OP FREEDOM II A.A.R

[CREEPER™]

Here we go guys, lets hear it ALL!! The good, the bad, and then some more of the good!   I only had a couple pics, but I will try to post them later.  Personally I had a great time!  We got to meet LOTS of new faces, and play along side some great guys.  So lets put our thoughts up here and tell us what we did right, and let us know where we use improvement!  Thanx for coming out today!!

[regabond]

Love playing with about 90% of you guys, however, the other 10% utterly ruins the games for me. I highly doubt I'll come back to another game for at least another year or two. I can probably say that most of the MS-TAC members that have come with feel the exact same way.

The largest issue would be the spy incident. This would not of been a problem at all if the possibility of this situation was mentioned in the briefing and rules for the game. And I must say that the spy was very lucky that our grenadier wasn't in the base at the time and that my gun's gears had stripped 2 minutes prior.

Spy,
you sir, whoever you actually were, are a very poor sport and give airsoft players a bad name.

[THunter124]

I do believe that that was airforce, and he actually messed up my knee pretty good when he came running in there and jumped on me, the thing is swollen and tender today. I personally didn't have that much fun in combat situations(unless I was just doing one of my kamikaze runs), because for the most part all the us forces did was either turtle forward or take a position and retreat when one of em got shot, there was bassically no pushing from the OFFENSIVE team, hell in the last game the op-for just up and drove them all the way to their spawn. If they had actually been engaging the op-for as an offensive team the game would have gone a whole lot smoother, as for the most part us of ms-tac were staying back to prepare ambushes because we were on defense, but instead we would wind up just sitting in our holes and nothing would happen. The whole thing just turned into a sniper/camp fest because none of the us forces would man up and try to advance.

the worst part was at the last part of the scenario, I had enemies within 30ft of me at one point, and I can hear everything they are saying "theres no way we are going to get past them over here, lets just go around". They didn't try to hold the ground, push forward anymore and only took a couple potshots through the thick brush at us, and decided they would never get through it the choke point and left.

because of all that this SCENARIO was a bust, but hanging out and running around was still fun

[ARGYLE ASSASSIN]

One thing that would have seriously helped was a time limit for the offensive units to take each prison.  Say once they gained the first base, we reset the clock.  As far as the spy incident, I agree that it should have been made known someone might try it, but to call out who did it and say they used bad sportsmanship or were playing dirty should be left off of the boards.  In my personal opinion, if they hadn't had used the spy they would have never gotten control of the first prison.  Overall, I think it was still a great day.

[Joker]

Well originally the way the last scenario was supposed to play out was having defensive players be able to take 2 kills then be eliminated as many other attack and defend games are played.  This would limit the engagement in the wooded areas then lead to a hard-core battle at the base.  This IS what Dynomut said at the beginning of the game and after lunch, but not at all how it ended up playing out... My team of U.S. guys not only drove back wave-after-wave of OPFOR guys through the bog, but ended up being within about 200 feet of your base.  The problem we had was that we killed the same group of people probably 5 times.  We'd kill them, move forward, they'd walk back to the base, respawn almost immediately and come back at us... when we got that close it was almost laughable to see a guy I just killed walk into the base, point at where he got killed and come running at us with 3 or 4 more guys.  Combine that with the fact that I personally killed at least 8 or 9 people IN your base who were taking pop shots only to see them put a rag on and point in the direction of the gun fire... They would remove the rag and I or one of my guys would kill them again...

There was literally NO PENALTY for your team getting killed whereas our team had to walk WAY back to respawn... Of course you would end up pushing us back.  Ultimately, and I can only speak for my group,  we were slaughtering OPFOR guys right and left, (by the way AWESOME JOB guys) but eventually you do run out of bbs and patience when you see that there is really no end to the opposition.  I've never seen an attack/defend game played with UNLIMITED respawns of the defending forces...

Again, I had fun and this is not me saying anything was unfair per-say, (personally I like racking up around 20-30 kills) but these are things that might need to be looked at in the future.  Good game, great players, and I look forward to playing with you guys again!

[regabond]

Just to point a little something out, OPFOR was forced either by squad leads or commanders to retreat to give the offensive team some breathing room and a chance to strike back. Although OPFOR was taking some serious casualties. Wouldn't have a clue about respawn problems and such as I was mostly on the frontline only.

I think if the defender's respawn rule was enforced or made more known in the first game things would of been better. But only if a set time limit was also enforced for each game.

As for calling someone out. No there's no reason to say any names unless you have you zero doubt as to who it was and even then specific names don't need to be mentioned. But in general, players who pull low and even cheating stunts off should be made note of or else there is no discouragement to playing dishonorably. If dishonest players get rewarded be "Great Game, you played well" type talk they'll continue doing it and that type of behavior is what turns people away.

[tons of fun]

Just to point a little something out, OPFOR was forced either by squad leads or commanders to retreat to give the offensive team some breathing room and a chance to strike back. Although OPFOR was taking some serious casualties. Wouldn't have a clue about respawn problems and such as I was mostly on the frontline only.

