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Messages - darcness

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Michigan Commerce - Airsoft Guns Allowed / Re: WTS DE M89, Well MB03, more
« on: November 30, 2017, 02:10:30 PM »
Where are you located?  Looking at the UMP in particular.

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Hey Fergus, what's the model number on the Lancer.  I can see LT but can't make out after that.

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Newbie Discussion / Re: 82nd Airsoft
« on: October 09, 2017, 08:49:08 PM »
Honestly for a REC game, which is what most are in the state now, you can wear what you have.  There are players who go all out and do specific country kits and then there are guys who just run in civilian clothes and a crossdraw vest.  My advice for smaller rec games is to wear what YOU want.  Don't worry about the crowd and what they seem to be doing.  Do what fits your play style and your budget.  When you start getting into bigger and more milsim style games, then worry about getting yourself kit specific.

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Just wanted to post an AAR on the 82nd's field for the REC game this weekend.
Overall, once again, the event ran very well. At first teams were a bit unbalanced but that was due to RR showing up in force and a lot of newer players on the opposing team. After a discussion (thanks Steven J. Smith) with the admins, we did a "school yard" pick-em type of team balance. Worked very well and we had some really good firefights after that.

Player base was once again respectful and I heard of little to no issues with problems on the field. Events rolled off on time and there was basically no idle time waiting for the next round. In fact, I had to sit one out because I'm 38 and I can't run with these young guys as much as I used to.

Honestly this field is only getting better and I hope to see more people come out. I know it's just REC games but it's a field worth being supported. I know there has been some drama lately on the FB page, but don't let that stop you from getting out and supporting this place. It truly deserves it.

Epic play of the day: Getting surrounded by enemies in a small squad vs. squad game. Hid in a foxhole and heard multiple tangos around me. At one point an element of two tangos walked up on me, unaware. Despite my shitty HFC M9 doing it's best to suck it up, I managed to get the drop on, scare the crap out of, and kill one of the tangos before being pinned down and having to surrender. Totally made my day getting a pistol kill.

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Airsoft Discussion / Re: MIA Firestorm
« on: October 09, 2017, 08:35:38 PM »
It is pretty quiet and laid back here.  Honestly too quiet.   :-[

I do wish more people would be open to using the forums, but it's definitely feeling like fighting a losing battle.  People want to complain and tell you this or that about how the forums will never be a thing again.  When the true bottom line is about laziness.  Too many people simply don't want to take the time to post a thought out reply with some punctuation and real constructive input.  It's much easier to put a simple fragment into FB and call it a day.  Instead of actually making a change and putting in the effort, it's easier just to let the forums die.  Unfortunately I think that's where the community is as a whole today and likely moving forward.  Again this is based on the conversations I've had and witnessed on FB. 

Ask me if I think this kind of lackadaisical attitude has something to do with the current state of affairs of MIA; my answer will be ABSOLUTELY.

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Newbie Discussion / Re: 82nd Airsoft
« on: October 04, 2017, 09:14:40 PM »
Hey Centurion, welcome my man.  I've been to the 82nd field and let me tell you, it's a great place to play.  It's well worth checking out this Saturday. I'll be running around there as well.  Come say hello if you want, I'll be wearing my Darcness patch.

As for the field, it's a great place with a ton of potential.  It's still being built so it's only going to get better.  The woods are dense enough to hide in, but not so dense that you can't move around.  There are well groomed trails, 3 building areas, lots of little dugouts and plenty of space to play on.  It's going to be medium to long range engagements due to lack of hard cover.  However the owners/hosts are planning on adding a large CQB area and more buildings.

The events are organized well and run on a pretty tight schedule.  You aren't sitting around waiting forever to get back onto the field after an event or after a lunch break.  Objectives are clearly defined and different game styles keep it interesting.  Overall it's a great place to shoot some bb's.

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Glad to see this post gaining some more traction!  This is exactly what we need to do if we want to improve things.
 Canto I don't think I could have said things any better myself.  You hit it out of the park with your reply.

