Downpour 2013 - Official War Planning Thread

[HBWW]

The other issue is that file transfers can take 2 hours, and some batteries don't last that long, although I don't think DX's MacBook should have issues despite how old it is.

School varies I guess. I almost never stayed up past 1 in HS, and never really needed to in college, I just happened to during that time.

@scott: I contemplated bringing the 3DS because I just got Donkey Kong Country Returns on it, but figured it wasn't worth the trouble at all.

[DX]

My battery life has fallen to about 6.5, 7 ish hours. It is still sufficient for everyday use. Scott, please don't forget to bring the jacket.

[HBWW]

I think he's good on the jacket and my 32gb flash drive. I probably drove him nuts after sending that 2nd PM about the flash drive lol.

[scottthewaterwarrior]

I have CA99's Flash drive, and both DX and Kieth(?)'s jackets. They are already in the car, so unless we suddenly decide to take I different car (I hope not because it is already 1/3 packed), I will have the stuff.

Only thing I'm really worried about is that I am pretty sore. I was trying to get in a last minute work out yesterday (sprinting with a CPS 1000) and pushed myself a little to hard. I feel a little better today, so worst come to worse I will just have to take it easy Friday night so I am ready Saturday. I can push through pain pretty well though, once after 4 back to back games with my school soccer team, I couldn't even jog. I wasn't even in pain, my body simply wouldn't move!
Long story short, besides broken bones, I'm pretty hard to stop. I'll limp around dug hill if I have to!

[SEAL]

And just like that, the eve of the third annual Downpour is upon us. Unfortunately we seem to have suffered a bit of an attendance drop. None of my local friends can make it, and Poseidon has not contacted me for a few weeks. If LinWarrior doesn't come, we might be down to like 6 or 7 people again. It's more than a little discouraging, especially considering how many people I invited to this.

But anyway, I'm going to start packing later today. I already got everything together, so all I have to do is stuff it in the car. Despite the lower numbers than expected, we should still have a good time. Saturday is supposed to be nice, though I am kind of worried about Sunday because it says 50% chance of thunderstorms. I seriously hope that doesn't happen. If it does I'm going to change the name of this war to "Soakin' in the Sun" or something, assuming I actually do it again next year.

By the way, I timed myself eating breakfast this morning. At a rather slow and leisurely pace (basically my normal eating speed), it took me under 20 minutes to finish. And it was a pretty big breakfast. Thus I conclude that setting aside an hour for lunch is completely unnecessary.

Looking forward to seeing you guys. If you need anything, feel free to call me. Everyone should have my number, and I'm keeping the phone on me all day. Scott, if you have room, it doesn't hurt to bring extra "unusual" blasters. I don't know how many we'll have. I'll probably have just enough for my crew, but likely no one else.

[DX]

LinWarrior can't make it, I'll just have Sam.

[scottthewaterwarrior]

Nuts, looks like a lot of people can't make it, this sucks! Oh well, still looks like it will be a fun weekend. Maybe we can get parents to play a round or two.

I would ask why half the people have dropped out, but I am about to head out the door right now, so it will have to wait until I get there.
See you'll soon!

[DX]

Ethan - he's like 12
LinWarrior - couldn't get out of job interviews in time
Seal's local friends? - would rather play with Nerf SS
Bela? - scarred from the mere memory of me

[SEAL]

No, my local friends would rather go to rodeos and graduation parties. And if Poseidon can't come, why the heck can't he tell me??? Oh well...

I'm planning to get to Wilson at around 4PM to scout out fighting areas and set up the tents. See you guys there!

[Drenchenator]

I've run into a problem with my travel plan. I've been planning to arrive tonight around 11:30, but I've just noticed that the campground closes to check-ins after 9 PM. So I'm coming tomorrow morning, arriving by noon.

[HBWW]

There's no, or almost no service at the campgrounds, much less data. First community war w/o service, heh.

