The Wild World of TB!

Well here it is, and it won't be pulled down like it was there. There is no drawing of assumptions here, just as the man who posted this said, "Just Information, you draw from it what you will".

I am not going to post this on Viper's board or any other board. Why? Because none of them will stand up to the Pacman machine or they can't beacause of business. I don't blame some of them and I hold others directly to blame.

I will post my thoughts in the next few hours as I confirm all this information.

but here is what was posted by Mark Boatwright on PB Nation complete with links to a folder that was apparently mailed to sponsors, field owners and other people in the industry.

markboatwright has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Disclaimer RE: Patrick McKinnon - in the Scenario/Big Game Talk forum of PbNation.


This thread is located at:
http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.p...4&goto=newpost

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************

Since my other topic was removed and I do not know why, since I violated none of the terms of service, I hesitate putting this here. However I do hope that someone gets the information and takes it to the public.

As Viper has eluded to something about Patrick (Pacman) McKinnon has come to light. There is a letter that was sent to almost 40 members of scenario paintball's elite along with certified copies of the court documents and a full background check that was done on him to verify SSN, birthdate and address history. Based on what I have seen, this is the Patrick McKinnon of MXS fame or infamy.

Here is a copy of the letter that was received by a good friend of mine who was kind enough to let me scan it in. This is also a matter of public record, nothing was violated with this information or by gaining this information. There is no charges being leveled only the release of information. Draw your own conclusions on what you believe and what you will do about it.
http://www.box.net/shared/t0kx5dq3sm

And here are the case files as sent out:
http://www.box.net/shared/gre8rcxeub
http://www.box.net/shared/f38uziqcb4
http://www.box.net/shared/7e0bk630zg

Want to know more? Pull up google, type in quotes "Patrick McKinnon" and "Rape" and you will see the online version of the official documents from above.

So here it is the final installment of how to use that expensive night vision unit you bought in a paintball game. This time we will talk about the really cool things like base assaults, going against lights and working with team mates with night vision. This is where the fun really begins, so let’s get started shall we?

As I have covered in the previous articles, night vision allows you to see better in the dark then your opponent and the better night vision you have, the better you can see. Now in a base assault with night vision, you really need to get the best night vision because you will be facing everything that the enemy has to throw at you; lights, inter-locking fields of fire, multiple players and more in an entrenched position. This isn’t about guile and deception; this is dropping the base with skill and firepower.

So as you approach the enemy’s base, take note of the lights that you will see. You can use your passive night vision to gain valuable Intel on where people are and where they are going. They may have a signal set up or a password, they may have a perimeter set up with only one way in or out safely. Once you are ready to move in, you simply put the other tools into place that you have learned. Move up on the position and try to take out the people quickly and quietly, barrel tags will work but if you must take a shot, shoot and then move, more then 2 shots you will be taken out, I can almost guarantee.

So since you are doing this by yourself, you need to be very patient. You will want to circle the base several times, taking people out as you go. This gives the appearance of there being multiple players outside the base. If you can time this or use the attacks of other players on the base, you can move in quickly. Your objective is to get as close to the base as possible since once you are there, you are one of the ‘good guys’ and it makes taking people out easier. Once you have shut down the base, you should move up towards the insertion point. They will be coming in and it is better to take them out here then trying to fight up towards the base, they will have the advantage in numbers, you will have the advantage in being able to see.

Once again, you cannot stand toe to toe with a large group of people in the night, so you shoot and move. You vary your height, meaning you start high and work your way down. You need to be sure to keep objects between you and them, pop out fire a few shots, then drop to a knee, pop out and shoot again. Move left and fire 2 more shots, move left again and fire, move right and kneel, fire 2 more shots, and then repeat. You will start taking them out and as you gain experience you will notice that you get better at it.

Working with lights, there are 2 different ways to look at this, light defense and light offense. Light defense is simple; you stay out of the light and use the light they project to gain players’ positions. You should shot the guy with the light last since he is helping you and doesn’t realize it. How is he helping you? Well as I wrote earlier, it takes 30 minutes for your natural night vision to maximize, guess what happens every time that 3 million candle watt Q-Beam goes off? Yep it ruins their natural night vision. So be sure to keep that natural eye closed when the light goes off or you will be disadvantaged as well. If you get hit with a bright light and need a quick way to regain night vision or if you are about to leave the base, then take a red (low light) light and shine it into your eyes for 2 to 4 minutes. Red light chemically reacts to your eye to increase night vision. Some people may think green is better, however the color is not as important as the light density. And low red light density stimulates natural night vision in humans.

