Guide [Issue 33] Polygon CP

[S.C.Y.T.H.E 1,072]

Polygon CP

 

 

Polygon is a very popular map. It has been in the game ever since I have started playing. This map remains one of the most classic and unchanged maps. You can find polygon battles for almost all ranks and battle types. It is beloved by gold hunters and all tankers alike.

To start off, lets look at an ariel view of Polygon:

 

 

 

It is a very diverse maps, with numerous altitude changes, alleyways, and even tunnels.

 

The East Side:

 

 

 

This is a great position for snipers, such as railgun. You can get a good firing range across almost half the map, and the wall offers good cover. Just duck behind the wall, reload, pop back out and shoot. If you have mines, you can barricade yourself in so that it is almost impossible to kill you. If there is someone on the other side of the wall, you can hit them through that little nook designed perfectly for you to shoot through. Be warned: There is a spawn point right next to you, and then another spawn point on the other side of the wall. This can be good or bad. 

 

 

 

This is another great position, very close to position one. It is great for all turrets. A ricochet can sit here, getting great shots all over the map. In this position, a ricochet can even use its ricochet to hit the death pit. If you are using railgun, you can reload on the backside of the house/building. If you drive out a bit further, almost to the ramp, you can get shots to the left side of the map, by the short bridge. But be careful, there are two spawn points behind you, so always be looking over your back. If you need to run away fast, go to your right and take a jump into the alleyway.

 

 

The first of the alleyway positions, this is a good place for short range guns. To your front and to your left, you can frequently hit enemies. It is great for ricochet, as you can get great ricochet angles all over the place.

Here is a great place to shoot your ricochet:

 In this position, you can hit enemies on the other side of the building easily. Also, your 'tennis ball' can ricochet up the wall, and hit people in position 2. Try it yourself, it makes snipers so mad.  

Ricochet is a great pick for this position, but any turret can do. I would not advise staying long in this position, because there is limited options for hitting enemies. A firebird will also be good for killing enemies in close ranges. Beware of enemies jumping on you from above, it will happen quite frequently. If they are smart, they will drop a mine on you. 

 

 

 

A good position for making long range shots with a railgun or longer loading gun. Pop out and shoot, and then 

reload behind the ramp, closer to position three. You have a great view for people hiding up the big ramp, or in position five. Enemies won't suspect you of being here, and it is a good defensive position because it is easy to hide by position three and four. A double damage drop zone is located right in front of you, and there are few spawn points nearby.

 

 

This is a great spot for peek a boom tactics. Good for most turrets. A railgun can hide down closer to position three while reloading, and then jump out and shoot. A hammer can use a similar tactic. Twins can just camp here. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a very good angle into the 'death pit'. A ricochet can hit the alley between the two small building to the right of where my turret is pointing, and hit practically anything on the other side of those buildings, and thunders splash damage can also hit many enemies. There is a spawn point directly ahead of you, so be careful. Also, make sure no one is sneaking up on you from position three. There is easy access to a health box drop, in case you are running low on health.

 

 

A fairly decent spot. If you have a long range gun, like a railgun, you can hit enemies camping at the top of the big ramp. If you can also easily hit enemies in the death pit. You have a great view of position 9. Enemies spawn right next to you, by the short bridge. If someone is shooting you from the other side of the map, hide underneath the ramp. If you have to run quickly, either go up the ramp or continue to position 11. I wouldn't stay here for long, as there are limited opportunities for getting shots, and sooner or later a firebird or freeze will kill you. 

 

 

 

The North Side:

 

 

 

 

A fairly good spot, but it is pretty exposed. I would recommend not staying here for long. The bush offers pretty good camouflage, and there is a double armor drop right next to you, in the other corner of the walls. You have a good view of almost half the map, but unfortunately half the map has a good view of you. I would recommend ducking between position four and position five if you want to survive the longest in this position. It is best for long range weapons since this is such an open spot.

