The phrase is "Safety First" for a reason, not "Immersion in to some insane apocalpytical situation that's so utterly dire you can't even find a bloody torch First.. Safety Second". Just ridiculous.

If you're determined to go, I'd strongly recommend you get a small, red filtered light and use it. They're enough just to see what's at your feet but incredibly hard to spot from more than a few metres away, won't light up around corners/through windows of buildings you're in. If the staff give you grief for using something like that.. they're complete and total morons.

No torches is f*cking retarded

This.