Make sure you keep the intense light between you and your targets and move often. If the light sweeps back towards you, make yourself small till it moves. If it hits you and you know that you are made, shoot the guy with the light and move, quickly.

Now you can also use light offensively, what I mean by that is that you can cause players to react to light and eliminate them. First and foremost if there is night vision on the field, you can use IR chem.-lights, strobes or illuminators to draw the night vision users to a place of you’re choosing for an ambush, well you will get them there at least once before they figure it out. You can also flash white lights towards positions and draw players into a darker area where your night vision comes in handy; however the best use of high intensity white or even IR light is blindness. Yes, I said it, blindness.

Now this is not normally a tactic that should be used, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Say you run into a player who will not call himself out or you are in an expedited way to get something done, you need them gone and gone quick. You need to ‘tactically transition’ as quickly as possible. So as you close the gap with that player, you aim your marker at their goggles and hit them with a short burst of high intense light, this bleaches the parts of the eye responsible for night vision and temporarily night blinds them. If you have ever stared at the headlights of an oncoming car while driving, you have experienced this. When this happens, you can move down and shoot the player in the chest or keep the motion going and shoot the player in the goggles. You do not need it on long less then 2 to 3 seconds resets the natural night vision. And as always you should move as soon as you fire to the next player.

There are new concentrated IR illuminators that do that same thing even with GEN 3, meaning they temporarily shut them down. This has become a tactic that I use more often then not. What it does is overload the Gen 3 NVG and causes it to turn off. You then have to turn the switch off and then back on for the night vision to come back. It doesn’t hurt the gen 3 as they have overload circuitry built in, but with Gen 1 or Gen 2, it may burn it out. It also requires a direct front on approach and you have to be less the 15 feet from the target. So for this to really work, you have to truly practice, practice and more practice.

And finally team work with night vision, this is truly some of the most fun out there if you have a tight team, with good communication and radios along with NVG and IR illuminators. I like to use an IR laser and an Illuminator when I am running field command for the team with night vision. It aids in recognition (friend or foe), say I have comm with my team and I see a guy using an IR to sweep, I can call across the radio and ask it is a member of Thunderstruck? They can respond and then we can react. Say we are split up and are meeting at a point, if one of us gets to the point before the other, we can say I will flash twice and you respond with a three flash or what have you. We can also set up and direct fire into a target or bunker. Meaning, say I am at a different angle and see a player, I can radio to a team mate moving up and say I see a player, I am going to illuminate and you fire. So I hit the guy with the IR and the team mate uses the light to see the target and hit him from a different angle.

And in an ambush setting, it is even easier to designate targets. You can get into position and have people ‘laze’ their targets and when you see all the targets designated, you can begin firing.

As you can see there are a ton of things that can be done, and you are only limited to the rules and your imagination. I can tell you that playing at night with night vision is some of the best fun you can have, even with the cheating that goes on. I will warn you now, that you will see some stuff at night that will disgust you, so if you can’t take people cheating then don’t get night vision. You will see people jump from the paintballs hitting them, yet they will still return fire on you. I have dumped entire hoppers on players only to have them hit me once and I walk. And that is what you have to do, you have to be more honorable then your opponent. If you get hit, take the walk, don’t play on. The only thing worse then people who cry about night vision and cheat is people who have night vision and cheat.

I hope this has helped you guys with how to use night vision at a paintball game. If you have any other questions, or want to see my rig hit me up at a scenario game. Hell, I have even been known to let some people use my night vision and toys just to help sway them over to buying night vision. Until then, keep it real!

This is the final 3 issues for the year 2002. I hope you guys are enjoying these magazines.

September 2002 - File Size 16.66 MB
Alliances Make The Game More Fun
William Shatner's Magnificent 7
Me and The Captain
Stargate Legacy (MXS)
Path of Disaster (Black Cat)
Ohio Family Feud (Black Cat)
Role Playing: Rules Are Meant To Be Broken
Scenario Team of the Month: RTD (Rule The Day/Rule The Dark)
Plus the usual other things like; Sound Off, Scenario Gear, Sceanrio Team of the Month, Da Scoop, World According to Pacman and more.
Click Here to download or right click the link and then choose save as.

