Camping: How wrong is it?

[chucky2]

First let me say that I only play BF3, and at that, not a ton (or at least, not as much as I'd like to). Generally I play Recon but I've run through the other classes and I'm working on Assault right now. Generally I play Recon though. I play not for my own score or stats, but, to help the team win the round.

So my question is, how wrong is camping? And let me give an example:

On Firestorm, if you're up on the US mountain, you have a pretty easy view into the spawn location at the containers that are at A. So if you're playing as US, and the RU has A, and you're playing Recon with a sniper rifle, it is exceedingly easy to sight in on that spawn location and deliver death. It's camping, no question about it.

But how wrong is that? If I let them spawn they'll be more dug into A, and/or, will be able to easily take B and D (especially D, it's right across the road basically). So if I'm playing for my team to win, why would I allow them to spawn and then take objectives that hinders my team from winning?

Just curious to hear what others have to say on this...I'm torn on not trying to be a camper and wanting my team to win.

Chuck

 

[Fardringle]

I don't have any problem with it. It's part of the game, is not cheating/exploiting in any way, and it helps your team. Granted, I hate it when other people do that to me, but it's just part of the game...

 

[Red Storm]

If you're just playing on random multiplayer servers (as in not competitively) then I think camping can be a bit lame, depending on the level of camping. If you've got them completely locked down where they can't even put up a fight... where's the fun in that for either side?

 

[KaOTiK]

Campers can DIAF

 

[Stringjam]

There's nothing wrong with it. It is a realistic tactic of military warfare, so why wouldn't people do it in games designed around that.

I just don't find it to be much fun, so I never play those classes. I do, however, take particular joy in stalking down said campers and slitting their throats with a knife.


I remember playing a lot of Crysis Wars, where certain guys would just climb up a mountain or building in those big maps and just lay there (cloaked) with a Gauss taking people out. I would just camp somewhere on the map with my Gauss (not shooting other players) and pick off the campers when I would see their blip on the minimap when they fired. So fulfilling to see campers die.

 

[Maximilian]

Simple rule: Do whatever the hell you want.

I have fond memories of shooting people in the face with a PKM after they just spawned, shouldnt have spawned at such a heavily contested point if they wanted a fair chance of survival

 

[Snock514]

I only play tdm and sq dm in bf3 so if you camp you will probably lose the match. It's usually a sign on a weak player in tdm scenarios, as for objective based modes camping would seem pretty standard.

 

[darkewaffle]

I play Recon
wanting my team to win

These statements contradict each other

 

[Throckmorton]

War is hell

 

[Stringjam]

These statements contradict each other

As someone who plays an Engineer most of the time, I value a good Recon guy who keeps the armored vehicles painted for me.

It definitely helps the team win.

 

[Aikouka]

Camping may be a tactic, but that doesn't stop me from finding it to be rather annoying. It also seems rather cheap to try and rack up kills without even having to move as you're effectively removing part of the aspect of a FPS game.

 

[CPA]

I love when BF3 kids come play a TF2 Payload map and bitch about camping. Uh, sorry, no such thing in TF2, especially Payload. It's not the defenses job to allow the offense to get a head start on the cart.

 

[BrightCandle]

Its one thing to stay in one place and deny the enemy the position and some approach while an assault gets organised. Its an entirely different thing to pick people off as they spawn.

I am better when moving slowly and well aware of my surroundings and the situation but I don't ever get above a spawn and pick people off, its not the right call even if it ultimately ends up winning the day.

 

[Stringjam]

Its one thing to stay in one place and deny the enemy the position and some approach while an assault gets organised. Its an entirely different thing to pick people off as they spawn.

I am better when moving slowly and well aware of my surroundings and the situation but I don't ever get above a spawn and pick people off, its not the right call even if it ultimately ends up winning the day.

Yeah, I think we need to differentiate here between "camping" and "spawn camping," which are entirely different scenarios.

 

[aigomorla]

leave game... have server rebalance cuz u left.. rejoin...

camping destoryed.

They have yet to make a well balanced match maker in the game.
Its always been one sided for me everytime i go into a BF3 game.

I think ive had more cherry cpu's then well balanced matches in BF.

 

[DeadFred]

Nothing wrong with camping and those that whine about it are simply a bunch of crybabies.

