24 replies to this topic

[Spoon]

So Vacc and I were talking about the state of the Nerf community and related topics today. It was a good enough talk that I felt like I should post the log so you guys can see where we are coming from (and so we don't have to re-type shit a hundred times). Hopefully we don't offend anyone but hey, this is how we're thinking these days:




Spoon Nerf God: i dunno, i just think this whole "nerf community" thing is getting old in a way. even look at the NH forums, does ANYTHING valuable and NERF related go on there usually? it's mostly just a bunch of 14 year olds masturbating themselves to the thought that they are "leaders of a community".

VACCALLICA: yeah, it gets harder and harder to actually get into these conversations enough to post on the threads. I dunno', I think we've just been around the same 15 teenagers with about 1000 different screen names for the past 10 years. We've heard all their bullshit before.

Spoon Nerf God: now don't get me wrong, i still love nerf and always will. i'm EAGERLY anticipating the next YANO august 30th, but i just think these kids are kind of losing touch with reality, and are simply feeding off of the few (older) people who actually contribute new information to the community. i mean can you REMEMBER the last time anybody BUT Cxwq has introduced a reasonably decent mod? i think the only real benefit NH has anymore is that it greatly facilitates organizing nerf wars and bringing new people in.

VACCALLICA: yeah, I know what you mean

Spoon Nerf God: i feel bad, i mean i guess i've been a bad example, but i kind of with people would just go back to Nerf and enjoy it and quit this fantasy-leader grandstanding where all that counts is your "elder status" among a group of not more than 50 unpopular adolescants.

VACCALLICA: yeah, well I'd blame us for that if we hadn't been telling them to drop the status shit since the list went to onelist. It's the only way some of these kids really feel important, and I can't see anyway of depriving them of that without pushing them out of nerf.

Spoon Nerf God: i keep thinking back to when i ran my original site. yea, the site took this stuff really seriously on the surface, but i think it was pretty obvious to most people that the "attitude" was like 75% tongue in cheek. i think a lot of these kids didn't get that.

VACCALLICA: yeah, I remember when I first went to NO and read these posts about RAD teams, and you being some kind of guerilla comando. I nearly wet myself
VACCALLICA: I think all the old sites had that feel though. They were all kinda making fun of themselves

Spoon Nerf God: i can't believe people still refer to that term
Spoon Nerf God: yea exactly, and thats what made it fun

VACCALLICA: I wish I could nerf with some of these kids just once. They'd see we don't take ourselves seriously. They'd see how sad it would be if we did.

Spoon Nerf God: i mean at nerf wars we make fun of ourselves, it's just part of the game. part of the fun of nerf is the freedom you feel to have fun WITH the knowledge that you look really stupid to your friends. i think a lot of these sites just don't get the concept that nerf is fun in part BECAUSE they're toys meant for kids.
Spoon Nerf God: i did take it seriously for a while during the first run of the LANOs and the result was it took all the fun out of it. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't really competitive during a war, so in that sense i take it seriously, but part of the fun is just laughing at yourselves for whatever reason.

VACCALLICA: yeah, it's the most harmless, ridiculous, fucking silly passtime out there. Ingenuity and skill are a lot of what draws people to it, but they shouldn't make it a serious afair
VACCALLICA: yeah, I think that armageddon, the one where the 3 of us came out, really brought the fun back for a lot of those people. That's still the best war I've ever had, regardless of how well I performed, or how my guns were working

Spoon Nerf God: thats part of my problem with homemades and uber-modified guns. it's like, is hitting someone THAT important to you?
Spoon Nerf God: i agree, that was the war that got me back into nerf after getting bored with it. it was re-discovering the joy of being a grown man playing with toys with kids.

VACCALLICA: totally
VACCALLICA: yeah dude, that's the war I'm always trying to recreate
VACCALLICA: but that was a rare thing. All the old listies were there. See, those guys all got it, I don't know what happened when Hal grabbed the baton, but nerfers haven't been the same since

Spoon Nerf God: we've had some nearly-as-good ones down here. they could never equal that war because of the amount of comradarie we all had. i mean almost the entire "old gaurd" was there, we KNEW we were out of shape and looked stupid, but we were determined to just say fuck it and have a great time together. thats whats missing from the wars now, even the very best ones since, is that comradarie. we've gotten close, but you just can't replace it with new people.

VACCALLICA: I know, we need to have a reunion

Spoon Nerf God: i dunno i think hal gets a bad rap, he really did a lot of good for nerf. i mean before NO the community was tiny and isolated from each other. NO really exploded the popularity. i mean we had 40 person nerf wars for gods sakes.
Spoon Nerf God: seriously.
Spoon Nerf God: dude we should post this log on NH.
Spoon Nerf God: easier than explaining our thoughts to people.