October 2002 - File Size 11.47 MB
The Paintball Warriors
Me and The Captain
Princes of The Universe (MXS)
Mars The Nebuline Operative (Black Cat)
Role Playing: Every Day Is A Scenario Game
Scenario Team of the Month: The Blackhearts
Incoming!
Scenario Gear : Paintball Land Mine
Plus the usual other things like; Sound Off, Scenario Gear, Sceanrio Team of the Month, Da Scoop, World According to Pacman and more.
Click Here to download or right click the link and then choose save as.

November 2002 - File Size 15.11 MB
There Can Be Only One!
The Paintball Warriors
Me and The Captain
Operation: Desert Fire
The Maize Game (Black Cat)
Role Playing: Game Director, Friend or Foe?
Birth of a Scenario Writer
Light vs. Dark (OPFORCE)
Time Wars (MXS)
Wasteland II (Black Cat)
Scenario Team of the Month: Armored Fist
Plus the usual other things like; Sound Off, Scenario Gear, Sceanrio Team of the Month, Da Scoop, World According to Pacman and more.
Click Here to download or right click the link and then choose save as.

The next 4 issues of the 2002 year of Scenario News.

May 2002 - File Size 21.95 MB
Operation: Swordfish
Tales of a Fast Walking Ref
Spice (MXS)
Neverland (TSI)
mXs Men (MXS)
Old River Tet '68
Role Playing: What To Do?
Is There a Doctor In The House?
Scenario Team of the Month: FUBAR
Spotlight Field: Bearclaw Paintball
Plus the usual other things like; Sound Off, Scenario Gear, Sceanrio Team of the Month, Da Scoop, World According to Pacman and more.
Click Here to download or right click the link and then choose save as.

June 2002 - File Size 19.58 MB
Broken Arrow (Wiz Bang Productions)
How To Blow IT Up!
First Timers
Invasion (Black Cat)
The Phantom Menance (Viper)
Role Play: Props
Scenario Team of the Month: Team Knights
Spotlight Field: Herbie's Paintball
Plus the usual other things like; Sound Off, Scenario Gear, Sceanrio Team of the Month, Da Scoop, World According to Pacman and more.
Click Here to download or right click the link and then choose save as.

July 2002 - File Size 8.01 MB
There Can Be Only One
Interview with William Shatner
SPPLAT: What Is It?
How To Blow IT Up, Part 2
A Statement For The Players
Fellowship Of The Ring (MXS)
Inside MPP Games (Ben Toricelli Interview)
Role Playing: Added Value?
Scenario Team of the Month: Texas Rangers
Spotlight Field: Paintball Arkansas
Plus the usual other things like; Sound Off, Scenario Gear, Sceanrio Team of the Month, Da Scoop, World According to Pacman and more.
Click Here to download or right click the link and then choose save as.

August 2002 - File Size 13.38 MB
There Can Be Only One
Sniper's Corner
Alien Attacks (MPP Games)
Bustin In The Boys Club at Shadowbreed
Role Playing: Real World vs. Scenario World
Bury The Props and Shoot The Role Players!
Inside MPP Games, Part 2 (Interview with Ben Toricelli)
Scenario Team of the Month: Knightmare Tango
Spotlight Field: Challenge Park Xtreme (CPX)
Plus the usual other things like; Sound Off, Scenario Gear, Sceanrio Team of the Month, Da Scoop, World According to Pacman and more.
Click Here to download or right click the link and then choose save as.

So in the last article we talked about the type of night vision to get, whether to mount it on your head or marker and then practicing moving to target. I cannot stress enough that the practicing to move is the most important part of your night time strategy. But this time around we will talk about using night vision the way many people envision it, offensively.

Here is a quick run down on Night Vision Generations:

A Night Vision Device can be either a 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation unit. What this stands for is what type of light intensifier tube is used for that particular device the light intensifier tube is the heart and soul of an NVD.

1st Generation
1st generation is currently the most popular type of night vision in the world. Utilizing the basic principles described earlier, a 1st generation will amplify the existing light several thousand times letting you clearly see in the dark. These units provide a bright and sharp image at a low cost, which is perfect, whether you are boating, observing wildlife, or providing security for your home. You may notice the following when you are looking through a 1st gen unit
A slight nigh-pitched whine when the unit is on.
The image you see may be slightly blurry around the edges. This is known as Geometric Distortion.
When you turn a 1st gen off it may glow green for some time.
These are inherent characteristics of a 1st gen and are normal.

