Capture the Flag Strategy

I’ve played CTF in virtually every CTF level out there and they are all lots of fun if you have people who know what they're doing and you can count on your team-mates. This guide was written with the object of making everyone aware of what is expected of YOU when YOU are playing a TEAM GAME. The person who is not in the team mind-set is just making the game lop-sided because there is one fewer team-mate.

The best CTF game out there is an "even teams" where both teams know how to play CTF and participate in the entire team strategy. As such, please keep the following in mind when joining a game:

Press F7 to see who's on which side and pay particular attention to who's got the high kill-ratios. If you consider yourself a good pilot, be a good sport and join the side that's getting the whippin. You'll make the teams more fair and the game will be a whole lot more fun!

If you're on a clan, don't play together in CTF "pick-up" games. There is nothing more frustrating that having a well-organized team that has practiced together kick the living daylights out of everyone there. You earn a bad reputation for your clan and you make the game unjoyable. People will leave after just a little while and you'll be left playing by yourselves anyhow. Be a good sport and play against your clan-mates!

Overview
How NOT to play CTF
General Strategy
Roles
    Getting the flag 
    Offensive Strategy
    Being a Flag-Bearer
    On committing suicide when you are the Flag Bearer
    Being a Wingman
    Being a Hunter-Killer
    Being a Defender  
    Defensive Strategy
    Being a Defender stop-gap
    Being a Camper  
    Using Cameras 
How to use counter-measures (mines & gunboys)
Some notes about cheating  
Team-Messaging
How to contact the author

Overview

CTF adds an entirely new dimension to Descent and I for one have found it to be much more thrilling than anarchy because you have to THINK about:

• What team you are on. Know your color! This way you know who to shoot at and who to protect. Remember, all ships are either blue or red. You’re just wasting ammo if you’re shooting at one of your teammates.
• How many people are in the game: This is crucial because if there are few people in the game, even if you have the flag, you may have to try & get the other flag otherwise you may wait a LONG time for that flag bearer to be found and killed. If there are a lot of people in the game, the odds of your flag returning to it’s base is greater & you want to stay closer to your base.
• Who is playing on each team: By knowing how strong the other players are on each team, you know the capability of your team-mates getting that flag back to your base and whether they can defend you (or if they need defending).
• Where you are at. You must know the most direct path to either base from your current position. When a flag is returned to a base, you need to get there asap to either defend or grab it depending upon whose flag was returned.
• Where each flag is at. Is the flag at it’s base or is someone carrying it? If your flag is at your base, should you go to defend it? If someone has your flag, you need to hunt them down & kill them.
• What to do if you’re carrying the flag. Do you hang around the base? Are your shields low? Do you hunt for the other people?
• What to do if you’re not carrying the flag. Do you defend, camp out in access areas, hunt for your flag?
• What to do with Gunboys. Where to drop them? At your base? In access tunnels to warn you of people coming? Save them to ward off homers?

Now, in my mind, the best part of CTF is that not everyone can kill me J . That means that if I’m in the middle of a firefight and there’s five guys with napalm flaring, I’ll only get burned by people on the other team and my team-mates homers will not track to me!

How NOT to play CTF

It is better to start out straight away and put down the few things people do that do not win CTF games.

1. If you're worried about your rank, just leave right now. CTF is about getting killed a LOT and your rank will not be as good as you have in anarchy games. If your kill ratio is the same as what you play anarchy, then you're either not playing CTF or you're defending way too much.
2. Flying around and getting in dog-fights just for the sake of dogfighting is just playing anarchy. Leave and go play some anarchy.
3. Picking up shield orbs when the flag carrier is nearby is just plain stupid and you will get yelled at. Leave all the shield orbs for the flag carrier if they are nearby.
4. When there are already 2 people defending your base, if you stay in the base and make it more cluttered for the existing defenders, you're just helping the other team.

General Strategy

Here are a few things to consider about playing that many people do not think about. Doing these things are the hall-mark of being a great CTF team player:

When you spawn, go through your base and run over the powerups. Don't pick up primaries until you've gone through your base. The reason for doing this is to keep the primaries down to a minimum in your base. Defenders need secondaries and shields. If the base is over-run with After burners or vauss, then the defenders can't do their job.

If you're in a dogfight and kill the other teams' flag bearer, AND your flag bearer is also nearby, don't run over the flag right away, give your flag bearer time to get back before you run over it.

