What makes a point easy/hard to defend/capture?

[Narpas]

What makes a point easy or hard for a team to defend or capture? Taking into account different styles of points as well, such as the first point of an attack/defend map or second/forth of a 5cp map, versus the final point of an attack/defend or 5cp map, versus the mid of a 5cp map or KotH map.

 

[Muddy]

Above everything: each teams' respawn times, and the distance between their respective spawn areas and the active control point.

 

[Crowbar]

Below that but above a lot of else things: major height advantages given to one single team.

 

[LeSwordfish]

• Who has the height advantage? The team with the height advantage will do better - they can "hide" just by moving back past the lip of the cliff, and can benefit from blast damage when firing down from above.
• Who can heal? Who has easy access to Health and Ammo packs - or a resupply cabinet? Does one team have a good place to retreat to where a medic or dispenser can hide? (Similarly, who has a good place to set up a teleporter?)
• Who has cover? Who can hide from enemy fire? Can one team be on the point and yet hidden from the best positions the other team has?
• Who has more routes? Who is funnelled into a few corridors and who can attack from a bunch of different directions?
• Who has good sentry spots? Where a sentry can be placed to take advantage of it's range, or where people can't get too close to it, or where spies will have difficulty accessing it?
• Who can get there from spawn? Who has the longer respawn time? Who can walk from spawn quicker? All of these other things I've mentioned - who has easier access to them? If both teams have access to a height advantage, but one team has to climb a steep staircase to it and the other spawns there, one team is at a disadvantage. Muddy's right - this is really important. Often you'll find maps with first points that would normally be very difficult (look at all the advantages for defenders at Badwater A, for example) - but they're really close to the attackers spawn, so still turn out easy enough for attackers.
• How big is the point? Small points are easier to spam - better for blast classes and weapons.