 

The West Side:

 

 

 

 

This is an ideal spot for a thunder or railgun. You can hide underneath the ramp while reloading and for cover, and jump out and shoot across most of the map. You have easy access to killing people in position 1, 2, and 5. Also you can easily make shots into the 'death pit'. It is extremely hard for enemies in the 'death pit' to shoot you back. On the other side of the ramp, you can also hit lots of enemies. There is a spawn point right next to you on the right side of the ramp. If you want to have unlimited access to the death pit while  still remaining close to it, this is an excellent spot.

 

 

This is a great position if you are low on health. It is a very safe place, as you can hide behind the ramp and pop out on the other side. You have a decent view of the map. I wouldn't recommend being here unless you are extremely low on health, or if there is a firebird coming down the ramp. You can hide underneath the ramp, and pop out and shoot him before he can turn his turret and shoot you. This is the position on the other side of the ramp:

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great position if you have a fast loading, high damage and long distance gun, like thunder, ricochet or smoky. You can camp up here, and get shots all over the map. It is fairly rare for enemies to shoot back at you, and it is almost impossible from the Death Pit. If you have a ricochet, your ricochets will even ricochet down the tunnel and hit enemies hiding down there. There is a spawn point directly behind you, so be careful. If someone spawns, just drive into them and prevent them from spawning. If you are smart, you will have dropped a mine right on the spawn point. Eventually they will be forced to drive down the big ramp, and usually they will ignore you from there on out. Enemies will also attack you from your right side, but you can just back up and they will be unable to hit you. 

 

 

This is a decent position. You spawn up here, as well as right underneath you. You can get great hits into the alleyway. If you drive ricochet, you can get ricochet hits into the Death Pit. Position number 12, atop the big ramp, is usually better. A double damage falls on the level below you. Unfortunately, if you try to get this supply you will be unable to get back up. 

 

 

This is an extremely good spot. It is good for thunders, railguns, smokies and sometimes even hammers. You can pop out on the underside of the big ramp, on either side. You can hide behind it while reloading, and be practically invincible. This is a great spot for protecting the control point, and hitting enemies approaching it. No one spawns near you. Beware of snipers in position 1 and two, on the 'island', as well as people in position number five, by where the double armor drops. If someone attacks you, you can drive off of the ledge onto the main level. One thing to look out for is 'dive bombers'. They will jump from the ramp onto you, dropping a mine in the process. 

 

The South Side:

 

 

 

 

This position is ideal for sniping the snipers up on the big ramp. It also has a good view for the 'death pit'. This is a great spot for any long range guns. A short range gun can also pop out here from behind the building to kill enemies that have spawned right next to you. Beware of enemies sneaking up on you from behind!

 

 

This is another good spot. It is ideal for getting shots into the 'death pit, or hitting enemies popping out of position 4 and position 5, and enemies that are hiding behind the house in position 2. There are two spawn points nearby; directly in front of you, and on the other side of the bridge. I would suggest this position for longer range, fast loading guns like smoky or thunder. If someone dangerous attacks you, you can slide behind the building, to position eight. You can even keep going farther if they are very determined to kill you.

 

 

The Middle:

 

 

 

 

 

This is a pretty good position for destroying enemies in the 'Death Pit'. Twins, hammer, thunder and smoky are best for this position, as they have high damage per minute. Twins and thunder are probably the best option; Twins will just overwhelm enemies with their constant rate of fire, and thunder's splash damage will nearly always damage multiple enemies. But beware, you are a sitting duck for firebirds of freezes from behind you. If your team loses the control point, but there are few enemies, you can drive into the Death Pit and capture the control point.

 

 

This is a very good position for Isidas, or just about any gun. Hide deeper down in the tunnel, and pop out and kill enemies, heal your friends, and capture the control point in the process. If you use a ricochet, you can hide farther down in the tunnel, and shoot the side of the wall. Your bullets will ricochet up the wall and hit enemies. There is a spawn point at the bottom of the tunnel, so watch out. If you are smart, you will drop a mine back there. Also, beware of enemies jumping on you from above, by position fifteen. They can 'dive bomb' you as well as shoot you. Close range guns can deal a lot of damage, and the Death Pit is a very confined space, so I would recommend a short range gun. But any other weapon will do well down here. Unfortunately, it is easy to get cornered. If a powerful enemy confronts you, it is very hard to run away. 