When defending your base and someone on your team gets the other flag, team-message "base clear" or if your base is over-run, team-message "base polluted"

Roles

When you are playing CTF, you will "morph" into many roles depending upon the situation. These roles take many shapes and you have to constantly adapt to them throughout the game. Being aware of what is going on is paramount to these roles so you have to pay a lot more attention to the messages being displayed. Consider:

Your/their flag was just taken. Your role has just changed.
Your/their flag was just returned. Your role has just changed.
Your/their team just scored. Your role has changed.
You see your/their teams flag carrier. Your role has changed.

Getting the flag

A team can only score if their flag is in their base. If it’s not there, they cannot score. Therefore, your #1 priority is to get the other teams flag. This means:

• If the opponents’ flag is in their base, you get it and run away.
• If you’re carrying the flag & you get killed and it was subsequently returned to it’s base, when you re-spawn, don’t spend time collecting powerups, GO GET THE FLAG! Seconds count. By going for that Napalm rocket, you could lose a point while the other team scores.
• If one of your team-mates gets blown away and they were carrying the flag, run over it immediately. Do not continue battling others. Get the flag! If the other team gets to it first, it’s returned to their base.

Offensive Strategy

Offensive strategy is keyed to one idea: You should have more people on offense than defense. If you follow this one rule, then your team should win more goals. Secondary to this is that you need some defensive people as well. Just remember to keep more on offense than defense.  

Here are a few hints on getting that base cleared out so you can go in and get the flag:

1. Use Smart Missles to make them scatter from the entrance or wherever they're camped at. This gets the defense moving and they aren't paying attention, then it gives you a better chance.
2. If you have two people on your team attacking, have one shoot napalm all over and the other one goes in unscathed. Even better is if you have 3 people attacking. The first one napalms the entrance, the 2nd one goes in and napalms the entire base and the 3rd one goes in and picks up all the shield orbs while getting the flag ;-)
3. A well placed impact mortar through the entrance to likely camping spots has a better then even chance of taking someone out.

Being a Flag-Bearer

Once you have the flag, you need to score. You need to be aware of where your flag is at and who is carrying it. Regardless, you need to be in a position where you can get to your base in a hurry. Things you need to be concerned about:

• If your flag is taken, it may not be long till it’s returned. You may not be aware of the intense battle going on in your base by your defenders who are trying to get it back.  
• Know who the other flag bearer is and watch the deaths they inflict. While they do get some shield powerups, battles tend to deplete their shields more than help them. However, if you notice the flag bearer is getting quite a few kills, then you may need to go help get your flag back because a lot of kills is an indication of a very strong player.  
• Listen for the sound indicating the other flag bearer has been killed. This sound happens before the text announcement & you need to high-tail it to your base in the hopes that someone on your team will return it to your base.  
• Avoid dogfights at all costs. You are not supposed to kill people unless you can get in a good shot. Don't engage in dogfighting. High-tail it and get the hell out of dodge!  
• Sometimes the best strategy is to just sit in a quiet spot and don't run. A pyro sitting still is a lot harder to see than a moving one.

It’s a good idea to have rearview on because in the midst of chaos, you might or might not have the flag when you thought you ran over it. Rearview tells you without a doubt if you have it or not. More than on one occasion I’ve thought I’ve had the flag, made it back to our base & was confused when I ran over our flag and didn’t score! That’s why I have rearview on (if only for a moment) to make sure I’ve really got it. Also, I’ve seen people who’ve had the flag come into the base & leave! I had to send them a message to score! Turns out they didn’t even know they had the flag!

On committing suicide when you are the Flag-Bearer

This is a strategy and whether or not other people think it’s appropriate, it is part of the bag of tricks that is part of a team game. When you get low on shields, it is your responsibility to do one of two things:

• You need to get the attention of a teammate flying nearby & do the right thing and suicide, passing the flag on to them. You can also team message (cntrl-f8) and ask someone to meet you somewhere.

• In the event you don’t have a teammate come to your assistance, go to a nice dark spot & suicide yourself & hope you get there before someone else finds the flag.

  Right before you suicide, do a team-message (cntrl-f8) and tell your team-mates where you're suiciding at.

Being a Wingman

If you’re teammate has the flag, you’ve got to cover for them. This means putting your self in between whatever harm comes their way & being very unselfish. This role occurs whenever you encounter the flag bearer for your team.

