Capture the Flag Basics
This article is supposed to help new players improve in the field of playing CTF. Here are ten basic tips on how to win a round of this intense, thrilling gametype.
1: Familiarize yourself with the map
Learning the map is very important for playing CTF matches. If you want to be a good CTF player, you have to know all the flagroutes by heart, so you’ll be able to predict enemy movement. Also make sure you have key camp points in your head, like the boxes near the pillars in Turnpike. alsways check those spots when you pass by them. To explore the map, you could either play this map on a local private server, or explore it in a Team Deathmatch or Free For All.
2: See what your team is doing
Many people tend to treat CTF like a TDM, just running around killing who they see, not having a clue about what is happening. Always keep your eyes on the minimap and be aware of what’s happening everywhere. Also watch out for radio calls.
3: Find your position
If you have a team of six players and 4 are attacking, there is probably no need to support them, so call out your “I’m defending” radio bind and stick near the flag. Of course, the same thing applies to the other way around.
4: Choose your gear accordingly
Defensive
Sticking with the Turnpike example, if you’re defending pick up an M4 or LR-300 and Kevlar and Helmet. Choosing accuracy upgrades or grenades is up to you, but the most important thing is that you act like a tank, armored up as heavily as possible. You might have to drop the kevlar to chase a flag carrier, so keep a keybind for that (I’ll discuss advanced keybinding in an upcoming article).
If you want to snipe, pick a position that gives you quick access to key positions and flagroutes. Enemies are likely to also use the routes as a way to flood the bases. Depending on the situation, you have to decide to pick up a secondary or not. If you are a beginner is hard not to pick one. Only experienced players with very good aim can just stick with the pistol.
Offensive
When trying to capture the enemy flag, the most important thing is being able to move fast and create diversions. I suggest using an assault rifle, a helmet and smoke grenades. Those are incredibly useful in this three situtations:
- Smoking the enemy spawn. This will make much harder for them to get out, buying you important time to make your run
- Smoking up the flag. You’ll be able to quickly jump in, grab it an keep hopping while the enemy has no idea where you are
- Smoking your escape route. While you’re making your escape, drop a smoke on the ground. This will make the enemy incapable of aiming straight at you and waste ammo by preforming a spray’n'pray
Never pack a kevlar, it draws half the stamina away and gives you a huge disadvantage when trying to flagrun.
If you want to take up a support role, make sure to grab smokes and a medkit. Flagrunners need cover and health. Give it to them!
5: Play trick on the enemies
Try to trick them into thinking you went somewhere else, than you actually did. For example you could run into the tower on Ramelle and jump out the first floor window. The enemy will think you went up the tower and you’ll be safe for five precious seconds, before they will realize that they have been tricked. (We will discuss mind games in future posts)
6: \kill yourself alot
Nobody cares about score, only you do. So don’t ask for health if you’re in your own base and the spawnwave is abou to arrive, just kill yourself. It doesn’t only save your time, but also your friend’s and also reduces the probability of being medkilled down to an awesome zero percent.
7: Don’t be egoistic
If you have a negev and kevlar and are down to one percent health, don’t insist on carrying the flag while somebody is next to you with full health. Drop it for them and use the radio to say “Go for the objective”. Then cover their escape.
8: Don’t stick with the carrier
If you pass the flag carrier, don’t bodyguard him directly, stay in the position you are and face the upcoming waves of enemies, while slowly retreating. You can track the route of the carrier, but don’t stay with him directly. You’ll make the two of you a bigger target. Try to delay the enemies by putting down smoke and closing doors. Also use supressing fire.
9: Intercept the enemy carrier
Try cutting off the enemy flag carrier’s routes by taking shortcuts. Let’s assume you just spawned and the flag was taken. In that cas you should stick to routes something like this, you being the blue arrow.
10: Make the enemy carrier the no.1 target
When you see him pass with a group of enemies, don’t randomly shoot the group, because that would turn all the attention to you. Jump into them, aim for the carrier and fire only at him. Try to tome it so he’s already dead when you land on him, so you can return the flag. Try not to kill him too early so that his allies won’t be able to pick up the flag.
Conclusion:
These ten tips should give you a little starting point and an idea what CTF is all about. Of course you’ll improve as long as you play and you’ll figure out techniques of your own. I wish you a win in your next CTF and of course HF GL!