 

 

This is a great position for an extremely high damage turret, and preferably a high healthed hull. If you want to capture and keep the control point, this is a good position. You can hit anyone entering the Death Pit, and also hit enemies in position four and other places. But don't go here without team-mates, as you will die shortly. Once again, beware of 'dive bombers' jumping on you and dropping mines. There is a double damage drops zone a few feet away.

 

 These positions should give you some ideas on where to go and how to use turrets in polygon. I will reference them later on in this guide, so you will probably have to check back and look at them.

 

Tactics:

 

Control points are the most common type of polygon. This is also probably the most common control point battle. It sounds simple; spawn on the edges, and drive towards the middle and take the point. Die, then repeat. Unfortunately it isn't. 

For your information, there is one control point, in the very center of the map. I call it the 'death pit'. 

There are two steps to winning control point battles:

1. Capture the point

2. Keep the point.

If you can't capture the point, you are out of luck. If you can't keep the point, you are also out of luck. Even if you capture the point frequently, but only keep it for a few seconds, you won't earn many points.

 

Capturing the Control Point:

 

1. Charge

 

 If you have four other allies charge into the point, you will likely take it. The sheer number of tanks will out push whatever defenders are defending. It is very rare to see five tanks defending a control point that they already have, you are most likely to only encounter one or two defenders. Charging is one of the most effective methods of capturing the point, but it will end with a lot of your allies dead. This tactic usually works best with short range, high damage guns like firebird. An isida is also extremely useful, after your charge takes the point, most tankers will be severely wounded.

 

2. Kill defenders, then take the point.

 

This is relatively simple, stay out of the death pit, and shoot at defenders until they are dead. Then take the point. Usually people sitting in the death pit have close range guns, so they won't easily hit you. A good spot for killing enemies is position #15, between the two houses. Insistent, longer range guns like thunder, smoky and twins are best used for this tactic.

This tactic also is very good when combined with a charge. While high damage closer range allies charge, smokies and thunders can stay on the outskirts, un-noticed in the distraction of the charge. They can deal a ton of damage. If you are driving a railgun, a good spot for killing enemies in the control point is position #4. You can peek out from the alleyway, and get great shots into the point, usually penetrating multiple enemies. 

 

Keeping the control point:

 

This is a crucial step. Once you take the point, clear out of the death pit besides one or two close range guns. You can take positions facing the point, but not too close to it. A great camping spot for longer range guns is #12 and #14. You can easily damage enemies attacking the control point, and you will go unnoticed and undamaged. 

If you are one of the tankers inside the death pit, an amazing hiding spot is position #16. Wait for enemies to attack, pop out and kill them while they are bombarded by allies surrounding the pit. 

If you see enemies beginning to charge, be sure to help out. You can charge into the point as well, so long as you have at least another ally with you. If you go alone, you are dead meat and will do practically nothing against a charge of five tankers.

 

Border Patrol:

 

If you have the control point, you can go on what I call border patrol; patrolling the outskirts of the map, killing spawning enemies driving towards the control point from behind. This is what a good, closer range border patrol will look like:

(follow the red line)

                   

 

Crippling the Snipers:

 

There will always be enemies that completely ignore the point, and just snipe from the outer reaches of the map. This is how to kill them: (follow the yellow lines. When you see an enemy sniper, circle them and kill them with a faster high damage gun. 

                     

So in short, when you capture the point, keep it by killing enemies before they even get a chance to capture the point back. 

 

 

XP-BP:

By @mcmonkey25

There are many P's to this format... But the match itself is simple enough. It happens in XP/BP Format (Rail with Wasp or Hornet for those who don't know) in a Polygon in CP mode. Not that difficult really. In my opinion is has become the latest fad, like when XP was starting up, or fire and wasp battles. However, these games are notorious for mults who are looking for the quite frankly frequent golds that drop. I made this guide because when I've played these matches, my team always seem to lose, and obvious trends are occurring as to why that is. This guide will make sure that you're not mistaken for one of these mults and that you can get the most out of not only the gold-hunting but the battle itself too.

