2 vs 2 prep game

[HBWW]

Type: 2 vs 2 Elimination
Location: Me and Frank's house
Players:

ASS:
-Me: CPS 1000, Max-D 3000, 1 water bottle
-Eric: CPS 1200
vs:
Ultima:
-Mike: CPS 2700, 1 water bottle
-Frank: CPS 2100, 1 water bottle

Score: 7(Ultima) to 3(ASS)

"Yeah, we're just filling water balloons today for the game tomorrow."

Actually, we were doing our delayed 2 vs 2 we were supposed to have last Wednesday. Also, I realised I couldn't find my water balloons this morning for filling, so we just did the game anyway.

Basically, we were switching around bases quite a bit. Mike and Frank probably did a bit better keeping up with each other and coordinating attacks. We lose many of the first few rounds, then get 2 or 3 wins in a row. My methods of taking cover were crap at start and got a bit better later, but still didn't do that well against Mike's speed and shot dodging. He does it pretty good too, and combined with a high range gun, it wasn't too easy to attack him. As for Frank, I got him with my pistol (Max-D 3000) once, but another time I kept focused on attacking him, which Mike used to sneak up and get a kill on me.

We had to do some modifications with the rules since it was getting pretty annoying deciding hits, and I'm still not set on how we should do it. We switched from fist sized (regardless of how well the shot was filled), to anything obvious and noticeable. Overall, it was still kind of hard, but once we choose how we do it (I'm thinking to reverting to fist sized or larger anything, including streams of droplets, but I don't think they were really following that when we started), it should work better tomorrow.

On another one of our wins, me and Frank were out, leaving Eric and Mike to fight each other. Eric made good use of my sandbox turtle shell as a shield, which did pretty well in detering Mike's shots. Eventually, Mike got in range and Eric got a kill. On the times we lost, it was often because my suicide charges into Mike didn't work out too well. It was often hard to get him off guard and to get in range. However, I did manage to sneak by a pine tree and catch him hiding there, but we both got killed. Another time, we were dogfighting near Frank's playground, and I duck down below and fired a shot that hit Mike just milliseconds before his hit mine.

Onto the rest of the game, they would employ divide and conquer tactics fairly well, but Mike's speed and dodging accounted a lot, if not for most of their wins too. One would take one side and Mike would try to get around and hit them as we're getting Frank. (though Eric usually got Frank pretty well)

Overall: Rate of fire and capacity issues were virtually gone here. I probably went down to no lower than 25% capacity for each fight, but I think that could be improved if I was faster, more accurate at hitting one who's dodging, and getting in and out of effective range fast enough. However, since I'm not so fast, and he had somewhat better range, I had to strictly resort to rather different tactics. (sneaking, taking cover, etc.) The thing here is, I need a gun that's easy to handle and has decent range. I would opt to use a backpack, but because of the lack of availability of them as well as the potential of their weight, I'd probably avoid them, at least for now. However, since the game tomorrow will probably last longer, I definately need to conserve better and improve my stealth. (At the least, the CPS 1000 has rather subtle colors compared to other guns, though the standard pink nozzle doesn't help. At the moment, camo painting or even simply placing a tarp over the gun is not an option)

One thing the others probably won't know tomorrow however, are my plans to do light K-mods on both my 1200 and 1000. The last time I attempted a K-mod, the PRV went off with 2 pumps at only 15 balloons, which was on the 2100. I have some doubts as to how well it'll work on my other 2 guns but it's well worth a try. Because I'm paranoid, and might not always count my pumps, I'm currently kind of against a PRV removal/disable.

And you might have noticed by now that I'm only posting my stories here. I'm just not into keeping track of parallel topics, and most people here use all 3 major soakerdom forums anyway. (SSC and WWc) However, if anyone wants to repost this or any of my stories, just let me know and give credit, just the usual stuff.

Hmm... I've also really got to change how I write them up, they're never in order nor make much sense, I'm just posting fragments of battle and randomly throwing them together as well as I can remember.



Edited By C-A_99 on 1182546335

[DX]

Sounds like great fun! You're certainly not alone with trouble deciding kills. We had a pretty bad dispute in our most recent war, as our direct hit clause was very vague. We do both direct and fist-sized and though a direct shot does not have to be fist-sized, it can't be splatter either.

