How to be a good teammate

This is a short guide containing tips on how to be a good teammate in team game modes, such as Capture the Flag, Retrieve, and Core. Written by sky_lark.

Know your role

Figure out what you're good at, then work on that. This isn't to say you shouldn't branch out and try new things, but you should always have a default role to revert back to. Also, understand how your role impacts your team. If everyone on your team is gunning for the flag, then perhaps you need to hang back and defend. Don't worry, you won't need to defend long - just long enough for a teammate to die and spawn at the base, at which point you may shove the responsibility on them. ;)

Offense

1. As a flag runner, your primary objective is to steal and capture the flag. Nothing else. Don't try to play hero unless your teammates are drones. If you must advance to the enemy base, do so carefully, have a plan for a quick getaway, and play "last back." That is, don't let an enemy fly behind you. This is really important, because if you let an enemy beat you to your base, then when your flag is returned, they can simply pick it up and start from square one. Always keep your enemies in front of you, no matter where they are on the map.

2. When playing retrieve or hold the flag, you can use "guerilla tactics." Fly in fast, take a flag then drop it, take a flag then drop it, over and over. By doing this, it reduces their score temporarily and leads them to occupy with putting the flags back instead of actually doing work.

3. Catch your breath. If you're low on energy, find a corner of an obstacle and wait there without moving. After a few seconds your energy will climb rapidly due to your static placement. You can usually be close to the battle when you do this. When a player comes upon you located across an obstacle, they may hesitate and you'll have that extra second to regain energy. So don't worry if there's a player near by, take your time and let the energy flow in. (I say corner so that random shots don't hit you by accident, being around a corner acts as minimal defense.)

4. Don't be aggressive with cloak. Take your time, focus on not colliding with players or objects to give away your presence. You have a lot more energy than you think.

5. Do not get cornered. Always have two ways to fly. Seriously, this sounds basic, but it goes a long way.

6. Communicate with your teammates to let them know of your intentions while carrying the flag. Don't be afraid to call for help, or pass on the flag if you have low health.

7. At the start of each round, SPEEEEEEED to get to the flag/ball/core etc. You might be able to score a point before players are active and engaged.

8. If you need health, but there are no first aid kits around and you don't have repair: Find a loadout zone. Hit the proper loadout for repair. Fly over the loadout, then immediately hit the loadout for your regular set-up, but don't fly over the loadout a second time. What you've just done is allowed you to repair now, but if an enemy comes you can quickly fly over the loadout and be all set to go

9. Predict where the enemy flag runner is going to run if you attack him. You can use observations to your advantage. I might attack my enemy from the top, forcing them down, if I recently saw a friendly lounging around down there. Or, if you think they're going to hit a speedzone, fly in front and stop their plan.

10. Don't be afraid to charge. You'll lose energy fast, but you'll weaken the enemy flag-runner. Assuming your teammates are competent, this should be sufficient in eventually killing the enemy flag-runner.

Defense

1. Your flag carrier is THE MOST important player on the field. Defend them with your life, and don't be afraid to die for it. When they are under attack, you'll want to physically maneuver in between the players and take the heat. Think Secret Service style. If an enemy is attacking the President, you can be damn sure a Secret Service guard is going to step in between the attacker and the President, then push back HARD. Don't let the attacker get to your flag carrier (President).

2. Place mines. Sticking a mine in front of the flag spawn is a very effective tactic. Even the pros, who see it coming a mile away, may still mess up and run into it. For best results, place slightly in front of the flag spawn to prevent a player from simultaneously taking the flag and hitting the mine. Also, place mines liberally around your base. Put them in crevices, around corners, in teleporter outputs, etc. Even put some in the enemy base!

3. Place spybugs. These aren't as important to place as mines, but if you have some free time, go for it. Be sure to cover not only the flag spawn, but the common areas an enemy might fly to in your base: The entrances, first aid kit, speed zone, teleporter, etc. This way, even if an enemy escapes with the flag, your team can know where the escaper is heading.

4. Don't trail! This is one of the best tactics I use on a regular basis. When someone takes the flag and moves to escape, I position my ship in front of theirs (ie. closer to where they're trying to go than where they are), then try to move exactly where they are headed. It's not as hard as it sounds. Most players will make a beeline for a teleporter, aid kit, speed zone etc, which allows you to predict where they are headed. The important part, however, is to just not let them get ahead of you. Then you'll be trailing (think waterskiing behind a motorboat), which is very bad if they're firing phasers and you're just flying right into them.

5. s_bots typically won't return a dropped flag (as of 018a), so don't freak out if they kill your flag-runner. Calmly and quickly speed like a maniac to return that flag! ;)

6. Communicate. Let your teammates know where you're mining, if the base is under attack, which way the enemy flag-runner went, etc. You can also inform them about your observations in the map: "This area has been super bottlenecked, avoid that," or "This area has been generally free of enemies. Hide with the flag there."

7. If you think an enemy cloaker is afoot, don't spray your phasers around meaninglessly like a toddler throwing a tantrum. It won't be very effective. Instead, simply speed away. Odds are they won't equip cloak + boost, and even if they do they'll lose energy way too fast. This doesn't really solve the problem but it allows you to survive for a little longer.