Honesty

One of the first questions I always get asked when I talk to someone about airsoft is, how do you know people are out? "People get hit and they call themselves out." What's to stop them from cheating, at least in paintball you have a mark on them? "I just play with honest guys and it has never been a problem."

I haven't said anything about this as I do not want people to think I am pointing fingers at anyone in particular. Please don't take this personal. Also I don't think we have a big problem with honesty. Over the last few months I have experienced a few different situations where people haven't called their hits and I want to remind everyone that honesty is essential for this sport. Everyone who plays with us has put in a lot of money and time to play a sport that they enjoy, and that shouldn't be negated by dishonesty.

How can you know you are hit? Most of the time you feel it, often you just hear it, and in rare situations you see it hit you. If you have experienced any of these three or believe that you just did but aren't sure, you need to call yourself out. Doesn't matter if the bb just hit your gun, the hairs of your beard, your steel toed boots, or the dangling sleeve of your shirt. If anything is hit, you are out. If in real life the shot from a real gun wouldn't have killed you or you think you might just live through it if only you can get to a hospital, you are still out.

How do I know that people are hit when I am not there? I can hear it. If you look at the pictures in our group you'll notice I have satellite dishes on the side of my head in the form of ears. I have been playing airsoft since 2001 and I am very familiar with the sounds of the game. I bet most of you can tell when your team mate is firing and when the enemy is firing based upon the sound of their gun. All of you should know the sound of a bb hitting the material our uniforms. If you were wearing a cotton t-shirt I probably couldn't hear it, but everyone's uniform makes a distinct "thwak" when it is struck. Several times I have heard this and waited for the individual shot to call out and they haven't. On one occasion the person hit came out saying they were out of ammo instead of just saying, hit. I don't know why.

Sometimes it takes me a few seconds to realize that I have been hit. At the last game I was laying down behind a bush and I was trying to figure out what had poked my arm. I thought it was the bush I had dived onto but it wasn't near wear I felt the poke. So, even though no one had shot at me for maybe 10 seconds I called out that I was hit. I then went and respawned and was back in the game. Remember that it doesn't matter what your kill to death ratio is. Also, most of the games we play have some way for you to get back into the game and you don't have to sit out for very long.

It would be very disappointing if we ever had to have refs in one of our games because that means that someone is not getting to participate. Plus they really can't be every where they need to. So please, everyone remember that we are all out there to have a good time and it is much more fun when everyone calls their hits. I know some times the adrenaline is pumping and you just can't tell you are hit.

Speaking of how it's just more fun to call your hits. When we first played at DC-10 Scott unloaded his M203 onto me as I was taking cover in some trees. I never felt any of them hit me, but I saw at least 80 bb's flying at me and it is very unlikely that they all missed. So for the sake of having fun and that I didn't know for sure, I just went out. I think if I had stood up, blasted him, and moved on I wouldn't have had as much fun. The rest of the day he would be saying to himself, "how did I not get him" and he would be doubting my honesty. It's all for fun and if you are here to keep score and make sure you are the best player ever to be in this sport. Go somewhere else.

I can't think of anything to do with players who aren't being honest except to ask them not to play with us. I don't think we are even minutely close to such a thing. I just wanted to get it out there as a reminder that everyone should take as much time to consider the bb's they are shooting as the ones that are coming in at them. Let's all be honest and have a good time.

Here here! Fortunately we have a really good group. I've hung out with some terrible hackers (CS terminology, god mode etc), the worst of which had an entire hi-cap unloaded on him, and he never called it. After the round when he returned to the deadpool he was asked to lift his shirt, he had 30 little red marks which he said were from when he was laying on an ant hill...

So we have a great group of guys! One thing I'm certainly glad of is even with some of the doubt expressed about hits I don't remember hearing anyone shouting at someone else to call a hit. That stuff really irritates me. We don't always see where our rounds are landing, if they're ricocheting off of brush or what not so we do have to leave it in the hands of our target to do the honorable thing and call it.

The game is one of honor, fun comes first but honor better damn well be real close behind it. If you're missing one of the two, why even buy a gun?
Shooters, police yourselves. If in doubt call your out. Squaddies, police your mates. If you see rounds bouncing off a teammate and they don't call it, gently inform them what you observed and that they need to take an out.

Again we do have a good group of guys (and occasionally gals) here, it's a great pleasure to join company and shoot with you all. Let's keep with the quality and just try harder to step it up if we need to.

*edit- slight topical derail* James, where'd you live when you started playing? Always been a Utahn?

Ya'll said it all!

*sigh* James I was hoping that at least on of those 80 bb's was a legit hit... Ah well I'll try harder to blast ya in the future. j/k... My hat is off to the both of you. It is always good to have a bit of a reminder.

That's the thing, i'm pretty sure you did hit me, but since my mind was trying to figure out how all of those bb's were coming at me at once it was distracted and I just didn't feel them.

Donknottz wrote:That's the thing, i'm pretty sure you did hit me, but since my mind was trying to figure out how all of those bb's were coming at me at once it was distracted and I just didn't feel them.

Ya I see what your saying but really I just want to blast someone.