 

[nageov3t]

how do you feel when you're on the other side of it?

 

[Josh123]

As someone who plays an Engineer most of the time, I value a good Recon guy who keeps the armored vehicles painted for me.

It definitely helps the team win.

I do as well but rarely have anyone on our team that actually paints targets

 

[Aikouka]

Nothing wrong with camping and those that whine about it are simply a bunch of crybabies.

Look! Another no-skill camper!

 

[ThinClient]

Camping may be a tactic, but that doesn't stop me from finding it to be rather annoying. It also seems rather cheap to try and rack up kills without even having to move as you're effectively removing part of the aspect of a FPS game.

This post is gold.

If people are stupid enough to zerg through where someone is camping, they deserve to die. Hell, he's not moving. Rush him from another direction or learn not to suck, noob.

 

[Red Storm]

This post is gold.

If people are stupid enough to zerg through where someone is camping, they deserve to die. Hell, he's not moving. Rush him from another direction or learn not to suck, noob.

Pretty sure OP is talking about spawn camping, which is not at all the same thing as camping a specific non-spawning area of the map.

 

[sm625]

If the game is coded in such a way that allows cheeseball campers to win then that's on the devs. But camping has been around for a long time and every dev knows about it so you'd think they would "creatively disincentivise" it.

 

[Aikouka]

This post is gold.

If people are stupid enough to zerg through where someone is camping, they deserve to die. Hell, he's not moving. Rush him from another direction or learn not to suck, noob.

I like how you assume what I do when I run into campers.

To be clear, I don't care for the tactic because it feels like lazy play to me. I grew up playing arena-based shooters (Quake, Unreal, etc.), and the idea of stopping in those games? Ludicrous! (For the most part. ) For example, I was rather used to doing things like moving and picking someone off with a railgun in Quake III. Even back when I played the original Rainbow Six, I can't remember a single time when I camped or anything like that. It's just not in my blood!

EDIT:

I think another reason is that part of playing FPS games is that you get that rush when you take someone down in a difficult firefight. I even got that same feeling back when I played WoW while doing PVP. It's overcoming the challenge in a close call that makes it fun and exciting; I don't think you get that while camping.

 

[Josh123]

I like how you assume what I do when I run into campers.

To be clear, I don't care for the tactic because it feels like lazy play to me. I grew up playing arena-based shooters (Quake, Unreal, etc.), and the idea of stopping in those games? Ludicrous! (For the most part. ) For example, I was rather used to doing things like moving and picking someone off with a railgun in Quake III. Even back when I played the original Rainbow Six, I can't remember a single time when I camped or anything like that. It's just not in my blood!

EDIT:

I think another reason is that part of playing FPS games is that you get that rush when you take someone down in a difficult firefight. I even got that same feeling back when I played WoW while doing PVP. It's overcoming the challenge in a close call that makes it fun and exciting; I don't think you get that while camping.

Complete opposite style of games compared to the BF series though. I really don't have a problem with camping because it IS a "Battlefield". I just hate people who play Recon and never help contribute to their team other than sniping.

 

[chucky2]

Yes, to clarify, I meant spawn camping. I'm not doing it intentionally, and highly dislike doing it period. It is just frustrating when I have to sit there and weight the choice spawn camping and really losing an objective or even the match.

For example, I'm setup on/near the US mountain on Firestorm, which means protecting D (unless it's a tank they take it with). We have A, heck, even B. We're working on taking C and possibly E. Then all of a sudden, we start losing A. OK, I'm now watching over at A to see if I can help pick some of the guys off. But, it doesn't happen and now we've lost A and they have it. At that point, they can spawn at that container point. WTF am I supposed to do now, just let them spawn, run to B and take that? Run to D and take that?

It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth to spawn camp. I don't like it when it is done to me and I don't even like doing it because it really is cheating in my book. One knows where the spawn point is, you just have to keep rounds in your weapon and be sighted in and whamo, killz. But what to do about losing B and D because they now have A?

It's like a catch-22 which was why I wondering other gamers perspective on it.

Chuck

P.S. A lot of the time I'm using either the MAV or the SOFLAM. If I have the worst score in the game but I helped us win the match by Q'ing people and/or painting vehicles, I'm fine with that. Sometimes I play for kills but mainly I play for the team to win.