FPS Race: Zombie Solution?
Anonymous (not verified)
02 Sep 2009
(Highly controversial and not even resolved issue this time. What's your take on this?) Every game and sport has its cheaters, in airsoft we have zombies. These players were hit and should’ve been out of the game, but they persist; dead men still walking (and shooting), hence the name. Zombie-ism is highly contagious. When someone encounters a zombie and loses, that player will get frustrated and on the next rounds might zombie too. A zombie’s teammates can also be infected, when they see him cheat and get away with it without repercussions then they too might start zombie-ing.
ZOMBIES DON'T DIE ON FPS ALONE
The popular solution to this problem is to use higher-FPS guns to make them “feel the hits”. They sneak in secondary guns, so-called “zombie-killers” with high FPS setups, usually well above the posted FPS limit. This is dangerous, irresponsible, and of course utterly fucking pointless.
Zombies are cheaters; by definition they don’t follow the rules. No amount of hits will take out a determined cheater. Either he hits you back and you call out, or the situation will escalate into a shouting match, a fistfight, a bloody mess, or all three. The only way a higher-FPS gun will take out a zombie is when he’s not really a zombie, but just didn’t feel the hit.
Before we discuss solutions for this infestation problem, we should realize that zombie-ism can also spread without actual zombies in the field. Just like the world is not black-and-white, there are other kinds of people that you might get the idea there are zombies in the field. Orcs and Donkeys account for 80% of zombie complaints1 out there, so we need to take a look at them too.
ORCS
Some people have more tolerance for pain and less sensitive to little pebbles bouncing off their clothing and gear. To differentiate these people from the much-hated Zombies, let’s call them Orcs, since they are naturally thick-skinned.
These guys are body builders, bouncers, bodyguards, boxers, martial artists, and other people accustomed to pain. Or even military or law enforcement personnel, some of whom I’m sure survived a real bullet wound or two.
These guys don’t mean to cheat, and they’ll readily call themselves out if they feel a well-placed shot or see a clean hit. The way to handle these guys is to just shoot again, or maneuver closer and shoot again. Aim for a weak spot, like a headshot2. Just don’t whip out your high-FPS gun or you might get your face bashed in.
DONKEYS
Airsoft guns are inherently weak (and should stay that way). BBs can’t move as fast as real bullets, almost never go to where we intend them to, and they can also bounce harmlessly off the target clothing’s folds or if he is moving. Players tend to forget this and just assume their target was zombie-ing. Let’s call these people Donkeys, because they assume they’re really good marksmen and other people only exist in the world just to stand around and be shot at.
And they are noisy. They immediately declare their target as zombies and they gripe about it all day. As a result their teammates think the other team is really zombie-ing, and the only way to win is to use their zombie-killer guns or to be zombie themselves.
Donkeys like high-FPS game sites, because they can shoot them from far away then just claim they hit the player but just zombie’d, even if it’s impossible to verify the hit at that distance. The solution then is for the gamesite to enforce a low-FPS limit to encourage players to maneuver closer and engage at close distances.
OH THE IRONY
So to prevent possible problems arising from Orcs and Donkeys, lowering the FPS is the way to go. Players can shoot each other at closer ranges, aim for headshots, and verify their shots.
Now what about the real zombies? Since closer ranges make it easier to verify hits, we can also verify if someone is intentionally zombie-ing and report their cheating asses to the marshals. It’s up to them to kick them out and bar them from playing there again. If the marshals don’t ban cheaters, then find another gamesite. Don’t stress yourself out from a game.
Lower FPS also solves the problem about Jedis, which is unrelated to zombies so I’ll leave it for another article.
LETTING GO
Of course it won’t be easy to encourage people to let go of their high-FPS guns and start playing with 328FPS guns. Maybe it’s pride or insecurity, or theyre overcompensating. Lowering your FPS doesn’t lower your masculinity.
If you think about it, high-FPS guns aren’t worth shit anyway. You can’t use it for self-defense; a stock real steel 1911 trumps an airsoft gun however high its FPS is, and cheaper too. You don’t earn any street cred. It doesn’t prove you’re a better player. And it doesn’t prove you’re braver — unless you can shoot someone with your 700FPS at pointblank, in which case I’ll invite you to use baseball bats in your masochistic ritual instead and let us enjoy the airsoft game.
