Someone once asked me what it's like to have ADHD, and after some thought, I came up with this analogy: It's like turning the dial on a microfilm reader and releasing it at random. You never know where it's going to land, but it should be interesting. I have no idea what's going to spark these posts, or where they're going to go, but hopefully they'll be interesting.
Oh yeah, and my posts tend to suffer from a severe case of TLDNR-itis, so...sorry for that in advance. I'll try to add an abstract at the beginning of posts for all the other ADD children out there.
Oh yeah, and my posts tend to suffer from a severe case of TLDNR-itis, so...sorry for that in advance. I'll try to add an abstract at the beginning of posts for all the other ADD children out there.
On FPS guerrilla tactics or: Stop camping me, you camping camper!
(Credit to PrinceGaming for the idea for this post. http://sarcasticgamer.com/forums/blo...eferrerid=2851
Since the day one caveman decided that it would be a good idea to smash the other in the face, there has been a desire to gain an advantage over one's enemy by using available resources or exploiting some aspect of the situation. The use of elephants as mobile fortresses, heavy equipment, and a way to demoralize enemies is one example of the utilization of resources. Guerrilla warfare as a method to confuse, antagonize, and otherwise demoralize larger armies, as well as compensate for a disadvantage in military size or strength is another, and the topic for today's discussion.
Just like these armies of old, gamers have been searching for some advantage over their opponents since the advent of multiplayer in video games. One of the largest markets for multiplayer play today is the first person shooter (FPS), which has seen a tremendous upsurge in the past decade due to online play becoming more accessible, and the rise of the console FPS. Naturally, with multiple people participating in an activity comes competition. Online play has brought us online rankings, and many players seek to use the game's resources to their advantage to achieve the best rank possible. Some of these methods are more...controversial than others. "Camping", or staying in one place, generally hidden, and ambushing enemies, is one method of play that many gamers do not agree with. But is camping always "camping"? Can it make fair, tactical sense? I'd like to think so. I believe that the individual game, situation, and players determines whether camping is appropriate or not, and that camping can actually put you at a disadvantage in some situations.
To begin: Can we all agree that spawn or body camping have absolutely no merit, are not appropriate in any gaming situation, and that those who participate should suffer a long, slow, agonizing death? Great, I thought so. I'm glad we agree.
Do you like playing as a sniper? You're a camper. You hide and kill from a distance, preferably before anyone can pinpoint you. That's camping. But it's not always a bad thing. Developers put scoped weapons and dark places with an open view in multiplayer maps for a reason, after all. You are a godsend in assault/CTF variants. In open maps with defense points, snipers play a vital role, by allowing the bulk of the force to go on the offensive, while leaving their goal protected. In this situation you are death. You can see for miles, and don't even need to be *near* your goal to guard it. Just make sure to watch your own back. *Stabbity-stab-stab-stab*. Snipers are also appropriate for dark, urban areas like Bloc in CoD4. That map was just made for snipers. In any type of deathmatch scenario, snipers are just wrong. Yes, you play a good support role for your team with your out-of-nowhere kills, but remember that all those people on the other team don't have an official objective to pursue, so *you* are now their objective. And what if you don't have a team? Yes, you just got three headshots in a row, but six people just zeroed in on your position because of your muzzle flash, and they don't look too happy. Also, sniper classes should not have access to kill count-related benefits, such as the air strike and helicopter in CoD4 (let the flame fest begin!). Team Domination: You're comfy in your lounge chair, picking off enemies in the distance, able to see anyone sneaking up on you because of your allies' UAV, and you've racked up 30 kills in a row because of it. You are a headshot machine. You don't need to call in a fire mission, Patton.
General Location camping: During a deathmatch you notice that there is a dark, barely noticeable nook right off of a major thoroughfare. HIDE. HIDE AND SHOOT. Taking advantage of a hidden or darkened portion of the map that everyone has equal access to is totally kosher. You can see them, and if they're alert they can find you. You are at an advantage, but not unfairly. Just don't be shocked when you get a few frags thrown in your little clubhouse. Oh, and setting up at choke points? Also totally cool (as long as it's not the only way out of a spawn point). Bonus points if you can booby trap it.
In cases where there is something to be defended, you'll inevitably hear complaints about camping the objectives. This is due to a team leaving a few people hiding, just waiting for you to make a run for it and then *bang*. I have one thing to say to these complainers: Quit your griping, people! Leaving someone behind to watch over your valuables is common sense, and it's not their fault that you didn't check under the bed for monsters. I can remember playing Domination on CoD4, and making a run for one of the control points in an alleyway. Suddenly, I dropped. On my killcam I noticed that two of their players were hidden behind dumpsters, just waiting. Brilliant. After that, grenades went behind objects when assaulting control points. No hard feelings, and I've used the same tactic.
Finally, a tactic that I haven't seen myself, but have heard about is camping on supply, weapon, or vehicle stockpiles, either to save them for yourself or to ambush those who need a reload. You're not quartermaster corps, and you're not being tactical with this one. You're being selfish and greedy. Stop it. If what you want isn't there when you stop by, deal with it. Move on and check back later.
I've personally camped on several occasions, and I'm okay with it due to the aforementioned factors. In Goldeneye, one of my favorite kill methods was to line a hallway with remote mines, and then wait for someone to come after me. *Boom* They saw me in advance, noticed I wasn't trying to shoot at them, and still followed. Pretty fair, right? Right.
