Control Point (game mode)

cp_dustbowl

“

This point ain't gonna cap itself! Get over here! Click to listen — The Engineer

”

This article is about the game mode. For the physical objective, see Control Point (objective).

Control Point (CP) is the "main" game mode of Team Fortress 2, consisting of 4 of the original 6 maps. The game revolves around capturing and defending various control points.

Gameplay

Offense

Control points are captured by standing on top of them. The speed at which a control point is captured depends on how many players from the capturing team are present on the point: two BLU players capturing a RED point will capture that point faster than only one BLU player would. Scouts count as two players, as do Soldiers and Demomen wielding the Pain Train. There is a limit on how fast a Control Point can be captured (see Control point timing).

Defense

If players from both teams are on the same, unlocked control point, that point is said to be contested, which means no progress is made toward the point changing team control. When players from the offensive team are removed from the point all of their progress is lost gradually over time, not immediately.

Reverting capture

When a point is neutral and both teams are trying to capture it captures can be reverted. If a team begins, but does not finish, to capture a neutral point and then is driven off, when the other team begins to capture that point they will first have to "revert" the progress that the first team made before they can begin to make progress of their own.

Limitations

• Disguised Spies cannot block a capture if they are disguised as the team capturing the point, and cannot capture a point if they are disguised as the enemy team.

• Cloaked Spies cannot defend or capture a control point.

• ÜberCharged players cannot capture points, but can block enemy captures.

• Scouts under the effects of the Bonk! Atomic Punch can neither block enemy captures nor capture points themselves.

Game modes

Main article: List of game modes

cp_yukon

Standard Control Point

Standard Control Point, also known as Linear or Symmetric Control Point, maps play symmetrically. Both teams start with an equal number of two controlled points and a central point that starts out controlled by neither team. The team that captures all the points wins. In standard Control Point maps, control points must be taken in an unbroken line (thus the "linear" in Linear Control Point). At the beginning of the round, each team's control points are locked while the center point is unlocked and can be taken. Once a team takes the center point, the opponent's nearest point unlocks and can now be taken as well. From then on, no more than two points can be unlocked at a time; taking a point locks the point behind it and unlocks the one in front of it if it exists. Control points close to a team's spawn point are captured more quickly by the enemy team. Standard control point maps will go into Sudden Death (or Stalemate) if no team captures all the points before time runs out, but if time runs out with a capture in progress, Overtime will occur, allowing play to extend should a capture be completed.

Attack/Defend

Attack/Defend, also known as Asymmetric Control Point, maps play asymmetrically, with BLU being the attackers and RED the defenders. RED begins with all the points in their control. BLU wins if it captures all of RED's points. Points may only be captured in a set order (though some maps, such as Gravel Pit and Steel, may make exceptions). RED wins if it prevents BLU from capturing all points before the timer expires. Points captured by BLU are typically locked and cannot be taken back, and BLU adds to the mission timer each time they capture a point.

Attack/Defend maps can come in various styles:

Style	Description	Examples
Linear single-stage	BLU must capture all control points in a set order.	Gorge, Mountain Lab, Mann Manor
Linear multi-stage	BLU must capture a set of control points in a set order to move to the next stage. Reaching the final stage and suceeding is required to ultimately win the map. If BLU fails to win a stage, then the map is reset to stage 1 and the teams switch.	Dustbowl, Egypt
Pyramid-style	BLU must capture three points. The first two points may be captured in either order. Once both points are captured, the final point is unlocked.	Gravel Pit, Junction
Centralized-style	BLU's objective is to capture the central control point. There is another set of control points available, one of which is open for capture at a time in a set order. Capturing these auxillary points makes it easier to capture the final point.	Steel
Medieval-style	Similar in principle to pyramid-style, with the main difference being that once the final point is unlocked, it must be taken within a specific time limit; otherwise the final point relocks and the initial points reset to RED's ownership. Time is not awarded upon recapturing the initial points.	DeGroot Keep

Strategy

Main article: Community Control Point strategy

Maps

See also: List of maps

Control point maps carry the cp_ prefix; community maps are identified with italic font.

Standard Control Point

Name	Picture	File name
5Gorge		cp_5gorge
Badlands		cp_badlands
Coldfront		cp_coldfront
Fastlane		cp_fastlane
Freight		cp_freight_final1
Granary		cp_granary
Well		cp_well
Yukon		cp_yukon_final

Attack/Defend

Name	Picture	File name
DeGroot Keep		cp_degrootkeep
Dustbowl		cp_dustbowl
Egypt		cp_egypt_final
Gorge		cp_gorge
Gravel Pit		cp_gravelpit
Junction		cp_junction_final
Mann Manor		cp_manor_event
Mountain Lab		cp_mountainlab
Steel		cp_steel

Update history

April 29, 2008 Patch (Gold Rush Update)

• Added Stopwatch Mode to Tournament Mode which is automatically used on Attack/Defense maps.

• Spies disguised as their own team can now capture control points.

• Fixed rare client crash on level change during control point capturing.

See also

• Territorial Control, a game mode featuring a dynamic Standard Control Point map that changes depending on which team wins each round.

• King of the Hill, a game mode that utilizes a single control point.

• Arena, a game mode that utilizes a control point as a secondary objective.

• Capping (competitive), user guide to capturing efficiently.