UCAP GreenOps - has anyone been?

[Jedi_Master]

Does anyone have any experience of playing at the UCAP GreenOps woodland site near Liphook in Hampshire? The UCAP website does not have much information about the site, except that is CQB, so it would be useful to know what it is like and what other airsofters thought of the site, games, facilities, etc.

 

The next game day is on Sunday 16 August.

[Esoterick]

I thought it was a good site. It's a woodland site but the vast majority of it is covered in what I think are rhododendron bushes that the marshals have cut paths though with chainsaws as they are impassable. All the bushes make it primarily CQB, although there are some open areas around the edge of the site.

 

The games were typical stuff like capture the flag or move object to given location. There was a game where you had to hold the button on a bomb placed in the middle of an open area to arm it.

 

I found that because the cover was foliage it meant people can hide in it which made for much more tense battles, sometimes you would find it took multiple people getting shot to figure out where someone was.

 

Facilities wise the site is down a savagely potholed road which leads to a small car park. When we went they said they sometimes have 100 people which was surprising given the car park and safe zone were packed with just over 20 of us. Lunch is not provided so you need to bring your own, if it's changed to Sandpit style lunches I would still bring your own

 

Overall I thought it was a good site, only downside was a good half of our team would barely move from our spawn or block lanes. It happens but teams should have really been reshuffled after a game or two. There was also some quite bad hit taking, I raised it with marshals but it didn't change.

[MxHaze]

Im just gunna echo what esoterick said.

 

Good site, good gameplay, terrible facilities, horrendous hit taking, marshalls are friendly but generally dont get involved. Take your own food and drink.

[Jedi_Master]

I am going there on Sunday 30 August for the first time, so can see what it is like and give my new RIF a field test. Just hope it is a dry day, I do not need rain to train.

[Jedi_Master]

I went to UCAP GreenOps and had a good day. It was my first time there and luckily I had Randymanpipe to show me around and give me advice on the site and different games played.

 

The site was easy enough to find and the forest track leading to it was not too rough or full of potholes. Adequate parking but getting there early allows the best spots closest to the safe zone and exit. The safe zone is a basic wooden structure, bit gloomy but offers plenty of surface area to get kitted up and leave bags. No seating though so standing only. There was a very limited range of drink and snacks but I had my own pack lunch and Camelbak so no issue. However, the marshals had forgotten to bring any pyro for sale which was a pity as it would have been very useful.

 

There were four marshals (Simon, Adam, Ivor and ?) on the day, all were friendly and helpful. The chronograph test was strict, no one allowed over the 350fps limit, which considering the CQB nature of the woodland was a good thing. One lad was firing hot, about 10-15 fps over and given time to put a few mags through his gun and several re-tests on chrono, before being told he could not use it. The one sniper had MED of 30m. There are metal targets on trees at different distances outside the safe zone to test fire on and adjust hop-up, etc.

 

This was my first experience of playing outdoors and in daylight. The site is sandy so does drain well but many of the main tracks did have deep puddles which made movement a bit harder and slowed down advances as you needed to go around them. The Rhododendron bushes were thick and even some of the tracks cut through them were difficult and slow going. They offered some excellent cover which made it hard to see where incoming shots were coming from and then stopped BBs reaching the hidden player within it. The rhododendron also stopped the BBs going far, so had to move close to the opposition team to hit them. The CQB environment of the woods added to the tension as you probed forward.

 

Even playing on a cool summer day I was sweating buckets in my DPM combats, as I kept my jacket on for the camouflage. The breaks back at the safe zone were welcome to rehydrate and bomb up magazines. I did find both sets of my eyepro, ESS v12 and Bolle X1000, constantly steaming up and reducing my vision. Now I need to get some more (non-mesh) eyepro.

 

Walk-on players just needed to turn up on the day. There were only about 25 players in total so two small teams with plenty of room to manoeuvre, and by the last game of the day it was just 9 per side. The 14 acre site felt large enough but not too big that you get totally lost, and by the end of the day I had a good idea where things were.

 

Of the scenarios we played, first was a timed attack/defence of the FOB with the defenders only having one life and attackers as many re-spawns as they needed. We then had a capture the 2 flags game, which is where you appreciate how much cover there is and how difficult it is to see other players or move through the foliage off track. My favourite game was the 'hold the button' situated on a Land Rover bonnet where the first team to hold the button down for a total of 5 minutes wins. Easier said than done when both teams more exposed and close, with battles to gain advantage of cover (bunker, Pig, aircraft fuselage, bridge, caravan). This was played twice allowing teams a chance to play from both ends as different tactics were needed to seize the ground. Finished the day with attack/defend of downed aircraft (there are parts of an aircraft scattered across one corner of the site), with the attackers trying to place a bomb in main aircraft wreck.

 

Would I go again, definitely, it is a challenging site and fun. Next time I would want to take a magnified scope in order to spot the other team (and see if they were taking hits) as well as some pyro to attempt to blast out some well dug in players.

[Sgtpepper]

UCAP have some of the best sites in the UK and GreenOps is definitely the best woodland site in the South. The foliage layout and props provide great CQB action in a woodland setting. No walking miles for respawn. The games are well thought out. The marshalling is professional and friendly. You can tell it's run by players who love their airsoft.

Go along you won't regret it.