Flash's guide for Domination newbies...

Written some time in the early 2000’s to try and encourage UT players into the Domination mod –Flash, 2025

Intended for them’s who can play UT, insta or nw, but who don’t know
much about the DOM mod.

Server Rules: (Normal CB stuff and what most clans use)

  • 5 v 5.
  • 20 mins per map.
  • No score cap.
  • 2 maps.
  • FF = 0%
  • WS = ON
  • Redeemer = OFF
  • Translocator = ON

Intro:

Dom is a great mod. A bit like defending in CTF. When played with nw
then trans-whoring is essential and spam is rife - it’s by far the
spammiest mod in UT. It’s non-stop action with lots of little tricks
and has all the range of skill levels playing. All weapons have their
place and the pace means you use what you’ve got.

Scoring:

Your team scores one point for every 5 seconds that your CP (Control
Point) remains in your colour. That 5 seconds thing reduces later in
the game meaning the scoring can change rapidly towards the end.
You DO NOT score points for your team by fragging people.

Playing:

Spawn, grab a weapon, trans to your CP, kill enemies and gain CP.
Camp.

Tactics:

Having a team of random players running to their nearest CP does NOT
work. Trust me on this. Designate 1 of the 3 CPs to each person, and
place the remaining 2 players at the busier CP’s.
Eg, A typical 5v5 nw dom tactic for Dom-Olden would be: 2 players
lower CP. 1 player Mid CP. 1 Player upper CP. 1 player giving support
to upper and mid.
SB, powerup control is important on some maps so learn them. Many
powerups in DOM are only available via the translocator.

Tricks:

Olden - SB is found behind secret door near lower CP (above flak). You
need to shoot two sets of eyes to open this door - one over mid-CP,
one next to secret door.
Remember that Dom is all about camping. Expect players hidden above
flames, shadows and so on. However, in an evenly matched game this is
ignored because there isn’t time.

Comms:

Less important than other mods. Tactics-changes useful, but otherwise
it’s straightforward; Spawn, camp, die. Combined attacks can be very
useful in some maps, eg: Cryptic ironstar, but you can do well without
good comms.

Maps:

Stock maps mostly, very few additional ones are played in the ladder.
Avoid Sesmar in I-dom unless you’re very confident, as you respawn
miles away from the two ankh cp’s. If you start losing on this map
it’s very hard to regain control. Leadworks too is not really suitable
for insta and thus not played much. Good insta maps are Cinder, Lament
and Cryptic. Lament and Cryptic are fine if you’re new to DOM as they
don’t require much learning, but Cryptic /does/ require good fragging
skill.

Weapons:

All sorts. Spammy is better. ASMD used almost exclusively by top clans
in some maps, and mini/pulse deadly on high-tick servers.

Coming from CTF?

CTF players adapt well to Dom. Similar rules (FF=0, trans) and Dom is
a lot like CTF defence - ie. camping.

Coming from DM/TDM?

Learn the translocator. DM players need this or they get wiped out,
regardless of how good they are. You need to get to your CP as quickly
as possible after being fragged. Also learn how to spam - FF is OFF,
remember.

Coming from Insta?

iDom is more popular than nwdom now and the skills are similar - quite
a few clans play both iDom and iCtf successfully. That said, they’re
very different types. The tension level in Dom is more sustained and
it’s rare you’re without a target for long, unlike iCtf.

Enjoy. It’s fun.