Action Cameras - Blindshooting Buts

The Question:

Does using a live-feed device from a marker-mounted action camera count as "blindfiring" your marker?

The Arguments:

Attaching an action camera to your paintball marker can give you some amazing video footage and still photography media, that much is indisputable. However, the use of the newer live-feed systems as a way to shoot from behind cover without actually exposing your mask has become flamewar fodder in a lot of MagFed groups and it's a point of contention in scenario paintball circles as a general community.

Anti-Cornershot:

Now by this point I would think most MilSim enthusiasts will be familiar with the Cornershot system, which allows the operator to fire from a position of cover with a considerable level of accuracy. It's currently used by military and law enforcement units around the world to keep their people safe, or safer while in the line of duty so it can be established that the proof of concept is there in spades.

The issue here comes primarily from the argument that using an action camera as a jury-rigged Cornershot makes scenario play, specifically your CQB engagements, into a pay-to-win game where those who can afford cameras with a live-feed unit have an unfair advantage over the rest of the players on the field.

Pro-Cornershot:

Of course the arguments in support of the allowance of action camera Cornershots are as plentiful as their are benefits of using such a system. At a field or in a game where marker hits do not count (see: Skirmish Paintball) you have the distinct ability to return fire without any risk of actually getting shot out by opposing players barring the odd hand shot by a lucky marksman. Even in a situation where marker hits DO count, you're still presenting a smaller target since your mask, shoulder and arm are still behind cover. You may suffer from some slight video feed lag but it's something you accept as a trade-off when leaving a much smaller profile, especially while using a MagFed marker as there's no hopper hits to be concerned about.

The picture featured here (above-left) is from the Cornershot website, depicting the NLS or Non-Lethal System which advertises a Cornershot unit that has been modified specifically by the company to fit a Tippmann A-5 paintball marker. If the company's making a specific unit I think it becomes safe to say that the system IS effective and would function properly on a paintball field.

My Feelings:

Technology is a crucial part of our sport. Electronic markers and battery-operated force-feed hoppers combine lightweight units with heavy firepower. We have camera systems that some ballers already use to augment their scopes for easier viewing and more accurate shooting.

Does the Cornershot NLS count as blindfiring in my opinion? Absolutely not. It counts as "shooting from behind cover", but it allows you to view your target, and reliably aim your marker at said target. To me this negates the main blindfiring concerns where payer safety is involved. If you blindfire at a field (without visual assistance in the form of a live video feed and a SIGHTED video feed) then you cannot be sure if you're hitting your target, and you can't be sure WHERE you're hitting your target if you hit them at all.

This GIF (which I made at www.imgflip.com) really puts the final nail in the coffin, or bullet in the target of the "does using a camera still count as blindfiring" debate. To me, if your camera is a live feed, and you have it sighted properly with your marker, then you are eliminating the safety concerns which necessitate the "no blindfiring" rule. Once those safety concerns are addressed, and you can both see your target and aim your marker, you are good to go.

This won't sit well with everyone but that's okay, I like discussion. With that said, please keep any comments under this post (and I LOVE reading the comments I get) polite and on-topic. We can have a civil discussion about this can't we?

With all that said, whether you're pro or anti-Cornershot in paintball, I still advise you to keep calm, and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The Noob Baller

About Advertising - Some Serious Symbolism

Disclaimer:

1. My opinion is not your opinion, and we my never see eye-to-eye on anything. In reading this blog you will have to accept that as a universal human truth so please keep any/all comments respectful. Just because you may disagree with someone does not warrant a personal attack on them.

2. I do not support the ideals of the historical regime in question. I am simply putting forth my view on the use of certain symbols in scenario paintballing media. I understand that this topic is a very sensitive one to a lot of people and I mean no disrespect.

Onto the Article:

     I recently became part of a rather heated discussion revolving around the use of certain images in paintball advertisements such as posters, flyers etc. One symbol in particular took center stage as the debating point for the question of "what is appropriate for scenario advertising?"

     The polarizing symbol was that of Nazi Germany's swastika.

     Now, I know what many of you will  be thinking... "Josh, the use of a swastika is never acceptable under any circumstances" and I can understand your concern in the matter but I would ask you read on and hear me out while I speak from the standpoints of historical accuracy and 'symbolic equality'.

Historical Accuracy:

This should be seen as...

