* Friendly Fire on Saturday - A Case Study for Uniforms *

[Cruz FoxHound]

To all my teammates I shot: I'm sorry

To the teammate I sniped in the face: I'm really sorry

I don't think I'm alone in being frustrated by the issue of friendly fire in yesterday's game. Nobody aims to be a team-killer & it's upsetting to both parties involved in these instances, especially when it happens during critical moments. Overall, the day was a lot of fun & there were constant intense shoot-outs between teams (a.k.a., awesomeness). However, if there was one aspect I would have set up differently, it would involve a better IFF (identify friend-or-foe) system.

When I first moved to Portland & began playing in the PNW area, I was unhappy about the uniform requirement in some games. Where I had lived before, the local field was using white shemagh neck wraps to differentiate teams. It wasn't perfect but seemed to work well enough most of the time. On AP.com, I soon came across a MilSim game that seemed really exciting but was organized with an inflexible uniform requirement. I thought, "I've already spent a bunch of cash on decent guns & accessories -- why should I have to buy one or multiple uniforms to be able to step on the field?" I wanted to play badly enough that I bit the BB & threw down yet another grip on surplus BDU sets.

After yesterday's team-kill extravaganza, I will never regret this extra purchase. In fact, there's a new piggy bank on my desk labeled, "MULTICAM"...

Before pre-registering for the game, I was totally aware that armbands would be the IFF. In use though, the issued arm band was only on one arm & so small that it was impossible to see in almost every circumstance, engagement or not. If this IFF system wasn't working, how else could I visually identify who was on my side regardless of location or which way they were facing? With a team of 30 guys wearing different outfits of all kinds, it is a big challenge to remember what everyone looks like & recognize loadouts in high-density brush even at close range. In an effort to minimize friendly fire, we started using challenge/response but this can't be used in every situation, especially in contact at longer distance. The consequences (in my personal experience) included confusion, assassinated teammates, & at the end of the day I felt like an embarrassed idiot -- never have I engaged my own team like this, especially since I've been playing in ALPHA (tan/milticam/pmc) vs. BRAVO (green/woodland, etc.) games. Whether or not I'm an idiot, I don't feel like it all the time, but my point is the odds were definitely stacked in that direction.

In conclusion, arm bands are a poor IFF system & I am now a definite supporter of rigid uniform requirements whether it involves legitimate camouflage patterns, specified civilian clothes, banana suits vs. astronaut suits -- whatever. In any other competitive athletic sport or team game, each group wears distinct uniforms to easily identify each other. Even in the military world that airsoft aims to emulate there exist clear uniform standards. I think it is well worth the money & organizational effort to be able to easily know if I should pull the trigger as results include greater team cohesion, more fluid gameplay, & a lot less fragging (a.k.a., more fun).

Thank you for reading my post! See you on the field

** DISCLAIMER: This evaluation/opinion piece, in no manner, is intended to be a criticism of the particular field or overall quality of gameplay. I feel the staff were great, the game objectives hilarious, & the field itself well-made. Furthermore, I do not intend for this thread to degenerate into finger-pointing blame games & cannot be held accountable for unconstructive criticisms, piggish verbal assaults, or ignorant claims that people might take the opportunity to project into the AP world **

[G00SE770]

For what it's worth, I agree... It really sucks to teamkill.

[shadowsquirrel]

It also didn't help the bracelets they gave us where blue I shot 4 friendlys thinking there blue due to there bracelet being exposed

[Cruz FoxHound]

It also didn't help the bracelets they gave us where blue I shot 4 friendlys thinking there blue due to there bracelet being exposed

+1

[Payback]

If that particular field required uniforms, just that Saturday alone would have meant that about 40 kids wouldn't have played because they didn't have any camo at all, Or had realtree stuff, and the parents that played were wearing street clothes.

I personally hate games that separate by camo color. There are so many different camo colors and shades that i feel it makes it more difficult than an armband separation.

With multicam in particular, the difference between crye MC and china cloned MC is huge. China MC is really green in most cases and crye is more tan. Toss is sun, shadows, and you get just as much team kills.

