5 Basic HvZ Tips Camarillo Humans vs. Zombies has Taught Me (Basic Nerf Article)

The last group of humans headed towards the final Summer 2012 Mission

In my two day long games at Camarillo (Day 3 Summer 2011, Summer 2012) I’ve had fun, made friends, and learned a bit more about Humans vs. Zombies. I’m here to import some of this knowledge to the newer players out there. It’s been about 5 weeks since the Summer 2012 game (July 20) so heres 5 Basic tips, or points of emphasis, that should help you stay alive as a human for as long as possible.

1. Nutrition/Energy are essential for good performance.

A decent breakfast, but it still wasn’t enough.

The above photo is what I ate for breakfast of the Summer 2012 game, and it still wasn’t enough. My usual peanut butter and banana sandwich plus an egg on the side filled me up, but by lunchtime it was gone. The mods ran us around the park while removing our safe zone. I felt very drained and on the hungry side. Always make sure your appropriately fueled for games and missions. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll be more aware, alert, and quicker to respond. I really don’t need to go into the benefits of proper nutrients during exercise and sporting event, since it’s a pretty common thing.

The Vortex Pyragon Basic Nerf Review (Write Up)

I still haven’t reviewed the Vortex series or any of it’s blasters, so I figured why not start out with the latest Vortex blaster, the Pyragon? I’ve had a good amount of use with all the Vortex blasters actually, but haven’t had the time to write up review on any of them, so be on the lookout for reviews on those in the future. I’ll be reviewing it’s features, usages in Nerf Wars & HvZ, and even give some user tips.

How does the Pyragon compare to the N-Strike Raider CS-35, and what does the Vortex line have to do with the N-Strike Line of 2009? Keep reading to find out, and thanks to Nerf for sending me this!

The Nerf Dart Code: How to get the Most out of your Darts (Article)

My new Alpha Trooper with new Whiteout Streamline darts (W Coded) and new T Coded Streamline darts

User torukmakto4 of the HvZ forums has collected info relating to Streamline and Whistler darts. Apparently certain coded darts perform better then others. This is a MUST READ of people who want to improve game performance, make the most of their money, HvZ players, and anyone who takes Nerf semi-seriously. You can read the rest of the info here. But for archive purposes I’ve also copied and pasted the info below.

For those of you who do not know, not all NERF stock darts are created equal.

It has been found that the codes molded into the rubber tips of these darts correlate to significant differences in the characteristics of the tip and foam, likely related to multiple production lines, plants or material suppliers. These differences can include foam diameter (thus barrel fit), foam cell size, tip mass, tip COM location, tip hardness, and, most importantly, stability.

The codes are usually 1 character in raised type and appear in the following locations:
Streamline – on the side of tip dome, usually opposite the vent hole but sometimes under it
Sonic – Near the base of the tip (close to the foam), on the side of the dome
Suction – On the top surface of the flat body of the tip, under the suction cup.
Tagger – See Sonic

Anyway, here’s the info I have collected on dart tip codes. For necked (non-Streamline) micros, the tip production doesn’t really matter because the tip is not poorly engineered and sensitive to small changes in compound and mold design. In that case, the tip code is of interest primarily in determining which foam you get. For Streamlines, the tip code matters a lot for stability.

Yahoo Unplugged – 5 things you didn’t know about Nerf (Article)

A decent article about Nerf made the front pages of Yahoo. Check it out here, or hit the jump and read it yourself.

A stalwart of toy store shelves for over four decades, the soft, safe foam of Nerf has proven a huge boon to indoor active play, saving countless fragile ornaments from being smashed to bits by kids who ignore the whole “don’t play ball in the house” rule.

But who came up with the squishy stuff in the first place? What’s the best Nerf gun around? And just where does that strange name come from? Read on, and find out.

LSU Humans vs Zombies Episode 3: Step 1 Complete (Basic Nerf Write Up)

Image thanks to the official HvZ site.

Step 1 is complete! I talked to the head of student activities at LSU (not Louisiana State University, a different school) and she was very happy about this. She said we would probably have to rename the game, and she also thinks that Nerf blasters would break old windows, but other then that we should be ok. I just have to get either the social vice president or president of this activities organization to file some sort of form to our student committee, and if they approve it (and they should) then I just got to get a moderator team together, plan missions, plan safety, set up advertisements, plan some sort of introduction seminar, plan mandatory safety meetings, sign up and register people, check blasters, and then play. Lets hope this all goes well.

