BETA 1.0 TEST DAY

Scores on the Doors

As you can see from the Headline graphic above - it was (to say the least) a victory for Cobra6-Rats. This didn't come as a great shock to everyone on the day, because the teams were spliced together from willing players to test game modes etc - and the Caterpillars had a collection of regulars and new players. Thank you to EVERYONE for bearing with us on this.

This also gave us the chance to test the prototype of the new system for recording reSpawns (and much more)

Teams alternated between Blue and Yellow Spawns, and the several members of the Blue team were given RFID Tags.
Each time they returned to the Blue Spawn, they scanned their Tag into the BattleBX Spawn Point and this was relayed LIVE to Control - giving a running total of deaths. 

The feedback on this was VERY positive...

"RFID is the future! From counting up respawns to the more complex stuff - hats off to Azi & Kris!"
Johno @Depot

"A great Idea!" - "I liked the Tac Boxes" - "RFID Cards would be amazing"

The League and our R&D Team will continue to move forward with this technology - it will make the League easier to manage.

GAME ONE

The Base game mode was (as will become standard) the first game mode played on the day - and allowed players
to quickly settle-in and test the Spawn Boxes. 
It also (unfortunately) gave a hint as to how the day would go for Collins Caterpillars...

GAME TWO

This Game mode was popular during Alpha Testing and remained so at Beta 1.

The System showed that it was very close to a wipeout during both runs of the game, but in the end both teams managed to have at least one Control point at the end of the 20 mins.

The Caterpillars manage one of their game wins, but (perhaps) concentrating on the objectives meant that Cobra 6 were able to keep their death count low and they gained one Survive League Point, despite losing the game.

GAME THREE

There were some teething problems with this Mode, as a first run, with some saying it was too similar to Control. 

We recognise that this IS very similar to Control, but believe that the current plan to change the box fronts
to a clear Perspex will improve the play, stop the target shooting and allow the lights to be easily seen
- also some repositioning may be required.

The Caterpillars managed to avoid a Wipeout in the first game by managing to hold all three Hold
Points in the Castle for just 55 seconds!!!

GAME FOUR

Our first true elimination Game Mode.

And it almost happened - Only Krissie was left in the Arena with less than two minutes to go
and he freely admitted that he 'hid' to avoid a total wipeout!

We’re glad that this played better than it read, and take on board the queries about complication of the jokers etc.

We may simply switch to Aces only (which could in the future be collated by the BattleBX).

We will remove the Jokers… But there will be a ‘Wolf Card’ in future - and we’ll say no more until Beta 2.0.

GAME FIVE

It was too easy for a team to take possession of the flag, move it to a 'hiding-spot' and defend
it until the end - which is why  the Cats got wiped-out in both runs of the game.

Again we agree that this didn’t quite work and discussions with the @Depot Officials have come up
with some changes which we believe will make it much fairer.

OTHER FEEDBACK FROM PLAYERS & OFFICIALS

Firstly thanks so much for attending, supporting and feeding back your comments during the day and
afterwards - it really does help us move forward.

TEAM SIZE
Feedback generally says that ten, although okay for playing in some modes, poses problems
for recruiting - we plan to go back to teams of seven.

RFID - “BattleBX System”
- This test worked amazingly well, despite some minor problems with missed spawns and or double taps, it
recorded everything that it was asked to do and as a prototype could honestly not have been better.
We plan to switch to RFID Player ID cards which will be in your Medic Lanyard …
so when you go back to spawn after your second hit you use the card at the “SpawnBX” to record your death. 
We hope to combine this with some form of display showing individual and team stats.

Going forward we will still be using the RFID wrist bands but they will be your “Objective TAG”,
used specifically for game mode objectives.

NEW SPAWN LOCATIONS
After speaking with the @Depot Officials , we are looking to move both of the
spawns in the East Arena (the one used for B1) as the lines of sight to and from the spawns lead to
spawn “camping/trapping” this also lead to many objectives having an unfair bias.

MEDIC BANDS
Some mixed reviews but the positives seem to outweigh the negatives - the need to ‘faf about’ putting it
over someone’s head does take just about enough time to make it work … and we honestly don’t have
a solution for somebody forgetting they already are wearing it or forgetting that that have a band in the first place .
We fundamentally believe that the Medic Rule is a core principle of the league
and making the “MedID” your tool to record your survival stat should make it simpler
and more meaningful/memorable for people to follow the rule.

BLUE/YELLOW - “Armband Switching”
This was a primarily because we only had two teams in the test and, when running the full six teams,
there will be always be longer between games with the ‘play two, rest one’ format.
The single armband worked and the player generated idea of Blue on left and
Yellow on right arm is something we will carry forward.
The lights in spawns worked well (when they worked) but we won’t be switching spawn points...
these are fixed for admin/referee/BattleBX reasons.

KIT/GEAR LIMITATIONS
We believe that players should be allowed to wear whatever kit they feel comfortable in (or have paid a lot for)
taking/feeling hits is a fundamental part of the sportsmanship of the hobby and will be
absolutely vital if we are to make this a true SPORT.
That being said - every test so far has highlighted a high level of sportsmanship.
There are always exceptions but in general the Officials have commented on this each time.
The “RULE OF COOL” does not disappear when you are in the league.
We are trying to evolve the hobby into a sport, not change one of its core characteristics.
This is one of the main reasons for having Marshals/Referees carrying out test shots.
It is and always will be a “Game of Honour”.

LIMITS

As we’ve evolved thru the testing we already removed ammo limits for rifles and pistols,
and we now feel that we should also remove the pyro limit - it didn’t really come into play so we think it should go,
and reducing the team size will also remove the “Pyro Specialist” Role.

MOVING FORWARD
Over the next few weeks we will be having meetings with Depot and League staff and will also arrange
another ‘CapChat’ with your team Captains/2iCs - so if anyone has another further comments/questions/suggestions
please feed these back thru your Captains before hand.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE B1
We believe that the B1 was a rousing success and this was made possible by all of the help from the
The @Depot Officials, our R&D department and, most importantly, everyone who was there!

THANK YOU ALL

Thanks for everyone’s continued support and feedback
because, we mean it..

Join us in shaping the future of the Scottish Airsoft League

Your feedback is the key to our success. Help us create a vibrant, exciting and competitive airsoft league...
Share your thoughts with us today - here or on our Discord.