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Also I found a small trick. Usually are the best rushers that get the flag but the problem is when your own flag is missing. Is pointless for them to wait untill the flag returns. I suggest to drop the flag to a less experienced player and let him hide somewhere near the flag. The rusher can go back and find his flag to return it. Then the scoring the point will be easier than ever.
I think, using smoke is not THAT dumb as don said. It sure has its disadvatages, but in some situations it might be useful too. For example, if there aren’t any teammates around you in that moment, you cannot “fuck” them with smoke, only the enemies. Nevertheless, it’s probably no must-have for offensive playing in CTF, in the end it’s a thing of taste.
But I think he’s right about wearing or not wearing kevlar. If you are reading this article, you are probably not the uber-pro, so wearing no kevlar is actually not the smartest thing you could do. You can think about leaving it away when you become better and have more experience and you actually are able to use the benefits of wearing no kevlar.
if you tipe /kill on console, you’ll have a double respwan time
(with the uz, cb cfg)
Yankee is right. It shocked me when I read this : do NOT use the /kill command. It would be too easy.
You just have to ask a teammate to team kill you, even if on some pub servers, your friend might get kicked after too many teamkillings.
The better way is to run in front of enemies, without trying to kill them, in order to be killed just before the respawn.
And if you can hurt the enemies (ant not kill them), it’s even better.
I see. Well as others pointed out you should check what the server rules are before \kill yourself
Jumping off a cliff or ‘sploding are pretty efficient too, and these don’t incur the double re spawn penalty. Course that does require a nade or a convenient suicidal jump.
Surprisingly enough, even with good intentions, TKing people as a speed medic alternative can go down badly on pubs. XD
One of the most important aspect of CTF is missing in this article:
A formidable offense is the best defense. Spending too much resources(man- and firepower or time) on the defense will have negative effect on the offensive ability on your team.
Keeping the other team busy with defending can relief the effort that your team needs to spend on your defense. Thou you need always be mindful and alert of sneak attacks the other team might attempt on you.
“To be certain of safety when defending, defend where the enemy cannot attack.
Therefore, if we want to do battle, even if the enemy is protected by high walls and deep moats, he cannot but do battle, because we attack what he must rescue.
If we do not want to do battle, even if we merely draw a line on the ground, he will not do battle, because we divert his movements.”
- Sun Tzu
A good ratio is 60% offense and 40% defense. When your team is running 80% offense and 20% defense, most of the time it means your team is probably at the winning hand and the opponent doesn’t even have the time or resource to organize a real attack as they are too preoccupied with defending their flag.
A formidable offense can also gain your team ground control of the map. Which means your team members can move around more areas without having to worry about opponents. Which helps at sending in reinforcements for the attacks more quickly or to cut off and intercept their enemy flag carrier getting away with your flag. Side effects also means you can move up your defense up a notch with the gained ground control. After all, you only need to control all the ‘supply’ routes from their spawn to your flag.
You don’t actually have to stick at the flag the whole time. A common mistake newbies often makes thinking they need to build a fort Knox at their flag.
Tip 4 has some ‘bad’ tips. Smoking their flag is not such a great idea as your team members without NVG will not be able to see hidden enemies with NVG are waiting for them. And packing a kevlar for attackers might be of good use now and than depending on your opponent strength; use drop kevlar bind when attackers are actually going in for the flag run.
Tip 6 is absolutely bad idea in competition. With euro CTF rules (waverespawn) it should be done with TK to avoid the respawn timing penalty or you could just simply try to get yourself killed right before respawn timer resets; but try to do it so that it helps your team, e.g. playing distraction/decoy while another team member grabs the flag and runs of with it. With US CTF rules you should just medic.
Summary of the article translated into Polish and published on our forum
http://www.thcurtclan.fora.pl/urban-terror,18/10-wskazowek-ctf-dla-zielonych,90.html#492
Best regards Daily Nades. U’re doin’ fine job.
Streszczenie artykułu po polsku.
DAMMIIT IF ONLY *THC* would have read this.
If you are with someone who wants to cap the flag, let them do so. When he rushes away, go back a tad and kickass.
Lets say u are in Turnpike. Your friend got the Blue Team flag. Do NOT stay at their flag (obviously). Instead, fallback to pillars and defend. If your friend caps, after u kill the enemies, rush the flag while throwing a couple of HE nades into their spawn.
Good Luck in all of your upcoming ctf games