[SEAL]

Alright, at this point it doesn't look like I'm going to be hosting this anymore. I am so sick of the ever-present rain, things always going wrong, and lack of interest/numbers. (Invited around 25 people; 7 showed up, and most of the time we only had 5 or 6.) I'm still coming to Frozen Fury and probably other wars next year, but I don't want to do Downpour any longer. It's been too much of a hassle for not enough in return. I don't think this war was bad (better than last year), but I was definitely expecting much better. It could have been so great. Maybe I'll start hosting wars again in the future if we get more interested members, but for now I'm out.

I'd like to give a HUGE thanks to Drenchenator, Duxburian, CA99, and scottthewaterwarrior for showing up. I'm really sorry that it didn't turn out as I had envisioned it.

Oh yeah, and all my primaries now have something wrong with them.

[marauder]

Well, I'm really looking forward to hearing about what happened. From Rob's texts it sounds like it was a lot of fun.

Let's be honest about this. It's amazing that we even have community wars. Our attendees are driving, or in Sam's case flying, across the country to come to these. I just got denied a transfer to UNC Charlotte, so I will be stuck in Mississippi for 2 more years until I graduate, so I will probably only be able to make 1 war a year until 2015, and I will have to fly like Sam. The closest active member to me is the oncoming storm, who lives 7-8 hours away. We are just so spread out. Vermin War attendance was high because we had a lot of local people who were interested. Even then, it was typical to invite 60 people or more. We had a 1/3rd attendance rule. Expect only 1/3rd of the people you invited to actually make it.

With that being said, perhaps the best solution is to look into holding a war closer to where people can make it. We already know we can count on you, DX, Scott, CA99, Drench, and your brothers. We have Wetmonkey, Linwarrior, and Poseidon all in NYC. Atvan's in PA, Neptune's in NJ, and Belisaurius is in Baltimore. I would honestly talk to these guys and make it a serious point to find out if scheduling an event in NYC or NJ would make it likelier for them to be able to make it. I know Wetmonkey and Belisaurius love water wars, but their jobs are no joke and often require weekend work. I think they'd be a lot more likely to make an event in their area where they could drive or take a bus to and back for the day rather than having to camp out for 4 days (the rest of you still could).

Also, I think we are missing out on a HUGE opportunity by not showing up at this NYC soakfest. If it was me I would show up with WWN t shirts and stickers and make it a point to meet people and advertise. Single out people who are using serious guns and invite them to the board and to our events. There's 600 people going, that's huge. I would also like to rent a booth at Comicon or something similar. As DX always says, "half breed nerds." Water gun fights and blasters are much more likely to be attractive to people who are into star wars, cosplay, or lego (as teens or adults) than to the average populace. With some kind of witty activities, like a firing booth or dunking booth, featuring rare old school blasters and cosplay paintjobs we could get a lot of people interested. Our problem here is not a lack of good ideas but a lack of resources. Another example of this is the fact that I can't do youtube video reviews at the moment because I have to find batteries strong enough to power my camera. Even once I get this done I still have to face the fact that there are no new BBT guns bigger than Crickets and Steady Stream 2s to be found anywhere close to where I live, so I'd either be reviewing crappy nerf guns or old models.

[HBWW]

My quick take without degenerating into a full war report:

First, I've learned to not give two shits about attendance anymore. I learned from local wars to appreciate even 1v1v1 games. The rain is something we all knew was coming. I will admit I was horrible at preparing for it (I did a lot of things last minute without really thinking), but it didn't prevent me from getting through. For some reason, I seemed to be less tolerant of mud and rain than I was at MOAB though.

It was great getting to know everyone a little better too. Many thanks to SEAL's parents/grandparents for all the food and water to keep us going. At this war, I learned to appreciate the beauty of simplicity. Camping in the woods with no cell phone service nor internet access, sleeping in a tent, and fighting with as little gear as possible. Live and play simply. My movement and dodging improved significantly in this war, although that's not as well reflected in the scores due to the lack of easier opponents. I hit Drenchenator and Firebird the most, and SEAL once. Almost got DX yesterday, but I made a few small but deadly mistakes. 10 deaths and 8 kills this weekend.

I also gathered a few more battle scars this weekend than before. Lots of misquito bites, and minor injuries from moving about. I nearly sprained my ankle(s) a few times from the uneven ground and the dodging. The playing environment was, in many ways, a lot more demanding than St. John's woods at MOAB.