2nd Generation
2nd generation is primarily used by law enforcement or for professional applications. This is because the cost of a 2nd gen unit is approximately $500.00 to $1000.00 more then a 1st gen. The main difference between a 1st and a 2nd generation unit is the addition of a micro-channel plate, commonly referred to as a MCP. The MCP works as an electron amplifier and is placed directly behind the photocathode. The MCP consists of millions of short parallel glass tubes. When the electrons pass through these short tubes, thousands more electrons are released. This extra process allows 2nd generation units to amplify the light many more times then 1st generation giving you a brighter and sharper image.

3rd Generation
3rd generation is the latest in night vision technology. By adding a sensitive chemical, gallium arsenide to the photocathode a brighter and sharper image was achieved. However, it is vastly more expensive then 1st or 2nd generation. Typically a 3rd generation unit will cost in excess of $3000.00. Generation 3+ units can go all the way up to 72 linepairs and that is about what the top of the line mil-spec units are running. This is what a majority of the Gen 3 units you see on the paintball field are using. Most of the time, they may be using seconds tubes with some minor defects, so be aware of that when you buy a unit. ITT is the best company to buy from, however they are one of the most expensive. But the great thing about them is that they warranty their tubes, even the seconds and such so you know that you aren't going to get ripped off by Shady Sam and www.cheapnightvision.com.

4th Generation / Gated Film less tubes:
4th generation / Gated Film less technology represents the biggest technological breakthrough in image intensification of the past 10 years. By removing the ion barrier film and Gating the system Gen 4 demonstrates substantial increases in target detection range and resolution, particularly at extremely low light levels.

The use of film less technology and auto-gated power supply in 4th generation image intensifiers result in:

Up to 100% improvement in photo response.
Superb performance in extremely low light level (better S/N and EBI)
At least triple high light level resolution (a minimum of 36 lp/mm compared to 12 lp/mm)
With significant improvement in contrast level and in performance under all light conditions, 4th generation represents the top of the line performance in the night vision market.
Note: The term 4th generation is used/accepted among Night Vision manufactures to describe gated film less tubes. However, this designation is widely debated and is currently referred to as Film less & Gated image intensifiers by the US Military.

So as I said before make sure you buy as much night vision as you can afford, but now on to the meat of this article.

So I will start with some tips and tricks for Generation 1 and 2 sets, realize that if there is other sets of night vision on the field, even at the same generation as you, as soon as you cease to be a passive night vision user, you will have them homing in on you like chickens on a bug. But if there is no other night vision or if the only sets are on your side of the field, feel free to implement these tips and tricks, because in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Since Gen 1 and Gen 2 night vision is so dependant on IR light, your next purchase should as I stated before a good IR illuminator. The fact is that if you get a $300 set of Gen 1 and then you spend $150 on a good IT illuminator, and learn to use your equipment, you can become pretty effective even taking on and eliminating Gen 3 night vision users.

So let’s say you have your Gen 1, goggle mounted (I would just because of the small optical piece and weight of the unit), and your IR illuminator gun-mounted. With it over your most dominant eye you will slowly develop the ability to be able to see better with your least dominant eye in the night (Natural Night Vision) as well as keep a look out in your NVD. Since you do not have a huge amount of light gathering ability, patience becomes the name of the game. You have to move to target, carefully and precise, and as quietly as possible. So let’s say you are leaving your base after checking in, you stay away from the white light and if possible you close your natural eye so that you don’t ruin your natural night vision. It takes 30 minutes for the human eye to reach maximum ability to see at night, every time you look directly at a white light, you reset that time. So with a Gen 1 or Gen 2 unit, it is vitally important that you protect your natural night vision.

Also be advised that most of the older Gen 1 or even some Gen 2 sets are extremely susceptible to bright light. Some of the higher end Q-Beams have been known to make paper weights of some of the older night vision, however most new sets (even Gen 1) have overload circuits built in. However do not look directly into bright lights with your night vision. If you get hit with bright lights even with Gen 3 you may get a halo effect. What is a halo you ask? When a bright light source is viewed through Night Vision Goggles (NVG), the image of the source can appear enveloped in a "halo" that is much larger than the "weak-signal" point spread function of the NVG. So it may dim your night vision, turn it off or blur it so that is almost un-usable. How do you block a halo? There is a simple technique called blocking.

What is blocking? It’s simple, you put your hand to cover the light source from directly impacting your NVD, and you will see an immediate result. Plus the added side effect is now there light is helping you to see them and everyone else since NVD are passive light gatherers. So back to the tips, you move out of the base and you’ve protected your natural night vision in one eye and you have your other night vision turned on and ready to go. If you understand the human eye, you realize that humans lose the ability to tell color in the dark. So you have to rely on shapes, movement and contrasts to determine targets either for elimination, identification or movement. Most people can get turned around with ease at night, so night navigation is important (hence why I keep harping on learning to move with night vision on before you go play paintball with them.)

