FA Ranks
Ranks at Florida Airsoft are assigned according to player contributions to either the FA website or to FA related games (this includes participation). They in no way reflect any real military rank. They also do not reflect the number of post made on the FA forums. Their main purpose is to help establish experience in things airsoft and actual game experience (not skill - we're not judging anyone) -- something you can't take for granted on a internet public forum.
Please note: when it comes time for you to go up a rank, please use our rank request form with your username and other important information.
Here is the ranking system for FA Players. I want to make sure that everyone's contributions to FA are recognized so that people visiting the site can understand how much work and experience you have in airsoft and in all things FA related. The ranks are broken into 3 categories, corresponding to the different things players can do for both the FA site and FA games:
Ranks
E-1: web user
E-2: attended an FA game
E-3: attended 3 FA games in last 6 months
E-4: attended FA games regularly in the last year
E-5 and above: Earned through Earned Rank Points (ERP) detailed below
W-1 through W-5: honorary ranks for 'visiting' webmasters and 'authorities' from outside FA. (Please note: if you choose Airforce as your favorite service you can not be an W rank as the real Airforce doesn't have a warrant officer rank.)
O-1 and above: FA website contributors (explained below).
ERPs
ERPs can be gained by doing things that directly help FA games.
Field Prep: Players can earn ERPs by either finding new fields to play airsoft on or by helping to prepare or fix existing ones. The fields of course have to be something that a game has, or could definitely be played at by more than 12 or so people. Having a field that you are your friends use every once in a while doesn't count; you have to make sure its safe and very much legal for others to play there.
Volunteering: One of the best ways to earn EPRs is to help one of the groups who are organizing large games on game day. You can contact the game organizers and see if there is anything you can help with, such as: chrono'ing, field security, NPCs, or game controller. Every organizer will have their own specific needs for volunteers, so contact them before a game to see if there is anything you can help with.
There may be other ERP categories in the future, but the bottom line is if you help with the games you will earn more rank to let other players and users know that you are helping the FA thing happen.
Participating or doing the above will earn you 1 ERP. After earning 3 ERPs and a year after becoming an E-4, you can go up to an E-5.
O rank contributions include: forum moderation, reviews, and features. Does not include pictures. O ranks are optional for a player (they will have a choice as to whether they want to leave their E rank for an O rank. O ranked players will no longer be able to use ERPs to gain rank. They will also probably not gain any more rank above O-1 unless they contribute in a big way to the website. We don't really want a bunch of 0-10s running around!
This may all sound really complicated but its actually a very simple system. There is no official recognition for FA team leaders but I don't think this will matter much as team leaders will probably be very involved with FA and airsoft in general and have some rank to show for it.