I think if the defender's respawn rule was enforced or made more known in the first game things would of been better. But only if a set time limit was also enforced for each game.

As for calling someone out. No there's no reason to say any names unless you have you zero doubt as to who it was and even then specific names don't need to be mentioned. But in general, players who pull low and even cheating stunts off should be made note of or else there is no discouragement to playing dishonorably. If dishonest players get rewarded be "Great Game, you played well" type talk they'll continue doing it and that type of behavior is what turns people away.

Just a little something to point out.
A. U.S. was outnumbered almost 2 to 1 and at any given time 3-5 U.S. guys were at the vehicles due to guns completely shutting down. so about 14 on 30.
B. The field is naturally given to defense, plus bunkers and all the spots U.S. had to go through were wide open with minimal cover.
C. The U.S. had to run all over the field to find a p.o.w. while the OPFOR got to move up and set major defensive positions.
D. No one on the U.S. knew where the SAM site was because it was placed in a general direction from our respawn so we had to search for it while being majorly outnumbered and constantly attacked.
E. The U.S. guys had to walk the entire field to get to respawn whereas the OPFOR had very close respawns, and at the end they respawned as much as they wanted while U.S. guys had to go through thick brush and across two steep creek enbankments to get to a respawn only to have to cross them again to get back.
F. alot of the guys on OPFOR took shemaghs off so U.S. guys were getting attacked by guys in hats
G. There were multiple incidents where OPFOR guys didn't call their hits.

I find it funny that you aren't seeing the U.S. guys complain about the game, but the team who had everything in their favorare the ones complaining. lol As far as the whole spy thing, It happened, it worked and in my opinion is fair game since alot of the OPFOR took their shemaghs off.

Regabond: I think people complaining and making a big deal out of small stuff is what makes the game not fun and gives a bad name to the game. And there is nothing more dishonest in what those US guys did than someone not calling a hit or taking off their shemaghs in a game.

THunter: I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to jump on you like that, and you'll probably get an apology from him when he reads this. As far as being boring, we can't help that it took so long to go through open areas, being flanked by twice as many defenders as there were good guys. it happens. and also, if you think you didn't have much fun, try being outnumbered in the open and having to walk a half mile for respawns lol.

That all being said. I think the OPFOR guys should think about the circumstances before getting all mad about slow gameplay and such. Also, I think ALL of us(OPFOR AND US) know that stuff happens at games that aren't planned, and remember that it's just a game and that it doesn't affect everyday life. We know things to fix for the next game, so lets put all the junk behind us and move on.

[regabond]

I agree that not calling hits and taking off uniforms are just as bad as anything as I know it was happening on both teams which was really unfortunate. We personally had no problem with team killing anyone who decided to take their uniform off we even warned people.

Sorry man, I just don't consider not calling hits and switching teams as small stuff.

Please note that I'm not saying anything bad about either team as a whole. I know there was some messed up stuff on both ends which really detracted from the overall experience. This is an AAR and the only way to improve is to point out the problems. No reason to improve the stuff that worked.

[THunter124]

If I'm not mistaken the third part of the scenario we did have unlimited respawns, as far as the second part was concerned, I did nothing pretty much and then airforce landed on me XD, the entire time was I waiting and saving my respawns for their final push up the hill

[BARRICADE]

Guys I am sorry for the 2 guys that snuck into the base, but They came by me in the safe zone and I let them go in like that to kinda get the game rolling and make a small twist... After all if you guys knew that this was going to happen, they would have been easily seen.. Also I made sure that they had the MARPAT and ACU pants on.  They ALSO did not carry a Weapon other than the pistols.  That should have been to BIG things noticed...  Got to keep your heads on a swivel and notice the details.  The fact of the situation, is that in the real world, if in a tight situation, the other side will strip clothing off of the dead to wear as a disguise to get an edge on the enemy.  See the movie "Behind Enemy Lines."

ALSO  I definitely didn't know that there was going to be actual gunfire less than the 30 FT MED Limit.  Now they could have gotten a few silent kills up close before the rest of you figured it out or they could have drawn on enemy at a farther distance.  It was just that a lot of stuff happened with that twist that should not have happened. 

I am sorry that this happened, and we will DEFINITELY look into this more, and This being the first time this field was tested with a large crowd, we are able to determine what needs to be done at the field to make it a better field and more manageable...  After all, there is never a perfect game, because someone will always be unhappy.

I also heard about the issues with dead rags, CURSING, small Threats, and a few UNIFORM misunderstanding.  I apologize for this, but at larger events, it is hard to be at every spot of the field.  We are still working out the kinks.

I am a very competitive kinda guy, but with airsoft, I look at it as a sport to make friends, Not enemies.  We are all out here for the same reason and that is to enjoy it.  So do as I do and take it as a grain of salt.
PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO STATE ALL ISSUES WITH THE GAME, FIELD, AND STAFF.

THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING!

[CaptKirby]

Here is my $0.02.
A) My brother and I for the most part had a great time.

