Anybody else miss the good old days?

[oikoik]

i love movie quotes!

i recall a couple of games where one member of my team was particularly good at arnie impressions, had me cracking up very time.

 

 

thing is, the movies i remember.. are too old for the new generation... they havent seen half of the arnie movies we'd quote.

or even any 'nam movies. war movies even.

 

its all bloody high school wasisname and twilight rot now. how can you quote that?

[faramon]

I may genuinely kidnap a person who quotes twilight, duck tape their mouth and pin open there eyes and in the subsequent several days of genuine behavioural modification subject them to good films!

[ardrummer292]

... wow. Glad to hear I'm not the only one fed up with babysitting.

 

I do hate gamer terminology, but that is mostly due to the kids I 'babysit' at the field. In between OPs, I near-obsessively researched every purchase I planned and scrounged for every piece of news I could get my hands on. This new generation of airsofters plays XBox until their brain turns to pudding and runs out their ears, then come to the field acting like they know something. The level of dedication just isn't there anymore.

[SuperKingBigNuts]

... wow. Glad to hear I'm not the only one fed up with babysitting.

 

I do hate gamer terminology, but that is mostly due to the kids I 'babysit' at the field. In between OPs, I near-obsessively researched every purchase I planned and scrounged for every piece of news I could get my hands on. This new generation of airsofters plays XBox until their brain turns to pudding and runs out their ears, then come to the field acting like they know something. The level of dedication just isn't there anymore.

 

 

there are only 2 guns in MW2 i couldent name,but even then knew thier"cussions"(cough,PP19 is btter then PP2000,*cough(i knew about the "models lever action rifle version,cough)

[faramon]

There are only 2 guns in Modern Warfare 2 I couldn't name, even then I knew their cousins (PP19 is better then PP2000, I knew about the model's lever action rifle version).

 

Fixed a bit.

 

Not sure if you actually meant cousins ...

[ardrummer292]

Case in point: see above. Not you, faramon.

[Cannonfodder80]

...... the middle class air cadets who's parents can afford to buy them stuff......

 

We've had a few of these types at my regular site who seem to have the attitude of "I've been in the cadets 6 months and therefore know everything and can bark orders at total strangers." Once we even had a cadet expect everyone to address him by his rank

 

Back onto the subject of home made stuff, I think the decline in this and the increase in off the shelf parts is due to airsoft growing in general and becoming more mainstream. I also believe it is a bad thing that less people are building stuff from scratch (less nice pics for me to gawp at on the interwebz), but being one of those types who either don't have the facilites or skills (or both) to do so I've found off the shelf parts to be a good thing when personalising the look of a rif, as lets face it 95% of airsoft is looks and we all want our kit to look a little different or "tacticool"

[bladerunner168]

We've had a few of these types at my regular site who seem to have the attitude of "I've been in the cadets 6 months and therefore know everything and can bark orders at total strangers." Once we even had a cadet expect everyone to address him by his rank

 

I've met some pretty decent cadets but I know the types you mean, if some snotty nose child told me to call him Cpl etc, well.....

[Pablo]

I'd probably lol. In fact, I'd probably say "gay" in an ironic fashion while lighting a cigarette.

[faramon]

I would look at them and ask if they were serious then probably just ignore what ever stupid comments they came up with.

[Samm]

I'd piddle in their eyes... Remember them good old days eh!

[Cannonfodder80]

I can't remember the exact reply he got but he never asked again

[quinch]

To quote a friend on the TotalWar.org forums:

 

“Why in my day we didn’t have fancy 3D men in our battles! No, we had 2D sprites and we were grateful for it. We fought our battles uphill, in the snow at 5AM, unlike you softies with all your sunny Greek islands and plains and other degenerate namby pamby rubbish! Back then we were real men and we weren’t afraid of a bit of hard work. You youngsters don’t even know you’re born! Gah!”

 

I think that about sums up my feelings regarding the “good old days” of Airsoft as well. Pump action shotguns, springer pistols the “occasional” AEG (mostly TM PSG-1’s), everyone in surplus DPM or wearing their cadet kit…but perhaps that’s even further back than the “good old days” this thread covers.

 

[signal319]

I wear my cadet kit all the time .... In fact its the only combat kit I actually have but no I don't turn up expecting everyone to follow my lead just cos I've done a few limited exercises now and again

[mikoyan99]

And to be fair, I think that's true of the vast majority of cadets. I help out occasionally at the local ATC squadron, and I think that the majority of our cadets are decent people; we've taken a few airsofting, and they've never been a problem. Having said that, you do get the occasional nutcase but luckily our squadron seems pretty much free of them.

-Matt

[quinch]

Gee, hope people didn't think I was saying anything negative about Cadets or wearing Cadet uniform (except that getting it dirty outside Cadet run events might be frowned upon by your officers..lol ).

 

No, just pointing to the fact that when I was a lad..that's about all we had to run about in! All this "tinterweb" stuff was but a pipe dream to us with our Vic-20's and if you had lots of money and Amiga.

[mikoyan99]

It's ok, my post wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. Besides, I did the same thing when I was a cadet

-Matt

[quinch]

[faramon]

God I need to buy Syndicate for the PC .. I fear my Amiga 64 may not be usable.

 

[Samm]

I miss when Gremlin Gun Workz was THE custom gun site for home builders to drool over.

 

...

 

THAT is custom build work. Most of the stuff up today is not, not in the least.

http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20040411160923/http://www.gunworx.co.uk/guns.htm

 

http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20040604131816/http://www.gunworx.co.uk/HowToPage.htm

[RSM]

Heh, looking through that site there is a link to Airsoft Club...I remember the shambles that was their L85 release, funny how they did so many promo vids of it too...

[Lightbulb]

*looks at join date*

 

Am I an old school player or one of 'generation kill'? By the way wtf is 'generation kill'?