There are only a few ways to counter agility - obviously that is a nice advantage. My main focus at the beginning of the season was making the RM much more agile than Waterbridge, something you know you've accomplished when you're almost winning 3v5's while backed into open corners. :laugh: Anyway, you can counter agility with tech, agility, and ambushes:

Tech - K-modded guns would be ideal. That mod increases both range and stream speed. Those make the perfect combo for hitting a speed demon. Heavier is better, though light will still give you a decent boost. However scary it sounds, 80-90 balloons would absolutely kick dodger ass, unless the person is really good. The other way tech can be used very well against dodgers is powerful homemades or water cannons. The range, stream speed, and sheer output of a water cannon allows it to soak whoever and whatever you're aiming at/near. Unfortunately, you only get one shot every century or so.

Similar agility - self explanatory. If you learn to match enemy dodging ability and reflex speed, you'll find it much easier to get shots on them while staying alive yourself. Not everyone can use the following method, but it is worth a tray - emulate their ability. If you watch a really good dodger and copy their moves and natural signs/feelings, you may slowly or quickly pick up similar ability, even if you've got horrible reaction time normally. The key is emulation of everything they do, not just the physical motions. Watch body language when the person first starts to move - what are they thinking? Imagine that you've got a window into their head and can probe into their thoughts in real time. When you know what they think when they go to dodge, you can predict what they will do next. If they start to move right before you tap the trigger, then fake the tap and tap it again for real. That may work if your enemy dodges early. The most skilled dodgers actually make their move while the stream is in the air and nearly on top of them. That way, the shooter can't try to fake them out. If your enemy has that kind of reaction time, then sweep your stream unexpectedly. Not only that, but rush forward when you sweep it, so you stay in range.

Ambushes - Obviously, you can kill the enemy without giving them a chance to dodge. Well-executed ambushes may be key. If the enemy catches on after a while, you can switch things up. After many normal ambushes, try a Real-False Ambush, where part of a team gives away their own ambush in an accidental manner so that the other part of the team can hit the distracted enemy with a second ambush from another direction. This is a very complex and sophisticated tactic, but it has stunning results if you pull it off. Even if you screw it up, the enemy becomes pincered, so it's a win-win tactic! You can also try an Ambushers' Pincer, where you split and hide. When the enemy passes through the middle of your position, both ends pop out and instantly pince the enemy. There's also the Distraction Ambush, where part of your team does something to keep the enemy focused on them, while the rest move behind the enemy for the kill. Distractions can include taunting, skirmishing, throwing purposely inaccurate water balloons, even dancing.

As for your k-mods, the 1200 and 1000 should be able to take many more balloons than the 2100. My 12K still got 13 pumps with 45 balloons on the thing - it now gets 19 pumps with 25 balloons and range around the 50ft mark. In order of high pressure limit, the 1200 is better than the 1000 which is better than the 2100.

Hopefully some of that advice was useful.

Can I post the account of this battle on SM?



Edited By Duxburian on 1182561573

[HBWW]

If you'd like to repost this, go ahead.

I've actually tried a little dodging (both before and during the game), but my mind sometimes acts weird and I might try to do too many things at once. (or dodge the wrong way out of impulse) Physically, the main problem I seem to have is running long distances at a time, but now I'm not nearly as worried about that is I am about speedy feet that can zip out in a flash. He's a pretty good dodger, even as I flash my shots around to cover better area, he usually is just barely in range and then slips out. (well that seems to happen often, with anyone)

I will carry on the k-mods, but don't want to risk making a gun easier to bust just for a few kills. (in other words, I'm not doing a PRV disable/removal) Another thing I can do is get some bike tubing for the CPH. If those guns and k-modded guns get just a few feet less than the cannons, it's probably still better.

I was thinking of a false retreat during the game, as well as "wait and fire when they walk by". Due to lack of patience however, that often doesn't happen and me and my friend would usually advance. (they're also pretty quick and could fire just as quickly getting by) Perhaps it's the setup of the cover available at my battlefield, there's a lot of open area, and so, as much as you or other players might hate them, I'm going probably use shields. (most likely the big type where I can deploy and set up a firing position at)

Onto other tactics (particularly ambushes), they seem to be on guard really well most of the time. Stealth (which often means tiptoing by bushes as quietly as possible, not letting even the water in your reservoir swish around) has worked a few times (including the pistol kill I made), but I still could improve it, though I learned a lot from this game. (i.e. look through the tree instead of around it)

Well, in a nutshell, I need to fix up my impulses. (if that made any sense) It almost caused a friendly kill once (but my bad aim meant that the stream went over the other guy's head instead of on it) I also need to work on stealth and coordinating those ambushes and tactics you always say about, but I never really get to apply. At the least, tomorrow, there's going to be more people, those who don't dodge like their commander does. That's my chance to get some kills off them and get through.

