I Despise Karkand

Games
1

Ugh… that’s it. Deeply contrary to popular opinon, Strike at Karkand is the worst fucking level in Battlefield 2. God, I’m at the point of dropping out if Karkand comes up in the rotation.

In theory, Karkand should be the closest thing to a slam dunk for the MEC, the side I usually get stuck on. However, virtually every frickin’ game I’ve played on, my teammate idiots leave both fucking flanks wide open. 90-percent of the time, I find myself as the only defender guarding either the main base behind the river, or the northwest control point, and I can’t be in both places at once. Tonight, I was the only guy at the NW control point when 1 M1, 1 Humvee, and a squad of USMC come rolling up. And I had seen then coming on the UAV early, I was screaming for help to my squad and to my team, but the idiots didn’t respond. Again.

I did my best. No way I was going to kill that M1 with just an M16, so I waited for it to capture the flag and move on, and, from atop the roof of the building where the control point was at, proceeded to kill about 7-8 infantryman. They then sent guys up the ladder to try and kill me, but I killed them, stole their weapons, and kept going. I maanged to frickin recapture the flag single-handedly before they finally got me. The entire fucking time, I’m on my own despite my screams for help.

And this isn’t the only time this happens. There’s such a fucking myopic focus on that hotel control point that no one ever notices when a rear flag gets taken. Next thing you know, 75-percent of the USMC team is spawning back there and taking all the major control points. Meanwhile, only 25-percent of the MEC side manages to peel themselves away from that fucking hotel point.

Seriously people. Yeah, defense sucks, but it wins games. All you need is two four-man teams. One to guard the NW control point. The other to guard the river. The rest can spend their time at the hotel. That flag doesn’t matter. If the USMC takes it, they only push you back a little, and you can try and push them back. But if they get any of the control points on the flank or the rear, the MEC is completely fucked.

I’m getting sick of being the only guy trying to hold the river against squad after squad trying to infiltrate down that way. Tonight, I managed to cut down a three-man squad on my own doing just that. But they eventually overhwelm you, and next thing you know, they got one of the rear spawns and it’s game over.

I swear, it’s that simple. But. No. One. Ever. Figures. That. Out.

2

I agree that it’s a bitch to be MEC. I’ll spend the first 6 minutes of the match hosing infiltrators at the main base before they give up. I then use an APC to play fire brigade between the western flag and the bridge. Defenders really get focussed on the front line, don’t they?
I much prefer to play the US. I always try to get an APC over the hill and onto the railway line. It surprises me how many times I can do that and then sail around to the far eastern ramp untouched.

3

I’ve never played BF2, and I thought you’d misspelled Kirkland. I was about to agree wholeheartedly. Damn Eastside.

4

So really, it isn’t so much the map… but your retard team mates. That’s a problem in every multiplayer game where you require actual teamplay.

5

True. It’s a great map when played right… allthough it sucks to be American. Problem is, it’s never played right and it seems to be the most popular map out there. So a map that should be hard on the US because defense is easier than attack when two equal size forces face off, ends up being frustrating for the defenders.

I usually play it as USMC Spec Op and sneak to the back flags - easy. but wrong.

6

The most frustrating thing is the game has been out for months and people STILL HAVEN’T FUCKING FIGURED THIS OUT!

It’s crazy. How many times do you have to find the entire enemy force spawning behind you before you realize they’re streaming down the sides and just capping points with no resistance, leaving everyone else up there at the front like fools?

–Dave

7

The problem with protecting flanks on this map is that you need the players on the MEC side to be patient. One thing that BF2 players are not, generally, is patient.

8

The answer then is forward defense. Just as long as there are blocking forces on the flanks to prevent the USMC from streaming down the sides is enough, and the MEC will win the battle of attrition. BUT THIS STILL NEVER HAPPENS. The MEC fixation with that hotel point just kills me.

And moving forward should guarantee some kind of action for the defenders on the flank. The USMC is always trying to bypass that hotel point.

9

The thing is, they’re not even really protecting the front line. Most are assualt/medic/support, so any vehicle can pretty much just roll by. And most of the time they leave the far left and far right of the front line open anyways, as well. It’s not even that everyone is just at the front line - it’s that everyone is at the front line, they’re not protecting their own flanks, and they classes are extremely infantry-based.

Oh well, at least they get teh max killz.

10

I love Karkand, but it is a map ruined by retards most of the time.

11

Are you guys playing on the TG servers? The MEC sessions I played on Karkand on TG were almost always satisfying, but I haven’t played BF2 in like a month.

12

It’s the usual dilemma. Too sophisticated for public servers but too lazy to join a good clan.

13

I think I’m going to ditch BF2. It’s a game designed to reward tactical planning and execution. Unfortunately, said planning and execution requires about 1,000,000,000 more brain cells than the average BF2 net player has. Nearly every match I’ve played turns out to be an unsatisfying mismash of folks playing lone-wolf pseudo-counter strike.

14

If you guys are bitching about players but aren’t trying the Tactical Gamer servers, do. They aren’t perfect, but they’re a whole lot better than regular pubbies.

15

Yep. I can’t imagine playing BF2 for so long without the TG servers. Try it.

Anything else would be uncivilized.

16

There was a recent thread where someone was kicked from the TG servers basically for playing well. I don’t think they’re necessarily the be-all end-all solution.

–Dave

17

My favorite two maps are Sharqi Peninsula and Karkand. People are kind of blind to back capping but so what, you can actually hoof it between spawns rather than needing a ride and you get the best firefights on those maps.

As for the TG servers no unlocked weapons and no jumping (sorry too much time on ranked servers, it would take me forever to break the habit now) just absolutely kills it for me. Also, a buddy of mine who was playing on that server got TKed for taking the helicopter by some TG dumbass so it isn’t a utopia like everyone makes it out to be.

– Xaroc

18

I don’t know the situation, but I’ve never had anything like that happen to me, and I’ve played nearly exclusively on the TG servers. So let that be the antidotal anecdote.

And I didn’t say they were “be-all end-all.” I said they “aren’t perfect, but … better.” Blow me!

19

There was a recent thread where someone was kicked from the TG servers basically for playing well. I don’t think they’re necessarily the be-all end-all solution.

Sucks that the person got banned, but unfortunately the situation is TG or bust. How I wish there were more servers with that kind of serious play, but I haven’t found any that are even close. An infinite number of public servers full of lone wolfers that don’t care about orders (be they commander’s or squad leader’s), requests, tactics or VOIP.

Without a server like TG I would rather sitck to BF1942 or DC. With TG the game elevates to a whole new level of entertainment that is unparalleled.

It’s even given me strong consideration to pay the $8 or $9 month fee to be a TG supporter (kicks non supporters on full games). The difference TG makes is THAT good.

20

I wish the game was structured in a way that made people a little more team conscious and a little less lone-wolfy. Right now there’s no motivation to be a team player, since dying doesn’t count against a persons score, nor does being on the losing team, nor does behaving like a jackhole.