 

Rule 1: Getting the Point

 

You are playing a CP match, therefore, should you not be trying to capture the point? Then why is it that 50% of the time you fail to see players actually going for the point. Even players who aren’t being inactive or waiting for the gold will just sit at the edge taking pot-shots. Therefore, my first rule is that in almost every circumstance, you should be going for the point. Already been hit once? Go for the point. Trying to snipe this annoying guy? Go for the point. Attempting to keep a spotless kill to death? That’s ok I suppose, HELL NO, go for the point!

 

Too many players expect to be able to stay on the edge and still be able to win the battle despite not getting the point. It isn’t even like you get more xp when you camp at the edge. The last three matches I played, I won all of them despite getting a total of just 8 kills across all three battles. Your team can’t and won’t win if every player isn’t throwing themselves headlong into the middle. So, if you want to get xp, or to get a reward at the end of the battle, I implore you to follow this first, most simple and obvious rule. Go for the point!

 

Rule 2: Keep the point:

 

So, using Rule 1, you’ve taken the point (yay!) but there isn’t any time for celebrations. What are you going to do now? Again, using logic I can tell you that as it’s a CP, you need to make sure you keep the control point. The most common thing I see my teammates doing once they’ve got the point is leaving the point. They think that now the point has been taken, the action will happen elsewhere. Trust me, it won’t. Your enemy’s next most likely move is to try to recapture the point; therefore, the point will be the place to be! I suppose that staying just outside the point (around the edges of the centre) is alright, as you can easily re-join the centre, but the best thing to do is stay where you are. If you really don’t want to die, remember the hiding hole in the middle, just stick in there, make sure you are still connected to the point and take some shots at invading enemies.

 

Using this rule, your team should be able to rack up the points against the enemy team. Even if you die, the likelihood is that you’ve marginally slowed down the enemy team, which can’t be a bad thing in the end. So, once you’ve got the point, keep the point!

 

Rule 3: On the subject of tipping

 

After the most recent update, it may have become harder to tip players, but it is still possible. Therefore, you must know what to do when you are tipped. One must remember that when you play XP in a non-XP map and in a different format, most of the rules basically go out the window. In a normal XP game, you should never kill a tipped enemy, but the rules are slightly bended in this situation. Essentially, if an enemy is tipped anywhere outside of the point, don’t kill them; and if you’re tipped outside the point, self-destruct a.s.a.p.

 

However, if an enemy has been tipped and is still connected to the point, you have two options. Option 1: Kill them; they would only slow down your taking of the point or aid the enemy team capturing. Option 2: Push them off of the point. This means that they can’t aid or hinder attacks, but also have to take longer to be able to get back into the game. This small decision doesn’t really have much of an impact on the game so don’t dilly-dally when making a decision. If you’ve been tipped but are still connected to the point, I advise that you don’t take any chances and so self-destruct. However, if you are in a profitable situation (i.e. you are stopping the enemy team from capturing), then hang on in there as long as possible. You’ll probably just get accidentally killed in the chaos anyway!

 

A couple of other things…

• Don’t stand behind or next to a teammate so that you can be killed simultaneously.
  
• Try not to enter into small 1 v 1 situations, you’re just wasting your time over one kill
  
• If you’re lagging badly, just get out. There’s no point in even trying.
  
• Drive towards the centre as soon as you spawn, but you can perhaps take a shot at an enemy on the way.
  

 

I hope you’ve learnt something from my guide which should help you to get the most of these matches. But remember, these are high fund, high gold dropping and high speed battles, so have fun!

