Milsim paintball
In paintball we've got three main streams - Speedball or tournament paintball, recball or woodsball, and milsim. Milsim is a hazily defined version of the game that's meant to be more "realistic", although what that means really depends who you're talking to.
So here's a rough guide to milsim as I see it, for those who want to know. Milsim stands for "military simulation". Ie. to simulate the military. The first thing you need to know is that paintball can never really simulate real warfare - we're limited by the range and accuracy of a paintball, the fact we must wear masks, and most importantly the fact that we don't die when we're hit. We can however get close in other aspects.
First up, milsim is not a matter of wearing camo and shooting a gun that looks real. There are plenty of paramilitary forces around who don't wear camo (the Taleban, for one), and a marker that looks real is a joke if it's still performing like a speedball marker. Looks are the icing on the milsim cake, but they do not a milsim player make.
So paintball (and airsoft) cannot simulate many aspects of warfare - but there are many it can. Tactics is the biggest one. Without it, you're just playing recball in fancy dress. We can simulate a bunch of other things too, but first, here's what milsim paintball isn't.
Hoppers
I don't care if your marker is an exact replica of a G36 assault rifle, if you're using a hopper, it's not milsim. It's a woodsball gun. The only exception is for support players if they can't use a box mag.
Speedball looking gear
One can argue that in a real conflict the participants could be wearing pyjamas and indeed they could, but really, if you're wearing your speedball gear it's just because you're lazy. You're playing woodsball. To play milsim, try to look the part. Speedball pads and masks are ok since they're necessary and most are invisible, but externally you should look milsim so that your playing buddies feel like things are more real. You wouldn't go to war wearing bright red now would you?
Dual feed markers
So you brought your T9.1 along with sniper rounds - good for you. But then you flick a switch, use the hopper and suddenly you're heavy support. Sorry dude, but this doesn't exist in the military. It's woodsball.
FS Pistols
If your pistol has more range and accuracy than the guy up on the hill "sniping", you just broke the game because in real life you would have broken physics. It works ok if everyone is using FS rounds, but otherwise it's woodsball, not milsim.
Capture the flag
This scenario never plays out in real life. The gametype is just as important to milsim as the way you play it tactically. Choose scenarios that simulate real world situations - hostage rescue, capture intel, etc. - feel free to make scenarios up, but make sure they at least feel realistic.
900 rounds
There's no way in hell an average real trooper would carry 900 rounds worth of mags into combat unless they're running around with a minigun. Don't do it. 5-10 mags (1-200 rounds per player) is more like it.
And here are some things that ARE milsim:
Mag fed markers
Having to reload frequently is tactically important as it forces teamwork and weak moments due to downtime - just like the real thing.
Tactics
Everyone going rambo? You could argue that you're a useless and unorganized military force I guess, but that doesn't wash. If you want to play milsim, use some teamwork and strategy.
FS rounds for snipers
Have a sniper on your team? A sniper only really makes sense if they have a significant range and accuracy advantage over other players. So restrict sniper rounds to - you guessed it - snipers. And herein lies something very important - roles. Roles are fun, and they're milsim.
Box mags for heavy support
So not everyone in the real world has to reload every twenty rounds - that's the problem MGs take care of. Some players can have more ammo than others and a higher rof - great, so long as they're a designated big gun guy.
Medics
It's difficult to properly simulate the actions of a medic, but they are a big part of real combat. If a player has suffered a non fatal "wound" such as a limb shot you can have it such that a medic can revive the player by touching them or putting a bandage on. This is somewhat debatable regarding realism as generally in real warfare the injured party will leave the battle even with a minor injury. It does however add realism in the sense that medics must be protected, and you have motivation to protect downed comrades just as in real life.
Here are some things that are debatable:
Tac Caps
There are several problems with these. Firstly they don't look right, secondly they often carry more than is realistic, but more importantly they can allow you to reload and shoot at the same time or you can top up halfway through a load - which is impossible in real life. So long as you disallow this it's ok. Still, ideally all players should be using mags or box mags.
Full face masks
They get in the way of using a stock and don't look the part, but on the flipside getting hit in the lips hurts like a beeatch and you really want eardrum/temple protection. Many milsimmers just use the goggles part, but this is up to you. This isn't a big deal however - gameplay is more important than looks and this only really affects looks. Remember that if you are using just the goggles, use proper paintball goggles. Unsealed airsoft glasses are not ok, and "tactical goggles" have been shown to be pretty average against paintballs due to the way the lenses are held in among other things.
Stocks and stock tanks
Stocks are nice because they look the part, and stock tanks are great because you can avoid pesky remote lines or having a huge tank hanging off your grip. They also have plenty of air for mag fed markers. That said, when wearing a full face mask stocks can detract more from the experience than they add to it, and what sort of tank you have doesn't really affect gameplay so this is secondary. Also, support players will need a remote line or something to supply enough air for the amount of paint they'll be shooting.
And that's it ladies and gentlemen. Milsim paintball defined as I see it. Many of these things may not be practical for you, and perhaps as you read this box mags aren't easily available in which case you could allow hoppers for heavy support players. Also, don't feel that you have to do full milsim or not at all - feel free to use aspects of milsim in an otherwise woodsball game or vice versa. Just remember that if you are invited to a milsim game, make sure that you find out exactly what that group mean by milsim and gear up and play accordingly. Be a good sport.
