[Issue 48] The Pathological Camper

[Night-Sisters 2,139]

 

A Comprehensive Listing of Effective Camping Techniques 

 

 

A Definition:
Camping - The act of staying in one area on a map in order to gain an advantage over an enemy or group of enemies.
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Forget the tent and marshmallows. Whenever the term camper is slung about these days, it's generally in reference to the above definition and it's a topic that seems to breed a lot of in-game dissent. Is that firmly-entrenched, "camping" Railgun hiding in a cowardly manner, or making use of a respectable, intelligent strategy to earn kills? Is that Shafter a worthwhile asset or is it just taking up valuable game space? And what about the Titan/Twins sitting immobile on the flag, brick on the spacebar, with a distinct inability to locate the arrow keys?
Opinions on the subject vary greatly between tankers; wherever you might fall on the viewpoint spectrum, it is undeniable that camping in all its forms is a highly effective stratagem as a proficient camper can easily achieve a D/L ratio of 3.00+ and place at or near the top of the scoreboard in many games.
 

 
For me, this is more than enough to take a second look, however, for the sake of argument, let's say that you, dear reader, are of the cynical, disbelieving type. If that were the case, you might be thinking...
 
Highly effective??? Since when is camping "highly effective"?!? Campers are losers, and useless ones at that. They can't pull any weight in a team battle and are highly incompetent in DM. This article sux. :angry: 
 
Well now, my highly-suspicious friend. I can say from personal experience that camping is quite the lucrative strategy, though one has to go about it in an intelligent manner. So, without further ado...
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Reading The Terrain: CTF
 
Location is everything.
For a camper, knowing (and utilizing) key, tactically sensitive areas is the difference between failure and success. The "safe spots" and "hot zones" in a map can be learned by observing how enemies generally react to certain terrain features and props. That said, these key areas are certainly not static. A zone or terrain feature in a map that is of critical importance in CTF may be completely useless in DM because the game mode and, by extension, the driving motivations of all players involved, has changed.
CTF campers are an odd breed because they are not interested in going for the enemy flag. Instead, a Shaft, Vulcan, or Rail should be looking to cripple, separate, and generally strike fear into the hearts of all enemies from a safe distance.  
 
Bla, bla, bla. We already know this. Yeesh, if you don't have something intelligent to impart, it's better to say nothin' at all. 
 
Ah, but here comes the fun part. The rather clichéd camping position shown below is a tried-and-true Serpuhov favorite. An example of divide and conquer at it's finest, this particular hangout is effective because of the view. The location allows a direct look into the center of the enemy base which leads me to my first VIP (Very Important Point.)
 
VIP #1: In team battles, an "offensive" camper must have good visibility into the enemy base.
 
A direct view of the enemy flag is preferable but not always possible. A good compromise is to look for a quiet spot, well within the bounds of your own territory, that gives you access to as much square footage of the enemy base as possible. A good knowledge of the enemy respawn points can be helpful as nothing demoralizes the enemy more than death immediately after they've respawned. Get a feel for the most-used routes within the enemy base, defender locations, and above all, don't forget about danger from counterpart enemy snipers. A Railgunner taking potshots at your position is a very real menace, and should be dealt with accordingly.  
 

Conveniently circled for your viewing ease, this camper (me!!) can effectively lock down a large portion of the enemy base.
 
VIP #2: Your flag attracts enemies.
 
And this is where the lines between "defender" and "defensive camper" begin to blur. The flag attracts enemy tankers like flies to honey! A camper can take of advantage of this steady stream of attackers, reap in the kills, and never have to leave the safety of the base. You should focus your attention on completely shutting down one key attacking thoroughfare or choke point. This can be hugely advantageous to your team, as the other defenders can more heavily concentrate their efforts in other key areas. 
Terrain-wise, you should look for tight passageways and/or high traffic routes to your flag. This image from Espanlande is a perfect example of camping defensively, as one camper can knock out all enemies that attempt to use this route, all the while keeping an eye on and functioning as a back-up flag defender.
 

 
VIP #3: It is possible to camp with a short-ranged weapon.
 
Ummmm... doesn't a short-range weapon rather defeat the purpose of camping??? Whatchya gonna do, sit around praying that enemy comes close enough to be fired upon? 
 
In a nutshell, yes. :P A short-range weapon coupled with the bulk of Titan or Mammoth can make for fine camping on the flag. Oncoming light hulls will lose their chief advantages -speed and momentum- once they smash into an immobile Mammoth. Excessive movement on the camper's part is unnecessary because as I stated before, your flag attracts enemies, and a steady stream of kills is practically guaranteed. 
 


Reading The Terrain: DM
 
Deathmatch camping looks almost nothing like camping in a CTF. It is a peculiar sort of beast because enemies are looking for kills, not flags, thus they will be specifically targeting you. In order to be effective, a camper needs to get out of the general melee and stay safely under the radar...which can be accomplished by a knowledge of prime camping locations and understanding how tankers react to the props and terrain features in a map.
 
