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Capture the Game  by Dr.Gibbs April 7, 2003

Capture the Flag is unusual in the fact that it pits entire teams against one another and gives everyone a common objective - this gives players something to do rather than running around and killing each other. If you want to play this game well, teamplay is one very important thing you need to keep in mind. In fact, no strategy guide for CTF would be complete without an introduction touching on the subject of teamwork.

If you're going to win, you need to play as a team. All too often, players will join servers and quietly run around doing whatever they feel up to doing. While this won't exactly bring a team down, it won't help it much, either. Before you even think about joining a match, make sure you have a convenient key bound to the team chat command (messagemode2). This will allow you to send messages that only the people on your team will be able to read. This gives you the ability to coordinate strategies with your mates, and as a result your team is going to perform far better.

There's one more important thing you need to remember about CTF: it's not deathmatch. That may seem obvious at first, but think of the numbers of players you see on CTF servers who are doing little more than running around and killing everyone. Fragging is a critical part of scoring in CTF, but it shouldn't be your primary concern - just because you see an enemy doesn't always mean you need to kill them. With these two ideas in mind, you'll be much better prepared to run headfirst into battle - and now that we've got those covered, it's time for you to learn how to win.

This guide is divided into three main sections: offense, defense, and some general tactics that cover both areas of play. While you're reading it, realize that there are practically an infinite number of situations you can find yourself in while playing. No two games are ever the same, and no single strategy will work in every situation. Your choices will depend on your own skill and status, the attitude and health of your teammates, the status of your opposing team, and even the map you're playing on. It's also important to keep in mind that as the number of players in the game increases, teamwork slowly becomes a less important factor. When things get really crowded, attempting to coordinate much of anything will probably be a futile effort - in these cases, it's all about firepower.

Capturing the Flag

Obviously, the very core of CTF is capturing the flag - and if you're going to make a successful run at it, you need to be aware of what your other team members are doing. You don't want to try to get the enemy flag if a lot of people on your team are already trying. If everyone went to grab the flag at once, there wouldn't be anyone left to guard the base, right? That said, you also don't want to go alone - protection is important. In most games you won't have time to organize a group of people to join you, so your best hope for defense is quickly stating that you're going to get the flag and hoping someone will follow you. The more teammates you have, the more of a chance you have of meeting one of them along the way - but if there aren't many people, then you're probably going to want to directly ask someone to go with you. In either case, meet up with a teammate as soon as possible and stay with them as you run to the enemy's base.

Once you arrive in your enemy's flag area, you'll probably want to split up with your partner. While you're on the move you need the support of a close group, but in the enemy base you'll want to spread your forces out as much as possible. If all goes well, your opponents will be distracted by the other players and they'll pay a little less attention to you while you're getting their flag. Keep in mind, however, that everything is all about teamwork - if you're health or ammo is low, or if you see someone else running for the flag, let them have a go at it and help by distracting your opponents. If one of your teammates happens to get the flag, then you'll want to follow him all the way to your own base.

If you're the one who gets it, then you need to hurry the heck out of there. If the server is crowded, chances are very good that you're going to die - after all, the more crowded the game is, the more chances your enemies have at stopping you. Don't worry about defending yourself or waiting for other players - just make a run for your own base as quickly as possible. Take quieter, less-traveled routes if you can find some that won't be too slow. If an enemy is following you, rather than stopping, turning around, and trying to battle them, try your hardest to lose them. You'll get hurt if you fight, and you can't possibly kill everyone - you'll always have someone after you, so just make the best of it and run. Unfortunately, you're very noticeable while you're carrying the flag (nothing says "kill me" like a bright, pulsating aura). The best you can hope for is that your teammates will defend you. In fact, if you happen to spot some of them along the way, make it a point to run past them - they'll see what you're up to and probably try to help.

Once you reach your base, it's pretty much all or nothing. Your own team's flag is either going to be there or it's not - and if it's not, then you're in trouble. If this is the case, you need to yell for help as quickly as you can - tell your teammates that you're ready to capture and you need your own flag returned. Try to find a good hiding spot that's close to the flag, and stay with a teammate or two if you can. You don't want to do any fighting by yourself unless it's absolutely necessary - as long as you have the flag, you're the most important asset to your team. If you survive long enough to see your flag returned, get to it as soon as possible - after all, it will only be a matter of seconds before your enemies come flooding into your base looking for it. With a little skill and a lot of luck, you'll be able to score one for your team.

Defending the Base

To be brief, defending the base involves nothing more than staking out a good defensive position and picking off your unsuspecting opponents as they run to get your flag. It sounds simple enough, but there's actually quite a lot to consider. Like everything else in CTF, defense has its own complex set of rules - the way you need to do your dirty work is completely dependent on the situation. Among the standard considerations of health, ammo, and so on, there are three important things you need to keep in mind: the size of the game, the number of players who are guarding with you, and the number of enemies who are arriving.

The first thing you need to do as a defender is choose a good location to guard from. At first it seems that a position near the flag is best, but it would actually be wise for a couple people to seek out a spot that's closer to the base's entrance - if you can stop your opponents from getting in your base at all, then they certainly aren't going to get a hold of your flag. Small halls and other tight areas are the best locations to choose, as they will allow you to concentrate more on firing than aiming. Remember, this should only be done if you have enough players defending the area - at all times, having a few people near the flag should be a top priority. Don't guard the entrance and leave the flag open!

