By: Oliver ":8:Kazar" Phelan
You spawn next to your base, and before you can move -!POP!- you're dead.
ARGH!
Your friendly neighborhood spawn camper strikes again on CTF-Face!
We've all been subjected to it at some point, but on CTF-Face, it is an occurrence that you can depend on. It has become a predictable event because the map actually facilitates the spawn camping tactic into a cheap role that even the most talentless of players can assume. Rather than just having offensive players, defensive players and snipers, you now have spawn campers as well.
Most of us despise the spawn camper with a passion. They are considered unskilled scum. On CTF-Face the role, unfortunately, has a strategic value that almost validates the tactic. That is what drives it from being an individual method of heartless stat whores to a consistently used role of both teams. A busy spawn camper can occupy at least two players: one who is consistently getting their head shot off; and another who has to maneuver into a position to take the camper out. On a small server of around 8 players, the spawn camper role can give one side a significant advantage. Rather than four vs. four it becomes three vs. two. Then you have to admit that probably only one of the two is actually on defense.
While it is an alluringly easy strategy to employ, there are much more effective methods of aiding your team capture the flag than just sitting in a perch or behind a wall picking off players as they spawn. I mention a perch here because most players associate spawn campers on CTF-Face with those people on ground level right by the spawn points who fire across the map. This is only your basic spawn camper. Others set themselves up as a sniper would, then proceed to shoot spawning players from high up. Yet another spawn camper sets themselves up behind and above the spawn zone and fire away. The latter are very tricky to eliminate.
These tactics grey the area between the sniper and the camper. This map explores that issue, although unintentionally. In preparation for this article, I had some communication with Inoxx, Epic map designer and author of CTF-Face. He admitted that:
To most, the differences are obvious: a sniper "snipes" and a camper "camps"! So if a sniper "snipes" all within his scope, is then shooting a spawning player is fair game? Exactly how far do you have to go in order to not be considered a camper? What is the difference between the feared/revered role of the sniper and the loathed spawn camper? Whether by intent or coincidence, CTF-Face still raises these issues.
Effort
A sniper does not simply "snipe". They first procure suitable weapons and supplies, then seek out a spot of true strategic value. It is not enough to just recognize these strategic spots and use them. The sniper tries to monopolize it to its fullest potential. They do not waste their time targeting the spawn areas when they could fire at much more important targets at the same time. So a sniper shows much more effort than the spawn camper.
Skill
But showing effort is not enough to define it either. That does not stop them from shooting spawners whenever they have a second or two. To prevent that requires a constant determination to prove their skill. Granted that spawn camping more than likely would improve your stats considerably, stats are just a set of numbers which can be manipulated. In reality, spawn camping degenerates your existing skill level dramatically. You require constant practice and exercise to retain skill. It is not enough to repetitively work the scope and fire. A true sniper also focuses their practices on hiding targets, evading incoming fire, moving targets along with your regular UT melee skills. Essentially CTF-Face is the only true bastion for the spawn camper. In any other map, they would be too unskilled in the art of combat to defend themselves or be valuable to the team. Meanwhile, a sniper remains versatile and can adapt their knowledge to a variety of different maps.
Reputation
This is not the only draw back to spawn camping. The practice also degenerates a player's good name. There are only so many servers playing CTF-Face within anyone's playable ping range. This results in spawn campers regularly attending a handful of servers along with other players. These other players, as most of us, complain and villainize spawn campers once frustrated enough with them. That spawn campers nickname travels through list serves, forums and clan rosters sometimes landing onto a hit list. Once notorious enough, the problem won't go away by just changing that nickname. Regular veterans of a server can identify a players style, thereby seeing through any such alias. Once someone reaches this level of infamy, the only way to redeem themselves on their regular servers is by changing their nick AND their playing style. The latter requires practice, and ultimately moves them away from spawn camping.
Thankfully, Inoxx has addressed the spawn camping issue in CTF-Face][:
If you are on a server where this problem persists:
1. Most Important
Speak Up When Those from Your Own Team are Spawn Camping
All too often, one yells foul when the opposing team spawn camps, but never when their own team uses the same dirty tactic. The only completely effective way to stop a spawn camper is by having their own team publicly disapprove of them. It can be as easy as saying "John Doe, you've got point" or "take their flag", or as blunt as giving them a swift impact hammer to the torso causing them to plummet into open space at their stat's expense.
2. Do Not Get Drawn In
It is very easy to give into frustration and become the permanent anti-spawn camper guard. You know! One of those players that sits crouched behind the wall just shooting the spawn campers on the other side. On a large server such a player might be beneficial, but on a small server it is a waste of resources.
It is best to avoid this role before it becomes a habit. Simply eliminate any spawn campers which exist at the moment and move on to aid the team in other ways. Also, in the above role, you can easily be mistaken for a spawn camper yourself.
3. Do NOT Use the Redeemer on Spawn Campers
It just wastes that resource which could be used towards helping your team capture the flag. Besides racking up cheap kills, this is a spawn campers prime motivator.
4. Sniper Combo
Set yourself up on the front facade of the enemy base. The enemy hardly ever looks there, so it is relatively safe. Once there, you can take out any snipers on the enemy tower, take out spawn campers on the sides, provide
cover fire for your team and snipe any enemy flag carriers heading home.
This tactic is more successful with a back-up sniper on your base providing cover for you from any enemy players hunting for you.
5. The Krazy Ka-zar Distraction Run (It's not as crazy as it sounds!)
Traverse the asteroid with the translocator (allowing you some cover from snipers).
Once inside the enemy base, head left towards the redeemer portal grabbing the shockrifle in the process.
Once in the redeemer room, push up against the back wall and take out any enemies who were chasing you. The alternate fire of the shockrifle does this quickly.
Make a run for the sniper room across the way. If you can blast the enemy's redeemer towards the rocket launcher pick-up in the process, even better! You should have enough time to launch the redeemer and make it to the other portal.
When you get to the sniper room, be quick to make sure no snipers are behind or to the side of you. Usually the snipers in there are crouching down to the left or right and are too entranced in the scope to figure out that you are there. Pick up the rifle there and take them out.
By this time, the players you shot in the redeemer room are coming back into the base to look for you. Run for the roof portal where you might get some help from your team's sniper. It's usually not worth it to stop and take out anyone on the roof unless they are towards the back in the shadows and/or obviously hard to get at by anyone else.
Proceed down one side of the enemy tower and eliminate any snipers or spawn campers. It is usually good to hang out back on one of the ledges and distract the enemy team for awhile longer. You will probably be low on
health and have half the enemy team looking for you by this time. Try to drag that distraction out as long as you can so that you can provide your team a large enough window to capture the flag.
It is a suicide run, but if you time it right and have a good shot, it can boost your kills and be a beneficial aid to the team.
6. Report their A$$
There is nothing like public humiliation to make a person go straight. Several clans have started hit lists and post the names on their WebPages. Often friends on list serves or forums are all too happy to remember a spawn camper who pissed off their friend and return the favor. If not a member of a clan or just want to take it a step further, try The Soundoff , a site dedicated to publicizing the names of players with lame tactics.
7. Spawn Guard on Small Servers
One of the only mutators which addresses the spawn camper issue is Spawn Guard. Basically it renders the freshly spawned player invisible for a certain amount of time. It does not keep you safe from the enemy bullets, but at least it gives you a fighting chance. If you are running a small CTF-Face server please consider this mutator. It's a short download for those who do not have it.