Stampede ECS Blaster & Accessory Review (Part 3) (Basic Nerf Write Up Review)

It’s been about a year since I bought the Stampede. Only recently have I had the chance to battle test it myself. I’ve played a good amount of games against this blaster as well. I’ve reviewed it’s features here, and looked at pros and cons as well. However when using it for yourself, you discover new aspects. I’ll be reviewing the goods and the bads once again, and telling you how you can incorporate this blaster into your own usage. I’ll also be reviewing the accessories that come with this, and giving usage tips as well. As always, the rest of the review is down below.

Standard.net – Farmington Nerf Dart Tag Article

FARMINGTON — The format for the Nerf Dart-Tag Team 2011 World Championships may have changed, but one of its champions didn’t.

Jake Wood, a senior at Davis High School, has pulled off the three-peat, capturing for a third consecutive year the Nerf Dart Tag World Championship as part of a team.

For his efforts, the 17-year-old received $6,250 in prize money, his portion of the $25,000 grand prize awarded to the four-member winning team, which had members from other states.

In addition to the prize money, Wood received an all-expenses-paid trip to Orlando, Fla., where the contest was held this weekend.

This is the third time Wood has been a member of the winning tag team. In 2009 and 2010, he competed alongside his friends from Farmington and his identical twin brother, Carter.

However, this year Nerf changed the format of its contest, drafting players from submitted essays. That resulted in both Jake and Carter being selected for different teams, said Cindy Wood, mother of the two boys.

Full story at Standard.net

Tips, Tricks, and Strategies to Dart Tag Success (Basic Nerf Article) (Part 3)

I’m gonna keep this real brief since it’s about two in the morning right now.

4/17/2012 EDIT: I wrote these quick tips with the 2011 Dart Tag Tournament in mind. I personally talked to two of the participants and was hoping one of them, or any other participants, would get something out of this.

Communication is Key – That way people should know when other’s are moving in, going for the flag, etc.

Control the Engagement – Fire from behind cover, hit opponents from angles, use teammates in fights. Playing aggressive also connects with this.

Play Aggressive – Don’t play passive and think about about things you should have done. Leave it all out there. Also the rules award you for being aggressive. 1 point per tag, 5 points per flag capture.

Keep it Balanced – There’s going to be times when you need to be aggressive, and times when you need to kick back and defend the flag. Make your actions match the situation.

3 on offense, 1 on defense. – It’s a strategy Collin told me. With the map layout, you may even be able to go 4 players on offense.

Sneak Attacks aka Rushing can play a factor – Just picture your self in a shootout, and both players aren’t getting anywhere. All of a sudden one of them rushes and takes the other out. All my rush attacks are sneak attacks.

X Factors – Age, athletic ability, blaster choice, injuries, blaster blocking, and can be all x Factors. Adjust accordingly and play to your strengths.

Blaster Dart Blocking – Just do it if needed. I prefer a dodge, but either one can work.

Proper Swarmfire Usage – I think it would be good as a defensive blaster or a support blaster in a dash for the flag. Also, keep this sucker reloaded. I believe the Swarmfire and it’s usage are an X factor.

Weapon jamming – These internal mag blasters jam hard. I would just take them to the ref and try and get them replaced.

Playstyle & Blaster Choice – Pick the blaster that goes with your playstyle.

Go Cap B – AKA control the middle area to your base. I listed reasons why in my breakdown of the play arena.

No Sharp Shots for Me – I think the Sharp Shot is too slow to be used in this tournament, so get your team to use the other blasters.

Don’t be afraid to get into Tag Game – The flag might be really hard to capture, so if you can’t get it, go for the jersey tags instead and try to get points like that.

Vary things up if Necessary – Switch up blasters with your teammate, switch positions, etc. I would only recommend this during closer games as it can throw the enemy off.

And that’s all I got for now.

Breaking down the Vortex Preview Video (Basic Nerf Article)

In this article I break down the sneak peak video. Through screenshots we’ll take a look at products seen, marketing strategy, and features of the new “blasters”.

It kind of feels weird to call them disc shooters, so whats our new name for them gonna be? Anyways hit the jump for the article. Be prepared for lots of photos taken from the video.

Nerf Christmas Presents (Basic Nerf Article)

With Christmas coming up soon, I’ve put together a list of items related to Nerf that should bring joy to the receiver. My 3 categories include what to get for a new Nerfer, gifts for people looking to get better, and some stuff for the person who has it all. For the hardcore Nerf players, I’ll also list some items that aren’t quite Nerf blasters, and some gift ideas that relate to Nerf.