Saturday, January 5, 2013

Merging Game Concepts

Ever since I started working on my first recasing for a Laser Tag blaster, I couldn't help but think "Hey, wouldn't it be cool to mix Nerf and Laser Tag elements into one game?"  I've tossed the idea around a few times only for logic to come back in and knock it down.  Well, it's time for another bout with this crazy concept and I would really like some of your feedback and insight to these ideas I have.

There's really two main concepts I can think of to blend the two games.  One is Nerf-focused while the other is Laser Tag focused, but they both utilize an element of the other type of game to enhance the scenario.  There are challenges and potential problems that both concepts face as well.

Read my two ideas after the Jump


Laser Tag Concept:
The laser tag games I host are mostly outdoor based.  Generally, our combat occurs between 150 and 400 feet thanks to the range and accuracy that our laser tag equipment provides us with.  However, instead of a "one hit kills" game type, players have a set amount of health points that are shaved away as they are shot.  For instance, most games we do with the Phoenix LTX and LTAR give players 25 points of health.  Once they're out of health points, they're out of the game.  Simple elimination.  What gets tricky is when we get TOO close... to the point where we established the "Tap Out" Rule.  This is a stealth maneuver that allows those who are sneaky enough to take a player out with a simple pat on the back.  The rule is only good if the enemy doesn't realize you're there until you've given them that reassuring pat on the back that implies "How on earth did you let me sneak up on you?"  If the Tap Out is successful, the enemy player has to turn off their gear (instant kill) regardless of their health, and count themselves out of the game.  It's been fun using it, but I wanted to add an element to it.  Allow Nerf Blasters (mainly as sidearms) in games to extend the Tap Out rule of the instant kill to these blasters.  It would encourage folks to utilize the range and accuracy of their blasters.  There are two main problems I foresee with this idea.  The first being that the player may not feel the dart, especially if they're not expecting it.  The second being that when a player is trying to use a Nerf blaster to get a close-range kill, the sensor on their laser tag blaster might not be visible.  We could outfit small dart blasters to mount onto our laser tag blasters, but that's a lot of work to do for an armory of 18 blasters.

Nerf Concept:
The Nerf games I host are mostly indoor based.  Generally our combat occurs under 75 feet, so there's not really range problems.  Our games are 1 hit kills and we generally have either elimination games or tally-recorded games with respawns.  We almost always have two bases or starting points for either team and have done a few scenario games where an item has to be defended or an objective must be met.  The concept for integrating laser tag into the Nerf game is to have one or both sides have a laser tag sensor that they must defend.  The opposing team have a few laser tag blasters among their Nerf blasters that are used to take out the other team's sensor.  Since the sensors have a series of hits that they record, it would take a bit of time for the team to wear down the health of the sensor with hits.  Objective based games typically tend to be more interesting as they force the players to actively pursue a goal.  With this laser tag gear integrated into the game, it would help keep players exposed as they attempt to land hits on the other team's sensor that they are trying to defend.

This is where YOU come in!  Let me know what you think of my ideas.  If you've got other suggestions or ideas, feel free to chime in!

11 comments:

  1. Both of these are really interesting concepts!

    I think a fun added layer to the Nerf concept would be this: Those wielding the laser tag blasters cannot be wielding a Nerf blaster. That way, you not only have defend your base, but also a portion of your attack crew.

    Assuming you're having respawns in the game, you could also have a rule where those carrying laser tag blasters must drop their laser tagger before going to their spawn point. Whoever picks it up gets to use it. This could cause some interesting wave effects to the gameplay if teams start hoarding the laser tag blasters.

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  2. I, for one, am going to try to build an underbarrel mounted laser tag unit for my Longshot so I can use it for both play types; only problem I can see with it is where to put the laser tag trigger switch so it doesn't interfere with nerf use.

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    1. Do like I did on my Longshot. Put the button for the trigger switch integrated into the Longshot's trigger. See the vid here> http://youtu.be/KjIlFjRy3VI

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  3. You could always use stefans, but I assume that the whole point of laser tag in not to get a stinging feeling on your leg when you get shot. As for the second idea, that is genius! I will definitely be trying that...

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    1. The point of laser tag range and accuracy. It's line of sight shooting with a 500-600 ft range on most blasters. Many of our customized blasters can reach out to 1000 feet of range. It's not avoiding the "pain" associated with long-range Nerf blasters at all.

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    2. Really 1000 feet? That's awesome! what kind of customization are you talking about?

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    3. With Nerf Blasters, you can increase range with stronger springs, better darts, and other parts. With Laser Tag, you can increase range with stronger magnification, better IR LEDs, and more power. It's a light-based system, so the further you can send that Infrared Light by focusing it better, making the light stronger and brighter, the better range it will get.

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  4. For laser tag, if the regulars pitched in 5 dollars, you could buy 18 jolts and rig a way to connect them to the blasters. For Nerf that's a cool concept.

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  5. I agree, the Nerf idea seems a lot more feasible, but I'd like to think there's a way for Laser tag to be the main one, and make it more feasible. These are both really cool ideas Bazookafied, thanks for posting, I'll be thinking about this and post if I can think of anytthing, I always love brainstorming things like these, thanks for the prompting!

    --AdmiralForester

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  6. Could you tune the laser on a nerf night finder or fire strike to trigger the laser tag sensor? That could help provide the hybrid you're talking about

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    1. Laser Tag works with Infrared Light, not visible light. The "laser" on a NiteFinder or Firestrike is simply a red LED. If you switched out the red LED with an IR LED and had it set to emit a pattern of light that would register as a "hit" on a Laser Tag sensor, it would sort of work. The only trouble you'd face then is... well... there's a lot more work and equipment that goes into an overhaul in a NiteFinder or FireStrike to function like that.

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