Night moves - Playing paintball at night
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Night games. It’s not something ever paintball player has done. Usually only reserved for scenarios (and our primary focus here but you'll still pick up some tips for playing recreational games too...so keep reading...really...I promise...) playing at night is beginning to become even more popular with recreational players and fields as well. However not every night game is the same and there are some definite differences that make it unique even in the paintball world.
Obviously the first thing most players will notice about playing at night is the lack of visibility. With less light you will see fewer details and thus you will probably be closer to the opposing side when you finally realize you need to fire. Not only that, but weather conditions and other nighttime issues affect paintball differently and require or allow the use of specialized equipment. Because of these things, there are some things that both fields and players should consider.
- Chrono Speed – Because firefights will take place at much shorter ranges, players need to chronograph their markers at lower speeds. Scenario promoters have used a couple of different ways to do this. The most popular is a reduction of the daytime chrono speed. Let’s say the daytime chrono speed is 285 FPS. The nighttime speed may be reduced to 240 FPS. Sure you may feel that 240 is too slow but trust me, at night you rarely can take a 100 foot shot and the average paintball engagement range drops down to 20 feet or less. Other promoters have made it easier on players by coming up with a compromise. Rather than have two different chrono speeds for day and night play, they’ll come up with one chrono speed that usually is lower than normal for day play but higher than normal for night play. For instance, I played one game where the chrono speed for the whole weekend was 260 FPS. Either way, you do need to lower your velocity for night play from the normal 280-300 FPS range. Check with the field your playing at for their rules regarding velocity during night games.
- Field Lights – Many fields that play “night games” light up the fields that you play on. Personally I think this detracts from the fun of night games but I understand their reasoning. See, fields really don’t want to get sued so they take measures to prevent lawsuits. This includes lighting up fields for night play. If your field does this, keep in mind that there will be some VERY dark shadows on the field. While we will cover how these can be beneficial later remember that these dark shadows can also conceal tripping hazards. Always be careful when moving into a dark area.
- Flashlights – Flashlights, sometimes referred to as tactical flashlights, serve two purposes on the paintball field at night. First, it is always good to have one on you even if you don’t use it during the game. When moving on and off the field, especially if it is NOT lit, a flashlight will keep you from tripping on unseen obstacles. When used during the game, it can light up dark areas revealing that the suspicious shadow you saw is really a player from the other team trying to sneak around your position. However, keep in mind that when you use a flashlight it will tell the other team more about you than it will you about them. Usually a flashlight on the field becomes a paint magnet as everyone from the other team fires “at the light”. Thus be sure you have good cover and only use the light briefly to light up the suspected area.
- Fogging Goggles – Oh, you think your mask fogs up a lot during the day. At night, it’s even worse. Be sure to apply anti-fog to your goggle’s lens on the inside and outside. Also, be sure to remove those smoke or dark colored lenses that you would use during the day as, at night, they will compound the visibility issues. If your mask does fog up at night, DO NOT REMOVE IT TO CLEAR THE FOG. While looking down, grab the front of it and ‘pump’ it away from your face a few times to try and circulate fresh air in there. If this doesn’t work, slide your hand up into your mask while it remains on your face and try to wipe some of the fog away. If that still doesn't work call yourself out, put in your barrel plug, and carefully walk off the field. No sense hurting yourself because you couldn't see that hillside you were about to tumble down because your goggles were too fogged up.
- Night Vision – Yes, you heard me right. There will be people at night games that will bring night vision. Heck, if you got an extra $13,000 laying around (and I can’t somehow convince you that you need to send it to me…no…really…you do…) you can even buy government spec Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) scopes to mount to your paintball gun and cut through the blackness of night Predator style. If you decide to get night vision just remember that you need to make sure you can get it to work with your goggle system. Before you start thinking that the guys with night vision will rule the night keep in mind that there are ways to defeat night vision. First off, they will be able to see you before you see them. This is true. But most fields will allow you to carry very high powered spotlights onto the field if you want. These lights, some up to 15 MILLION candle power, can defeat night vision. See, night vision works by picking up available light and infra-red light then digitally amplifies it to allow you to see like it is daylight. That’s why night vision devices have that green look to them. So if all of a sudden you hit a night vision device with a 15 million candle power spotlight it now overloads and “washes out”. This means it will go solid green at first and then turn off completely blinding the wearer. I do not believe this will work on FLIR devices (for those with more money than they know what to do with) but considering the fact that I don’t know anyone that has or knows anyone else with a FLIR device I don’t think it’s something you’ll have to worry about.