B) Thought the idea of a shop and swap event afterward was a great idea and would like to do this at all future events.
    a) I think this can also be improved. Maybe have people bring some tables so that everything can be put out for all to see.

C) There were people not calling their hits on both sides. Which is gonna happen due to the nature of the sport and people not wanting to die.
    While this is dishonorable not much can be done besides stressing calling your hits at each game and hope people listen.

D) I was not personally involved in the "spy" event, and I am glad. This is because if I was it would have made me upset, and here is why.
     a) It is a foundational part of airsoft that you don't try and deceive your enemy as to which team you are on because unlike the military it is impossible to know who all is on your team and thus impossible to detect a spy. It would be no different than me switching to my MARPAT and walking into the US base and killing everyone there. It simply is not fair. I understand what you were trying to do Barricade, but I think that kinda change should not be done on the fly. That way all the implications can be thought through and discussed by those running the OP.  Also, the rule was also said that you could not bang out groups of people and this was not followed. So either allow them to do it, or if it happens on the field simply say this is not allowed.
     b) If your gonna have a spy everyone needs to be specifically told this is a possibility so that they can make an extended effort to know who the spy would be. However this can cause problems because people would undoubtably kill their own team on accident thinking their were a spy.
     c) To address the headgear problems. I thought it was well vocalized that everyone should have one. However I don't think it was well in-forced. If you are going to make that the distinguishing factor then you should not let any OPFOR on the field if they don't have it on. Also, they should be sent back to the spawn point or to the cars if they take it off. I believe it is as important as the spy issue or calling hits.

E) Having the number 2 to 1 would have been fine had the roles been reversed. You should always have more people on offense then defense. I believe this should have been changed at the lunch break. I personally think the teams should have been changed, but if you don't want to changed teams at least change roles.
     a) As far as not being aggressive because you had to walk a lot, it happened on both sides at different parts in the day. In the first game when the OPFOR was being aggressive they had to walk all the way back to their base as well.
         1) I believe this can be fixed by introducing multiple spawn points. Perhaps have multiple "bases" and steps along the way; once the US take these points, they can then spawn from them. It will encourage them to be aggressive and reward them for a job well done.
         2) Also, if you are the team with less people you must strike in force and move quickly. That way while you might have fewer people over all you would have more in that specific fight and allow you to push through that specific point. Then if you move quickly you can catch them off guard and push through to the objective.

F) I really like the land I am calling the "bowl" (the land that was played the second half of the game and played at the end). I think this land has a lot of promise and can be used for various types of objectives. While I enjoyed playing on the main portion of the land I think it needs some work (adding some cover and intermediate bases and such to make it easier to move).

G) While it was not a problem and the sign-in process overall went smoothly, I think if each person is having to pay to play at the event that the event staff should have plenty of forms available in case of last minute guests or someone forgetting their form.

H) I liked having the raffle, as well as, the amount of raffle prizes.

I)  I enjoyed seeing, talking, and hanging out with everyone that I have over the months and years become friends with, as well as meeting new people.

J)  Overall I had a great time and WILL come back again. I hope we can all work together to learn from all mistakes and make the next event that much more fun.

[BARRICADE]

I can say that I agree with what you said CaptKirby and well said!

We will Definitely work on these details. 

[tons of fun]

I agree that not calling hits and taking off uniforms are just as bad as anything as I know it was happening on both teams which was really unfortunate. We personally had no problem with team killing anyone who decided to take their uniform off we even warned people.

Sorry man, I just don't consider not calling hits and switching teams as small stuff.

I agree 100 percent about the hits. That drives me absolutely insane when people don't call their hit. as far as the shemagh if they were off we had no way of knowing they were opfor til they lit us up so we just thought they were ours. As far as the switching sides thing, i think they way it was done(them wearing U.S. pants and only having pistols) is acceptable. if the OPFOR had pulled that on me, i think i would've kicked my self for not noticing the difference and laugh about it later. I can see your side of things too though.

[CaptKirby]

  The problem with this is that the cammo restrictions were not totally the deciding factor. It was the shemagh. We had a couple guys on our team that had part digital(MARPAT) cammo. So there is no real way to tell the difference between a spied US force and a guy that just does not have matching cammo.

  So really we just need to come up with a distinguishing factor such as the shemagh and then require it be enforced as well as not allow people to wear that distinguishing factor unless they are on that team. If all the cammo restrictions and shemagh rules had been followed I agree it would not have been as big of a deal.

  I like the shemagh idea because it allows us to more easily balance teams. If they are unbalanced you simply have a couple people take off a shemagh. Also allows people to be on US or OPFOR with out having to buy more cammo.

[BARRICADE]

  The problem with this is that the cammo restrictions were not totally the deciding factor. It was the shemagh. We had a couple guys on our team that had part digital(MARPAT) cammo. So there is no real way to tell the difference between a spied US force and a guy that just does not have matching cammo.

That should have been enforced, and they should have been on the US FORCES....NO EXCEPTIONS!  Sorry that was not enforced... DEFINITELY WILL BE!!!