Capping systems

With the possible exception of WSG, battlegrounds are all about territorial control. In terms of game mechanics, this is represented by 'capping' certain nodes on the map.

Initially, the only capping mechanic in the game was the one present in Arathi Basin and Alterac Vallery. Players captured nodes by clicking on a flag, channeling for several seconds, then defending the flag until the capturing process was complete.

TBC introduced a new system of capping that can be seen in Eye of the Storm (as well as Hellfire fortifications, Zangarmarsh central GY and the Terrokar spirit towers). Just bring enough non-stealthed flagged people into the immediate vicinity of the node, and watch the control gauge swing in your favor.

Both systems have their merits and flaws. Which one do you prefer?|||It varies a bit.

Both have their advantage. What ticks me off the most is the current AV version where you channel and then have to sit in a tower for 4 minutes before it finally burns. Sitting in a tower for 1/3rd - 1/4th of a match ain't my idea of fun.|||I think I tend to prefer the new system but I do like the oldschool channel-wait approach too.|||I never did like WSG. Except for playing my twink (long retired now), I only go there to get marks for gear.

EoTS, Seems like we never win this so once again , I only go to get tokens and never return.

For Arathi, I'd like to see the nodes go back to neutral if they are left unattended or defended by too few players (< 2) for any length of time. Perhaps this will force players top actually take AND defend nodes rather than capping, running and fighting in the mid-zones. Also, all defenders should have to be killed before the node can be captured. The sap and cap method is lame. (Note I will recind my idea's if they make the BG to unbearlby long)

Alterac, I'd like to see them offer a different type of node capture just to see how it impacts the game. Right now, its much like Arathi, cap and run.|||I don't really care which way, but one thing that does bother me is on the older channel system if an opposing faction is about to capture a node and you go to take it back and the flag timer is still going for their cap and your channel timer is longer than theirs, you have to start over again on channeling the cap. That annoys the hell out of me. It does this in certain circumstances (not sure if it's when it's ours and they grabbed it and now we're grabbing it back or when it's on totally grey nodes). You'll be halfway through taking the node and the thing caps!!! WTF!! I'm standing here, I'm alone and capping it, the other faction has gone to another node, or have been killed, but I have to wait? It should interrupt the old cap timer.

I enjoy the single rogue stealth caps in AB, which can't really be done as well with the new system, though the new system fixes that weird non timer interrupt so I voted that for one. If the cap timer was adjusted to ALWAYS interrupt as it does when you're getting a node back that was just channeled by an opposing member then my vote would be there.

Totally random just for an example:

Time for Horde to Capture BS = 9 seconds

I click on the BS timer (10 seconds to cap), and at my 9 second mark the flag caps and I have to start over again with channeling - which leaves me standing there trying to cap for basically 20 seconds (double the time), that IMO is BS (pun intended). With the new system - just showing up with no one around starts the arrow to swing in my favor, no weird channeling glitch.

Speaking of the new system, I heard that dismounting makes the cap faster . . . true or false?