WaterWar.net

Just to make you scroll down to see why lol.

@DX- I thought the opposite- shields would be best on open ground where there is no cover. You carry the cover with you. Plus, if both teams have personal shields that don't completely cover you, then that seems fine, as kills can still be made, especially with flanking maneuvers.

Except that cover isn't for protection. Cover is used to either

A: Slow down the tempo - if the game is flowing too fast, it can be ground to a halt using chokepoints, trees, walls, and whatever to force more stationary, position-to-position fighting. It is usually easier to score kills when the enemy doesn't have full range of motion.

B: To conceal yourself while trying to flank, ambush, return a flag, etc.

I don't ever assume that it will protect me from being hit. Unless it's a wall or tree or other large, solid object, shots can be powered through. Cover is an impediment to agility, which is the best defense. A player who can dance their way to 0 deaths, war after war, has an asset more valuable than any shield or tree. In the open, I'd rather have the full range of motion and sight to dodge. A shield would just slow me down. It's already difficult enough to achieve full potential reaction time when carrying a big CPS gun full of water. Most streams could be blocked with a gun anyway - only the ranged riot blasts and other spreading shots are dangerous in that sense.

I agree, but this is "what is the best shield" not "shield or no shield"

Well, to be honest, I was split on the decision because the candidate was so specific: Bark from a tree. What about bark from shrubs or other low-lying vegetation (a clearly under-represented group). In the end, though, I hate to vote from my heart.

I think bark would fall apart if hit by a powerful enough stream of water, so not only would you be soaked, but you'd have bits of tree bark on you.

Wetmonkey lol :p

@wetmonkey: You should've voted for paper, as the poll option was not prejudiced against specific types of paper, such as college ruled lined paper, printer paper, toilet paper, paper towel, paper maché, etc. Also, a paper shield won't slow you down like everything else would.

@nitro: Everyone knows that paper and bark make the best water shields. n00b.

All joking aside, large shields are annoyingly encumbering particularly at close range. While you're trying to pump or refill while ensure the shield stays in place, someone can move up and attack you. Against a wall of shields, you can still shoot through the gaps and/or use water balloons and if you land a good hit, the water will go through between shields. Personally, I'd elect to use a WBL with a high pressure, low angle shot against a wall of shields, or perhaps launch a volley at a high angle and charge-rush the group while they move their shields up to block the rain. Sure, it'd get a lot of my own guys soaked, but the main safe alternative is to camp in tight areas and wait for them to come.