 

Goldboxes:

 

By @S.C.Y.T.H.E

Getting goldboxes in Polygon is fairly complex. These are the current locations of where the goldbox can drop:

Picture credit to @a7x_Pedro48, @emrakul @lukey0 and

 

Polygon is a nice map, because about 90% of the time, you can find the symbol in time before the goldbox drops. There are two strategies: Get on top, or be directly on top of the symbol. The best strategy is to climb on top of the goldbox pile, and take it before it even gets near the ground. More than half of polygon's drop zones can be taken in this manner. 

This is my image:

 

Yellow:

Get on a ramp just below where the goldbox will drop. Put on a nitro and probably a double armor, and jump on top of everyone from the ramp a few seconds before the goldbox will touch the ground. It sounds simple, but it can be tricky to pull off. 

 

Red:

Get on to the high ground, and jump onto the goldbox. Make sure to wait until the last second, otherwise you could miss the goldbox.

 

Green:

This means that there are no ways to get on top of people. There are two strategies to getting goldboxes in these green areas. Dictators are best in these areas. 

 

Strategy one:

Camp underneath the symbol. Find it, and stay directly on top of it. Use supplies to stay alive. Chances are, you will be pushed from all directions, so the pushing will cancel itself out. This is risky, as everyone will be trying to kill you. 

 

Strategy two:

Hide from the sidelines. Then, when you can see the goldbox, pop out and push as hard as you can. This is best with a titan, because of its excellent pushing power. If there are relatively few people that have found the gold symbol, this tactic may be the best.

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2017 by Hexed

[deadtoyou 2,502]

Great article!

 

I would like to point out that the Gold Box on the bridge can (with some skill) be taken from above the group by someone using the sides of the bridge to jump on top. ;)

 

Congrats again Scythe! ^_^

[liverpoolaum 811]

nice the map which i love and where you got that signature

[Yisroel.Rabin 16,224]

Nice work.

But how you got XT?

[Remaine 4,687]

The TanksTestingTool.

[metalcrusher 514]

I like this guide, I am not a fan of CP in polygon but this article/guide convinced me to use it more often.

Great work.

Edited March 27, 2015 by metalcrusher

[Yisroel.Rabin 16,224]

I like this guide, I am not a fan of CP in polygon but this article/guide convinced me to use it more often.

Great work.

But he wasn't a Reporter back then, how did he have the Reporter paint?

[Remaine 4,687]

The TanksTestingTool.

[jazz20 1,181]

Next time use a CP map ;)

[lukey0 27,543]

Nice guide.

[TriNitroToIuene 4,765]

Great. Just great! :)

And btw it's aerial, not Ariel.

[pixy012 3]

this map  in cp mode  is  become   so unfair ,  cause   sabotage  player  s   are ruin it  .....expl    vasp rail  in  the game    m2 gun or tank  in the game  vith  m4 oponent , camper  s   in and out  sabotage,  all team s  put the sabotage player  in  oponent  team ...this map  in cp  mode  gonna die ..make the cp mode like it vas  before  and end  all problem s 

[nawab_gxneral 0]

one bad things positions are not described in this map and u have written them 

[emrakul 7,801]

 

Green:

This means that there are no ways to get on top of people. There are two strategies to getting goldboxes in these green areas. Dictators are best in these areas.

---

I got 2 gold boxes on "green marked places" by jumping on it.

E.g.that spot left from yellow marked spot upper from center. Gold there can be taken by jumping on someone (from center) who is running to that spot.

Or bridge. you can can up easily, just look at it ;)

[I.WalkAlone 548]

It's a good article, but to be honest I felt as if there was a disconnect between the author and the reader. For example, at the beginning you haven't presented the information about the sniping places very well. While reading, it has the feel of raw data instead of a literary work.

Edited March 30, 2015 by I.WalkAlone

[C-O-O-L-G-U-Y 131]

My Best tip: Get mamoth and Titans and all go on the point :P  Great article by the way

[Zforcer 146]

Great article, I don't see why not a lot of people play it. Polygon CP is highly rewarding if you have the right gear and strategies. BTW, the map of the colors is incorrect because on the bottom left green one you can go on the ramp to the left of it and then scale the pipes, therefore you can jump on the gold! 

