Locking flags, a solution for competitive CTF?

[Pyroguy]

I've spent a lot of time today perusing TF2 game modes and maps in preparation for a local LAN party that I am staffing, and thoughts invariably drifted to CTF. I realize it's kind of late considering the contest ending in four days, but I have not, in my skimming so far, found something similar.

This is my idea; add one simple mechanism to competitive CTF, a flag lock. When one team is carrying the flag (or intel or whatever other item you happen to be implementing), the opposing flag is locked (can not be picked up, but otherwise functions as always). This allows teams to protect their own flag by going on the offense, and rewards them for seeing it all the way through without tripping up. It also opens up possibilities for more risky strategy, like splitting off one or two players to ninja the enemy flag before they can get to yours. Also, there is an inherent risk in ever dropping the flag, because you may not be able to pick it up if the enemy grabs yours in the mean time. Perhaps a grace could be added to let coordinated teams pass quickly, but no more than that.

I really can't think of any negatives to this. Any thoughts?

 

[The Political Gamer]

Its been done before in Wildfire. However, you just can't cap the flag. It worked well but its hard to implement correctly.

 

[Firest0rm]

it's an excellent idea, except it has two flaws:
scouts and spies lose the ability to ninja-cap the flag while the enemy is distracted, which is the essentially the point of the feature, but it still is an unnecessary nerf

even more importantly is the potential waste of ubers. You probably know what it's like to be killed when you have 100% uber, and this could do a similar thing. Say a demo and medic push into the enemy base, take down all the sentries and enemies with an uber, and are about to go pick up the flag when the other team grabs the flag. The medic and demo are unable to pick up the flag, and they've essentially wasted the uber they used to get in there.

 

[lana]

MangyCarface, the guy who made Wildfire and Atrophy has, as already mentioned, implemented a flag at home cap system. You're welcome to pick up the flag, but you have to have both in order to capture it, otherwise a door shuts and locks you out of the cap zone. It puts a lot of emphasis on offense, but separates teams into the guys that get the flag and the guys that defend the enemy capture zone to take out the carrier. It's not like it's a bad feature, but it's not like it adds too much to the gameplay. And if a team isn't being offensive enough, preventing them from capturing really doesn't put a knot in their turtle plan.