Successful flag captures are signified with a triumphant bit of music. Members of each team and their score are shown every time you get hit. You can also strike the F1 key at any time to see the statistics. When you join a game, you get the option to join either the red team or the blue team. Either way, games on the Net are transitional.
Players join and leave all the time.
A seasoned expert may join, help you out, and then move on to a new challenge. Finding players to compete against is not a problem. A quick visit to PlanetQuake or 3D Gamers, download the software and you will be on your way to competition. In addition, software packages like Kali and Gamespy allow you to find servers hosting games and join in. Be forewarned, there are a lot of excellent players out there.