Camping is always a problem in any FPS game, and has been a particularly pronounced problem in Call of Duty games since Modern Warfare 2. Features like quick scoping have been unpopular with many fans, and fans who are tired of trying to kill enemies hiding out in hard-to-reach places will probably not be thrilled to know that the camping is likely to be just as big an issue in Black Ops 2, if not even more of one than ever. The reason for this is that the technology we’ve seen in the multiplayer trailer supports camping.

Let’s take some examples. We’ve seen in the trailer that quick scoping and hybrid gun sights are still going to be a major component of the game, and that players will be able to focus close range and long-range shots without any time between them. This will lend nicely to campers who are sniping down hallways. Another feature that looks like it will only encourage camping is the Guardian, a turret which slows down opponents in its path so they can easily be picked off. Naturally the turret is something to camp behind, since it renders enemies relatively helpless, gives you a barrier, and requires you to be behind it to operate it in the first place. There are also all the land and air-based drones in the game that can be deployed in your place to hunt down your targets. If someone shoots your drone down, you’re still alive (unless of course someone shoots you down while your attention is focused on the drone you’re controlling).

So perhaps we’ll be seeing a lot of camping in Black Ops 2. And while we want our games to be a bit more balanced, it’s worth taking a second look at the issue of camping altogether. How big a problem is camping really? Let’s face it, in real life, people camp out during warfare all the time. People run out and gun down their enemies when it looks like it’s going to pay off—but they choose tactical locations to hide and snipe when that looks like it’s going to be the best tactic. All real-life snipers are campers. And oftentimes the players who complain the most about camping are the players who aren’t skillful enough to take them out—and are really just covering their own bad game play.

So when is camping over the line? If a camper is taking advantage of a re-spawn area, you could look at that almost like taking advantage of a game bug to score kills—so that’s a problem. It’s also a problem when a player is in a spot which for whatever reason is almost impossible to remove them from. The technology we’ve seen above does encourage tactical warfare, but does it point toward these issues of genuine unfairness? Not really; as of this point we don’t know whether COD has found ways to reduce these unfair advantages in Black Ops 2 or not. It’s almost always going to come down to the players though and whether they choose to take advantage of weaknesses in game design or not. And that’s not something Treyarch can do much about. Want to share you opinion on camping in Call of Duty? Be sure to join our Black Ops 2 forum!