 

I think that its natural for anyone who's been doing anything for a long time to think it was better.

 

Hell I hated working in Ireland for a year (aware from friends and family - nothing wrong with the country) - yet I look back now and think "It wasn't that bad..." Its only my girlfriend reminding me how much i hated it that I remember. We only remember the good bits of our past - or the really bad but that's a side issue.

 

-------

 

So my thoughts on the main points:

 

Its not a tight knit community an ymore - So organise your own game days. You can do private hires at most sites. Get the old crew together and play like you used it.

 

-----------------

 

All guns are ar-15 varients. So? I own a CA m15 - bought (looking at my start date) in mid 2006 which was the best gun to take large battery at the time - its even got a aimpoint on top. What does this say about me? Well I played a lot of CS when I was younger so I guess I must be a FPS's K:D ratio counting young *something?*. Or maybe its because because it shoots bb's at an acceptable accuracy and range.

 

What does it matter what someone else's gun is?

 

Yes, custom guns are cool. But making them doesn't make you 'better' than someone who doesn't.

 

------------------

 

Chinasoft - cheap guns. You know who owns the most chinasoft guns of the guys I know? The one who's been playing longest in my team. I cannot think of a bad thing about having more players. Or having more models available for cheaper.

 

Yes its not some elite, small scale thing, its big business.

 

Its like anything which becomes commercialised - some of the soul is lost.

 

Someone above posted it correctly above: Its just a business now.

 

But as I said before there's nothing to stop you organising private hire games.

 

Its up to YOU to make the experience how YOU want it. There's plenty of people out there still looking for a decent game without the Geardo's and teflon warriors...

[Lone_Bullet]

I only play for 3 years... and I'd like to reject what you said, lightbulb.

 

But I can't, and you nailed it.

 

Well said, bud.

[Kenworth W900]

Yes, custom guns are cool. But making them doesn't make you 'better' than someone who doesn't.

 

@lightbulb: Better at life in general no I agree. But you can't detract from what the custom makers have; skills, determination and perserverance.

 

Frankly, RenegadeCow and his like are indeed 'better' than me, and yourself and tons of other guys. They deserve the kudos they get.

[3vi1-D4n]

Thats good Lightbulb, its a good summary. Here is a few things I would like to comment.

 

I think that its natural for anyone who's been doing anything for a long time to think it was better.

 

 

Agree and disagree. Your statement is based on the assumption that the level of play is static. Having played for 10 years, there are still some games I play where the game is engaging, well planned, and ideas were fresh, players were all well behaved. It rekindles the hope that there is something better.

 

 

 

Its not a tight knit community an ymore

 

 

Agreed, it does follow on your point later on.

 

 

All guns are ar-15 varients. So? I own a CA m15 - bought (looking at my start date) in mid 2006 which was the best gun to take large battery at the time - its even got a aimpoint on top. What does this say about me? Well I played a lot of CS when I was younger so I guess I must be a FPS's K:D ratio counting young *something?*. Or maybe its because because it shoots bb's at an acceptable accuracy and range.

 

What does it matter what someone else's gun is?

 

 

People in the old days customise their guns as it does their dedication to the sport. They make it and then use it on the field. And that earned them acknowledgement and respect. This builds communities.

 

Today people want to feel special about the guns they own, or the ability of their gun, its that feeling of uniqueness and individual's performance, but it is also a reflection of how mundane and unfulfilled they are in their normal lives. People are unfulfilled, uncertain and hence always looking for indicators that we are on the right track.

 

Businesses hone onto this and profit from it.

 

 

 

Yes, custom guns are cool. But making them doesn't make you 'better' than someone who doesn't.

 

 

 

I never saw this as the case, but given my statement above, yeah it make sense why people would perceive people with custom guns to be better. Its just the same as anything, women to LV handbags, cellphones, men to boyracer cars, etc.

 

 

 

Chinasoft - cheap guns. You know who owns the most chinasoft guns of the guys I know? The one who's been playing longest in my team. I cannot think of a bad thing about having more players. Or having more models available for cheaper.

 

 

More players isn't the issue. More new players without an organisational process/structure/support leads to an insufficient level of social integration required to play the game properly, leading to poor gameplay. Chinasoft is not the problem, its how the community is planned, coordinated and managed, is a part of the problem.

 

 

 

Its like anything which becomes commercialised - some of the soul is lost.

 

 

I agree and disagree. Weak organisations have this issue. Strong organisations with a strong/well defined vision and culture does not lose its soul.

 

 

Someone above posted it correctly above: Its just a business now.

 

 

QFT as QOTD. Thats it. Today, with the way the world is going, Players are treated as individual consumers, which in turn promotes businesses to provide services catering for individuals. This promotes mercenary-like tendencies in the players, undisciplined, gungho, and all about satisfying ones own emptiness and urge for adrenaline. These players don't bond well, and behaves like cancer as they just consume and don't care.

 

Whereas old school players because its about the group/team, belonging, commitment, identity as a member of a team, and to create a better game. There was a lot more point to the game than just self gratification.

 

 

 

But as I said before there's nothing to stop you organising private hire games.

 

Its up to YOU to make the experience how YOU want it. There's plenty of people out there still looking for a decent game without the Geardo's and teflon warriors...

 

Referring to my last paragraph, then you would realise how difficult that is. Old school players play for a team. When the team dissolves they seldomly reform, until the nostalgia sets in, then its like a limited reunion tour for a band. The only way to survive is to play with the noobs, but because the noobs are like cancer, it is a lot of effort to build up another team, and its often easier to succumb and become them than to continue to strive for the old ideals.

 

Again, kind of like how cancer spreads...

 

 

So yes I do miss the good old days where the community had no terminal cancer.