Camp Gibraltar Strategy Guidelines
From Tactical Wiki
The attack on Camp Gibraltar was the first deception attack used by the PAC to draw EU forces out of position. Although not of military significance, the site was an important staging point for refugees from the western Mediterranean territories. On April 10th 2142, the PACs AA Command Division attacked the camp. The EUs 4th and 5th Armored Battalions were tasked with defending Camp Gibraltar. The PAC troops fought vigorously but conservatively. The EU commander relied on sniper tactics to hold key positions in an attempt to occupy the PAC forces as long as possible.
--Map description, Camp Gibraltar
Camp Gibraltar is a map known for its choke points and grenade spamming, yet these are often not the tactics and strategies used to greatest effect. In a recent posting in the TacticalGamer community's Tactics and Missions Discussion forum for Battlefield 2142, different effective strategies for Camp Gibraltar were discussed for both EU (defending) and PAC (assaulting). Below are some of the strategies favored by many of the more seasoned members of TG's 2142 community for getting past the grenade spam and enjoying the map.
Offensive strategies (PAC)
Discussions were divided on which flag to target first while assaulting as the PAC team. Many advocated leaving a token force to push toward Harbor while setting the rest of the squads on a path toward a back flag in hopes of spreading out the defenders or beating the setting up of the choke points at Toll Station. However, others stated that once Harbor is taken and bleed is off, a good backwards defense of the choke points at Toll Station and the Harbor flag is enough for the PAC team to win, provided a ticket lead is still in place. For the purposes of this article, it is assumed that both strategies are valid and effective in different circumstances and both will be outlined below.
Often, when the PAC team is able to take Harbor quickly, they are at a ticket advantage due to the fact that PAC begins the round with thirty more tickets than EU to balance out the bleed that's initially on the attackers. Once this advantage is established and bleed is off, the PAC team may choose to set up a defense at the choke points south of Toll Station and wait for the EU team to come to them.
Alternately, if the PAC team does not manage to take Harbor before the ticket bleed is off, or if a good defense is waiting for the attackers there, many choose to make a run for a back flag right off the bat. Popular methods for attacking flags other than Harbor include the ubiquitous recon run and the revive run, both of which employ the catwalks to the west and east of the Toll Station flag.
To execute the recon run, a squad leader spawns in with the recon kit (or picks one up off the ground) and employs the use of the active camouflage while running along the catwalks. Once past the defense set up at the Toll Station flag, he or she proceeds to one of the back flags--Ruins is a popular one, as it is more defensible than the others--and communicates to the rest of the squad to spawn in. Often, this method ensures that the flag is at least neutralized before the EU team knows anyone has broken through.
The revive run is a similar procedure, though it carries with it the added risk of visibility. The entire squad executing the maneuver spawns in with the assault kit and takes to the catwalks, defibrillators in hand. No attempt to engage the enemy is made. Regardless of opposition, squad members concentrate only on keeping their squad mates alive and running, especially the squad leader. Once the squad is past the defense at Toll Station, they may advance to one of the back flags--again, Ruins is a popular choice--and attempt to capture the flag before the EU team can set up a defense. As previously stated, this strategy is more visible to the defending team, so a heavier resistance can be expected. Also, the PAC's commander may choose to provide cover in the form of a friendly orbital or by instructing the team's walker to create a diversion or provide covering fire.
The PAC team still at Harbor or Toll Station must be vigilant; as soon as a back flag is taken, they should be ready to start spawning in at the newly-captured flag to support its defense. Doing so will cause the EU team to split its defenses, thus weakening them on both sides. Taking out the EU commander's assets quickly is also recommended.
Not to be forgotten is the battlewalker. The PAC's walker is difficult to bring into play without a great amount of risk due to the open terrain surrounding most routes out of the PAC uncapturable base. A popular strategy is to bring the walker around the west side of the flag at Harbor, past the buildings and out of the line of sight of the Rorsche railgun. From there, it can harry the defenders and help draw enough fire--or provide enough cover fire--for the PAC team to have a better chance at taking the Harbor flag or breaking through toward Toll Station. It can also help mitigate the threat of the EU's walker as it is brought forward to the line of defense. And if the EU team's walker respawns while the PAC has control of one of the back flags, it is often easy to slip back to EU Base and take the EU team's walker right from under their noses.
Defensive strategies (EU)
Most of the defensive strategies posed have the same general theme in the beginning: keep the flag at Harbor only as long as it is feasible. The EU team retains bleed (meaning that the PAC team loses tickets at a faster rate) as long as Harbor is held, but it can be a costly flag to defend. It is situated in a very open area with many avenues of approach. Also, the enemy can often sneak by on one side or the other and bypass the Harbor flag entirely, heading instead for one of the back flags directly while the rest of their team distracts the defenders at Harbor. Any defense set up at Harbor must be spread out to be effective, while Toll Station offers more choke points and defensible ground. Thus, most teams choose to defend Harbor for a short amount of time, then fall back to Toll Station when Harbor appears to be lost. Once Harbor is taken, it is almost never re-taken by the defending team, as it is too costly to breach the choke points south of Toll Station.
Once the defense has fallen back to Toll Station, defense of the common choke points begins. There are multiple ways for the assaulting team to break through to either the Toll Station flag or one of the back flags (Central Camp, Ruins, or EU Base). Two of the most popular are the catwalks to the east and west of the flag at Toll Station, where a squad leader can execute either the recon run or the revive run to break through to a back flag. Both of these approaches can be easily defended, but if a squad does manage to break through, one squad from the EU team should be prepared to fall back and deal with the threat. Should the entire EU team shift to remove the squad in the backfield, all defense of the choke points at Toll Station will break down and more flags will be lost.
For either team, the battlewalker available can be a great asset. Many skilled walker pilots agree that keeping the walker situated on the back side of the Toll Station flag while defending is a great way to keep watch on the catwalks and help control choke points when the defenders on foot take a beating. It also keeps the walker at a lower risk of being destroyed, especially when the EU commander keeps a supply box close by. However, some will make careful sallies beyond the Toll Station choke points, especially if the PAC's walker has been brought into play.
See also:
Defensive Strategy Discussion: Camp Gibraltar forum post
