From: wb9omc@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick)
Subject: Re: Non-paint toys in Paintball games
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: 14 Sep 92 17:58:24 GMT

aktan@rodan.acs.syr.edu (My name is Andre...) writes:

>I've only seen smoke effectively used once and I think that it was more of
>a matter of luck, rather than any skill in strategically placing it.  I dunno
>I'm not too fond of smoke...

	If smoke is used *correctly*, it is worth its weight in gold.
If it is used poorly, it is suicide.

	There are a couple different tactics for smoke, the most obvious
being to hide either offensive or defensive movement.  If you want it 
to work right, you need LOTS of smoke.  The more, the better.  The down
side of this:  an enemy with lots of semi-auto fire can just shoot through
the smoke and plaster whoever is out there, thinking that the smoke is
doing a good job of hiding them.  Smoke interferes with light, but
it does NOT stop paintballs!

	Another use for smoke is as a feint.  If the enemy assumes that
smoke is to cover a charge, they can turn and try to shoot the smoke and
hope to hit what is behind it or inside of it.  That's when you shoot them
in the back.....neatest trick I ever saw was a length of monofilament
fishing line to trigger a chemical (non-burning) smoke grenade and a
little noise-maker at the same time.  Two guys who were guarding a flag
ran the fishing line along the ground (not terribly visible) to the
trigger on the smoke and also one of these little party poppers you can
buy.  They set it up alongside of a main path and out about 70 feet from
their position.  They waited until the four attackers were about halfway
between them and the smoke and pulled the cord.  The smoke went off at the
same time the party popper made noise.  All four attackers turned around
and started firing at the cloud of smoke - and the two defenders stepped
out and wasted all four of them.  Lovely little trick.

(I was not one of the four - I had already worked my way around *behind*
the two defenders waiting for the four to show up.  I was less than thrilled
to see them get taken out....but then when the two defenders turned around
and found their flag gone they were rather, er, perturbed  :-)  )


>I also think that paint grenades are pretty useless... However, on one occasion,
	Well, here's another story for you.

	At the local field, Battle Masters, they have had a stack of big
tires that are high enough for someone to crawl into.  That person can then
stand partway up and have a (potentially) 360 degree view of the playing field.

	ONe day a fellow who did this got a little too immersed in his
job of sniping and forgot to check his six....sorry, look behind him
(for you non-aviators....  :-)  ).  Anyhow, one of the opposing team
had just come back after re-entry (and having been shot by the guy in the 
tires) and spotted him.  Said fellow just happened to have a paint
grenade on his belt and thought he'd waste the guy.  I never saw 
*anybody* do such a masterful job of stealth belly-slinking in my life!

	He crawled up to the tires, pulled the pin out and slam dunked
the grenade to make SURE it went off - it did.

	The resulting torrent of blue paint and swearing pouring forth
cracked up half the field who figured out what had just happened.
The poor sniper crawled out of the tires just coated with the stuff - and
when we looked in, there was a nice coating of blue paint all over the
inside of the tires.  What a mess!

	Paint grenades, like smoke, have their place.  If you are assaulting
a building (at the local field it has open "windows") lobbing one inside
the building can have a detrimental effect on the defenders.  Paint grendades
tossed into a ravine from either side can be ugly.

	And paint grenades, some of them anyway, *can* be trip wired.
On a frequently used trail or path this can be very nasty.

	Actually, anything that is legal on your playfield that can
be used as a distraction is useful.  Got a treeful of birds above
a group of attackers/defenders? Pop a paintball into the tree and make
the birds scatter!  Better than even odds that at least SOME of
the group will look/duck/whatever long enough for you to shoot some
of them.  The creative paintball player can no doubt think of 
multitudes of distractions.......  :-)

Duane