I watched 1 kid saturday team kill 10 guys at the fuel depot. Each and everyone of those guys had blue arm bands clearly marked. But the kid didn't confirm what team they were on, he just saw targets and started shooting. They were picked off one at a time also, not one of the guys getting shot called out the team, or verified who was shooting.

With those arm bands it's very essential that the players place them where they can be seen, not under your armpits, or on your chest, I had to remind people several times to move the arm bands so they can be seen.

I feel it adds to a cqb game where you need to verify your target, get up close and personal rather than just slinging bb's at 200ft and hope to hit that thing moving in the bushes.

The only type of uniform games i like are the milsim games where two camo patterns are allowed, nothing else. Then you get can ID targets easily.

I think one thing to remember is that certain fields try for a more milsim effect, and others are more for fun of the casual game and new players.

[T-Time]

Well said. I agree.

[Cruz FoxHound]

Hey Payback, thanks for your response. I think you have good points, especially 1) this field has a more relaxed BB Warz approach & 2) the younger crowd being able to get on the field. Perhaps it is better to have played & team-killed a couple dudes than to have never played at all.

I will also admit I am approaching the subject from the ideal perspective that everyone can/will purchase the correct camouflage and the teams are balanced every time.

[Payback]

The arm bands can/need to improve. But trying to keep a low cost solution isn't always the easiest. If 100% of the arm bands were returned, then making nice ones that are easily seen wouldn't be so hard, but having to produce 50% of them after each game gets old, and a cost that can be put to better use.

I'm sure as time goes by they will figure out something better. But i doubt you'll ever see a purely camo color separation game there with the monthly games. Only time would be if somebody hosted a milsim game there.

[Rentax]

Airsoft is a military simulation sport, or military simulation hobby, for those that don't like calling it a sport. Asking players to look the part generally makes for better immersion factor which is why you see it in the more Milsim games.
However that doesn't mean that if you don't have camo you cant play, it just means that the event host needs to work that "pattern" into the game. So you put all the civilian clothes people on one team, its not that difficult.
Many hosts in the pacific northwest use the Green based camouflage patterns vs Tan based camouflage patterns it's not a perfect system but it generally works well, and then we add civilian clothing onto the side that it works with the story line so as not to leave anyone out. Many games in the early days of airsoft around here you just arrived in whatever camo you wanted and then you were split into teams from there, Woodland over here, MARPAT over there, you in the UPC and the three guys in civi's, with woodland, and the rest of you with MARPAT, that looks about equal, lets play. It became important to identify your enemy from camouflage pattern, and be able to quickly identify one pattern from another. Now in recent years with more patterns, and more availability of non-US patterns, the gambit has spread, which is why event hosts had to move to selecting specific patterns for events in order to make it easier for the players. You read that right, the reason for camouflage patterns is to make it easier for the PLAYERS. Less Friendly fire, makes for fewer angry players, and fewer angry players makes for better events.
One of the mechanics that has been used is armbands, it works to some degree, but there are still going to be incidents where 'his armband was behind a tree' or 'my armband "fell off"'. We use armbands at Summer Slaughter, it's a large enough event and it's open and welcoming to younger and up and coming players that we don't want to have Camo restrictions, so we do duct tape arm bands. But we have learned to apply them ourselves, apply them loosely to clothing, or around the shoulder straps of gear, and down the back of gear for players who aren't wearing sleeves. It's not a system I like when I play. For me part of the military simulation I like is identifying targets, and making the conscious decision of weather or not I am firing at a friendly player. If I don't know or cant tell, often time I WONT pull the trigger.
Target identification, and trigger discipline are two HUGE issues with new players. The First Person Shooter mindset that has brought so many new players to the field for years can be directly linked to video games. Airsoft is a real-life video game for the FPS player, and just like in a video game he doesn't understand the ideas of target identification or trigger control. No red names pop up over players heads in airsoft, and friendly fire is turned in our games. So we get players with itchy trigger fingers, who haven't yet fully grasped the concept of target identification and think I'm pretty good at COD/Modern Warfare/Battlefield/etc. I'll be good at this too. What new player don't realize that the areas where video games and airsoft are different boils down to realism. The more real you can make it, the more immersive it gets the more players seem to take interest and the more players have fun. It's not a FPS and it requires a new skill set that needs to be learned, but the attitude with most FPS players I have seen is "I'm good at video games I don't need to learn anything new"

Asking for armbands is like asking for red or blue name's to appear above players heads. It's a very non-realistic. It might make it easier for you to spot your enemy and shoot him, but that doesn't make you a better airsoft player. It just makes airsoft easier and less realistic, if you want that go play lasertag with the lights and colors. I assumed since you were playing airsoft in the first place it was the realism that is what excited you.