[S.C.Y.T.H.E 1,072]

^ I know, but that is a different gold drop zone that wasn't marked on the map. The map is incomplete, it is missing at least two drop zones.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0q6GKGLv4E

 

 

[pizzaslad 471]

Only read the first sentence ( :D) but Poly has changed a decent amount from it's original state. At one time there weren't any boundaries...

 

Also THUNDER! :P

[SmexyRailgun 2]

Nice Guide! Still don't get it, maps like skylark are much cooler IMO and I almost never see one!

[SmexyRailgun 2]

And wasp railgun can get on top everywhere, even on the green places ;)

[xXx.RazoR.xXx 543]

first of all,my respect to article creator for the time he spended to write/investigate about CP polygon,although,in theory,some of your tips can be used,but,only in low/mid ranks,all ranks untill field marshall,then your tips/tactics fail in most of the cases..first,in field marshall you can acces m3 titan,which is most common tank for CP polygon matches,proablly the best for most guns except close combat turrets..second,(and I am talking about matches between top teams on RU2 (yes,there are teams connected via skype/raidcall/TeamSpeak),mostly Russian or Ukrainean),PRO battles),some of the weapons you mentioned here are almost uselles for those battles,for example rail/smoky..to clarify,smokys damage is not enough to be real threat,and to play with rail,you need light,in some cases medium hull..example,if you use light hull,you are -1 player when your team needs to cap/neutralize point,your HP is just too weak,and if you use it with some medium hull with rail,well,that's just illogical..put close combat weapon,and give much more damage..isida,even fully MUed,useless in 99% of the cases,to use it efectivelly,you need medium hull,and only way to survive is to somehow reach the pit near the contol point,of course,with your teammate in front of you with heavy hull..shaft?..I'll not even spend my time to write about 100 cases why not..next,there is absolutely no time to camp,or sit,even for thunders,you allways need to shoot and go on point eighter to defend,or cap..there is virutally no time for that if you want to win..me and my team play CP poly every day for several hours,for more then 8 moths now,and I can honestly say we improved much,learning from top RU teams,CP is best way to earn lately,and many people try it,mostly,with inadequate gear,such as dictator,hunter,light hulls,and weapons I mentioned before..prodigi,picasso and rest of the paints,also inadequate for this type of battle..many people think there is no strategy here..and they can't be more wrong,forcing opponent to switch paints/weapons,communication,know who to shoot,who not,to use your hull to flip oponent..yeah,using hull to flip,one of the key tactics..if you,or your teammate flip enemy,never kill him after that..it will take him longer to ge back on tracks,same tactics as in XP,of course,but hardy anyone does that,random players are trying to get points in every mean possible,many of players cap point regardless of how many players is in battle,which is un fair,but,it occurs many times,top teams don't do that,they wait,mathces begin only when both teams are full..CP is great in so many ways,it isn't static game as most of this community thinks..if you beleive that there is no strategy and it's simple,please,go on RU2,and play against some of medium / top teams..I assure you,you are very wrong :) again,my respect for the OP and all of his hard work and time he spended to write article..

[firemantanker 0]

nice guide!!!

[Baby_Sam 614]

Good job, but the first part is more fit for Poly TDM. For CP, you have to actually keep capturing the point, and if you are at most of the great spots you describe, that is impossible, in addition to contradicting your advice not to waste time fighting tanks on the way.

 

Another thing is that if you capture the point and keep it till the end, you turn the battle into TDM, which is much less rewarding. For maximum score, you need to keep letting the enemy capture the point and then capture it immediately. That way, you and the enemy generate very many crystals and you take most of them. Even if you end up beating the enemy by 1 point this way, it is much more rewarding that keeping the point and playing a TDM battle.

[Baby_Sam 614]

Nice Guide! Still don't get it, maps like skylark are much cooler IMO and I almost never see one!

Skylark has 5 CPs, and it has 12 players per team, so it is less dense and thus less mayhem and less crystals.