I agree that there are many issues with the airsoft scene here in Michigan.  The community needs to rebuild and regrow.  As Canto said, most likely from the ground up.  I think that responsibility falls not only on the hosts and organizers as Luke has said, but ALSO on the veteran player base.  We've got to put aside our differences and just make airsoft enjoyable for EVERYONE who wants to play.  Obviously you can't cater to every individual, but you can create an overall welcoming and friendly atmosphere.  You can organize effectively.  You can work with others to bring about positive changes and that all translates into better airsoft for all involved. 

Like others have said, I don't know who can take up the mantle and run with this.  Maybe it doesn't have to be an individual, but all of us just making a difference in whatever way we can.  I've tried to help Luke out a bit with getting people to check out the forums and trying to get some discussion going on the Facebook page about the state of airsoft in Michigan.  It's my small way of helping in a way which I can.  I think if we get enough people doing that, we can move in the right direction.

Edit:  One thing I really think we need to look at is the fragmentation or exclusiveness seen on the field.  I understand that you want to run with your team and most likely hang out with them outside of the game.  However look for lone players or people who look new and at least engage them in a conversation.  I saw a good example of this at the 82nd rec game a week ago.  A new player was really excited about a kill he got and tried to talk to a more veteran player about it.  The veteran player shrugged it off like it was nothing and continued to walk away.  This is just an example of what could have been a good experience that turned into a missed opportunity.  Again, we gotta do some work if we want to get there. 

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AEG / Re: LCT RPK-74M
« on: September 27, 2017, 07:55:57 PM »
Definitely a beautiful gun my friend.  I do believe you had it out for the REC game last weekend at the 82nd's field correct? 

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After Action Reports / Re: AAR: Bastards Rec Game @ 82nd
« on: September 27, 2017, 07:49:30 PM »
I have to agree with John on this one, this event was certainly a good one.  Despite the crazy high temps, I had a great time and my 38 year old arse managed to stick it out until around 3:30pm.  The staff for the 82nd team was great.  Chrono and registration went smoothly and I really like this little chrono area and range they had set up.  Also rather pleasantly surprising was the amount of stuff they had for sale (at good prices) in their little mobile shop they had set up.  Everything from mags to bb's to full AEG's (new and used).  The event itself went very well.  It was run promptly and efficiently so that we got plenty of trigger time in.  Game modes were varied and enjoyable and the field has a TON of potential.  I'm really excited to attend more events here and hope to see more of you out there.  It's well worth the price of admission.

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Michigan Commerce - Airsoft Guns Allowed / Re: WTS: Brand new KJW KP13
« on: September 27, 2017, 07:06:43 PM »
Check your KM10 posting, but I'm also interested in this.  Perhaps we can work out some kind of combo deal. 

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Hey Fergus, do you still have this for sale?  If so let me know.  Shoot me a text 810.308.9360

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Yutani and Luke, you both bring up some really good points here.  I'll try my best to respond to each of them.

I wholeheartedly agree that the newer crowd isn't getting the support it needs to thrive in the sport.  I remember back when I started playing we got a warm welcome and generally were accepted by the other players on the field.  Whether it was a rec game, an open game, or an operation as we used to call them, people were helpful, present, and accessible.  The old forum also helped tremendously with this because often times you knew people before you ever hit the field.  That takes a lot of the "anxiety" barrier down which can often lead to problems on the field.  If you don't know anyone and your already uncomfortable and then you're getting lit up with bb's on top of it, you're going to have a bad day.  That spills over into gameplay and then that attitude becomes contagious with the other players.  As veterans of the sport we have to do a better job representing ourselves and also do our parts to make these newer players more comfortable.  Teaching and leading can often be the most difficult job one can take on, but it's merits and results are unquestionable.

