Basic QL pickup CTF

There’s always room for improvement. Players want to get better, guides and tutorials want to get better in order to allow players to get better.

In the past, we’ve posted two Capture The Flag guides before:

• Beginner’s overview of CTF going over all the basic ctf principles: a summary on positions, items exclusive to CTF (Arena CTF to be precise) and basic team communication.
• Positions and CTF explaining a more in-dept overview of offense, defense and midfield support.

We’d like to add one more:

Basic QL CTF guidelines for rookies aims to help new players to be able to compete in the pickup games arranged via IRC on #qlpickup.eu (Quakenet). It has come to our attention that while the previous guides can be helpful for general public ctf play, but that the pickup games offer a more stable, organized yet not so newbie-friendly match system, since the players participating in our pickup games are skilled above average.

This does not make rookies feel welcome, which is a shame as we need them to increase the player base of good, solid CTF games. So to help these new players find their home on the pickup channel, here’s some advice:

Basic advice

• Use teamsay bindings to help your team. In the first place you should have incoming/outgoing binds to let your team know where enemy’s are incoming or where the enemy flagcarrier is leaving. For example: bind ? “say_team INC/OUT HIGH” or bind ? “say_team INC/OUT LOW”. Your team will also appreciate when you let them know if there is an item like mega, red armor, etc available. For example bind ? “say_team ITEM AVAILABLE”
• Get a flag/weapon drop bind. If you have the flag and your low on health drop it for a teamm8. For example bind ? “dropflag”. If your teamm8 needs a weapon, drop it. For example bind ? “dropweapon”
• If a teammate carries the flag or a PowerUp *ALL* items are his. Do not steal armor/health/PU in front of your flag or PU carrier.
• Use Quad/Haste for attacking, not defending. The enemy team will expect you to attack with Quad/Haste, so they increase defence at THEIR base leaving you wasting the PowerUp in YOUR base without any enemies.
• If you have the flag during cross-steals (when both flags are taken to opposite bases) your #1 priority is to stay alive. Do not take ANY chances and run away if need be. Don’t try to be a hero. Depending on your health/armor/aim/movement you might want to /drop the flag to a teammate.
• Prioritize FLAGS above anything else. If your flag is taken and your teammates are trying to intercept, do not spam “MEGA HERE” 3000 times, just take it.
• Some of the guidelines are overruled depending on the status of the friendly flag, enemy flag, teammates, enemies, PUs, armors, etc. Unfortunately the combinations are too numerous to list, use a bit of common sense to determine if a rule does not apply in a certain situation

Basic advice for attackers

• Leave armors/health in your base for your defenders. Attackers steal mid/enemy armors.
• Use PowerUps properly. Good defenders know you are coming, so storming in using haste and 100/0 is stupid – you will die 90% of the time. Wait for your attack partner and/or get armor.
• Keep an eye on your teammates’ health/armor/PU status. Stealing the flag in front of a teammate who has 200/200 + haste is extremely stupid. Use your drop flag bind if you take flag by accident.
• Leave weapons dropped in your base that are usually out of reach for your basedef. A basedef can’t go get a weapon far away obviously so leave it for him or HER :D.
• Your primary role is to bring the flag home so don’t chase enemies your own base or middle. If you frag an enemy attacker he will just respawn in front of you and you’ll have to deal with him again. By all means shoot at people, but keep moving towards the enemy base, don’t stop or turn around.
• Ignore irrelevant enemies when you are carrying the flag and don’t worry too much about enemies BEHIND you, especially not when they only have an MG. If you frag them they are likely to respawn in front of you, which is much worse.
• Rocketjump more. A rocketjump deals 50 damage at most. That’s NOTHING compared to the enemy rails, rockets or shaft that you could have avoided with a rocketjump.
• Intercept the enemy flag carrier. When your flag is stolen consider stopping your attack and instead intercept the EFC, dependant on your current position

Basic advice for defenders

• Your role is NOT to frag people, it is to prevent captures, frags are just a bi-product. Inexperienced defenders will often chase retreating attackers, abandoning their defensive position.
• Flag defender: Accept that you simply CANNOT stop all flag carriers and do not chase if they get out of reach. Concentrate on securing your base and leave it to your teammates to intercept. If your base is lost, your flag will just get stolen again after it is returned.
• 2nd/forward defender: Secure middle to escort your flag carrier. Good opponents will try to intercept your flag carrier at the middle of the map. This means there will often be no attacks while your team has the flag and you should push forward instead of idling back in base.
• If a flag gets dropped in a position that makes it difficult for attackers to get it, for instance on jumppads, do not return it. Leaving it gives you 30 seconds of easy defending (until the flag returns by itself) If the flag is dropped in a place where enemy attackers can easely get it make sure you return it, but check teamoverlay to see if the flagroom is safe. In most cases it’s better to return the flag then leave it. When you return the flag your whole teams knows the position of the flag: In the flagroom.
• During cross steals (when both flags are taken to opposite bases) your role switches from defending flag spot, to defending your flag carrier. It is pointless to guard the empty flag spot as enemies won’t go there, they are trying to frag your flag carrier.
• As a maindef you always stay with your flagcarrier. The second def will try to retreive the flag.

Extra tips from regular pickup players

• e-vio|lithz: pay attention to overlay!
• [qS]jaysson: do what the more experienced players tell you to do
• @termi“: dont kill enemys on the way, else u will haveto kill them in enemybase again
• yNAM: support ur fc instead of rebounding
• +[EF]Timeca: nmy quad needs to be chased!!

We hope these tips may help you not to give up on pickups after your first few hard games, after all, this isn’t public!

More:

• Pickup channel rules
• #qlpickup.eu on Quakenet IRC

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