VACCALLICA: yeah, then we should kidnap ozzie and goo and fly them to John Wayne Airport, stopping off somewhere to give them some alone time of course.

Spoon Nerf God: hah
Spoon Nerf God: yea it's a shame that goo's in texas.
Spoon Nerf God: not sure whats happened to ozzy

VACCALLICA: yeah, well Ozzie seems to be good at disapearing
VACCALLICA: people don't even know who ozzie is, that's kinda sad

Spoon Nerf God: yea it is.
Spoon Nerf God: i guess i just don't like to see nerf going the way of paintball or airsoft in the communitiy members' minds, like as far as how seriously and competitively they take it. i almost regret trying to get people to think of nerf as a sport because in all honesty, i think it works much better as a game.

VACCALLICA: I dunno, I don't think all is lost. You just need to set an example. I try to do that with the LCM, and most of them seem to be coming around pretty well.
VACCALLICA: you, though, you have the big stage. You and Kev are really doing a lot for nerf I think. I wish I could get out there more often and contribute. I'm a bit jealous

Spoon Nerf God: well kev more than me these days. i don't really contribute much on the mod front anymore and he pretty much runs the wars. i guess now i act more as a figurehead of nerf. either way is fine with me, i'm honestly much happier just playing and having a good time.
Spoon Nerf God: our YANO group is getting pretty cool, we have a core of guys that i like a lot who come regularly, then we have others who come sporadically. it's working out pretty well, but the groups never interact outside a war, whereas where you are you have honest to god TEAMS of people. thats kind of cool.

VACCALLICA: yeah, I used to love that because it really makes us pretty fucking unstopable as a unit, but that doesn't really mean jack shit anymore. I wish we had as large and diffuse a group as you guys can pull

Spoon Nerf God: well your group's larger usually it seems. we average 15-20 these days

VACCALLICA: yeah, the LCM really organise these wars, I can't take any credit. I just show up and fuck around.

Spoon Nerf God: heh me too
Spoon Nerf God: yea i'm going to post this convo on NH if you don't mind
Spoon Nerf God: these people need a re-education

VACCALLICA: though we do usually take over once we get there

Spoon Nerf God: and i don't feel like re-typing all this

VACCALLICA: yeah, post it, I'm replying to your post in the evolution thingie
VACCALLICA: I didn't say anything about my dick in there anywhere did I?

[END OF TRANSMISSION]



So there.

[Evil]

VACCALLICA: I didn't say anything about my dick in there anywhere did I?

This entire thing was worth reading just for that one line.

[VACC]

My dick is very important to me.

VACC

[Pineapple]

Damn, that was refreshing to read.

Thanks, guys. My hope about NERF being just a fun time popping each other and trading welts has just been revived.

-Piney-

p.s. VACC; yeah, mine too , to me.

[TheHaze]

Alright, I know I haven’t “been in the community” long (or at all), but that was the best thing that I have read on this site. What you two were talking about is why I like nerf just that little bit more than paintball. It is a game, and that’s the way it should be. Any one using terms like combat, squadron, or anything like that should be off joining the god damn army and not playing a game with a 6 and up age limit on the box. Enough said!

[neonerfer]

Damn, that was refreshing to read.

Thanks, guys.  My hope about NERF being just a fun time popping each other and trading welts has just been revived.

-Piney-

p.s. VACC; yeah, mine too  , to me.

No popping each other. I don't care how important your dicks are on this board, stop popping people.

[Zero Talent]

Spoon Nerf God: thats part of my problem with homemades and uber-modified guns.  it's like, is hitting someone THAT important to you?

My excuse is that I'm just bored.

Other people just want to try recreating such simple technology. Like people who like to make their own furniture, clothes, tools, food, and such. It's a psychology mostly independent of Nerf, I think, aside from the fact that Nerf guns are so simple.

Agreed. Nerf is a silly game where childish people lob foam bits at each other in a simple game of tag. Given, most of the people aren't giggling, but I'm sure it wouldn't be any further out of place than the game itself. Camouflage, "advanced" tactics, super-tastic uber-rifle ulltra-modded guns, and "roleplaying" (As I'll simply refer to it) are all sillier things people do in Nerf to try and make the game either "cooler," or simply more involved. My general impression is that all of these things are used for that latter reason, if not to just make the game sillier, and thus more fun. Except perhaps camouflage... Some people just really like Ghillie suits, I guess.