Obviously, you want your guards to outnumber the opposition - unfortunately, this rarely ever happens. Having too many defenders will suck your offense dry, and you won't ever capture the enemy's flag. On the other hand, by having too few, you'll leave your base open for trouble. It's very difficult to determine a good number, especially since one group is completely dependant on the other. Generally, if your score is low, you want to concentrate more on offense - however, if you're in the lead, your main priority should be to stop your opponents from catching up. In other words, if you're already winning, defend like crazy.

The way you fight is pretty dependant on the number of guards you have. If you're outnumbered, work on weakening everyone rather than concentrating on one enemy at a time. If you're outnumbered, chances are someone is going to get the flag - and if you attack all your enemies at least somewhat, you'll know that whoever does it is going to be hurt. If someone does grab your flag, ignore the rest of the enemies and deal him as much damage as possible - but don't run after the guy if you're the only one guarding! Let your teammates - who are obviously somewhere else anyway - stop him on his way. Someone needs to be around at all times, or else your base becomes completely vulnerable. You may do a good job of running after him and returning the flag, but it won't do your team much good if another enemy just grabs it right up again - especially if that enemy is in good shape since he didn't meet any opposition.

Helping Your Teammates

If you don't feel like taking on a specific task, you may want to consider running around and seeing where your buddies need help. As important as it is for a team to have members carrying out specific jobs, it's equally as important for someone to be standing by in case of an emergency. There will, of course, be plenty of emergencies - so you'll have your work cut out for you. Luckily, there are all kinds of things you can do to help out.

If you find that your team is having trouble scoring, you may want to help out your flag carriers by joining them in their runs and defending them along the way. If you stay somewhere near the middle of the map, you'll get a better feel for what's going on. If someone says they're going to try to get the flag, of course, you'll want to follow them - but if no one says anything, watch for your own teammates as they cross the neutral areas. The ones who are running faster and in a direct path are probably thinking about getting the flag. Pick a mate or two to help out, and follow behind them as they run into the enemy base. Distract your opponents as your teammate grabs their flag, and keep them busy long enough for him to escape. If you're not facing too much opposition, you'll want to run after him and keep up with him as he makes his way to your base. Just make sure you stay behind him... as long as you can see him, you'll know exactly what's going on.

If your team's biggest problem seems to be defense, you should probably concentrate your efforts on attacking enemy carriers. Again, you'll want to stick near the middle to keep on the lookout for a victim. Your primary objective here is to be a second line of defense just in case the enemy does get your flag, so stay out of your own base and let your guards do the guarding. If an opponent penetrates your team's defense and grabs your flag, you should see them run through the neutral area with it. To prepare, pay close attention to the game's sounds - when you hear the alarm, get ready to defend. Don't shoot at anyone except the carrier, as you'll just waste your ammo and risk your life. Enemies won't always attack you if you're hiding well, but if you start shooting at them, they almost certainly will. Once you see the carrier, jump from your hiding spot and unload everything you have on him. Ignore anyone who's guarding him - you probably won't live long, so you'll want to inflict as much damage as possible. If you do happen to kill him, be sure to return the flag as quickly as you can.

In fact, if you're not concentrating on much else, you may want to simply return your team's flag if it ever gets dropped in a dangerous or rarely-traveled area. Often the flag will be lost in one of these hidden spots, and people won't see it by just running around. Keep an eye out on the player list, and if you happen to see that your flag is no longer being carried but it hasn't been returned, make it your job to hunt it down and return it. Sometimes - especially on space maps - the flag will be dropped somewhere that isn't accessible without certain death. If this is the case, just take the plunge and make sure you hit the flag on the way down. You'll die, but at least your team will get its flag back.

If you ever start feeling a little violent, then you can serve your team well by simply wreaking havoc on enemies in central areas. Stick to well-traveled paths, collect as much ammo as possible, and unload every bit of it on every enemy you meet. Since most people are concentrating on other jobs, no one's doing a whole lot of damage to anyone else - well, it's your job to change that. While your opponents certainly expect some resistance, they won't really plan for an all-out fragfest. If you're successful, the damage you do will significantly weaken your enemy's forces. You stop people in the middle of their jobs, and if the team is trying to coordinate anything this is going to screw them up quite a bit. If someone is running to help a flag carrier, for example, they'll never be able to get to them. The more you manage to spread out their efforts, the less of a chance they have of getting to your flag.

One final tactic you may want to try is becoming a delivery boy for your team. This isn't particularly useful, but it can give your team a slight advantage in a close match. To prepare for this task, bind a key to the suicide command (kill). Once this is done, start searching the map for important items or weapons that are located in neutral areas or somewhere in your enemy's base. If you find something good - the BFG or the Quad, for example - grab it up and run back to your base as quickly as possible. If it's a weapon, stick around with it for awhile until someone spawns near you. If it's an item, drop it as soon as possible so you don't use too much of it up (if you can, drop it somewhere that your enemies are less likely to see). This is particularly effective with items that don't respawn for awhile - if you can collect all the powerups on the map and drop them all in your own base, your enemies will have a very difficult time getting to them. If you hang around the areas where these items spawn, you'll be able to grab them first and then run them to your own base where someone else can use them. Another thing you may want to try - although this requires a lot of proper timing - is helping your own flag carrier by picking up an item like the Regeneration and dropping it in front of them as they're carrying the enemy's flag. This is quite difficult to pull off, however, so you may want to stick to moving the map's important items to your own base.

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