     First comes the historian in me saying that it is just another in the long line of controversial history references made in the modern day, no different than the debates as to whether books should have offensive terminology removed from them or altered to be 'politically correct'. This campaign has long been waged against literary works such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for their use of "nigger" and other racial epithets or against Salinger's Catcher in the Rye or Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four for inciting rebellion or encouraging poor habits. In these cases the majority decision has been that to censor these works would be to effectively attempt to censor history and that doing so would remove a level of legitimacy or period-accuracy from the book.

...no different than this.

     

     The fact of the matter here is that the swastika WAS the national flag of Nazi Germany whether we like it or not. On a much-diluted tangent, the use of a swastika to denote the German side in a historically-based scenario paintball match is nothing more than the use of an NHL team's crest to indicate their planned appearance in an upcoming hockey game. As you can see, the image posted to the right was a Facebook event cover photo for an event at PRZ Paintball which was later changed after criticisms were received for the use of a Swastika. Some individuals felt that it was in poor taste and others did not want to play on a team that could be labelled as being the 'Nazi side' as opposed to the correct 'German side'.

     Unfortunately, if you're going to attend a scenario game taking its base from any engagement in World War Two, you're technically going to be "Hitler's Nazi Germany" on one side just as much as you'd be "Roosevelt's United States of America" on the other. This is an inescapable fact, and the only way to avoid this would be to never use WW2 as a basis for a scenario game, or to only use the Pacific theatre which was equally bloody and tarnished by the mistreatment of prisoners of war.

The original (top) and edited (bottom) versions of PRZ's Facebook event page's cover photo.

     So, through the eyes of historical accuracy, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the original event cover photo as listed above. The image provides you with scenario-accurate information about the nations who were engaged in the game's historical reference point alongside information about the event's date, location and miscellaneous information.

Symbolic Equality:

     Onto talking point number two...

     Speaking ONLY of the two flags in the above images, the leaders of these nations were both (in my opinion) equally brutal. On one side you had Adolf Hitler, an anti-Semitic dictator who held his own people above the laws of the rest of mankind and slaughtered peoples he held as inferior with a death toll estimated at around 10 million over his time as fuhrer. On the other side was Joseph Stalin a tyrant whose military policies remorselessly sent millions of his own people to die in waves and then went on to murder what has been estimated up to another 1.2million people in just two years during a series of "purges" within the USSR. To me? Neither of these nations can be considered a 'good guy' in the fight.

     If neither nation can be considered a 'hero' in the conflict, and both leaders authorized the slaughter of millions to advance their agendas (honestly folks, Hitler and Stalin weren't all that different), how can we say that the Nazi 'tilted' swastika is any more a sign of evil or hatred than the USSR's hammer and sickle? Before you jump on your keyboards and bombard me with comments please note that BOTH nations:

• Imprisoned the own, and other nations' citizens unjustly.
• Murdered MILLIONS of people.
• Conducted campaigns of ethnic cleansing.
• Opposed democratic political systems.
• Opposed free-market economics.
• Tortured civilians and POWs.

     The tilted swastika on the white circle and red flag represents Nazi Germany every bit as much as the hammer and sickle have represented the likes of Stalin's Russia and Mao Zedong's China. By this method of thinking, both symbols should be held as equally offensive and yet they are not. Why is this? Because China is extremely tight-fisted regarding information control and until the end of WW2 Stalin was a 'good guy' to the Allies and well... To the victors go the spoils along with the rights to write the history books.

Food for Thought:

     So why hold the event you may ask, why conduct a game where both sides were extensions of murdering tyrants? Why? Because:

1. It is an easily identifiable winter conflict in an urban environment.
2. The destroyed buildings of WW2 Stalingrad are an easy fit with the field layout of PRZ Paintball.
3. Modern videogames have seen a growth in the references to the past, specifically to Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union while paintball has seen an influx of players coming from the videogaming subculture.

     There are scenario games of all different types held every day, with different historic or futuristic foundations held on fields worldwide. Some of these games have become quite famous like Skirmish Paintball's Invasion of Normandy held each July where there is even a judged competition of period-accurate costumes the day before the games begin and yes, this means military uniforms of ALL nations involved in the Normandy invasion.

     What I am trying to say here is that squabbling over the use of one historically accurate symbol based on the governing party and principles that party represented while ignoring a second symbol used by an equally vicious ruler is pointless. Both flags are historically accurate and if we attempt to censor history then we're going down the same roads taken by both of these tyrants. Using the flags SHOULD amount to nothing more than the listing of opposing teams and (obviously) has NO say on the thoughts, beliefs or opinions of the players on either team. If you would refuse to play for the German side with ANY justification other than "I'm of Russia heritage and wish to play on the Russian side" then you have to acknowledge that the other team's leader (speaking historically, not of the paintball game) was just as much of a murdering bastard as the other.

