Post by Welcome on Jan 29, 2010 15:27:50 GMT -5
INFRARED COMBAT: NOT THE LASER TAG OF THE '80'S'!
When mil-sim is mentioned with non-lethal combat most people conjur images of paintball and airsoft. True enough. Both of those sports have their merits and most of us in TSG have played one or both of them. We love the thrill of dodging projectiles and the capacity to feel pain with paintball (not so much with airsoft) is a prime motivator to being tactical. Airsoft, while not necessarily painful when played within official FPS (feet per second) ranges, offers military replica guns...accurate in both weight and materials.
What we discovered is that neither paintball, nor airsoft, offer the mil-sim aspects our group was looking for: Accuracy, Range and Field Responsibilities.
ACCURACY: A pulse of infrared light is almost unsurpassed in accuracy. More accurate than an actual bullet. The only thing that saves you from a good infrared combat player is cover and concealment.
RANGE: A non-commercial Phoenix LTX tagger/gun will give you approx 300' (100 yards) of range. An LTTO Master Blaster may give you anywhere from 400 - 1000 ' of range. If you mod your own tagger/gun and set the lens assembly and focal length yourself you can get whatever range you choose. Combine the range with accuracy and you can imagine how the battlefield shapes up.
FIELD RESPONSIBILITIES: In paintball, we saw many players placing longer, more specialized barrels on their markers in order to become 'snipers'. In airsoft, the same thing was true but the FPS was typically increased for regulation play and 'snipers' used heavier for stability of BB flight. Unfortunately, neither can be considered a 'sniper' in the long distance, accuracy, one-shot-one kill aspect of a true sniper role. Infrared combat gives player specialized roles to play. One player on a team with a Master Blaster can be a 'designated' sniper. He/She has the ability to hit a player from incredible distances while maintaining pinpoint accuracy, allowing other team players to function as Medics, infantry, CQB, etc. Commercial milsim laster tag gear gives these abilities and even more, with adjustable ranges, infrared claymores, grenades, etc.
And, if you think laser tag guns are childish and toy-like, well think again. See our MEDIA page for the possibilities. Keep in mind, the electronics of the taggers can be removed and with some skill can be placed within almost any airsoft replica gun shell; giving the gun a replica appearance. So the only thing we're missing is the projectile, and that is easily overcome because with no projectile we can play in public parks...
So, If you are interested in experiencing what laser tag/infrared combat has to offer just let us know. We have spare taggers available for anyone that wishes to see what it is like. If you play and don't feel it is right for you, then you aren't obligated and you haven't invested in any gear, so it is a win-win!
When mil-sim is mentioned with non-lethal combat most people conjur images of paintball and airsoft. True enough. Both of those sports have their merits and most of us in TSG have played one or both of them. We love the thrill of dodging projectiles and the capacity to feel pain with paintball (not so much with airsoft) is a prime motivator to being tactical. Airsoft, while not necessarily painful when played within official FPS (feet per second) ranges, offers military replica guns...accurate in both weight and materials.
What we discovered is that neither paintball, nor airsoft, offer the mil-sim aspects our group was looking for: Accuracy, Range and Field Responsibilities.
ACCURACY: A pulse of infrared light is almost unsurpassed in accuracy. More accurate than an actual bullet. The only thing that saves you from a good infrared combat player is cover and concealment.
RANGE: A non-commercial Phoenix LTX tagger/gun will give you approx 300' (100 yards) of range. An LTTO Master Blaster may give you anywhere from 400 - 1000 ' of range. If you mod your own tagger/gun and set the lens assembly and focal length yourself you can get whatever range you choose. Combine the range with accuracy and you can imagine how the battlefield shapes up.
FIELD RESPONSIBILITIES: In paintball, we saw many players placing longer, more specialized barrels on their markers in order to become 'snipers'. In airsoft, the same thing was true but the FPS was typically increased for regulation play and 'snipers' used heavier for stability of BB flight. Unfortunately, neither can be considered a 'sniper' in the long distance, accuracy, one-shot-one kill aspect of a true sniper role. Infrared combat gives player specialized roles to play. One player on a team with a Master Blaster can be a 'designated' sniper. He/She has the ability to hit a player from incredible distances while maintaining pinpoint accuracy, allowing other team players to function as Medics, infantry, CQB, etc. Commercial milsim laster tag gear gives these abilities and even more, with adjustable ranges, infrared claymores, grenades, etc.
And, if you think laser tag guns are childish and toy-like, well think again. See our MEDIA page for the possibilities. Keep in mind, the electronics of the taggers can be removed and with some skill can be placed within almost any airsoft replica gun shell; giving the gun a replica appearance. So the only thing we're missing is the projectile, and that is easily overcome because with no projectile we can play in public parks...
So, If you are interested in experiencing what laser tag/infrared combat has to offer just let us know. We have spare taggers available for anyone that wishes to see what it is like. If you play and don't feel it is right for you, then you aren't obligated and you haven't invested in any gear, so it is a win-win!