Post by octorfunk on Jan 22, 2008 13:10:11 GMT -5
I know that Butler Airsoft always practices safe minimum engagement distances (MED) at all their games, and I've been grateful for this safety consideration.
Matt has done a great job of suggesting a 20-25ft MED at every single game I've been to. However, there have still been several instances where people have been trading shots at unsafe distances.
In fact, at the last game I attended (hosted by Mattccfi), there was one instance where Dave and Mark were closing in on my dad (who had a great time by the way), and I heard Dave yell and ask him if he was okay with the range of the engagement. My dad responded affirmatively and was hit. Great play, class act by everyone involved.
I think we would all agree that shooting eachother within 20-25ft is unsafe and could easily result in injury, so I don't think that has been an issue.
However, if we're observing the MED of 25ft, what happens when people get within that distance? Does gameplay just suddenly stop? Does this result in temporary invincibility for everyone within the MED because no one is allowed to shoot? And what about the player who has used the terrain to conceal himself so well that an enemy has walked within the MED without discovering him? Is he forced to wait until the other player leaves the MED, defeating the purpose of his concealment?
The answer to all of these questions is NO. Although I have often offered an enemy a saftey kill because of the MED, and have often warned other players of their close distance, I have yet to see anyone refrain from shooting at close distances. In almost every instance, both players involved have agreed to continue trading shots at unsafe distances.
Is this because they're morons who don't care about the safety of everyone involved? Absolutely not. Myself included, the adrenaline rush during a close-quarters battle often overrules common sense, and I am much more prone to continue shooting even if it's too close. It's natural. If we actually stopped dead in our tracks and both players moved back outside the MED, it would disrupt the natural flow of battle and kill the excitement.
So what's the solution?
I think there are a couple solutions here. I'll list the few that I see, and I'll offer my opinion on which one I think is the best. I would love for everyone to weigh in on this one though, I think it could be an important policy change for Butler Airsoft.
1. Stick with a MED of 25ft.
- Absolutely no shooting inside the MED. This means that a player is not even allowed to ask another player if he/she is okay with shooting inside the MED. Even if a player offers his/her consent to shoot within the MED, there will be NO shooting. In the event that the MED has been encroached upon, all players involved should verbally recognize that they are within the MED, and immediately retreat at least 20-25ft each. Players are not allowed to use this temporary truce to gain a tactical advantage over their opponent, nor are they to shoot their opponent during his/her retreat.
2. Have a flexible MED.
- A MED of 25ft is still recognized, but players can consent to shooting within the MED on a case-by-case basis. In my opinion, this is what Butler Airsoft currently practices. So far, it has not resulted in injury, but it's only a matter of time before it does.
3. Require players to furnish a sidearm for use within the MED.
- In this scenario, players will still acknowledge and respect the MED of 25ft, and will refrain from shooting eachother within that distance with AEG's (to include rifle's, SMG's, shotguns, sniper rifles, etc.). However, players are allowed (and required) to furnish a spring-powered sidearm for use within the MED. The main consideration here is FPS and ROF. As long as the gun shoots within the accepted fps (0-250fps?) and is not semi-full automatic, it is acceptable for use within the MED. Obviously, this does not eliminate all safety concerns. There will still be a big need for personal discretion, because a shot to the face from 10ft going 250fps is still dangerous.
Here's what I suggest:
- Option #1 is by far the safest, but brings a host of problems (flow of gameplay, abuse of cease-fire, etc.).
- Option #2 preserves the flow of gameplay, but is not very safe. It's seriously only a matter of time before someone gets hurt while consenting to a firefight within the MED.
- Option #3 is the best compromise between #1 and #2 (in my opion). The flow of gameplay is preserved when players have the option to wield a low fps/rof weapon instead retreating to a safe MED to fire. For those players setting an ambush, they can still lure their enemy to within 8-10ft before giving away their position. For players occupying opposite sides of the same bunker/barrier, there is a safe option besides blasting eachother full-auto from 5ft away.
In order for option #3 to work, it would have to become a standard policy of Butler Airsoft, meaning that all players attending a BIA even would be required to bring (or borrow/rent) a low FPS/ROF weapon.
Why I think this could be a great thing for BIA:
- It would be cheap: you can pick up a low powered spring pistol at almost any retailer. The most expensive high-end springer pistols retail for around $50, and a very decent one can be purchased for $20. In fact, if we all agreed on this new policy, we could all order together and save on shipping.
- It would preserve the flow of gameplay: instead of the confusion that ensues when two players get within the MED, both players could just whip out their springer pistols and continue the battle up close.
- It will make BIA safer: we all know that eventually someone is going to chip a tooth, scratch a cornea, or lose a BB in their earlobe (wait, didn't that already happen?). So instead of hoping for the best, why don't we be proactive and make it safer?
Thanks for bearing with me on this very long article, and please let me know what you think.
I would personally not look down on any player who would not be comfortable shooting inside the MED with low fps weapons. By all means, if there are players who don't want to participate in close-quarters, low FPS/ROF firefights, then it is up to them to make this fact known beforehand, as well as during the game if they happen to be inside the MED. In this instance, that player has a responsibility to make his/her presence known, and to offer to retreat to a safe distance before resuming gameplay.
