Update with some tweaks and some things that don’t really affect me.
Anyway! I’ve been playing Badlands pretty much exclusively. I didn’t really enjoy the map the first couple days I played on it, but man, I’m loving it now. As soon as the map changes to something different, I’ll bounce off the server and look for another Bandlands match somewhere else. I’ve played some as a medic, and a demo, and even a pyro, and a lot as a soldier, but mainly, I’m there to be a sniper.
Badlands, I think, is kind of unique because it really rewards the sniper for going on offense. Don’t just hang back around the sidelines or defend your second point, rush on up with your team, though take some of the side routes so you don’t get blasted by the Scouts or shredded by the Heavies.
Right around the middle CP, you’ll get tons of opportunities to take out approaching enemies. You will shoot down scores of enemy engineers as they’re busily setting up, and you’ll take down more sentries and dispensers in one round of Badlands than in an entire night on Dustbowl or Well. You’ll capture points pretty regularly, and you’ll defend forward points more easily than you own aft points.
It’s great. It’s the first map where you’re not just hanging back looking for the enemy sniper, you’re really up there in the shit helping your team push.
Of course, a lot of the routes you’ll be taking through the map as you skirt the choke points are frequented by your worst enemy, the Spy. He’s also sidling up to the front lines, so when you’re running through the canyons, I’d suggest having your machete out and ready. You’ll often run right smack into the cloaked Spy, and be able to get a few hacks on him before he decloaks and stabs back.
Being up on the front and rushing points leads to a lot of deaths, but I think being an aggressive sniper on Badlands is a ton of fun, and I think you’ll do a lot better going on offense than just hovering back and guarding the points you’ve already capped.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Pixi // Mar 7, 2008 at 9:04 am
First !
Sniper on Orange_x is pro :D
2 Pentadact // Mar 7, 2008 at 9:10 am
I love lurking behind those toxic waste barrels on the approach to cap 4, picking off defenders as they come up onto their battlements to shoot at spire-climbers. It’s checks all four boxes for a good snipin’: no-one can get behind you, you’re operating at long enough range that other classes can’t fight back, there’s plenty of traffic to pick on, and enemy snipers are rare and avoidable on those battlements.
I suck as a Sniper, but for some reason I’ve started to really enjoy it. It helps that my Spy specialisation gives me +2 to spy-detecting - I kill at least three for every one that gets me.
3 Pentadact // Mar 7, 2008 at 9:20 am
Okay, that should read “those toxic waste barrels at the outdoor corner between cap 3 and 4″ and “It checks all four boxes for good snipin’:”.
At this time Mr Francis would like to stress that he is tired, and cold, and has to check out of his hotel in a minute.
4 Apone // Mar 7, 2008 at 10:26 am
If only people played sniper this way on EVERY map. Instead of the hang-back-and-wait-for-something-to-wander-into-my-crosshairs, i’m-the-official-deadweight-on-my-team style.
5 CitrusFreak // Mar 7, 2008 at 12:03 pm
My god we’re doing “First!” comments now?
Yeah I’ve noticed you kicking my ass as sniper on badlands every time it comes up in the rotation. I’ll have to do something about that.
It may be more difficult than before, though, due to the update.
“Fixed critical modifier for explosive weapons (rockets, pipe bombs) increasing critical chance more than intended”
Thought I was getting more crits than usual…
6 Ferryn // Mar 7, 2008 at 12:13 pm
You’re just having WAY too much fun with those tags, aren’t you.
… Snipering isn’t even a word!
7 Lack_26 // Mar 8, 2008 at 2:08 am
I find being a scout great fun on this map, and not one of those idiots which runs straight at you and dies immediately. I flank, ambush and use hit and run. Great fun, they don’t know what has hit them.
8 chris12 // Mar 8, 2008 at 2:27 pm
good, good. whats yo fave character? i seem to like the guy with the machine gun and the eyepatchs. (not heavy)
so yea. btw, got email?
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