Water Balloon Launchers

[Rising Flood]

Well, I've heard lots about WBLs like the Douchenator, etc. that can launch water balloons several hundred feet, and I was just wondering, forgive me if this sounds really stupid, but I'm not sure how you use them in a war. If your goal is to hit something hundreds of feet away, then how in the world are you going to aim, especially if there are trees/obstacles blocking you? And if you want to use them up close, well, first of all, it might be kinda dangerous [at very short range], and couldn't you just throw the balloon? Again, sorry if this is a dumb question, but I've never known exactly what WBLs do.

[SSCBen]

I've read similar things before, so believe me, that's not dumb, that's critical thinking.

There's no real use for water balloon launchers to me aside from shorter range ones. If you can hit someone from hundreds of yards away, great. There's the safety problem too. Most water balloon launchers are glorified spud guns and are not very safe at close range. Of course, the Douchenator uses a slow opening valve that makes it less efficient, so I'm sure at lower pressures it is fairly safe. Another major problem is reload time. No one's made a WBL with reload time of less than 30 seconds, which is absolutely horrid to begin with.

I could probably go on for a while about why I don't think WBLs are particularly useful but everyone probably gets the picture. They're no where near as practical as water guns.

[HBWW]

For the Douchenator, I'd strongly recommend an over-under design instead of inline, makes it much easier to carry.

Currently, however, the only purpose of launchers like the Douchenator is for artillery. You can load several balloons down the barrel and make artillery strikes at general positions to scare people but its doubtful that you'll hit anyone.

I am still working on a WBL for sniping purposes, trying to cut down on reload time as much as possible. Using a small PC and 50mm rounds instead of 76mm, along with a bolt and hopper fed system, plus a fast-opening modified sprinkler valve, I'm trying to see how efficient I can get with this. Unfortunately, it'd still be useful only on those staying in close formations and/or those who don't move around a lot. Then you could hide and snipe at someone else who's hiding and not expecting the shot.

For safety, part of that goes to honor, having the sniper or grenadier follow engagement limits. Its done in airsoft and I don't see why it can't be done here, so long as we require WBLers to carry a secondary/sidearm at least. The only issue here is that WBL's can be pressurized to variable PSI's, which makes it a bit difficult to define engagement limits.

[Silence]

Same sentiments here. Launchers are passable for intimidation but they aren't practical at all. Just by throwing a balloon, you'd have much faster reload time, much better aim (at least at first, even if you're crazy enough to practice for hours with a launcher), and range beyond any water gun.

[The_Tubador]

Perhaps multiple air-chambers would be the best solution for the whole reload-issue.

Mandatory safety equipment would also be in order (helmets, face shields, and such), should an air-pressured WBL be used.

Also, people should have a certain amount of practice time to learn how NOT to hit people, but rather, the surrounding area (There should be some kind of iSoaker standard for safety training - just a thought).

[Silence]

Well, it's the operator's responsibility not to use a water balloon launcher at close range, especially when he could just use his arm instead. At a distance, thanks to air drag, a water balloon's impact is greatly reduced, so a direct hit wouldn't hurt as much. And at any rate, you'd be hard pressed to hit a person even if you aimed at him, and finally, the water doesn't really splash to the side much. Just forward.

That said, I absolutely agree that you shouldn't be out there if you're not comfortable with a launcher on the field. Safety equipment would work, but if I had to suffer that, I'd rather just ban the launcher or not play. Personal preferences I guess.

Multiple pressure chambers have been suggested but not used except as a "reservoir" and "pressure chamber". They tend to add a good deal of bulk and complexity, but they do solve the problem to an extent. B)

[The_Tubador]

Well, it's the operator's responsibility not to use a water balloon launcher at close range, especially when he could just use his arm instead. At a distance, thanks to air drag, a water balloon's impact is greatly reduced, so a direct hit wouldn't hurt as much. And at any rate, you'd be hard pressed to hit a person even if you aimed at him, and finally, the water doesn't really splash to the side much. Just forward.

That said, I absolutely agree that you shouldn't be out there if you're not comfortable with a launcher on the field. Safety equipment would work, but if I had to suffer that, I'd rather just ban the launcher or not play. Personal preferences I guess.

Multiple pressure chambers have been suggested but not used except as a "reservoir" and "pressure chamber". They tend to add a good deal of bulk and complexity, but they do solve the problem to an extent. B)

Yeah, it is the operator's responsibility to be safe, but try naming one person who hasn't made a mistake in there life. There are alternatives to PVC launchers anyway. Simple elastic launchers work perfectly fine (not to mention the added portability). I was simply stating the safety equipment as an option, should you go ahead and include PVC cannons in your game.

I'm not a terrible fan of air cannons. I'd just as soon use a conventional spud gun and some strong wadding.