- Eliminations – This one is a biggie. At night, all HITS count. That means that if you feel a paintball hit you, you are out no matter if it broke or not. Trying to do paint checks at night is impossible so most fields just say that if you’re hit, you’re out. Also LAWs, paintball tanks, and paint grenades are not allowed at night for the same reason. It is just too difficult to tell who should be out with those items when it’s dark so rather than try promoters will just not allow them at night.
I know, it seems silly to talk about opening your nose but let’s take a look at our biology for a second.
- Eyes – Your eyes take in light and focus this light inside at the back of your eyeball. There, the light is collected by cones and rods in the retina to be sent on your optical nerve up to your brain where the light is processed and your brain responds to what the eyes are sending it. I know, not the most scientific description in the world but what do you expect from a history major. Cone cells are responsible for your color vision and require a lot of light for them to work. They are the major player in seeing during daylight hours. However, at night they stink as there is not enough light to activate them.
This is where Rod cells come in. Rod cells are the eyes ONLY way of seeing at night and are sensitive to even just ONE proton of light. These Rod cells are clustered so that a group of them collectively send signals to one receptor whereas Cone cells operate independently. The problem with this grouping of Rod cells is that because they are not acting independently the resolution of the image your eye collects with them is not as sharp. Now, there’s even more to it than this. Your Cones are concentrated so that when you look at something directly the light it is reflecting is coming directly towards the highest concentration of Cone cells. Very few rod cells are in this area. Also, your Rod cells take a bit of time to “warm up” if you will. This is why when you go from sunlight into a dark room it takes a few minutes for your eyes to “adjust”. Usually it takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to reach their peak night vision ability. Now, because your Cones hog the area of your retina right behind the lens this means your optimal night vision occurs not when you look straight at an object but rather if you look 10-15 degrees to either side of the object.
Your Rods are also very good at detecting motion and this is why sometimes you’ll catch movement out of the corner of your eye but not be able to tell exactly what it was that moved. During night games you can use this information to your advantage. Because rods are less sensitive to red light, try to make sure you have a red cover on your flashlight that you use to see where you’re walking when you are eliminated and heading to the dead box or when trying to read maps (a bit more on that later).
When looking at dark shadow areas, look a few degrees to either side and stare at it for a bit to let your Rods collect all the light available. You’ll be more likely to see better details in the shadows that way. Also important is to make sure any shiny surfaces you have on your gear is covered up. Shiny markers, buttons, keys, belt buckles, glasses, and other such equipment needs to be made as non-reflective as possible. If you are using a flashlight to read your map, be sure to shield it with your hand or another player to keep it from being seen by the other side and giving away your position. Inversely, be on the lookout for little flashes of light which could give away a possible opponent who forgot to be as conscious as you about what he was wearing.
- Ears – After your eyes, and sometimes before your eyes, your ears are your next best friend in the dark so learn to use them. The obvious sounds to listen for are breaking branches, foot falls, voices, markers going off, and the like. While those are the obvious ones usually we’ll miss them when we have our eyes open because we rely on our eyes so much for detecting things around us. There are other things though to listen for at night. Humans are intruders when it comes to being in the woods or out in nature and generally speaking animals shut up when we come traipsing through their homes. The most obvious noises to us are crickets. You note that when you get near a cricket he stops making noise. Well, other animals are like that too. What does this mean to you? First off, realize that whenever you move the wildlife around you will go quiet. If you sit still for a few minutes the noises will start back up. Now, if the noises stop again but you haven’t moved guess what…someone else is moving around in your area causing them to be quiet. This is why it is important to make sure your ears can hear and are not too encumbered by your equipment or the noises you yourself make. The reverse though is also true so remember that any slight noise you make is magnified in the cooler night air. Watch where you are walking and avoid areas that have a lot of loose rocks, fallen twigs or leaves, or wooden floors that may make noise and give away your position. Learn how you can distribute your weight better to move over such terrain without making as much noise. Another thing to consider is to make sure any loose items that may make noise are secured or left behind. Keys, change, cell phones that could ring at inopportune times are all items to consider.