So here's a rough guide to milsim as I see it, for those who want to know. Milsim stands for "military simulation". Ie. to simulate the military. The first thing you need to know is that paintball can never really simulate real warfare - we're limited by the range and accuracy of a paintball, the fact we must wear masks, and most importantly the fact that we don't die when we're hit. We can however get close in other aspects.
First up, milsim is not a matter of wearing camo and shooting a gun that looks real. There are plenty of paramilitary forces around who don't wear camo (the Taleban, for one), and a marker that looks real is a joke if it's still performing like a speedball marker. Looks are the icing on the milsim cake, but they do not a milsim player make.
So paintball (and airsoft) cannot simulate many aspects of warfare - but there are many it can. Tactics is the biggest one. Without it, you're just playing recball in fancy dress. We can simulate a bunch of other things too, but first, here's what milsim paintball isn't.
Hoppers
I don't care if your marker is an exact replica of a G36 assault rifle, if you're using a hopper, it's not milsim. It's a woodsball gun. The only exception is for support players if they can't use a box mag.
Speedball looking gear
One can argue that in a real conflict the participants could be wearing pyjamas and indeed they could, but really, if you're wearing your speedball gear it's just because you're lazy. You're playing woodsball. To play milsim, try to look the part. Speedball pads and masks are ok since they're necessary and most are invisible, but externally you should look milsim so that your playing buddies feel like things are more real. You wouldn't go to war wearing bright red now would you?
Dual feed markers
So you brought your T9.1 along with sniper rounds - good for you. But then you flick a switch, use the hopper and suddenly you're heavy support. Sorry dude, but this doesn't exist in the military. It's woodsball.
FS Pistols
If your pistol has more range and accuracy than the guy up on the hill "sniping", you just broke the game because in real life you would have broken physics. It works ok if everyone is using FS rounds, but otherwise it's woodsball, not milsim.
Capture the flag
This scenario never plays out in real life. The gametype is just as important to milsim as the way you play it tactically. Choose scenarios that simulate real world situations - hostage rescue, capture intel, etc. - feel free to make scenarios up, but make sure they at least feel realistic.
900 rounds
There's no way in hell an average real trooper would carry 900 rounds worth of mags into combat unless they're running around with a minigun. Don't do it. 5-10 mags (1-200 rounds per player) is more like it.
And here are some things that ARE milsim:
Mag fed markers
Having to reload frequently is tactically important as it forces teamwork and weak moments due to downtime - just like the real thing.
Tactics
Everyone going rambo? You could argue that you're a useless and unorganized military force I guess, but that doesn't wash. If you want to play milsim, use some teamwork and strategy.
FS rounds for snipers
Have a sniper on your team? A sniper only really makes sense if they have a significant range and accuracy advantage over other players. So restrict sniper rounds to - you guessed it - snipers. And herein lies something very important - roles. Roles are fun, and they're milsim.
Box mags for heavy support
So not everyone in the real world has to reload every twenty rounds - that's the problem MGs take care of. Some players can have more ammo than others and a higher rof - great, so long as they're a designated big gun guy.
Medics
It's difficult to properly simulate the actions of a medic, but they are a big part of real combat. If a player has suffered a non fatal "wound" such as a limb shot you can have it such that a medic can revive the player by touching them or putting a bandage on. This is somewhat debatable regarding realism as generally in real warfare the injured party will leave the battle even with a minor injury. It does however add realism in the sense that medics must be protected, and you have motivation to protect downed comrades just as in real life.
Here are some things that are debatable:
Tac Caps
There are several problems with these. Firstly they don't look right, secondly they often carry more than is realistic, but more importantly they can allow you to reload and shoot at the same time or you can top up halfway through a load - which is impossible in real life. So long as you disallow this it's ok. Still, ideally all players should be using mags or box mags.
Full face masks
They get in the way of using a stock and don't look the part, but on the flipside getting hit in the lips hurts like a beeatch and you really want eardrum/temple protection. Many milsimmers just use the goggles part, but this is up to you. This isn't a big deal however - gameplay is more important than looks and this only really affects looks. Remember that if you are using just the goggles, use proper paintball goggles. Unsealed airsoft glasses are not ok, and "tactical goggles" have been shown to be pretty average against paintballs due to the way the lenses are held in among other things.
Stocks and stock tanks
Stocks are nice because they look the part, and stock tanks are great because you can avoid pesky remote lines or having a huge tank hanging off your grip. They also have plenty of air for mag fed markers. That said, when wearing a full face mask stocks can detract more from the experience than they add to it, and what sort of tank you have doesn't really affect gameplay so this is secondary. Also, support players will need a remote line or something to supply enough air for the amount of paint they'll be shooting.
And that's it ladies and gentlemen. Milsim paintball defined as I see it. Many of these things may not be practical for you, and perhaps as you read this box mags aren't easily available in which case you could allow hoppers for heavy support players. Also, don't feel that you have to do full milsim or not at all - feel free to use aspects of milsim in an otherwise woodsball game or vice versa. Just remember that if you are invited to a milsim game, make sure that you find out exactly what that group mean by milsim and gear up and play accordingly. Be a good sport.
Comments
Post a Comment
Keep it civil.