[rawray7]

i definately agree with you guys on the "breastfeeding from cxwq's nippies" feel. that's partially why i decided to write my article. i'm finished with my crossbow revamp, so once i get the pics i'll have a mod up. it's annoying that 2% of the nerf community has contributed something other than a post on the forums.

[TheHaze]

I understand about everyone just copying form one or two people. I did for my Max shot but that's it. I would put my ideas and stuff but it's kind of hard when I don't have a web site or even my own digital cam. And what do I get from posting my mods anyway. WIth so many mods out there, no one really needs mine.

[Spoon]

"breastfeeding from cxwq's nippies"

Thanks for that wonderful mental image. I'm going to kill you now.

Zero: Boredom is a fair enough reason. I mean one of the biggest reasons I like Nerf so much is that I enjoy working on the guns. It's the old "building things with your hands" draw that gets me. I don't think homemades in and of themselves are bad, I just think using homemades against regular nerf guns just to have the "better gun" is kind of dumb. You could of course go in the other direction and have all-homemade wars, but that just doesn't really appeal to me for some reason. Too much work I guess.

[Zero Talent]

Zero: Boredom is a fair enough reason.  I mean one of the biggest reasons I like Nerf so much is that I enjoy working on the guns.  It's the old "building things with your hands" draw that gets me.  I don't think homemades in and of themselves are bad, I just think using homemades against regular nerf guns just to have the "better gun" is kind of dumb.  You could of course go in the other direction and have all-homemade wars, but that just doesn't really appeal to me for some reason.  Too much work I guess.

I suppose you get that a lot at LANO's, what with all the oversized one-shot-wonders people have brought. Though I suppose that's all anybody really makes these days. Agreed, it's definitely the ability to make something that you can actually be proud of (same feeling with food, tool, and furniture construction, as mentioned) that makes modification and homemade Nerf weaponry so popular. Plastic is easy to work with, so it's really easy to make something you imagine is really cool. I suppose some people do build guns solely for range and performance, though.

[Warlock]

VACCALLICA: I dunno, I don't think all is lost. You just need to set an example. I try to do that with the LCM, and most of them seem to be coming around pretty well.

He likes us! He really likes us!

I honestly agree full heartedly with everything said here. I honestly wish I could contribute something. I'm just short on funds and time, that's all...

...This is why I think the 4 Horsemen and Spoon were the best people at Apoc, because they can enjoy themselves as much as 14-16 (at the time) year olds can, and that makes all the fuckin difference.

[VACC]

Yeah, see, this is why my guns have always been so god damned ugly. I'm not the mad scientist type, never have been. I'm a fucking grunt, no question. Binky was never conceptually or technically impressive (aside from pure range), it was just what worked for me. It made nerfing more fun, more interesting. That's why I loved the John Woo war from Armageddon 2k1 (best war ever mother fucker). Ask anyone who has actually nerfed with me. The gun is much less important than the game. That's an attitude that I think has been missing recently.

VACC
~Tensile Strength of my Wang~

[Spoon]

I agree with Vacc's statement that the gun is much less important than the game, but it IS important to a degree. I would have been MUCH happier at Apoc if I had been able to hit ANYTHING with my Powerclip. I think I'd have more fun now, but oh well.

[TheHaze]

I think the best proof that the game is more important than the gun is if you think back when you were younger. Before you even started modding guns. Before you even knew what modding ment. When you just had the the raw, out of the box, nerf guns. And although they were not able th shoot 120 feet, you still had fun with them. That is what the sport is about.

[Pineapple]

No popping each other.  I don't care how important your dicks are on this board, stop popping people.

...now, now, Neo, that was just an expression, keep it out of the gutter...

Zero; you're one of the reasons why I enjoy Nerf; for the sheer fun of fixing these things up and trying to make something that at least would deliver a halfway nasty welt from decent range. Except if you saw my butt-ugly homemades you would know why I stick with modifiying existing guns.

It's just that I'm tired of seeing all the one-upsmanship that occurs in the forums, and the dialogue between Spoon and VACC brought out what Nerfing was intended to be; a whole crapload of fun, to wrap up an afternoon welted, laughing, and sharing "remember the one where I shot you..." stories afterward. That's what it supposed to be about. I guess when one goes online it can go off the intended path, huh?

[Spoon]

I guess I'm really lucky, because the YANOs that IS what it's like at the end (and during) the wars. I guess I wish that same feel would extend to the online realm, but that might just be a fantasy.

