A few simple questions - New to forums and airsoft

[nickpost]

Hello everyone!

My name is Nick and I am new to the boards as well as the airsoft community. I was on YouTube earlier watching a bunch of different airsoft war videos and it made me think, wow that would be cool if they had something like that in Michigan. I did a quick Google search and I was brought here.

I just have a few different questions, but before that let me tell you a little about me. I have owned a few cheap airsoft guns in the past and would occasionally get together with a few friends. I have always been fond of firearms and have gone to ranges a lot of the years. I also like playing online multiplayer games that focus on team based play to complete objectives. I always thought it would be cool to play in something realistic, because you can't see through walls and use cheats in real life.

My first question, which I might be able to answer if I read through all the past event listings, is how often do events occur, how many people attend, and what seems to be the median age range?

My second question is are there any competition style events, like teams based, in which opposing teams would be able to challenge eachother with varying achievements (sort of like how online games have brackets and ladders)?

My last question is, is there any place on this site, or other site that allows you to easily list events and locations so that you can search for closest ones and setup reminders for them?


The main reason is this seems like it would be a great hobby and something that could be fun. I just really don't know too much about how everything works.


Thanks in advance!
Nick

[Knief]

Hi Nick, welcome to the boards. Do yourself a solid and read every sticky in the Newbie section and everything in the Forum Rules section. Going through both will give you a good grasp both on how the game works and how these boards function.

I'll answer your first and third question together. Depending on what area you're in, there could be a public game every week or two, or you could be stuck driving a couple hours for any larger game. South East Michigan and the Kalamazoo-Grand Rapids areas seem to be the two hot spots for games. The best place to look for them is in the Event section. We don't have a system sophisticated enough to allow easy sorting or reminders, that's just on you. But just about every public game in the state will be listed there. You've got to wade through them to find games you like, but once you get an idea of who the hosts are and where they run games, it's really easy to do. Fair warning though, things do tend to slow down a bit during the summer. There are a few indoor places that stay open, but a lot of the outdoor fields either close down or slow how much they host.

As for your second question, the simple answer is no. Firstly, airsoft is a game at which it's remarkably easy to cheat. We use the honor system and it works well for the most part, but as soon as you introduce a prize for winning beyond bragging rights and a good story, people start cheating. And even if they don't, other people start accusing everybody else of cheating. Really though, if you're playing airsoft to win, you're playing it for the wrong reason. Everybody gets killed, and everybody is going to lose 50% of the time. Yeah, you want to complete your objectives and work with your team as best you can. But it's that experience you're playing for, not the win at the end of the day.

The way most games works is, sides are divided up either before game day or at the beginning of the day. If you're on a team (like The Hellfish, ODA 561, FLAK, etc), then you and all of your teammates can sign up for one side, so you all get to play together along with anybody else who happens to sign up for that side. You'll meet a lot of players that way, since you're constantly playing with different groups at every event you go to. It's a great way to get to know everybody.

[nickpost]

Yeah, I actually pretty much realized the same thing about competitions after I posted it. I was just wondering if there we normal groups or teams that had 'rivalries' with each other. But I do understand completely what your saying about people cheating (or accusing of cheating) when something is at stake, even if it's as simple as a bracket winner.

The reason I asked about the listing of events is because I am a web developer, and have built similar (far more complex) systems. Perhaps if it's something that could be useful, I could create something simple for the community (at no cost to anyone, except my time )

I'm in south-eastern Michigan (Shelby Twp to be more precise), so it looks like there may be a few that aren't too far away.

What is the average age for most players, or is there a good mix?

[Zorak]

We've had offers to do IT work for MIA before. I'm a geek myself, and it would be easy enough to start a new MIA on state of the art forum software on a dedicated host. The problem is that one day I'll walk away from the sport, or die, and there's no guarantee someone else would step up. Pro boards isn't fancy, but since it's free, we don't have to worry about anyone abandoning it.

That said, we don't own airsoft. You're free to start a site and see what happens.

[BeautifulNightmare]

How can you find a team that's looking for new members?

[Knief]

miairsoft.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=teamrec

Though don't feel like you have to be on a team. You can show up to events on your own and you'll be placed on one side or another. Really, the only point to a team is creating some contiguity between you and some friends who also play.

[Vampyre (Immortal)]

Anyway, about the age groups that play, the answer is that it depends on what type of gametype you're playing.
MilSim events are generally 18+.
Rec and Scen events have a mix of all ages 16+ some younger kids will play at these events if they have a parent that plays with them.

If you want to play with matureish adults then MilSim events are what you will want to play. However, you should play some rec games first to get acclimated with they game. Phoenix Tactical and Eastside airsoft are two indoor airsoft venues that host games often and they are around your neck of the woods.

Also, the number of players at events will vary 4.bp.blogspot.com/_D_Z-D2tzi14/S8TRIo4br3I/AAAAAAAACv4/Zh7_GcMlRKo/s400/a lot.png[/img]. MilSim games posted well in advanced generally will be around 50-70 player events and there are a few big 100+ player events every once in a while. Rec and scen events will usually have around 20-40 players, sometimes more and sometimes less.