I agree that we need to support our local fields and hosts.  I've been to MCA's outdoor field and the turnouts are low and the atmosphere is more of a stroll in the park rather than an excitement about putting some rounds down range.  I want to see that excitement come back and see bigger amounts of people turn out for these events.  I know a lot of us who are veterans don't want to put up with the bullshit, but we might have to put on our big boy pants and wade in the mud for a bit if we want to clean this shit up.  It takes some real participation and some real work to fix a community as large as Michigan Airsoft is, but it CAN be done.  We just need the right people to maybe sacrifice a bit and put in the work to show these guys how it should be done (how it USED to be done).

I do notice that we also have a bit of an issue with a divided community.  This is nothing new, as it's always been this way.  I remember being on the green team at the beginning and being pissed off because we constantly were getting demolished by the more experienced guys on the field.  To fix this I got 3 color desert BDU's and never looked back, lol.  Honestly it's how the progression goes most of the time.  However, that doesn't mean we have to be arrogant assholes or look down on people for being new.  Look into what you can do to make the experience better for EVERYONE.  Not just the new guys and not just yourself or your team.  You can talk to even organizers about evening up the teams, try switching up sides, suggest different game styles, work with the new guys, etc.  If you start to fix the issues while they are still solvable, you avoid getting to huge blowouts that end up causing all kinds of chaos when it boils over. 

Lastly I'd just like to say that we can't forget what all this is about.  It's a bunch of people running around playing dress up, shooting bb's at each other.  Everyone is going to do things their own way and no two folks are going to want the exact same thing out of the experience.  We can't blame players or even hosts for issues that are simply out of their control.  When we start throwing around blame on venues, player base, or hosts, it ends up being a bitchfest to no where.  Instead we need to address the CORE of the issues like we are with discussions such as this.  It needs to be an overall culture change if we want to make airsoft great again.  From the veterans, to the teams, the event venues and hosts, and the new guys coming down the pipes.  All of us need to make an honest and meaningful effort.

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Off Topic / Re: What do you do for a living?
« on: September 21, 2017, 08:21:16 PM »
I work at FedEx Ground as a technician.  It's basically like skilled trades but we aren't unionized so we don't specialize.  We have a team of 6 guys who keep the terminal running 24/7 and do everything from building maintenance to repairing the automated scan tunnels.  When some one asks me what I do I say "all of the above" and it's the truth.  I've been with the company now for 15 years.  Started as a package handler, then admin, then service manager, and then into being a tech.  Promoted 3 times now as a tech so next step is management, but I'm not ready for that yet.  I like my 8 and skate too much!

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Airsoft Discussion / Re: Old Timers, chime in!!
« on: September 21, 2017, 04:23:27 PM »
Thanks for the reply Gimpalong.  I agree that Facebook has it merits.  Then again so does the forum.  That being said, we don't have to be mutually exclusive.  We can still utilize both of these tools.  We can use each one in such a way to maximize the efficiency and productivity of both, which only benefits everyone in the long run. 

I do see positive signs to the community just in the short time I've been back in the game as well.  Just the fact that we are HAVING a discussion about this is a huge first step.  As I said on facebook, you have to discuss, come up with a plan, and execute that plan.  It all starts with talking.

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Airsoft Discussion / Re: Old Timers, chime in!!
« on: September 21, 2017, 03:47:52 PM »
Hey Canto, thanks for the great replies.  I agree that the unified front that we as airsofters is what will get us through these trying times.  When it comes down to it, we are all here to shoot some bb's and have a good time.

I'm thinking it may be time to get back to basics and try to make the community a little more cohesive.  I know that's not always an easy thing to do, because as you said, the fields need to compete to turn a profit.  However, I don't think it has to be a field/organizer specific thing.  I think the veteran and active players just need to put aside some of their differences and teach the new generation a thing or two. 

I'm doing what I can to maybe try to spark some conversation here on the forum because I think if we can get that going, it might help kickstart some traffic and get people feeling part of the community again.  Facebook can seem so disjointed and impersonal and I miss how active the old MIA forums used to be.

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