- Nose – I know, sounds silly doesn’t it? But if someone has used too much cologne, smokes, or even has spilled pasta on him could have these odors be your first sign that he is close by. Be conscious of where the wind is blowing from as this will be an indication of where the scent is most likely coming from. (If it isn’t chances are it’s too late and you’re already in trouble.) Like with sounds, closing your eyes will allow your nose to be more sensitive and pick up odors that shouldn’t be found in nature. It is therefore also important that you use items that aren’t going to give away your scent either. I’m not saying you need to go out and spray yourself with deer urine or something but use soaps and deodorants that are odorless. At night, use every advantage as you can get because it is usually the person who detects the other one first that wins the engagement.
So now that you know some of the devices, about your senses, and issues associated with playing at night just how do you go about night maneuvers? Well, that is an excellent question.
The first thing you will notice is that when it comes to trying to figure out who is who that it is not an easy task. Try and keep your group together and use audible signals to communicate. Hand signals will be muddled and somewhat ineffective if the group isn’t totally familiar with them and use to working together. Obviously using radio gear would be best but again, not everyone in the group you are with may have radios.
I would highly consider making sure you have a general idea of where you are going as well. You have already played the field during the day so unless they have you switch sides you should be familiar with the field enough to know where you are going. If you don’t, be sure you can read a map and have a red flashlight handy to be able to read it in the dark.
When moving at night try to remember to stay in the darkest shadows you can find. Doing so will help keep you concealed. Also, pay attention to what is around you. Light colored areas should be avoided as you will appear as a silhouette against them. This is also true to moving along ridges or other areas where your profile may be silhouetted against the night sky.
You can also use this information to your advantage as you should be more aware of the darker areas on the field as potential hiding spots. You may get to feel a little paranoid that every shadow is hiding an opposing player but the reality is, it could be! You may feel like you want to light up these areas with a flashlight to confirm whether or not there is someone there but remember that this should be a last ditch solution as you will give your position away too. Obviously if you have a member of your team that has night vision these are the places where he will be most valuable. Most night vision devices have infra-red flashlights that will illuminate such areas without giving away your position…unless, of course, someone on the other side has night vision too then it’s going to look just like a regular flashlight to them.
It is also important to keep in mind that if you have successfully snuck up on the enemy and they don’t know you are there that you can fire single shots to eliminate them without being discovered. If you are somewhat hidden and in shadow they’ll have a very hard time finding you without exposing themselves to your fire. Obviously once you are discovered and found all bets are off and you can fire at will but until then patience can hold up an entire unit while they decide what to do about the gunman they know is out there somewhere but not exactly sure of their position.
Night games are a great time to use deception as well. Surrender rules and barrel tags will be your friends. I’ve seen players go out on the field with nothing but a barrel during night games (Not a marker with no paint but with JUST a barrel in their hand with no marker). If you enter an area from an unexpected direction the opposing force is likely to just think you’re one of them and not try to check your band since it’s so hard to see it anyway. Of course, the flip side to this is you also run the risk of being mistaken for an opposing player by your OWN side and getting shot out. Hey, welcome to the confusion of a night game.
Well, that’s about all I can come up with now. I’m sure this may be added to as other ideas pop into my head but this covers 90% of what’s out there I’m sure. Remember that even though it is cooler out at night you still loose fluids so be sure to have something with you to keep yourself hydrated just as you would during the day. So now go out there and own the night!
Good luck, and remember, it is all about having fun.
- Robotech
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