Edit: Now I'm having trouble getting my 1200 open. I'm not exactly sure how to get the large nozzle cap off, but I take it I should just keep pulling and twisting on it till it comes off.



Edited By C-A_99 on 1182611138

[DX]

Pry the 1200 nozzle cap off with a flathead screwdriver, regardless of whether it is glued. I got mine off after only a minute of careful prying.

Running for distance doesn't really matter for a fast action battle. Football or soccer style sprinting is much more useful, where you can change direction and change speed very quickly.

If you are going to use a shield, you don't want a large one in the face of a more mobile enemy, at least in theory. If you use a very large shield, the enemy is supposed to counter by rapidly moving around your position and possibly jump-shooting if you crouch down. At a pool party last month, I actually got a guy in the upper back from a high jump shot that cleared his shield. Instead of a big shield, I'd use a medium, light one. Instead of being forced onto the defensive in a turtle-like situation, you could block only the shots coming in and remain standing and mobile. The best shield, IMO, is simply your gun. It can only block shots and that's all you need to do - you could block a shot while attacking without actually pausing your attack. Even though I prefer dodging, there are times when I do use my gun to block shots. It doesn't work that well against big streams though.

If you are worried about impulses, you might want to practice. Have somebody shoot at you and dodge the shots. Make a mental note of what went well and what went wrong [nice w's there :laugh: ] and then do it again. This time, you'd try to not make the previous mistakes. Everyone mis-judges the direction sometimes. I often dodge into the incoming stream by accident, but when that happens, you have to be able to dodge back out before it hits. First learning to double dodge can be really awkward. I can do that naturally, so there's no problem, but I've seen people try it and go way too slowly. If you go one way and pull back, the motions have to be extremely quick and jerky. Again, practice helps greatly with that.

[Adrian]

Small scale fights, especially mixing up standard teams, are a great way to prepare for a larger war. Before our final Water War we drilled pretty much every other night for two months at the local playground, around the house, everywhere. 4 guys, and we'd mix it up so occasionally people would fight together who'd be fighting each other in the War. Great times. Never underestimate the fun-factor of a small scale fight.

Adrian

[HBWW]

Well, another battle today. About 12 people were invited, at least 6 were supposed to show up, and we got 4. People either didn't reply to my invitations at all, but someone's birthday party had a good deal to do with it. Yes, no one told me about any parties until 2 days before this, so I decided to carry on.

Score was about 5 or 6 to 8 today, 2 vs 2, but the teams got mixed quite a bit. It was pretty much the same as yesterday but this time it was mostly me and Frank vs Mike and Jerry. (Eric had to go to his cottage) Most of the time, Frank was carrying the 2100 (even though I urged him to take the 15-balloon 12000), while I carried my 10-balloon 10000, Max-D 3000, and 2 water bottles this time. Mike used his Blastmaster 660 for the first game, but ditched it for the 12000 because of the lack of range. Jerry used the 2700 most of the time.

We did our usual base alternations, with one attacking the other. Moving up along the bushes was nearly the same as yesterday, though I probably did a bit better advancing along stealthily. On our first win, I went out, danced, beat boxed, and acted stupid cause it was funny and it seemed to make a good distraction to cover up attacks. (though I forgot how it was carried out exactly) My aim was still quite off (either out of range, or tap shooting when I should've used solid shots since he was in range), and still, some suicide charges and sneak ups didn't work on Mike, while a few others did.

My dodging might have been slightly better, while my attempts to attack while under cover never worked as well due to range. Mike often stayed in the open, charging in and out of range, just as he often did yesterday. My attempts to set up ambushes and try to lead the targets anywhere were futile. The best way to go about might have been to try to take out Jerry first, then suicide charge into Mike, but since they weren't far apart that often (and sometimes had us surrounded), it wouldn't have really worked.

Well thats about it, the next step would be a good soaking to those who didn't make it nor say anything about it, and just to those who deserve one.