Ammunition
The choice of weapon
to be used is critical for any operation, but the choice of ammunition
can provide more interesting twists. By altering the temperature of the
water used, the target of the attack will suffer an added consequence
along with getting wet.
Note: Only clean, clear water should be used in any water blaster.
Other liquids could be quite damaging to the weapon. iSoaker.com does
not condone, support or recommend the use of any other liquid apart from
clean, clear water.
| TEMPERATURE RANGE |
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The following
is a short list of water temperatures and their potential effects.
- ICE-COLD:
Ice-cold refers to water that has been chilled (usually with ice)
to near freezing. (Loading ice into the water reservoirs is NOT
advised) Freezing cold water has a sting to it when it hits, especially
during late-evening or night campaigns.
- COLD:
Standard ammunition rounds from most taps or hoses. Most people
expect this type of water to be used. No advantage to using it.
- ROOM TEMPERATURE:
This refers to water which is basically equal to that of the air
temperature. This slightly elevated temperature as opposed to
cold actually adds to the discomfort level of the target once
hit.
- LUKE-WARM:
Luke warm water is water at basically body temperature. Targets
hit by enough of this water suffer an interesting side effect.
Luke warm temperatures tend to make people want to urinate. Go
fig'. Use carefully and wisely.
- WARM:
Warm water gives an extension to the room temperature water effects.
Most people expect to be hit by cold water. Being hit by warm
water feel rather uncomfortable and awkward, especially on hot,
sunny days.
- HOT:
Hot water should not be used since this can actually really hurt.
The objective of water fights is to soak people, not injure them.
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OTHER THINGS TO NOTE
Salt water and hard water (water with a lot of calcium/lime in
it) will damage the blaster if allowed to dry within the inner-workings.
Blasters should be flushed with clean, low salt water if heavier water
is used. Pool water should not be used since pools tend to contain
high amounts of chlorine. Though the blasters are commonly made of
plastic, the screws holding the blasters together are metal along
with some inner parts. These will rust if not treated properly. |
Water
Properties
The best way to understand
one's water weaponry is to understand the substance we all need to survive:
water. As much as one would wish water blasters to be able to fire long
distances with high accuracy, reality shows serious limitations to this
dream. Fact is, water is subject to two main forces once it leaves the
nozzle of our favourite water blaster: air resistance and gravity. These
forces work in tandem to limit the firing range and accuracy of any water
stream.
STICKING
TOGETHER
Water has the great ability to interact with itself to form pools
and streams. However, a stream coming forth from a water blaster is subject
to small localized air currents which, after enough distance, will cause
the water stream to break apart into individual droplets. Though this
phenomenon results in a larger area being hit with water, it also shortens
the distance the water can travel. The only way to minimize this phenomenon
is to generate larger streams of water. The larger the stream, the farther
the water must travel before the stream begins to fall apart. This is
one of the reasons why blasters of the CPS-class nozzle can often fire
farther and more accurately than the XP-class blasters.
FIRING
ANGLES
Firing angles is
one variable an individual can use to control how far a water stream will
travel. Physics and/or mathematics will show that firing at a 45-degree
angle from horizontal upwards will fire farthest. However, other angles
are often used in order to fire under or over obstacles. Also, only piston-based
and CPS-based weapons can comfortably be fired at any angle. Other air-pressure
based water blasters have restrictions on which directions they will fire
water and which will result in a mist shot.
WIND
Wind is one variable
usually not controllable by an individual but must be compensated for
in order to increase one's accuracy in soaking the intended target. One
thing to remember is that thin streams of water are more affected by wind
direction than thicker streams. Also, the longer the path the water uses
to travel through the air, the more the wind will affect the stream's
direction.
Depending on direction
and strength of the wind, one can end up increasing or decreasing the
effective range of one's water weapon. As well, curving shots can also
be done to strike targets around corners if the wind is just right. Unfortunately,
there is not simple formula for figuring out how each different SuperSoaker
will behave given the weather. As such, one just needs time to practice
and become familiar with one's blaster-of-choice and its stream's behaviour.
Combat Tips: Offense:Individual
| Defence:Individual | Offense:Group
| Defence:Group | Game
Types | Environment | Bases/Filling
Stations | Training Guide
Water Weaponry
Tips: General Tips | Ammunition
| Water Balloon Use | Blaster
Technology Guide
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