HBWW Quick Skirmish

[HBWW]

5/1/2013, 19:00-22:00

Originally, I was planning an event called Refill, Release, Reunion (R³), but most people I wanted to invite were too busy, so I have to wait until later to see if they have time. Fed up with waiting, I ended up throwing together a small event yesterday with 2 friends. We played FFA 1HS in 1v1v1. Participants were me, Trevor, and James. I organized the following blaster piles:

CPS group:
CPS 10k, (2) 12k, 2000, 2100, 4100, Flash Flood, CPH

AP group:
Max-D 2000, (2) 3000, 4000, 6000, Defender, (2) XP 270, Piranha (2L bottle PC mod), Colossus, Pumponator

We started with AP only. I grabbed the Defender, Trevor took the 270, and James had the Max-D 6000. Rules were first to 5 points.

I got my first two points without too much trouble by way of sneak attacks, but the other guys learned fast. After some time, the other two managed to score several hits off each other whenever I took a long time sneaking around, but it kept me from getting hit. (Something I had started to engrain into my play style after MOAB.) Eventually, we were all tied at 3 points, but decided (unanimously) to pause and refill. We ended up switching to the CPS pile, where Trevor took the CPS 10k, I took the 12k, and James took the 2700 and a shield from his car. I decided not to ban shields in order to add more dynamic to the game.

I continued much in the same play style as earlier, relying on sneak attacks and observing opponents' movement as carefully as possible. Unfortunately, I made a few mistakes this time which others gained points from. James and I were tied for most of the round, one or two points ahead of Trevor. We ended up moving to a more open area during this time, then moved back to my backyard area after a few tap shots fired and water balloons thrown. Eventually, I blundered on a sneak attack against James and got hit from doing so (without making the kill). I made a few poor attempts at getting him after that, and managed to land a short sustained shot pattern afterwards.

We reached a point where everyone had 4 points each, creating an intense sudden death kind of play. I tried playing a sneak attack again, but was spotted and ended up in a position where I could get pincered. I dashed backwards and went around the house to go for a different position. James got a successful hit on Trevor and won the match.

We ended up deciding to eliminate the winner from the game in order for the other players to duel and compete for 2nd place. Trevor and I exchanged shots, but then he had to go refill so I was able to finish in 2nd place after firing a short shot at him.

At the conclusion of the round, I found that Trevor threw a water balloon at James, but it bounced and didn't burst. This supposedly happened right before I ran around the house during the 2nd phase of the 1st round.

The next round were the same rules: first to 5 hits. I contemplated switching to a new game, but decided against it. James switched to the CPH this time.

Initially, the game was fairly slow. I ended up doing the same thing as before; keep a low profile and try to sneak about. I moved down the house to try to sneak around again, but made a fatal mistake; I focused too much on where Trevor was approaching from the south side of the house and didn't notice James sneaking up on me until right as it happened. (His timing was incredibly opportune and nearly perfectly in sync to Trevor's approach to the corner I was watching.) I snapped around and fired off just less than a half of my pressure chamber. James fired first, but missed for a short time until I fired off my shot, so we agreed to count it as a double hit. (The time frame for both hits was incredibly close according to the GoPro footage. I wouldn't have been able to retaliate had James charged towards me.)

I cleared back in at an odd time and place, after moving some equipment back to ensure I didn't litter. I stood at the backwall corner of the house (north end) and camped, waiting for someone to approach. I got a hit on James, but made the same mistake of not watching my back; Trevor shot my back almost immediately after the hit I made on James.

Upon spawning back in, I went about the backyard vegetation, trying to sneak up again. I hid behind a tall bush and remained hidden for a good minute or two while the others were discussing where I might have went. Afterward, I got too impatient and left. I dashed behind the neighbors' bushes to avoid getting hit, then went to the front of my house.

I retreated to the front porch to ambush and engage, but got pinned down in a bad spot by Trevor: The front door porch. I managed to narrowly escape, taking a few droplets on the way but no direct hits since the brick walls absorbed most of them. I ended up getting a hit on Trevor as I was being chased back to the backyard.

Right after, I make it to the row of 5 tall bushes (about 15 ft). James approached the other side with the CPH, intent on getting a stealthy hit through the bush. I quickly recognized his plan and fired through. I'm not sure how much water hit him, but he called the hit.

The pace of action slowed down a bit later on, as it got darker. Most of the action moved out to the open, north of my backyard. James and I got another double hit after, then I attempted yet another sneak attack on him. Right after firing the short sustained shot, Trevor appeared and continued the shootout. Unclear of exactly what happened, we continued on. (Upon review of video footage, I can't even tell whether James called the hit or not, but it was fairly clear that I had the upper hand during the engagement.)

I went further east down another neighbor's line of tall bushes which are spaced about 6 feet apart. Trevor followed and we exchanged shots. I ended up blind-firing right where he was and scored a hit.

The rest of the match went on, with a lot of ambiguous hits. For one of the engagements, we ended up deciding to step back and not count the hits. I scored a final hit via a lengthy shot sustained for about a second or two. The sun set almost completely before the game ended. I won the match first, then Trevor and James paused the game to switch to identical blasters (XP 270) and slug it out. I can't recall who won, and as a referee, I couldn't even see whether shots were landing.

We gathered up and put some things away, but decided to do a night round. It was about pitch black, but I had to get as many lights on the house shut off as possible. We returned to air-pressure only due to the cold, and I switched to the Colossus, while Trevor and James stuck to the XP 270 and Max-D 6000, respectively.

No footage was captured, and I can't recall that much of the fight except for various bits. The dark really helped with my play style this time, as I managed to pull a few sneaky kills here. The trusty Colossus really pulled through. My favorite part of the blaster is the handling (even though the Colossus 2/Python 2 are supposed to be even better in that respect) and the tab on the nozzle select that, at a glance, tells you which nozzle you're using.

Anyway, I'm just about burned out for the day and ready to sleep. I may make more edits to this war report later, as well as repost on HBWW. Not sure what I'll do about the video footage, considering MOAB's was a lot more interesting.

[marauder]

This was a great war story because it made me really want to be there. How'd you like the Defender? I love the Colossus' balance. It works for me just as well as the C2, but I understand it's a little different for everyone.

[HBWW]

Once I finish editing MOAB (will I ever?), I'll throw together a video as quickly as I can.

Reports everywhere show that the Colossus performs superior to the C2, but since I haven't fired off both (much less both at the same time), I can't assess that unfortunately.

Defender had a nozzle drill when I got it. The drill could've been done a bit cleaner, but it works pretty well. Unfortunately, the grip, however sci-fi it may be, lacks the vertical support and stability of a conventional pistol grip. It's comfy but not as easy to balance.

[SEAL]

Wow, this reminds me of the types of battles I used to have. It sounds like it was a lot more fun though; my yard is horrible for water wars (it's not bad for night battles I guess). How battle-practical is your CPH?

[marauder]

The only thing I have against he C2 is its decreased PC size. Scott can tell you how that worked out or maybe SEAL can enlighten us on that...

[HBWW]

I had a few 2v2 games today. Will post a war report when I'm able to since I'm still with friends. CPS 2000 really wrecks lol.