The primary rule of DM camping: do not, do not, do not, camp in an area with only one point of access. Backing yourself into a corner is the surest way to die. The first drugging Viking/Firebird to pass through will cut through your deployed mines like a hot knife through butter and leave you vulnerable, wounded, or dead. 
 

 
Instead, look for estranged areas with two points of access and few spawn points.
 
Your words are meaningless gibberish. What the heck are 'estranged areas'? -,-
 
Estranged Area: A sniping position that is somewhat separated from the hottest combat, usually by means of a large prop or change in terrain elevation. 
 
Clear on that? Okay, good.
It is extremely important to camp in an area that has two, and only two points of access. Any more and it is simply too easy for your enemies to overwhelm your position. Any less and... well, that was already covered. When camping, you should always try to read the flow of battle and knock out or severely weaken any incoming threats before they reach your position. If this is not possible, and the enemy does close in on your zone, use the opposite point of access as an exit route, to get yourself away from danger. You can now wait for the aggressor to leave, attempt to destroy them, or move on to another spot in the map.



It is extremely easy to see this terrain feature in the above picture, which is a good "textbook example". However, two points of access can come in a variety of forms, you just have to know what you're looking for. 
 

   

 
Getting a Visual
 
The mark of a good camper is the ability to proactively read a situation and respond quickly to any incoming threats. To do this, you need a good visual of the map. Your camera angle should be moving, even if your tank isn't. This allows you to see to make kills, and also move in accordance with threats... freshly respawned tanks, heavy tanks, double armor etc anything that isn't a one shot kill, really. When in a tight passage, or simply want to see over the top of an obstacle, zoom all the way out with Q, so that you have a high, but tight view of the surrounding area and can move appropriately without blindly guessing at the location of the enemy.
 

 
However, when no enemies are directly threatening your position, your camera view should look more like that in the picture below, for ease of making shots. By flipping between these two angles, you will be better able to camp.
 

 
And that settles it, folks. We have a flamin' jenius on our hands!!111!!11!.
(Sigh) What a terrific example of how to state the completely obvious. 
 
It's the basics that count. Learn to do the little stuff well and you'll be better prepared for more dangerous scenarios. But, moving on...

 

Utilizing Mines

Mines are a camper's best friend. They can be used to deter, divert, protect, defend, and are just all-around good for blowing stuff up.

You don't say. ^

Optimum mine placement varies from situation to situation and is in large part determined by what role you need that mine to perform.
If your goal is to make a barrier that stops enemies in their tracks, then deploy several mines in a very obvious choke point location. They don't need to kill enemies, so much as function as an visually intimidating barrier that you can safely hide behind to make the kill. In fact, it's almost rather irritating when an enemy does run over your explosives because then you have to go through the bother of replacing them.      



If, however, you favor a more devious utilization of mines, drop an explosive slightly behind your sniping position. When an enemy pushes towards you for a kill, drive backwards over the mine. While most adversaries have learned to check for mines at the front of a sniper hangout, almost none think to look for them further back. Besides, your tank will cover the mine as you roll over it, rendering it virtually invisible to any oncoming attacker. This mine placement is especially effective if you have the presence of mind to shoot while driving backwards, as the effect of both mine and weapons-fire is enough to destroy even a rampaging, shielded Viking.  



The third and final "type" of mining is to place the explosive a good distance from your position, almost out of sight. 

Well that's stupid. What use are mines if they aren't in your general location? 
 
The train of thought is that, as a camper, your enemies are eventually going to figure where you are. And they will be coming for you. A camper can wait passively for those enemies to arrive... or they could be proactive and mine key attacking routes to the sniping position. No one will be looking for a mine in such a "random" spot so this mining technique can be of real use to a camper. The trick is to know when -and where- to use it. 
 


 
Deploy your mines with care but also remember that, as a camper, you won't be destroyed as often and so have more leeway with how many and where you place them. A good rule of thumb is to have one in back of your position and one at the front. If you have the time and resources you can also place one somewhere in the middle of your camping position that serves as a last line of defense. Make sure you understand the intended function of your mines, and try to put them "in traffic" where they will be useful. 
 
Ending Blather
 
There is more skill involved with camping than most tankers realize. It takes timing, precision, and the ability to make good split-second decisions. Developing a knack for staying under the radar is an art that cannot be taught but must be learned if you wish to be a successful, along with the capability of identifying enemies that will become threats vs. tanks who are just passing by without any real intent of dislodging you. It is also extremely beneficial to keep a clear "map" in your head of your favorite hangouts in a map. When you do accrue a loss, make a beeline for the nearest from wherever you respawn. 
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And that's it. Stay safely out of sight, accrue fabulous D/L ratios, and happy camping!
 

 

 

Edited February 5, 2016 by Night-Sisters

[Zenyth 6,494]

I must say you have extraordinary vocabulary.