For a great buyers guide on spring pistols, check this out:
www.airsoftforum.com/board/index.php?showtopic=95530
Matt has done a great job of suggesting a 20-25ft MED at every single game I've been to. However, there have still been several instances where people have been trading shots at unsafe distances.
In fact, at the last game I attended (hosted by Mattccfi), there was one instance where Dave and Mark were closing in on my dad (who had a great time by the way), and I heard Dave yell and ask him if he was okay with the range of the engagement. My dad responded affirmatively and was hit. Great play, class act by everyone involved.
I think we would all agree that shooting eachother within 20-25ft is unsafe and could easily result in injury, so I don't think that has been an issue.
However, if we're observing the MED of 25ft, what happens when people get within that distance? Does gameplay just suddenly stop? Does this result in temporary invincibility for everyone within the MED because no one is allowed to shoot? And what about the player who has used the terrain to conceal himself so well that an enemy has walked within the MED without discovering him? Is he forced to wait until the other player leaves the MED, defeating the purpose of his concealment?
The answer to all of these questions is NO. Although I have often offered an enemy a saftey kill because of the MED, and have often warned other players of their close distance, I have yet to see anyone refrain from shooting at close distances. In almost every instance, both players involved have agreed to continue trading shots at unsafe distances.
Is this because they're morons who don't care about the safety of everyone involved? Absolutely not. Myself included, the adrenaline rush during a close-quarters battle often overrules common sense, and I am much more prone to continue shooting even if it's too close. It's natural. If we actually stopped dead in our tracks and both players moved back outside the MED, it would disrupt the natural flow of battle and kill the excitement.
So what's the solution?
I think there are a couple solutions here. I'll list the few that I see, and I'll offer my opinion on which one I think is the best. I would love for everyone to weigh in on this one though, I think it could be an important policy change for Butler Airsoft.
1. Stick with a MED of 25ft.
- Absolutely no shooting inside the MED. This means that a player is not even allowed to ask another player if he/she is okay with shooting inside the MED. Even if a player offers his/her consent to shoot within the MED, there will be NO shooting. In the event that the MED has been encroached upon, all players involved should verbally recognize that they are within the MED, and immediately retreat at least 20-25ft each. Players are not allowed to use this temporary truce to gain a tactical advantage over their opponent, nor are they to shoot their opponent during his/her retreat.
2. Have a flexible MED.
- A MED of 25ft is still recognized, but players can consent to shooting within the MED on a case-by-case basis. In my opinion, this is what Butler Airsoft currently practices. So far, it has not resulted in injury, but it's only a matter of time before it does.
3. Require players to furnish a sidearm for use within the MED.
- In this scenario, players will still acknowledge and respect the MED of 25ft, and will refrain from shooting eachother within that distance with AEG's (to include rifle's, SMG's, shotguns, sniper rifles, etc.). However, players are allowed (and required) to furnish a spring-powered sidearm for use within the MED. The main consideration here is FPS and ROF. As long as the gun shoots within the accepted fps (0-250fps?) and is not semi-full automatic, it is acceptable for use within the MED. Obviously, this does not eliminate all safety concerns. There will still be a big need for personal discretion, because a shot to the face from 10ft going 250fps is still dangerous.
Here's what I suggest:
- Option #1 is by far the safest, but brings a host of problems (flow of gameplay, abuse of cease-fire, etc.).
- Option #2 preserves the flow of gameplay, but is not very safe. It's seriously only a matter of time before someone gets hurt while consenting to a firefight within the MED.
- Option #3 is the best compromise between #1 and #2 (in my opion). The flow of gameplay is preserved when players have the option to wield a low fps/rof weapon instead retreating to a safe MED to fire. For those players setting an ambush, they can still lure their enemy to within 8-10ft before giving away their position. For players occupying opposite sides of the same bunker/barrier, there is a safe option besides blasting eachother full-auto from 5ft away.
In order for option #3 to work, it would have to become a standard policy of Butler Airsoft, meaning that all players attending a BIA even would be required to bring (or borrow/rent) a low FPS/ROF weapon.
Why I think this could be a great thing for BIA:
- It would be cheap: you can pick up a low powered spring pistol at almost any retailer. The most expensive high-end springer pistols retail for around $50, and a very decent one can be purchased for $20. In fact, if we all agreed on this new policy, we could all order together and save on shipping.
- It would preserve the flow of gameplay: instead of the confusion that ensues when two players get within the MED, both players could just whip out their springer pistols and continue the battle up close.
- It will make BIA safer: we all know that eventually someone is going to chip a tooth, scratch a cornea, or lose a BB in their earlobe (wait, didn't that already happen?). So instead of hoping for the best, why don't we be proactive and make it safer?
Thanks for bearing with me on this very long article, and please let me know what you think.
I would personally not look down on any player who would not be comfortable shooting inside the MED with low fps weapons. By all means, if there are players who don't want to participate in close-quarters, low FPS/ROF firefights, then it is up to them to make this fact known beforehand, as well as during the game if they happen to be inside the MED. In this instance, that player has a responsibility to make his/her presence known, and to offer to retreat to a safe distance before resuming gameplay.
For a great buyers guide on spring pistols, check this out:
www.airsoftforum.com/board/index.php?showtopic=95530