Warzone CTF, a rundown.

Warzone CTF (WZ) is pretty simple. WZ is an SVS (Standard VIE Settings) zone. There are 8 flags in the game at any time. Goal: get all flags in your possession and get all of them dropped for the win.

Dropped for the win?

Yes, dropped for the win. When you kill someone who has flags (flag carrier), or when you pick up “dropped flags”, you become a flag carrier. From the moment you grab flags or kill someone, a timer will appear on the upper right corner of your screen counting down from 90 seconds. This time indicates the time before you “drop” the flags. The timer disappears when you have reached the 90 second timer, or when you get killed. The only ways to reset the timer are to kill someone, or pick up another flag.

What do flags look like?

There are two kinds of flags. In short, yellow flags are flags you control, blue flags are flags you don’t control.

“Friendly” flags are yellow. Friendly flags were once dropped by you or someone on your freq, and you cannot pick up friendly flags. So if you want your flags to stay out of the greedy hands of your opponents, make sure you have thought through where you want to drop your flags.

“Enemy” flags are blue. They represent flags you do not control. If you fly over flags that are dropped by the enemy, you immediately become a flag carrier.

Can I make sure that no one touches my flags?

You can never make sure that no one touches your flags, but they will surely try. It’s impossible to defend all your flags anywhere on the map, that’s why WZ maps have bases.

I drop the flags in a base and defend it with my life!

Yes, but WZ isn’t just about getting a base and dropping flags in them. You need to think about how to defend each particular base on different maps, with how many people and stuff like that. And think about it, you need people to defend your base, but you also need people to get the remaining flags in order to win the game. Who goes out on the attack? Who stays in the base?

These are the basic strategic problems captains have in WZ games, but also the most important AND the most difficult questions. If you attack with too little, your attack could easily be gunned down by defenders. However, if you defend with too little, you might be squashed by incoming bad guys.

Fortunately, every base has a flagroom. This is a smaller part of the base, usually accessed only one way, which is the ideal place to drop your flags and the hardest to get into, thus easier to defend.

So how does league work?

League games, since the beginning of time, have been three squads battling it out to control all of the flags. All squads have a maximum of ten players in the game at any time, so this league is “10 vs 10 vs 10”. With two opponents always luring at your flags and seeking the best opportunity to take over your flags, strategy is the most important thing about WZ and Warzone League (WZL).

I played WZ last night, and someone shouted at me “don’t flank us!!!”.

Flanking, just like other words as flag room and wall kills, are specific things in CTF (capture the flag) games and especially WZ. Some are basic things, some are strategic games. Most aren’t really important to the game, and you will find out about them as you play. Here’s the rundown on flanking.

Flanking

When you go “around the back” of the enemy into a base, this is called flanking. This can occur in an enemy base, as well as in your own base.

When your own base is under attack, generally enemies coming from the entrance try to make their way through the defense to your flag room, and thus your flags. When you enter the base and try to kill them “from the back” it’s called flanking.

When one enemy is attacking the other enemy and you do the same as in your home base, this is called flanking too. Both enemies are battling it out in a base, you look at the opportunity when both are weakened, the defense of that base is weakened too, you go around the back of the other squad that was attacking and try to take over the attack where they left it off, and try to take over the base.

Some people consider flanking enemy bases lame, whilst other people think of it as an important, strategic and smart way to win flags for your team.

Killing is important, but not the ultimate goal to win the game

Meaning, there are some things that you “shouldn’t” do, and are considered lame by the majority of players. Killing negs (un-greened ships) in or near the center of the map is considered lame. Also killing people outside a base without any reason is lame. Without any reason means, that you kill people that are trying to attack a base which isn’t yours, so which is your mutual enemy.

Also, think before you go on some trash-talking ego trip with someone and try to duel your way to an answer on “who is the leetest”. You aren’t helping your team by dueling and talking trash to people for no reason.