Gears of War - Capture The Flag (REBLOG)

Originally posted on 8/24/2012

Capture the Flag? In Gears?

  ​I have been wanting to talk about this topic for quite some time. I am an avid Gears of War player and a big fan of the franchise. You can safely assume I love Gears 3. I have spent hours playing and studying this game. In fact I love to look at the top downs for the mulitplayer levels and dissect them. As someone with a degree in level and game design I been itching to try my hand at designing levels and game modes for multiplayer.

   As someone who visits the Gears forums on a regular basis one thread in particular caught my eye. It was a thread talking about adding a Capture the Flag (CTF) mode into Gears. I read this thread awhile back and I saw that my fellow Gears enthusiasts wanted a objective game mode that was familiar to them. Capture the flag is a very common game mode found in most popular First Person Shooters throughout time. 

A CTF game in Halo 5.

   If you're familiar with CTF you know that most games have certain mechanics and rules that are specifically for that mode. In the Halo series the player with the flag runs slower and can't use their primary weapon. Certain actions such as equipping a weapon will cause the player to drop the flag.

The player carrying the flag are often stripped of their weapons.

    Gears 3 was the first time the community was introduced to Team Deathmatch (TDM), a very common mode found in almost every First Person Shooter. Why not introduce a CTF mode? After all Halo has one, Call of Duty has one. The question is "Would these mechanics work within Gears of War 3?" From the perspective of a designer and fan...not directly at least.

Maybe the flag carrier can only use the cleaver?

   When played at a highly competitive level Gears can be surprisingly fast paced and acrobatic game. Skilled players often slide from cover to cover and wall-bounce to travel around the map quickly. If we add a mechanic where the player loses mobility it would affect the whole flow of the game.

   In my opinion, we can't take away the player's mobility. We can't simply take the mechanics of Capture The Flag and apply them to Gears of War. That is just a boring design. We need to add the "Gears Twist". 

​Gears of War 2 - Submission 

​   Now you might be saying that Gears 2 did in fact have a CTF mode called "Submission". It was what the developers called "CTF with a Gears twist".

​   In this game mode players attempted to capture an AI controlled "meat flag" and bring them to a designated zone in order to win the game. When the player is holding the meat flag their speed is decreased to a slow crawl and they can only use pistols.

A locust attempting to capture the "meat flag" in a game of submission.

  Submission in my opinion was an underrated game mode. I loved it! I would play private matches with friends all the time. However, this isn't really a Capture the Flag mode now is it?

​Gears of War 3 - Capture The Leader

  An evolution of the Submission game type, Capture the Leader was  introduced in Gears of War 3. In this game mode, one player is selected to be the leader of their team. Their team must defend the leader while also trying to capture the enemy leader. 

   Gears of War 3 implemented a Team Death match game type that remains popular to this da Gears TDM isn't the same as a TDM you would find in any popular shooter. It has the "Gears Twist" added to it. My point here is that if we were to force the traditional game mechanics of a CTF to Gears it wouldn't work. If we put too much of a Gears twist on the mode players might not identify it as the CTF they crave.

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Loader Mech CTF

   The mode I propose is a Capture the Objective game mode but with the use of the Loader Mech from the  Gears 3 campaign. The game mode would be a capture the flag mode using the mech to pick up and return a crate (aka the flag) to the designated goal.

The loader mech.

   My reasoning for this is simple. The loader is something the player is familiar with in terms of gameplay, controls and lore. It gives the player limited mobility but for a reason and context the player will instantly understand. The player in the mech will be a clear target and since the mech does not have any weapons the pilot would need to rely on their teammates for adequate protection.

   The team with the Mech takes the offensive, trying to capture the crate and take it to the designated goal in order to win the round. The defending team will try to capture the mech, playing a very aggressive role of attempting to intercept the Mech. ​

The Flag aka The Crate.

   The mech has no weapons unlike the Silver back Mech. The Loader Mech can only use melee attacks to defend itself. If the pilot attempts to use a melee attack while carrying the flag, they will drop the Flag. The Flag is a large crate which can be used as cover as long as the mech is not carrying it.  The player piloting the mech would need team members to guard their rear flank and form a protective perimeter to ensure that the pilot is not simply shot out of the mech.

At the start of the match the LM would spawn in a ring in the center of the map similar to the red ring pictured.

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​List of Gears 3 Maps Best suited for CTF

​​- Academy
- Aftermath
- Anvil
- Artillery
- Azura
- Depths
- Trenches
- Rustlung

Loader Mech Capture The Flag - Rules

   At the start of the match the Loader Mech would spawn in a ring in the center of the map. The match would begin with both teams making a push to try and capture the mech. Once a team has taken control of the mech, a timer counting down when the flag will appear on the map. Once the flag appears the mech pilot needs to retrieve it and take it to the designated capture zone aka the goal. 

   The basic rules of King of the Hill apply. If a mech pilot is hit with a smoke/ink grenade, they will be forced out of the mech temporarily. If the Flag has been dropped for thirty seconds, it will spawn at a new location and the goal will be reset. 

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​CTF Playthrough

​Here is a quick rundown of what a typical Loader CTF game would play.
Notes:
-  COG (Blue Team) and The Locust (Red Ream).
- The Loader Mech is Yellow (neutral) until a team claims it. 
- The Loader Mech icon is from the flim Aliens, because I couldn't find a good pic of the mech from Gears 3. 
- The Flag is a large steel crate. The Flag can be used as cover as long as it is not being carried by the mech.
​

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 Phase 1 - Round one begins! Players spawn and the location of the mech is highlighted on the map. Both teams begin to head toward the mech.

Phase 2 - Players begin to make the push to capture the mech. Players meet at the center of the map aka the "Front" and begin to engage in a shootout. 
​

Phase 3 - Blue team (Cog)  is now in control of the mech. They must now hold the mech until the flag appears. During this time the COG team will have to defend the mech against the Locust.

Phase 4 - The location of the flag spawn appears on the map. Both teams have twenty seconds until the flag spawns in that location. Red team needs to prevent the Blue team from capturing the flag and attempt to take control of the mech.  Blue team needs to play offense, keeping the attackers at bay and the Loader mech in their possession.
​ 

Phase 5 - Blue team pushes toward the flag as Red team scrambles to defend and possibly intercept the mech. ​

Phase 6 - Blue team now has control of the flag. After a short wait the location of the goal will appear. They will need to take the flag to this goal in order to win the round.
​

Phase 7 - The Blue team now make their way to the Flag capture point while holding off the Red team.

Phase 8 - Blue team is able to defend the mech until it makes the drop off and captures the flag to win round one.
​  

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Gears LMCTF

   A mode like this will give the fans exactly what they want, a fast paced, dynamic mode that requires team work and coordination. This game mode brings all the excitement of a great CTF mode to Gears while adding that key "Gears Twist" that keeps people coming back.

  I would love to hear what you think. Leave a comment or tweet at me. Thanks for reading! 

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- Danny Q
@Dannylv100​  
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