Okay, in summation:
Spawn or body camping: NOT COOL
Sniping: Good for defense, not so much on deathmatch.
Location camping: Thumbs up. Just be ready to die when you get cornered.
Defense point camping: Smart, so stop complaining and pay attention when it happens to you.
Supply camping: No. Just no.
Since the day one caveman decided that it would be a good idea to smash the other in the face, there has been a desire to gain an advantage over one's enemy by using available resources or exploiting some aspect of the situation. The use of elephants as mobile fortresses, heavy equipment, and a way to demoralize enemies is one example of the utilization of resources. Guerrilla warfare as a method to confuse, antagonize, and otherwise demoralize larger armies, as well as compensate for a disadvantage in military size or strength is another, and the topic for today's discussion.
Just like these armies of old, gamers have been searching for some advantage over their opponents since the advent of multiplayer in video games. One of the largest markets for multiplayer play today is the first person shooter (FPS), which has seen a tremendous upsurge in the past decade due to online play becoming more accessible, and the rise of the console FPS. Naturally, with multiple people participating in an activity comes competition. Online play has brought us online rankings, and many players seek to use the game's resources to their advantage to achieve the best rank possible. Some of these methods are more...controversial than others. "Camping", or staying in one place, generally hidden, and ambushing enemies, is one method of play that many gamers do not agree with. But is camping always "camping"? Can it make fair, tactical sense? I'd like to think so. I believe that the individual game, situation, and players determines whether camping is appropriate or not, and that camping can actually put you at a disadvantage in some situations.
To begin: Can we all agree that spawn or body camping have absolutely no merit, are not appropriate in any gaming situation, and that those who participate should suffer a long, slow, agonizing death? Great, I thought so. I'm glad we agree.
Do you like playing as a sniper? You're a camper. You hide and kill from a distance, preferably before anyone can pinpoint you. That's camping. But it's not always a bad thing. Developers put scoped weapons and dark places with an open view in multiplayer maps for a reason, after all. You are a godsend in assault/CTF variants. In open maps with defense points, snipers play a vital role, by allowing the bulk of the force to go on the offensive, while leaving their goal protected. In this situation you are death. You can see for miles, and don't even need to be *near* your goal to guard it. Just make sure to watch your own back. *Stabbity-stab-stab-stab*. Snipers are also appropriate for dark, urban areas like Bloc in CoD4. That map was just made for snipers. In any type of deathmatch scenario, snipers are just wrong. Yes, you play a good support role for your team with your out-of-nowhere kills, but remember that all those people on the other team don't have an official objective to pursue, so *you* are now their objective. And what if you don't have a team? Yes, you just got three headshots in a row, but six people just zeroed in on your position because of your muzzle flash, and they don't look too happy. Also, sniper classes should not have access to kill count-related benefits, such as the air strike and helicopter in CoD4 (let the flame fest begin!). Team Domination: You're comfy in your lounge chair, picking off enemies in the distance, able to see anyone sneaking up on you because of your allies' UAV, and you've racked up 30 kills in a row because of it. You are a headshot machine. You don't need to call in a fire mission, Patton.
General Location camping: During a deathmatch you notice that there is a dark, barely noticeable nook right off of a major thoroughfare. HIDE. HIDE AND SHOOT. Taking advantage of a hidden or darkened portion of the map that everyone has equal access to is totally kosher. You can see them, and if they're alert they can find you. You are at an advantage, but not unfairly. Just don't be shocked when you get a few frags thrown in your little clubhouse. Oh, and setting up at choke points? Also totally cool (as long as it's not the only way out of a spawn point). Bonus points if you can booby trap it.
In cases where there is something to be defended, you'll inevitably hear complaints about camping the objectives. This is due to a team leaving a few people hiding, just waiting for you to make a run for it and then *bang*. I have one thing to say to these complainers: Quit your griping, people! Leaving someone behind to watch over your valuables is common sense, and it's not their fault that you didn't check under the bed for monsters. I can remember playing Domination on CoD4, and making a run for one of the control points in an alleyway. Suddenly, I dropped. On my killcam I noticed that two of their players were hidden behind dumpsters, just waiting. Brilliant. After that, grenades went behind objects when assaulting control points. No hard feelings, and I've used the same tactic.
Finally, a tactic that I haven't seen myself, but have heard about is camping on supply, weapon, or vehicle stockpiles, either to save them for yourself or to ambush those who need a reload. You're not quartermaster corps, and you're not being tactical with this one. You're being selfish and greedy. Stop it. If what you want isn't there when you stop by, deal with it. Move on and check back later.
I've personally camped on several occasions, and I'm okay with it due to the aforementioned factors. In Goldeneye, one of my favorite kill methods was to line a hallway with remote mines, and then wait for someone to come after me. *Boom* They saw me in advance, noticed I wasn't trying to shoot at them, and still followed. Pretty fair, right? Right.
Okay, in summation:
Spawn or body camping: NOT COOL
Sniping: Good for defense, not so much on deathmatch.
Location camping: Thumbs up. Just be ready to die when you get cornered.
Defense point camping: Smart, so stop complaining and pay attention when it happens to you.
Supply camping: No. Just no.
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