My Suggestion:

     Here it is folks, the last paragraph of the article. I know it's been a wordy one so I'll try to wrap things up quickly with a list.

1. The use of the official German and Russian flags should be seen as an appropriate choice for adverts pertaining to a scenario game based on and Russo-German conflict in WW2. (Historical accuracy)
2. The use of swastikas or the hammer and sickle on player apparel, markers or gear should be strictly forbidden. (Symbolic equality)
3. Game props like intelligence folders, briefcases, ammo crates etc for BOTH sides may be marked with the aforementioned symbols by event organizers but only in such a way as similar items would have been marked by the military forces involved in the scenario's inspiration battle (Historical Accuracy)
4. No hate speech of any sort is to be tolerated (Simple human decency).

     By following these four rules it is my opinion that a scenario game can be promoted and conducted with professionalism while maintaining historical accuracy. It is also my opinion that holding a historically-based scenario game demands a certain level of period-accurate representation to lend an identity to the event since we're playing with air-propelled, paint-filled, less-than-lethal projectiles which means that gaining some in-event legitimacy could use all the help it can get.

     And on that note I will leave the article to the mercy of the masses and say to everyone...

     Until next time keep calm, and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The Noob Baller

Scenario Essentials - Hello Hydration My Old Friend

I've come to talk to you again,

Okay enough of the Simon and Garfunkel reference (if you didn't get it I feel bad for you) and onto the serious topic of today's post... Staying hydrated.

It can be easy to lose yourself in the heat of battle and forget that you're a working machine that needs certain fluids to stay operational. While you're out balling on the field, your body's using up a lot of water to keep you cool, supply your organs, and keep your brain from cooking under that mask. To replenish your lost fluids I've come up with a couple of systems you might want to look into in order to keep yourself hydrated.

The Camel:

This is my personal favourite so I'm letting it take the top spot. If you're puttering around your local Canadian Tire, Sport Chek or really ANY store with an outdoor sporting goods section, you'll want to look into what's called a hydration pack or 'camel pack'.

It's a pretty simple design folks, just a rubber or plastic bladder inside a slim backpack with a long drinking tube allowing you easy access to its contents. All you need to do is fill this puppy up before you hit the field and fix the mouthpiece in a location where you can easily bring it to your lips for a drink. Do this and you're ready to rock.

I should also mention some information compiled by a few of my fellow allied soldiers for the upcoming Invasion of Normandy scenario at Skirmish Paintball, Albrightsville Pennsylvania, USA. Between Matthew Moss, Nathan Ale and Anth Connor the tested and recommended ratio for your camel pack beverage should consist of either alternating 2 units of water for every unit of Gatorade, or simply pre-mix your Gatorade with the same 2:1 H20:Gatorade ratio before hitting the field as this will keep your hydration more consistent and as we all know, consistency is key.

Of course there are other ways to stay hydrated that don't require the purchase of extra gear, and I'm about to get to those, but as I said, for ease of access and the fact that it reduces your time spent in the pits getting drinks etc, this is my personal favourite.

The MacGyver:

This one's for the players who simply don't want to bother with purchasing the  whole hydration pack and who just want to be able to nip a sip while they're out on the field. It takes a little bit of ingenuity (and duct tape) but it will provide you wil satisfactory hydration while out on the field.

Materials:

• Duct tape
• Slim Powerade Bottle (Powerade with the 'nipple valve' bottle tops will be needed)
• Pod Pack (You should have one of these anyway)
• Flexible rubber tubing
• Duct Tape (too important to only list once)
• Large Ziplock bag
• Hot Glue Gun (Optional, but it sure helps)
• Funnel

Essentially you're about to construct your own hydration pack but this one's going to be put in place of a pod of ammunition... I know, I know, how dare I suggest you sacrifice ammunition capacity but let's face it, you can't exactly be painting faces when you're passed out from dehydration and heatstroke right? Right.

