Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

[Fuzzplug Jones]

Hey there. I'm not a big forum guy, here or anywhere, and I only started playing 2142 in August after buying it way back when and it not performing well on my computer. I play only for fun (which means I wonder a lot of the time why I play at all), and I'm only a Warrant Officer Silver. But I did play BF2 for a few years and I'm familiar with the franchise.

Question: Why the hell is Camp Gibraltar such a popular map?

It's easily on over half the servers anytime I play online. It's unavoidable. I know it's a desert map but the colors are so harsh my eyes hurt after more than two rounds. There's not enough room to seriously run vehicles around, and the map is too big on foot. There's too many hiding places and it comes down to a few camping a-holes sniping people running from the only spawn point they have. They could release JUST THAT MAP and have a spinoff game called "Battlefield: Running." The 45-man showdowns in those cramped passageways toward the EU base are basically just 100 free kills for the guy with the alienware laptop and the 18ms ping. The map would be tolerable if it came up once in awhile in rotation, but seriously, what is the deal with this map? The only think I can think of is it's a camper's paradise, especially the one flag out in the open surrounded by buildings, and it's the jerks who usually own the trends in things like this.

I've had some great rounds in 2142, but usually on the maps that don't get played too often - Verdun especially, and Minsk. Suez is also a lot of fun unless your team is so insipid that they can't keep gunships off the roof in the PAC base. And since I haven't played for a long time, I'm not good in the Titan yet, so trying to find a Conquest server that doesn't have Gibraltar in heavy rotation is becoming kind of a task.

Am I crazy?

[jake_]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

This sure is a trouble thread. I'll try to answer all your points.

*There's probably no good explanation other than its popular. Servers that run it more often are more popula, and 24/7 servers and even more popular. Majority rules and the majority of people seem to say they like Camp G.

*If the brightness hurts your eyes, you should be able to adjust it somewhat so its much better without compromising your ability to see things on-screen.

*Ping problems and lag are NOT ever due to the quality of your PC. Stuttering gameplay is a hardware issue. If you have stuttering, lower your settings. If you have really high ping, you'll essentially need to either upgrade your internet speed (or just cut out anything that's destroying your bandwidth) or a find servers closer to where you live (yes it sucks, but you'll just have to deal with it.)

Also, those of us who have great scores and k/d ratios round after round, and rack up lots of kills, etc can attest to the fact that its all up to your individual skill at playing the game and learning the best way to win. Practice makes perfect.


I always though Operation Shingle was like the spiritual successor to Camp G. Although I do like Camp Gibraltar, Operation Shingle manages to have a much better mix of the infantry play in close quarters as well as longer distances.




Hope that offers some kind of answer to all your problems.

[Shurikane]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

Long story short: Camp Gib is a gigantic point farm.

I play mixed maps, and even then, Gib is where I've busted the highest SPM rates. On a heavily populated server, all you need to do is settle down into the usual nadespam statlemate and you'll quickly average 3 points a minute without much effort. This compared with Titan and vehicle conquest maps where the SPM hovers between 1 and 2.

Since people are impatient and hellbent on scoring points by any means necessary regardless of how the rest of their team fares, they naturally all flock to whichever server allows them to get the most points in the shortest amount of time.

Oh, and your idea's already been done.

[iQue]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

People like it because it's small and there's never action too far away. I love the bigger maps myself and don't mind running a long distance or take a jeep but most people just don't want to do that.

Also, it's easy to get a lot of points and you'll gain ranks faster. (as Shurikane said)

[WolfAlmighty]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

If you find a vehicle conquest map that's actually populated, please let me know. I play on 24/7 Gib and city map servers mostly out of necessity as there aren't any vehicle conquest servers that remain populated outside of the 24/7 Tampa server I play on (and I like Titan mode even less overall than city maps). Since you play(ed) BF2, you should notice how popular Karkand is/was since Camp G is essentially just BF2142's version of it. I like to blame stat whores and CS-type twitch gamers that have consumed the BF franchise much the same way a swarm of flies consumes a moist dog turd, but it's probably not (entirely) their fault. Some people just prefer a faster-paced game and city maps offer that, whereas with a vehicle map you're having slower, more tactical fights that cannot be won with just a Voss, PK rockets, and hand grenades. People who e-jerk to their KDR will find that getting rezzed often and never having to pick a kit besides assault will increase the aforementioned stat and will also gravitate towards this map.