Multicam is a hard pattern, I won't lie, but that's what makes it a GOOD pattern. Its breaks up changes in the light and dark areas of the field. It's actually doing it's job, and your complaining. Yes I have team killed players in multicam, it happens, but there is no question that Multicam is a tan based camo, event the chinese knock off stuff is tan based. The event where I saw most team kills with Multicam was an event where Multicam and Desert MARPAT were on opposite sides, at a distance that was hard to spot, but we tried.

I have yet to go to a Milsim event where there is only 1 camo pattern per side. For instance Milsim West's last game offered:
NATO forces - Multicam, and any full unit of 9 can wear any NATO based camouflage,
Russians - ANY RUSSIAN CAMOUFLAGE, PS. That's a shit load to choose from, check their photos.
Cossack Militia - US woodland, OD green or Russian camouflage.
That's a wide range of camouflage patterns to choose from there, and they aren't Tan VS Green, It's any color vs many Colors.
And again making target identification easy isn't milsim, that's video games.

I agree that certain event hosts try for a more milsim effect, and others are more for fun of the casual game and new players. But I don't think that means we need to makes it easy for new players to not not learn new skills.
Asking airsofters to better themselves in order to better the community and in turn better the games that games hosts can provide seems to be a win win for everyone.

[Cruz FoxHound]

Rentax, I like your thought about needing to learn new skills.

If camouflage pattern assignment is not possible or desirable, this is the armband IFF system I propose:

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/bcg-153 ... =853798826

http://www.suddora.com/collections/swea ... sweatbands

One on each arm not to be covered by any loadout hardware. These are inexpensive, easily found in many stores, washable, & will stay in place on the arm. You could even hot glue velcro hooks on the inside to make sure it stays in place over loop patch areas.

Another note is that, in a game with only two opposing teams, one could wear armbands while the other does not. This way, only one color would be necessary.

[Cyclops]

Just something off the top of my head is maybe have one side have some sort of camo pretty much any and have the other side wear street clothes. If it is uneven which I'm sure it will then start picking some of the opposite side to play with the civilian clothed group. Just a thought.

[Payback]

Target ID is all that needs to happen. If you've played there and seen the mix of young, old, and in the middle you'll know why. The experience level is much different than any games i've been to that Riddick has hosted. And a big reason is the game style. These are layed back and casual for a reason.

Think back to scappoose games, all were either duck tape or if somebody forgot that, then make sure you don't shoot your friends. But it was always fun.

[Rentax]

The sad fact is many of those players won't continue to play because they will get frustrated with the game style because no one is holding them to a higher standard.

Also if we're throwing out ideas that don't work well how bout shirts vs skins...
Or old school Japanese banners

Also all the events I went to as scapoose were done by camo pattern

[Jester316]

Here is my decision making tree for knowing when to shoot or not. If at any point you answer UNKNOWN to questions 1-4, proceed directly to step #5:

1)Is that person wearing the same clothing as me? If no, proceed to #2. If yes, stop here.
2)Is that person wearing a camouflage pattern that has been assigned to my team? If no, proceed to #3. If yes, stop here.
3)Is that person wearing a camouflage pattern that has been assigned to the enemy team? If no, proceed to #4. If yes, shoot them.
4)Is that person wearing an admin vest or other clothing not assigned to any team? If no, proceed to #5. If yes, do not shoot, but be weary of sudden movements.
5)Is the person facing me or facing away from me? If facing me, proceed to #6. If facing away from me, move closer and repeat steps 1-3.
6)Is the person shooting at me? If yes, shoot back. If no, move closer and attempt 1-3.

[Payback]

Come out and play at this field and you'll understand. It's a load of fun. This game was unique in the amount of friendly fire, it usually isn't as bad as this, but moving the spawns might have caused confusion in where people were coming from and going to.


Going any further with this isn't worth it. Obviously.