One of the best tips at using night vision, natural or artificial is the scan technique. What that means is that your eyes should be constantly moving. If you allow your eyes to rest in one place, they will adjust to that light level; this means that you lose the ability to see shapes and contrasts. So say you move to the first big tree right outside your base, and you want to move forward. First scan with your natural night vision, do you see any lights or anything out of the ordinary? Then take your IR Illuminator and hit the shadow areas, do not leave it on, just point to the shadows and hit the light, take a quick look and then shut it off. The reason is that while IR is not seen by the human eye, the IR Illuminator does put off a soft red glow and in the dark woods with someone with good natural night vision, they will see the red glow and shoot you.

Take a look at the chart to the left and you can see based on light conditions and generation what you should be able to see and realize that this is just a rough guesstimate as to what you will experience; canopy and other lights can help or hinder this chart.

So you scan the area say in a 20 foot radius, if there is no one or anything out of the ordinary, pick a landmark in the direction you are going. Say it is the large tree 20 paces to the right of your current position. Drop your marker and move quickly, yet quietly to the tree, just like you would during the day. Walk by placing the heel of your foot on the ground first and then rolling forward to the ball of your foot. Unless you are in the middle of a fight or in danger of being seen, you should move slow and deliberate. Trust me, you will get better and you will learn to run with this technique as well so you will be able to run pretty quietly as well. Keep the noise down and move. Once you count off your paces, you should be at your landmark, if not, then stop and kneel. This presents a lower target and one of the best ways to see at night is to be lower then your targets. Contrasts are always able to be seen better at night from beneath rather then on the same level. Do a quick scan of the area, hear anything or see anything? If not, then hit your IR and scan to find the landmark, when you find it move to it. You repeat this procedure all the way down the field to your destination.

One of the biggest pitfalls for people is lack of patience, if you don’t have the money for the high end generation of night vision, you better learn something that is free and that is the patience required to move across the field with the lower end equipment. You develop patience and the techniques above and you will be able to move and acquire targets with a gen 1 set, plus this just aids you more when you upgrade to a better set of night vision.

So say you are approaching a bunker or objective. You don’t know if there is someone in there or not. More then ever, study the bunker. Try to figure out if someone was in there, where they would be and what they would be looking at. As I have said before, shapes, movement and contrasts are what not only help you but they help your opponent, so minimize that by staying to the extreme shadows if possible, avoid quick movements and move with a slow deliberate purpose. Move to a position that denies the opponent a shot either by angles or lack of position. And then check the bunker, first with natural night vision, then with artificial night vision. Then using your IR, hit the deep shadows real quick. If you see something, then you need to decide if you are ready to take it out.

Paintball markers are not accurate, they aren’t during the day and the night doesn’t magically bring that quality out. As part of your training regimes, you want to learn to target your marker at night and practice target shooting. You want to know where your paint is going to go naturally and then you only have to adjust for the bore of the paint at the event. However you should know that for example, you have to aim higher at 30 feet vs. 60 feet. Until you gain a lot of proficiency, you need to do what I do naturally and that is close range so that there is no doubt of a hit, it requires more practice but it is to me better all around then trying to long ball people in the night. So I try to move to within 10 to 15 feet, preferably to the rear of the extreme flank of the target. I move into position, hit the IR and fire a shot, possibly 2. Then I immediately move and change position, meaning I may go from standing to kneeling or kneeling to prone. I never move the same direction, meaning I never fire and go right every time, I vary the direction.

You do this because people will play through hits at night, and they will spin and shoot at you even when you have hit them. That is probably the biggest disappointment with night vision, in that you get to see people cheat when they think that they are the safest. So by moving and varying, you increase your chances of surviving an encounter with a cheater. Under no circumstances should you do that same, if you fire and hit someone and they spin and hit you, call yourself out. Be sure to mention to them you are sure you hit them, as you saw them jump with those balls impacted, and all hits count at night. But I have been shot by dead men as much as by live men since I started running with night vision.

So you use the IR to move, to illuminate shadows and as an impromptu aiming device. You really have to practice with your tools to get better, yes you play with them at a game, but if that is the only time you dust them off, you will never excel at the night. That’s it for this article, next we will talk about base assaults, going against lights, and running with team mates with night vision. Stay tuned.