Construction Procedure:

1. Drink the beverage... Why waste it right?
2. Use the hot glue gun or duct tape to seal the zippered side of the Ziplock bag.
3. Cut a triangle out of one corner of the Ziplock bag. Any corner that is NOT met by the zipper will do.
4. Glue the cut-out corner to the inside of the bottle top, making sure not to get glue into the threads.
5. Feed one end of the rubber tubing through the nipple valve and into the plastic bag, then glue it in place (applying glue around the valve)
6. Insert plastic bag into the Powerade bottle and screw on the top.
7. Place narrow end of the funnel (obviously) into the drinking end of the rubber tube and pour your beverage into the plastic bag bladder.
8. Fix rubber tubing in place up your back and over your shoulder with duct tape.
9. Sip as required.

Again, this one forces you to construct your own bladder system, but it's cheaper than buying a $30-$50 hydration pack. For the most part this thing's only going to be good for a weekend or so, but if you're only playing one long-engagement event over the summer, this might be all that you need.

Of course there's always room for improvement and innovation, and I encourage people to create their own designs but this is just a little something I constructed back when I was in elementary school as a science project... Figured its time had finally arrived :)

The Sippy Cup:

This one's dead simple but it takes more time to use on-field and therefore is less tactically sound than the other suggested systems.

As I said, it's dead simple. Buy the previously mentioned rubber tubing and powerade bottle, but don't go mucking around "MacGyvering" things. Just keep both the tubing and the filled bottle with you on the field and feed the tube up under your mask and down into the top of the bottle whenever you need a drink. This is going to require setting down your marker or using a sling for it, but it's bare bones as far as effort and cost... Just don't try to get a drink during a firefight.

Summary:

No matter what you do, staying hydrated is ESSENTIAL when playing paintball. It's too easy to forget, but too important to ignore your hydration so play it safe when you're out there slinging the paint and make sure to use either a camel pack, the "MacGyver" system, the sippy cup or simply more frequent pit stops to make sure you don't succumb to the heat and overexertion.

As for my buddies, Nate, Matt and Anth, you can check out their team pages on Facebook:

• Team Hellbent for Matt and Nate: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHellBent 
• The One Eyed Demons for Anth and company: https://www.facebook.com/oed.paintball?fref=ts

Paintball's an extremely fun sport, and it's also just as safe when people keep to the rules and wear the proper equipment. Don't let heatstroke and dehydration keep you from making the most of your marker this summer. Get out there and play, but play safe!

And as always my fellow noobs, keep calm and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The 'Noob' Baller

Fight for Asylum - Prestigious Paintballers

And the Awards Go To:

I told y'all that last weekend was going to spawn a whole series of posts... Hope you're prepared because there's a lot to get through over the next week or so.

I'm writing this post to pay homage to a couple of ballers who I witnessed running the field like they owned it. These guys (and girls) held their own, kept their squads in the fight and -when necessary- were willing to lay it all on the line to push the enemy back even through walls of enemy paint. It takes a certain something to lead others in battle, and don't get me wrong that's precisely what it is out there. It's a battle and to be able to get others to follow you and carry out your orders is a very special skill. It's because of his leadership that my first award goes to:

Smash:

Bringing home the briefcase.

Our general for the weekend, and my official 'ballin brother for life, Smash rallied our team and turned us into a paintballin' meat grinder at times. He worked the XOs to make sure that everyone knew what the objectives were, employed runners to get the messages out to the front lines when his NCOs were unavailable and kept all of our spirits up with pep talks and even came up with little personal missions carried out by splinter cell-like squads.

Smash was by no means a 'lead from the back' kind of commander though, as he frequently pushed up with our troops, forcing the enemy back with some serious cohones and firepower (buddy was packin' pods like they were goin' out of style). We had to keep begging him to back up as it was extra points for killing a general but there's just nothing you can do about it when Smash gets his head into the gunfighting zone. 

If it wasn't for this smashing young gun... Pun DEFINITELY intended, I'd probably still be wandering around aimlessly, getting lit up at every turn. He made sure that I was given a task, and that I had someone to tag along with so I'd never be far from support. For his first time as a general, I could've sworn that Smash had a little Patton in him. 

I like to say that "if the only balls you have are in your hopper, you're gonna have a bad time", and it's supposed to apply to pods and extra ammo but Smash has the stones to back up his 'ballin.

Valkyrie:

This next baller takes home the gold medal for persistence, attitude and commitment to the cause.

Valkyries are mythological figures also known as the choosers of the slain. In this case, our Valkyrie was more of an angel of mercy who fearlessly ran across the front lines to keep our shooters in the fight.

When most people think of a medic they may come up with this image of a person who spends their time behind cover, hiding from enemy fire but not our Valkyrie! No sirree-Bob she could be found wherever the firefights were hottest and even taking a First Strike sniper round to the throat couldn't deter her from her medic's duties. 

