New Game Scenarios

[Rogerborg]

Mmm, I may have been... slightly more than usually robust.  There's nothing wrong with having ideas, as long as you're aware of the prior art, why it failed, and the very limited size of the target market.

It's something that would be fun to lash up as a hobbyist project, even just for local site use.  If you want a device, then Pi / Arduino GPS modules are dirt cheap now and you could do initial prototyping using wifi between devices to share their location.  11n claims a maximum of 250m outdoors although reality may have something to say about that.

Once you start factoring in screen, input, sounds, battery and a case though... well, phones exist now, and you'll have to write software either way.

 

[Tommikka]

It's something that would be fun to lash up as a hobbyist project, even just for local site use.  If you want a device, then Pi / Arduino GPS modules are dirt cheap now and you could do initial prototyping using wifi between devices to share their location.  11n claims a maximum of 250m outdoors although reality may have something to say about that.

.

…. And if I can build & programme some over lockdown, then anyone can

Our man behind the gadgets is a perfectionist, and builds things to survive abuse

But anyone with an idea, and the ability to think it through can knock out a gadget with ease undercutting everyone else

 

[MagpieTactical]

I do want to try a casevac scenario. With dummies that are a set of stuffed overalls with a balloon head. One team needs to retrieve all the dummies, the other needs to capture or kill them. I know it's just more retrieve the thing but I think making the objective more difficult to carry solo and vulnerable to the enemy would really change it up. 

These type of games don't appeal to me at all. I am not there to carry awkward things around.  I get why some may like them, but as others have said, I am there to shoot people. 

 

[MAX DICKER]

These type of games don't appeal to me at all. I am not there to carry awkward things around.  I get why some may like them, but as others have said, I am there to shoot people. 

I like the idea of other people carrying awkward things around... makes it easier to shoot them.

 

[Rogerborg]

I like the idea of other people carrying awkward things around... makes it easier to shoot them.

"Is the use of drones unfair?" goes the question.

Well, yes, but the other way around.  If Team Red has got someone doing nothing but spotting Blue Team with a drone and shouting "They're behind the tree! The big tree!  On my left. No my drone's left, it's facing towards us..." then advantage Blue.

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

It seems a lot of effort for an electronic cow bell.  

I expect that I misunderstand, but there we go.  

 

[Rogerborg]

Theres also a recent video by another tech guy in a different industry - he demonstrates using a real time tracker, but as he goes on the reliability gets worse and worse giving false readings which he begins to resolve with error correction but they repeat inconsistently and give false positioning 

Hmm, thinking about it, position should be reasonable, but orientation would be the problem.  GPS sampling rate and accuracy is too slow and low to be useful for determining small motions, let alone orientation, so you'd be adding an inertial measurement unit as well, then you've got the problem of initialisation and calibration.  A simple device gets complicated pretty quickly.

 

[Tommikka]

"Is the use of drones unfair?" goes the question.

Well, yes, but the other way around.  If Team Red has got someone doing nothing but spotting Blue Team with a drone and shouting "They're behind the tree! The big tree!  On my left. No my drone's left, it's facing towards us..." then advantage Blue.

I really am going to need to create a thread about props, gadgets etc and the advantages & disadvantages of a using them around a game structure.

(The need of a game first, and the gadget after - not a game to use the gadget)

The wrong drone is in these pictures, but it was the first one we used and let a side take ‘control’ (tell our pilot where to fly it) and see what they can see

A later iteration that could take a payload was then mixed in with the screens in the case.

Watch what the drone or RC car can see, and do some stuffView attachment 84737

View attachment 84738View attachment 84736
 

But there is footage here of an early test flight among the trees … and my one handed dive and catch as it decides to drop out of control …….

Our man with the soldering iron just says no

He’ll drop in trackers to find something, or quietly work away until one day he’ll throw in a working product 

But currently it’s no - not reliable, not worth the effort, and for any ideas brought up there are simpler and alternative ways to do it

I gave him a laser tag ‘missile launcher’ once.  He had the idea and built a laser designation pyro control system operating across a valley.

Players had to spot and ‘tag’ a sequence of reflective sensors 

Great fun, worked perfectly

and then at the end of the day he told me that he just painted it, made some boxes with reflectors - and stood beside the operator with a pyro remote button in his pocket 

 

[Rogerborg]

That certainly looks like fun for the people involved.

Which gets me back to my initial point though: most gimmick game modes seem to leave most players befuddled, bemused or bored, because they won't be actively engaged with them.  Rentals and new-to-the-site player in particular are going to have a hard time making use of any information beyond "Go / shoot that way"[*].  This applies even to bog standard find the single VIP / bomb / McGuffin games where a couple of site regulars tend to charge off with spooky preternatural (or tipped-the-wink) knowledge of where to find the $SINGLE_THING, while most players wander around and just shoot whatever's nearest.  Contrast with find the drug blocks / $MANY_THINGS where everybody (who wants to) has a good chance of getting invovled.

That's not a reason to avoid doing gadgets and gimmicks, you're (probably) still raising the net fun quotient on the site, and we're all there to have a laugh in different ways.  It's a niche activity within a niche hobby though, for marketing, sales, and cost amortisation purposes.

[*]Rambling unrelated second-hand anecdote, the Depot 1.0 ran a chaaaridy special weekend  where they got in some, uh... celebrity airsofters, and 'Big' Phil Campion, (actual) ex-SAS to do some skills training.

One of the local Walts was weeing himself in excitement and giving it "Delta Charlie squad double-time to location omega, prepare to execute enfilade from ambuscade" style jibba-jabba, translated as "Please notice my skills, Campion-senpai".

After a bit too much of this, Phil stepped in and started organising the team along the lines of "Right, you lads stay here, you lads go over there, let's mess them up", a much more effective strategy.  

 

[Tommikka]

[*]Rambling unrelated second-hand anecdote, the Depot 1.0 ran a chaaaridy special weekend  where they got in some, uh... celebrity airsofters, and 'Big' Phil Campion, (actual) ex-SAS to do some skills training.

Far too much alcohol consumed currently, so forum posting is not really the best plan…..

But a Phil Campion mention can’t go without comment

As you know his name then for you this is probably already known…..

Phil Campion has been called out as

a Walt - he is not a walt

There are some tall stories that come from Phil Campion or are attiburted to him - those are the ones

backed up by documented fact.

The less believable the tale is, the more factual it turns out to be

 

[Cannonfodder]

Let me guess WMHQ? 

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

I had a great day in a game with RC pyro.  No one on the squad 'patrolling the mined road' knew who the bod on their team  with the controller was.  The tech added to a decent plotline.  It was fun to be on the team ambushing them too, as we did not know when the best moment to attack would be.  

It worked as no one playing had to remember anything or operate anything.  No confusion, just loud bangs and added immersion.  

Good use of tech in my book.  

 

[Rogerborg]

Ah, here we go: a phone app is already available. Worth a try at the price (free).

https://www.ares-alpha.com/

https://www.ares-alpha.com/tutorials

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Ah, here we go: a phone app is already available. Worth a try at the price (free).

https://www.ares-alpha.com/

https://www.ares-alpha.com/tutorials

Driver Wood is using that very app for a game in June if anyone wants to give it a whirl.

https://driverwoodactivitycentre.co.uk/product/good-morning-vietnam/?

Topical comment Mr Borg!