[Mantis]

I agree with this, and hope I got the jist of things.
But I think that the difference between having fun and trying to diddle the shit out of people (which I suppose we did to Spoon at Apoc) is all the difference. Try to figure that sentence out on your own.
Either way, I like to compare Nerf to Counter-Strike, in that there are some people who are total fucking jackasses and only use the AWP (a super losing gun that is really gay) and the people who can put down the ultra sexy guns and use a pump shotgun or Deagle. Same with nerf, since there are some who only use the guns that cut people to Swiss cheese (Evil was one of these with that damn concoction of his, but he used his Maxshot the other day). Thats one of the reasons I think Vacc is really cool, because he knows that he should put down the Binkster and whip out a blastfire or dual LnL's, maybe because he thinks its more fun or he realizes the LCM sucks.
To summarize this nonsensical post, I agree with the others who say the gun doesnt make the game fun.

[Talio]

I'd only have to say one thing to add on to what Mantis said. Now while the gun doesn't make the game, it can effect how much fun you have. I remember for a while we were using really cheap non-nerf dart guns that were actually really cool. The nice thing was, we all had them, so it was fair. Now some of us spent some money and got better guns, actual nerf, and while the others were cool for a while, as soon as I had a ballzooka and a supermax 150, and my neighbor had a BBB and a LnL, soon who ever else was in the war really didn't matter. I was able to round them up and blast the living crap out of them with the ballzooka and save the supermax for the BBB. It was cool, but I remember the other guys finally got tired of it and stopped playing. My point to that rant was that the gun can influence how much fun you have. I'm taking an Eagle Eye to Apoc. Yes, it is modded, and yes the range and accuracy aren't that bad, but I don't really care. This is not something I take uber seriously, I just hope I can have a good time with some hopefully cool guys and PLAY war.

Now I did have a bit of a realization today. I was nerfing with my buddy and I was using the Eagle Eye to practice where for weeks I've been using my homemade. I noticed with the homemade I was real uptight and serious. I love my homemades, I spend hours on them and rediculous amounts of money. But I think that is exactly what my problem is, I've spent hours working and designing them, lost sleep pondering how to make them work, and when they finally are done, they usually shoot well but are extremely buggy. The gun I was planning on taking to Apoc looked like a gun, I named it the MustGet, because it looked like a musket. Now I could see how this gun would be fun if everyone had one that was similar, single shot homemade, breech loaded, long to pump, but really after I cracked the seal on it yesterday, I've almost felt as if a burden has been lifted. There was a huge discussion about it on the Apoc string, and I was a little hesitant, but now that the plans have changed to a simpler gun, my focus can be more on my tatics, stradegy, and decent aim, which are by far more satisfing. It has been so long since I REALLY nerfed, probably 7 or 8 years, and even just picking the gun up to blast my buddy who had a really crappy non-nerf dart gun was cool. So I'm going to jump back into this, hopefully get together with the LCM everyonce in a while and enjoy myself. That's my two sence,

Talio.

[Spoon]

trying to diddle the shit out of people (which I suppose we did to Spoon at Apoc) is all the difference.

Hey now, I wouldn't say you quiet diddled the shit out of me. Though I did pretty poorly since I was the ONLY person without a long range gun. However even aside from that handicap I still had a great time.

[superadaquabat]

Vacc is really cool, because he knows that he should put down the Binkster and whip out dual LnL's,

Seeing VACC drop his main weapon and pull dual lock and loads, while diving, out on my rushing dad, now thats what nerf is all about.

[Dan Wask]

I never even realized that people were that serious about nerf. I always just got a couple a friends over and was like "you wanna have a nerf fight ?" I enjoy nerf so much that in order to attend a little 4 hour war shindig at a local park I missed the 2nd game of the Evil Paintball Semi-finals wich I happend to be playing in.

I have noticed though that as I started to play harder my guns started to break, wich was half the fun of modding them. Basically when my guns break it make it more intrestin hiding behind a couch opening up an AT3k and taking a piece of tape from the barrel to wrap around a hose.

I nerf for the fun and for the inginuity and problem solving it requires.

I also have no clue if this helps, but for my science project I did a project seeing how high my model rockets went using geometry and I have since then applied it to finding out how far my darts will go.

[Sandman]

I think that Nerf is what you make of it, and doesn't have any set guidelines or rules that you have to follow to make it fun. As long as you enjoy what you're doing, that's all that matters. It's a multi-faceted hobby, really, and you can't say that you have to be doing X and Y to be doing it right.

[Langley]

but i think it was pretty obvious to most people that the "attitude" was like 75% tongue in cheek. i think a lot of these kids didn't get that.

www.LGLF.tk Is that the sort of thing you mean?

[Spoon]

Ummm.....not quite?