Let’s bring SAFE and FUN back into the game, guys.
ZOMBIES DON'T DIE ON FPS ALONE
The popular solution to this problem is to use higher-FPS guns to make them “feel the hits”. They sneak in secondary guns, so-called “zombie-killers” with high FPS setups, usually well above the posted FPS limit. This is dangerous, irresponsible, and of course utterly fucking pointless.
Zombies are cheaters; by definition they don’t follow the rules. No amount of hits will take out a determined cheater. Either he hits you back and you call out, or the situation will escalate into a shouting match, a fistfight, a bloody mess, or all three. The only way a higher-FPS gun will take out a zombie is when he’s not really a zombie, but just didn’t feel the hit.
Before we discuss solutions for this infestation problem, we should realize that zombie-ism can also spread without actual zombies in the field. Just like the world is not black-and-white, there are other kinds of people that you might get the idea there are zombies in the field. Orcs and Donkeys account for 80% of zombie complaints1 out there, so we need to take a look at them too.
ORCS
Some people have more tolerance for pain and less sensitive to little pebbles bouncing off their clothing and gear. To differentiate these people from the much-hated Zombies, let’s call them Orcs, since they are naturally thick-skinned.
These guys are body builders, bouncers, bodyguards, boxers, martial artists, and other people accustomed to pain. Or even military or law enforcement personnel, some of whom I’m sure survived a real bullet wound or two.
These guys don’t mean to cheat, and they’ll readily call themselves out if they feel a well-placed shot or see a clean hit. The way to handle these guys is to just shoot again, or maneuver closer and shoot again. Aim for a weak spot, like a headshot2. Just don’t whip out your high-FPS gun or you might get your face bashed in.
DONKEYS
Airsoft guns are inherently weak (and should stay that way). BBs can’t move as fast as real bullets, almost never go to where we intend them to, and they can also bounce harmlessly off the target clothing’s folds or if he is moving. Players tend to forget this and just assume their target was zombie-ing. Let’s call these people Donkeys, because they assume they’re really good marksmen and other people only exist in the world just to stand around and be shot at.
And they are noisy. They immediately declare their target as zombies and they gripe about it all day. As a result their teammates think the other team is really zombie-ing, and the only way to win is to use their zombie-killer guns or to be zombie themselves.
Donkeys like high-FPS game sites, because they can shoot them from far away then just claim they hit the player but just zombie’d, even if it’s impossible to verify the hit at that distance. The solution then is for the gamesite to enforce a low-FPS limit to encourage players to maneuver closer and engage at close distances.
OH THE IRONY
So to prevent possible problems arising from Orcs and Donkeys, lowering the FPS is the way to go. Players can shoot each other at closer ranges, aim for headshots, and verify their shots.
Now what about the real zombies? Since closer ranges make it easier to verify hits, we can also verify if someone is intentionally zombie-ing and report their cheating asses to the marshals. It’s up to them to kick them out and bar them from playing there again. If the marshals don’t ban cheaters, then find another gamesite. Don’t stress yourself out from a game.
Lower FPS also solves the problem about Jedis, which is unrelated to zombies so I’ll leave it for another article.
LETTING GO
Of course it won’t be easy to encourage people to let go of their high-FPS guns and start playing with 328FPS guns. Maybe it’s pride or insecurity, or theyre overcompensating. Lowering your FPS doesn’t lower your masculinity.
If you think about it, high-FPS guns aren’t worth shit anyway. You can’t use it for self-defense; a stock real steel 1911 trumps an airsoft gun however high its FPS is, and cheaper too. You don’t earn any street cred. It doesn’t prove you’re a better player. And it doesn’t prove you’re braver — unless you can shoot someone with your 700FPS at pointblank, in which case I’ll invite you to use baseball bats in your masochistic ritual instead and let us enjoy the airsoft game.
Let’s bring SAFE and FUN back into the game, guys.
- 80% of statistical percentages are made up.
- anything above 328FPS becomes dangerous very quickly, so make sure everyone’s masks are adequate and your FPS limit as close to or lower than 328FPS as possible.