• No matter who gets the kill, the flag-bearer gets the shield power ups in the spew
• You take out the counter-measures your base. Don’t let the flag bearer, wherever they are, take the hits. Clean out the gunboys and mines!
• If the flag-bearer is in a fight, put yourself between them & whoever is chasing them.
• If you're being chased, get behind your flag-bearer and napalm yourself in a close passageway. You will die, but your flag carrier will get away.
• If you're low on shields (say below 30), go ahead & suicide and give your flag carrier your shield orb.  

If you're the wingman and you notice your flag-carrier is sparkin' (low on shields), offer to take the flag.

Being a Hunter-Killer

If you’re not carrying the flag, or it’s a small game with only 1-2 people per side, you da man! It’s your job to find your flag & return it to your base. This means you are on the prowl. You are constantly moving, looking for that weasel who has your flag. Good places to look are the proximity of their base because they need to be close to score.

If you’re out & about and you notice a message that says our flag was taken, go on intercept mode. Know the path(s) they may take away from the flag and see if you can intercept them.

Now, when you do manage to kill the opponent carrying your flag, BE SMART IN MAKING THE DECISION TO RUN OVER IT. This is because when you run over it, it is returned to your base. If your flag-bearer is not close to your base, running over it may just allow the opponents the opportunity to get it again. You want to allow your flag bearer to get close to your base before returning it. That way, your team can score.

• If you’ve killed the opponent in a 1:1 battle and no others are around, put out a message "Tell me when". This gives your flag bearer time to get to your base so when you run over the flag they can score.  
• If you’re the flag-bearer and you killed the other flag-bearer, put out a message "Get to our base & protect our flag!" You might want to give them time to get there before running over the flag.  
• If other enemy’s are there, it’s better to return the flag to your base than let one of them regain your flag, so dispense with the talking & return your flag to your base.

  If you died fighting the flag carrier, team messsage (cntrl-f8) your team and tell them where you were!

Being a Defender

If your flag is in your base (right after someone scores or returns the flag), if you’re close by your base at the time, get to your base & defend it. At least make it painful for someone to try & take it. Any damage you inflict (even if you die in the process) is good since they will be that easier to kill by someone else on your team. An undefended flag is just making it harder for you to score.

• When you score, hang around & be the defender. Let someone else get the flag this time.  
• When you note that the enemy carrying your team’s flag is killed, get to your base to defend it. No sense in having the other team get it right after it’s returned.  
• When defending the flag in your base, you need to do all the damage you can do if someone tries to get your flag. Don’t dance around, avoiding their shots. Every hit they get reduces their shields and makes it easier for someone else to get them. If this means fragging or napalming yourself when they are right next to you, then DO IT!  
• While sitting in your base, keep going over all the powerups. Make sure you’re loaded for bear and deal appropriately with those that think they can come into your den.

Note: Once you’re either killed or the flag is stolen, you are NO LONGER A DEFENDER. Don’t hang around the base. You are now a hunter-killer. Your role has just changed! 

If you're a defender and your base is over-run with primaries, remind your team-mates to come thru the base when they respawn. There is nothing more frustrating trying to defend with no secondaries!

Defensive Strategy

The best defensive strategy is a great offensive. I can't tell you how many games I've been in where our team just keeps getting into the other teams' base and the other team becomes more defensive minded. They're always returning to their base to protect it because it's constantly being attacked. Then in the midst of the fray, after 10-15 minutes, I pass through our base (to get more secondaries for the defenders) and lo and behold, no one is even in our base! It's been open the entire time! Of course, we were never in any danger because all the twits on the other team were focusing on defense, when they forgot the best defense is the offense!

The 2nd best defensive strategy is the use of cameras. No defender should be without a camera. While I personally hate those sumbitches, they are here in the game and therefore you should put them to good use. Read the camera section on camera placement and countering cameras.

The basic premise when defending your base is that you should never have more than 2 or at most 3 people in your base. If there are already 2 people in your base, then assume some other role.

One of the most frustrating aspects of a poor game is when you have the entire team in the base defending it. A crowded base means many different things, all of which are negative:

1. Not enough secondaries to go around. People are more concerned about getting powerups than they are at defending.
2. Too crowded. A good defender needs room to move around. If a lot of people are in the base, there's less room to move around and you get killed because you couldn't move to avoid some shot an attacker is making.
3. No clear line of fire. A real frustrating thing is seeing that mega of yours get sucked up by one of your team-mates because they've moved in between you and the attacker.
4. A good attacker with a fist-full of napalm rockets can take out your entire team in one well placed suicide run. That leaves your base completely undefended and they can take the flag while the rest of your team is running around trying to get something better than blue lasers.

