Team Death Match Guide: Camp For The Win!

Fellow Pilots,
War Robots did not always have four team modes plus "Free For All."  In the beginning, there was only Domination.  And it was good!  Pilots either worked to control beacons, or they got beat by people who did.  The term "camp" became synonymous with "sabotage," with the campers being harassed and derided by everyone else.  When Beacon Rush was introduced, the perception about camping was reinforced.  But then came Team Death Match.

As we previously described, playing in the "random" queue gives you a 25% chance of landing in "Team Death Match" mode.  At the U, we like strategy and the high-speed chess match aspects of the territory control modes (King of the Hill, Beacon Rush, and the granddaddy of them all, Domination) much better.  But we still want to help you win the non-territory game modes.  Without beacons, the only path to victory is by scoring more kills than your opponents.  Understandably, pilots interpret this to mean they should attack.  Don't!  Instead, be like the Americans at the Battle of New Orleans.  Find a barrier, and sit tight.  Hell, set yourself up with a hot (or cold) beverage and a good book.

The deepwater port near the mouth of the Mississippi River was one of the biggest cities in North America and a critical tactical objective, but peace talks were underway between Great Britain and the upstarts.  With a couple days between skirmishes, future president Andrew Jackson's outnumbered men built a large earthworks behind the 15-foot wide Rodriguez Canal to protect their artillery and riflemen from enemy fire.  This "Line Jackson" was the place where the battle would be won or lost.

The British commander, General Edward Pakenham, had received orders to advance "neither omitting an opportunity of obtaining signal success, nor exposing the troops to hazard or serious loss for an inconsiderable advantage."  What he took that doublespeak to mean, we don't know, because he personally led an assault on Line Jackson and was shot down with 2600 men in a fight that took less than a half hour.  Inexplicably, a Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Mullins, who had the job of bringing ladders and fascines to cross the canal, failed to arrive ahead of the assault force.  Perhaps his men had not finished their tea.  Despite orders to the contrary, they were half a mile to the rear during the fighting.  The Americans reported only 13 casualties, and the Revolution was finally over (in 1815!) with a resounding victory for the new kids.  

In War Robots, we imagine ourselves as pilots on futuristic, mechanised battlefields.  No one dies; it's  only a video game ... but the tactical and strategic tenets of actual war DO apply.  If you march on enemies who are unassailable due to defensive cover, they will destroy you.  As we advised in "Flanking Maneuvers," real-life military wisdom and a bit of patience are the difference between gold medals and the scrap heap.  There are two modes in the current iteration of War Robots that require no movement - Team Death Match and Free For All - and so the faculty of War Robots University STRONGLY recommends forcing your enemy to come to you!

In the early moments of a Death Match on Valley, a Lancelot might be tempted to drive forward (like Blond Hulk, on the left).  This is risky.  In the image below, every enemy has protective cover.  Any robot with a jump ability can pop up and fire a full salvo before falling back behind an impenetrable rock.  The better choice is to provide energy shield for a teammate who has the right weapons for the job!  The ramp ahead, tower to the left, and walls to the right are all available cover for when the red team loses its patience and you scourge them to death.

On the Moon, attacking through the structure leaves you vulnerable to enemies hidden behind the mounds.  Don't. Do. It. 

The mid-range "Splash" weapons - Tridents, Tulumbas, and Pins - are perfectly suited for enemies with cover.  Lock on your target and aim just to the side of the obstacle.  Believe it or not, you can thread the needle in this structure with Tridents, as the unlucky Russia Team member found out.  If you aren't sure, fire one weapon at a time, then unload when you score a hit.

Shocktrain isn't the only anti-team weapon.  Splash damage affects all enemies in the radius of the blast.  Also, don't hesitate to shoot at enemies with an energy shield.  It doesn't come out in the statistics, but your allies can exploit the opportunity.

"Free For All" mode follows the exact same principles.  You DO need to watch out for everyone on the battlefield, but you DON'T need to move.  Utilize the available cover, and use weapons that hit protected enemies.  This example features Dragoons, which reload continuously.  Used properly, your Bulwark may not have a scratch on it after nine-plus minutes of battle!

Camping in TDM isn't a new idea.  Plenty of pilots didn't like the rough-and-fast brawling world in Beacon Rush, or the long traverses required after being destroyed in Domination.  Here are just a few good videos on the topic:

Camper Bots Rule: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vW0_prBm7Y

Trebuchet Party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkgklXzk81E

Manni's "What Not To Do in TDM": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N1qRC4bwmY

And, of course, the soundtrack (credit to Professor Sir Francis Beacon for recommending it):

Happy Camping,

Doc Yat


Faculty Notes

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