As for why Gib is more popular than the other city maps; Cerbere is, literally, an uphill climb for the PAC and being picked at/spammed on by people on higher ground all the time with only a couple of viable routes to travel gets old very fast, Berlin and Belgrade have that irritating APC (and IMO is boring without any vehicles), and Tunis is largely overlooked since Tunis 32 is a lot more fun in my opinion than Gib.

Regarding ping and lag, as jake mentioned it's entirely to do with the server you're playing on and your internet connection. I get horrible hitreg on most servers I play on (although God only knows why) and my ping is usually in the 40-60 range, which is certainly acceptable (nobody ever kicks for double-digit ping). A lot of times I'll die before I even hear the bullets being fired, I get a lot of 'phantom bullets' that don't do any damage to enemies, significant rubberbanding, even though others on the server have no problems whatsoever. There's nothing inherently wrong with my computer and it's obviously not the server, so that means somethings buggered up with my internet service. Irritating, yes, but such is the nature of online gaming.

Edit: Cripes I type slowly anymore. Thanks for the pic, Shurikane...I remembered seeing that here a while ago but CBA to find the link.

[Killerus]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

camp g = most amount of kills and points for minimal effort.

[WolfAlmighty]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

Actually I just realised why Tunis is less popular than Gib: it's more open and has fewer chokepoints (that is to say almost none). Many people hated it when the USMC took the back bases on Karkand because they were under the impression that the flags should have been required to be capped in a specific order, and since all 3 Tunis flags are pretty much open without much in the way of chokepoints (as opposed to the Central Camp/Ruins stalemate that happens as inevitably as the ****ing sunrise during Camp G), so it's more of a free map. It's much easier to spam and defend chokepoints while the sheeple feed themselves to your nades and rockets than it is to have to pick people off on an open map like Tunis. This equates to more points (read: Why Titan Defending is So Popular), and as we've already determined, more points makes you a better person in real life.

[jake_]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

Actually I just realised why Tunis is less popular than Gib: it's more open and has fewer chokepoints (that is to say almost none).

Good point.

[TGL|TXGrunt]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

camp g = most amount of kills and points for minimal effort.

PK Rockets....

[jake_]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

PK Rockets....

no way!

[l33tfodder]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

Defending the Titan against over enthousiastic attackers is a massive points generator. 175 points was me max round, on Suez. It's just the phase before the shields go up that bores me. And yes I'm not a vehicle player, I really suck on that.

[Minmaster]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

boy, and you weren't around when pod surfing was around. people would pod to any part of the map, on top of any building they want back in the days. now only recons with RDX can w/o beacons.

like someone said, it's a point farm spawn camping, head shot heaven (most of my infiltrator pins are from camp G as EU killing newly spawned PACs), nade spamming heaven, and the list goes on and on.

but camp G is not the only point farming map. berlin with APC mortars is by far the craziest.

the best maps imo are the equal grounds maps like belgrade and tunis. hell i even like sidi, shuhia taiba on conquest. it's a shame those maps are not run much at all, especially those titan maps. i love it on conquest, there should be a server running titan maps on conquest exclusively.

[Wizrdwarts]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

More hiding places is bad? And camping (btw, it's not always bad, think when you play and it won't be a problem)? When I play, no one can stay in the same spot without getting hit my a nade thrown over the walls or a rocket. If you want to see camping then play Iron Gator with a team spamming nades down into the hangar from the elevator.

Plus the symmetrical maps like Tunis and Belgrade are really the best, the assault/defense maps just aren't as good imo. Even Suez, I think that would've have been better like a smaller version of Tampa.

[jake_]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

Also, its really impossible for snipers to not camp. What good sniper constantly runs around from place to place? Obviously, mobility is still important, but you can't expect a sniper to not camp.

[messfeeder]

Re: Why is Camp Gibraltar so popular?

I almost never camp as a sniper. Perhaps that's why I get more kills from knife and apm.