Sometimes while defending, it is possible to get to 200 shields sucking up all the powerups in the base. If this occurs, you might want to tell the other defenders than you'll hold the fort and give them confidence you've got 200 shields & plenty of secondaries.

If you're low on secondaries, team-message the other defenders that you're going outside for an ammo run so they know you're coming back.

Being a defensive stop-gap

A Stop-Gap is a defender who is NOT in the base defending, but close by an exit to the base. This person's responsibility is to stop any attempt to escape with your flag. When your flag is taken, and you're close by your base, you assume this role.

The way to keep people from exiting your base is to block an exit. Napalm it, or sit in the exit so they can't escape. Even if you've only got blue-lasers, sit in that exit!!! You may die, but you gain precious seconds for others to come to your aid. The important part is that you make it harder for them to exit your base.

On this note, don't just rush into your base trying to find & kill the person. Remember, your team must have that exit blocked! If no one else is around, then don't go in because if they slip by you, they're home free!

In some cases, an exit might have more than one exit. Try to force the other player to use an exit that puts them in more peril. For example, in Polaris, don't let them get outside (unless you're gods' greatest gift to MD and you've got plenty of ammo). Don't try to hit them as they're exiting the base, close that exit down!

Using cameras on likely exits from your base can give you the upper hand in creaming that bastad that took your flag.

Being a Camper

You assume this role whenever in proximity of the opponents’ base. You may be a hunter-killer and when you get close to the base, start behaving like a camper, paying particular attention to if your flag-bearer is killed so you can regain the flag. Also, be on the lookout for the enemy who has your flag. More than likely, they are in the area.

Yes, in CTF, camping is not a bad thing, as long as you’re camping in the right spot. Where you ask? Well, in your opponent’s base is a good idea if it’s a big game, and you have some resourceful hunter-killers out there. This is especially true if you notice that the flag bearer on your team is not especially strong. Odds are they will succumb and the flag will return to the base. In these cases, you’re there ready to swoop in and grab it before the other team can score. In addition to being there ready to grab the flag, you can take care of the opponent’s flag bearer when they come around their base, waiting for their team to get their flag back.  

If you somehow make it into a undefended base, put a camera or two around to help you defend it, or give you the upper hand the next time you try to attack.

Camera use 

While I personally find cameras a pain in the ass, they are a part of the game and should be used appropriately. Camera placement is key to utilizing this most effective tool. Examples of using cameras:

Put cameras at one or two of your entrances to your base, or on the way to your base. This way you don't have to be tense the entire time, wondering if someone is coming. If you see an enemy go past your camera, now you can get the upper hand.

Put cameras in the other teams' base so you know where they are at when you're attacking. It can help your offensive strategy a lot if you know where the other team defenders are positioned.

Put cameras in likely camping areas that a flag carrier might use. This alerts you to where they are at and you can zero in and find the other teams' flag carrier and kill them!

Countering cameras

The way to counter cameras is quite simple, but sometimes painful: Put one of your own cameras in front of it. The best way to do this is to back right up to it (using rear-view) and when you've got that puppy centered, place your own camera. Be advised that when you do this, the other person will likely try to thwart your attempt, so be on the lookout!

How to use Counter-measures

Gunboys are an excellent counter measure in CTF. The one important thing to remember is that the gunboys belong to WHOEVER LAYS THEM and the team they are CURRENTLY ON. This means that if you lay 4 of them in "your" base & subsequently change teams, they will now fire upon your old teammates (and their gunboys). Using them wisely is important, however, so take into consideration the following:

• Surround your flag so it’s hard to get and makes it painful if someone else tries to steal your flag.

• Surround your opponents’ base area with gunboys. They might be low on shields and coming home to their base, they may get wiped. It also makes it painful for them to hang around their base for a score.

• Block off exits to your base. If you’re defending, and you inflict some serious damage in their effort to steal your flag, the gunboys can slow them down in getting away & quite possibly be the coup de grace in finishing them off where you failed.

• Block off entrances to their flag. If you’re camping, waiting for them to return to their base, gunboys will give you warning so you can be prepared.

Team Messaging

Below is a table of some good terms to use to keep your team-mates informed and also be brief: Remember to use team-messaging (cntrl-f8)