In addition to the typical wiping of war wounds, Valkyrie mentored a little guy that we came to affectionately call "Mini-Medic" or "Peanut". When things got really bad she kept him out of the worst of it, even though he was all-too-eager to be where the most paint was. More than once Valkyrie had to clean up my sorry, painted self after digging myself too deep into a shithole bunker and I count myself as damned lucky to have had her backing me up.

For anyone interested (that meaning anyone sporting a Y chromosome), Valkyrie has volunteered to be a victim of the dunk tank this summer out at PRZ for Operation Die Glocke which'll be going down August 10th and 11th. It'll be 2$ per attempt at dunking this lovely lady so if you think you've got the arm for it, ante-up and drop her down!

Juggernaut:

He's the Juggernaut biatch!

A Jack of all trades if there ever was one, Juggernaut spent his time with the 'Murican team as one of the most badass engineers ever to grace the grounds at PRZ. Mission after mission, as each new objective came down from the organizers Jugger'd be right out there, spearheading the effort. It didn't matter if it was a retrieval, assault or defence mission, Juggernaut just went to work ploughing through the Deimos forces.

I spent a couple of minutes pinned down inside a busted-up GMC Suburban when we tried to push out of the village to take the fallout zone during which he spent the entire time returning fire through partially rolled down windows and calling out targets for me as I leaned up into the driver's seat to unload on nearby bunkers. You tend to develop a certain appreciation for someone who you conduct 'drive bys' with from a STATIONARY vehicle haha.

Juggernaut was another one of the 'Murican officers who helped me develop as quickly as I did. As a reference, here's a little visual aide that might explain my mentality before/after the influence of all my commanding officers.

Left: Before (Photo Credit to Unshakeable Media)
Right: After (Photo Credit to Darlene St. Georges)

Yeah, the left side is from Saturday's battle with me looking hopeless and pinned down behind a tire/pallet bunker. I've got some obviously sloppy grip discipline, looking backwards and away from the fight, and I'm just generally in a bad spot. I spent probably 8 minutes pinned down in that same spot while guys made rushes right past me before I drummed up the courage to move. The left side of the photo comes from Sunday's final battle. I'm in the urban camo pants and black long-sleeve T, checking in with my squad as to where the enemy had guys bunkered down and organizing a suppress and advance move. I never would have had the confidence to start making calls on the field if I hadn't received the support from my team's leadership on Saturday and during the first half of Sunday.

Last, Littlest but DEFINITELY not Least:

Some people might know him as Wyatt, but to me and the squad this little dude was known by his Valkyrie-designated callsign; "Peanut".

Wyatt accepting his "Team MVP
award from General Smash

There was no doubt when it came time to ask, "who was your most valuable player?" We spent Sunday with half the medics of our opponents and one of them refused to run into anything except a clear field to help our troops... If that. Wyatt was a completely different story altogether.

When we started asking around the Command Post looking for volunteers for medic duty, Wyatt wasted no time at all throwing his marker into the ring. To be honest, no one really knew that much about him and I'd only just found out that although he's only 13, Wyatt's been balling for 3 years and when our squad ran into its first major firefight I discovered that 'Peanut' could sling paint with the best of them... And yeah, I'll admit, he was WAY beyond my skill set. He'd dash into rooms we'd yet to clear, always looking for a paintstorm. When I got pinned down by a bunch of snipers in front of the 3-story building he ran up to my aid, sharing the minimal cover of three oil drums just to make sure that I had a medic with me and that the enemy would have more than just me to shoot at.

The best way that I can think of to describe 'Peanut' would be a fearless, hyper-agile competitor because no matter how bad a situation seemed, he'd be the first guy to push the advance using his small stature and ridiculous speed to get around obstacles and across fields of fire without so much as incidental splatter much less any actual hits.

Well done Peanut, you earned that award and then some!

After the Applause:

Those were the 'Fantastic Four' of my 'balling experience. I don't mean to downplay the importance of any other team members, it's just that I spent the most time around these guys, got to know their playing styles and saw what they were really capable of. I suppose another award for "Craziest Baller in Attendance" should be given out to Dylan "Joe Dirt" Swann but that's a topic for another post... Maybe another Asylum Assassins-based release??? You never know.

That's all I have for the moment my fellow ballers. As always, keep your finger(s) on the trigger(s) and...

Keep calm and throw paint!

Joshua J. Taylor - The 'N00b' Baller