[DragonOfStorms 2,706]

Excellent article. I'm very impressed.

[marc.jp_44 20,837]

Brilliant. +1

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Lousy way of playing Tanki... :P

 

...but besides that: superb article! 

[wow349 4]

Nice article!! Camping is life!! I'm gonna get so many killstreaks there are never gonna kill me!!

( Good job i love these articles nothing better than enraging an enemy wasp with shaft and when he respawns, hit him again and then he swears in the chat )

[fordmustang12345 3,910]

"When camping you won't be destroyed as much" <_< seriously? Lie. You will actually be targeted more

[fordmustang12345 3,910]

Also mine drop box locations near you so that when people try to attack you (after grabbing that drop box) they will have lost alot of their health and give you more of a chance of killing them

[Hex 11,520]

Nicely written, to the point as always...

[l.Supreme 2,253]

Excellent article. I like it :)

[lukey0 27,543]

Very nice. :)

[Podey_the_Buster 87]

"When camping you won't be destroyed as much" <_< seriously? Lie. You will actually be targeted more

I can prove that, remember that Monte Carlo you,Killer, and I Played? I got a 17-0 K/D

 

Also mine drop box locations near you so that when people try to attack you (after grabbing that drop box) they will have lost alot of their health and give you more of a chance of killing them

You should also camp near them, as you will have a steady stream of drugs.

[Podey_the_Buster 87]

Lousy way of playing Tanki... :P

 

...but besides that: superb article! 

Ummm,Lord-of-the-Snipers, hmmm, thought snipers camped. :huh: 

[Podey_the_Buster 87]

Besides all that, great article Night Sisters!

Or should I say Nighty Wighty.(Or something like that)

Joking. :P 

 

 

[Podey_the_Buster 87]

Nice article!! Camping is life!! I'm gonna get so many killstreaks there are never gonna kill me!!

( Good job i love these articles nothing better than enraging an enemy wasp with shaft and when he respawns, hit him again and then he swears in the chat )

Agree with you totally!

[fordmustang12345 3,910]

I can prove that, remember that Monte Carlo you,Killer, and I Played? I got a 17-0 K/D

 

You should also camp near them, as you will have a steady stream of drugs.

Truthfully no I don't remember a Monte ctf with you and KG (mainly cause I don't remember many battles and don't play Monte Carlo ctfs cause I don't have a good rail gun paint)

[Podey_the_Buster 87]

Truthfully no I don't remember a Monte ctf with you and KG (mainly cause I don't remember many battles and don't play Monte Carlo ctfs cause I don't have a good rail gun paint)

Hmm strange, ask Killer on that.

[fordmustang12345 3,910]

Hmm strange, ask Killer on that.

Oops I meant I don't play Monte Carlo ctfs much cause I don't have a good railgun paint and Monte ctfs and usually infested with those things

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Ummm,Lord-of-the-Snipers, hmmm, thought snipers camped. :huh: 

Yeah, didn 't choose a good name way, way back. Things happen. ;)

(Still a sniper, especially a light hull Tanki sniper, better be very mobile between the times when he fires some shots:

stay in one spot and you are certainly going to attract unwanted enemy fire.)

 

Nothing wrong with camping though, if that is what a player really likes.

For example a good camper in a CTF who also cares about shooting down that runaway flagcaper, can add

great value to the team.

 

What I do think is that a camper misses out a lot of the very good stuff Tanki also has to offer, simply because

camping really doesn 't require good driving skills, so when sticking to it you won 't get an allround tanker.

 

A more allround tanker can go camping just as well and reach the same very high DL 's.

But he/she isn 't limited to just camping.

The thrill of being part in attacks, capturing a flag, fast gameplay in XP/BP etc. are things which are very rewarding.

 

So the summary would be: explore the world that lies behind camping, it 's worth it!

[destroyer56super 33]

Great article! :P

Edited February 8, 2016 by destroyer56super

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Sorry but I didn't even read this, I have nothing against camping except that it just isn't exciting enough (unless i'm a smoky tiyan\viking but i don't really care.)

What a marvellous contribution to this topic!

I can 't applaud you enough for your post!

 

You didn 't even read it: how good of you to inform us from that amazing action.

Respect!

[anuclearbomb 220]

What a marvellous contribution to this topic!

I can 't applaud you enough for your post!

 

You didn 't even read it: how good of you to inform us from that amazing action.

Respect!

he also spelt titan, well, like that

[destroyer56super 33]

Okay I guess I was tired. Sorry. I read the article and it was pretty helpful as good as the rest Night-Sisters. :)

[Lord-of-the-Snipers 1,620]

Okay I guess I was tired. Sorry. I read the article and it was pretty helpful as good as the rest Night-Sisters. :)

Nice comeback! :) 

[Bugs.meeny 1,013]

Nice article NS! I don't usually camp, but sometimes  it's fun to camp in polygon CP. I can relate to this stuff.