The combat was water warfare at its simplest. I pulled out a water balloon every now and then, but I stuck to nothing but the guts of a CPS and my own hands and feet most of the time. I went between the CPS 10k, 12k, 1500, and 2000. Love them all, and both DX and I got better at playing out the different strengths and weaknesses of these blasters. I'm getting to dislike the 2500 more and more, and I'd almost certainly take a 12k, 1500, 2000, or good 2100 over it.

Firebird's integrated 2100 with 12k bladder was a real force to be reckoned with. The superior nozzle of the 2100 coupled with the better bladder meant that it could push streams ever so slightly farther than my 12k. The difference caused lots of trouble for me quite often, and a few of my deaths. I also experienced lots of very close hits that were mostly blocked but just barely.

SEAL, I saw the disappointment in your face yesterday and today. It was a familiar kind of disappointment, one that I've felt enough times to become used to, and I wish I spoke up more at the time. I'm just going to be downright honest and put it bluntly: I don't care how previous Downpours were and how I missed them, and I don't care that we didn't have as many people at this particular community war, because I had a blast. The games were simple but intense. No nonsense, and we were able to adapt to the schedule pretty well despite things not going to plan. I don't even care that the games I wanted to play never happened, because they'd be pointless if no one else had fun and because they weren't my call to make. Either way, you did a damned good job hosting this and getting everything together. We all need to make do with what we have, and I know I didn't get disappointed from spending $274 on the flight ticket. It was great just hanging out with you guys again.

I know your pain: local friends ditch wars because they have "better" things to do. Ours is truly a niche game. I try to see the bright side: that we have something no others who've partaked in an intense water war ever get to experience (and that those that have and quit after don't find). It instills a little pride in what we do, as nice as it would be if more people found it to be worth engaging in.

That said, no 3v3 I could host could ever come close to what we did this weekend. Only a few things mattered this weekend:
- Being outside with great games/activities
- Being with great friends
- Having just what you need to continue going.

I haven't camped since I was a small kid, since I couldn't stand the bugs back then, but this has been a great camping experience. I've gotten to really appreciate both the minimalist way of living as well as the modern, regardless of whether or not I could actually go without internet for more than a week lol.

That said, I still wouldn't consider myself reliable for community wars. I try my best, but still can't make complete guarantees to the future events due to the time or cost commitment required. Still, you guys are a great bunch to hang around with and I'll very likely find a way to make it to the next event if I stumble on other obstacles that would prevent me from doing so.

[scottthewaterwarrior]

I know this war wasn't as good as people were hoping, but I still had a blast. For me it was a war of experimenting. For much of this war, I did absolutely terrible almost to the point of the first down pour. I think part of the problem was I became overconfident (I can totally dodge DX's CPS 2000 at 40ft!) but also I kept switching which gun I was using. The first Downpour the only good gun I had was the Vindicator. The next year I had the 2500, which was much better so I used that. Now I have so many guns, I couldn't decide which one I wanted to use. I used I different gun in almost every round so I could never get used to a particular model. Late in the war I was able to use my CPS 1500 to very good effect, I just wish that I had used that to begin with and not kept switching guns every other round. I think in future wars I will try and use only 1 gun for each class of weapon.

Despite the lack of people, this war was still really fun. The battles could have been better (I blame the people who said they'd come but ditched last minute), but it was really fun just hanging out with everyone. This war was also a real step of independence for me. My dad came to share the driving, but he spent almost the whole time hanging with SEALs parents and grandpa (which was quite fun for him). I had the car and was pretty much on my own for 3 days! I had the other community members there, but I had never really been that independent from my parents before. I even had to jump start the car! (we took my dads car because mine broke after only 1 mile last downpour, his wouldn't start right in our driveway, then again on Saturday).

I feel a little stingy writing so little when everyone else has written at such length about the war, but those are my thoughts for now.

One last thing I will say, I think I am the only one here who has ever taken an A.R.M. 4000 XL into combat!
For good reason, but it is one of the better performing novelty blasters out there. I will have to take some pictures of it as the ones on isoaker.com are pretty bad quality.