Here's a quick review of my experience at Splat Tactics AZ. Four of our team attended the "Open Session" today (Sunday, January 17) from 10 am - 2 pm. Admission for the four hour block was priced at $50. However, I called on Saturday night to ask about veteran discounts and was offered a $12 off coupon on my visit for Sunday. Each of our team members was also offered the coupon as it was not restricted to veterans. Price was $41 for admission, rental gear and unlimited ammo for the session.
We received our safety and game briefing from one of the staff at about 10:15. There weren't any other players present until about 11 am. Our first game was "terrorist hunt". This game had one of the staff hide on the field and our team had to track, find and eliminate him.
A group of five to six players joined for a variety of games that lasted about 10 - 12 minutes each. Here's a quick review of the good and areas of needed improvement.
Rental gear - The guns (we used mag fed) use reball, a rubber paintball sized round that fires at 220 fps. The magazines have two chambers that hold 10 rounds each. You have to rotate the magazine to load the other 10 in the mag. We were initially issued four magazines (80 rounds) for our first couple of hours. Almost all of us had trouble with at least one magazine per game in which we would lose most or all of our ammo due to malfunctions with the mags.
The biggest issue that we did not like about the weapons was the lack of rear sights. Being used to aiming through sights made using these weapons frustrating as you would have to guess where your first round would impact on longer range shots. Not really a problem for cqc.
We used our own tactical gear. The rental gear consists of a chest protector, small chest rig, full face mask and replica helmet. Adults have the option of not wearing the helmet.
Field - The field is in the shape of a horse shoe with multiple two story structures on each side of the street. A large two story building (the Embassy) sits at the end of the street. The staff said that the maximum player capacity would be 15 on 15. I personally think this might be too many players on the field if there were experienced players who understand defense in depth and interlocking fields of fire. With new players, this will probably work just fine.
Tactics - The field has a minimum safety distance of 3 - 4 feet. Players must call out an opponent by saying "mercy" "close kill" or "Bang Bang". The staff relates that this rule is in effect for safety. Due to the close quarter nature of the battle field, this creates many situations were two people have moved to opposite side of a door way and effectively are playing "bang, I shot you first". With the amount of safety equipment and protective gear we were wearing, I feel this rule should only apply if you have moved behind a person and the attack is not expected. Just my opinion.
Audio experience - The field features speakers playing chaotic battlefield sounds from popular war video games adds a great layer to the gaming experience.
Game tempo - We usually had about 7 - 10 minutes rest between games. We averaged about 3 - 4 games per hour. Great tempo for our team as we were wearing level 3 and level 4 body armor. This gave us just enough time to drop the armor, get a drink, top off mags, share a quick story/strategize, and kit up for the next mission.
Questions about airsoft - No airsoft is authorized during open sessions. Currently, no Thunder B's or VTG grenades allowed.
Overall experience - Our team had a great time. We probably will only participate on the Thursday night milsim (17 and up) that is slightly less expensive and will feature only military style missions instead of capture the flag, team death match, etc. Very different experience from airsoft, but a great field and good time. Might be more expensive than most airsoft players are used to, but definitely worth the price with the rental gear, ammo and field with multiple buildings that feature two stories each.
