I think we need more maps that are specifically designed for competitive play. The old maps have been played to death, sure they would be ok for a couple matches just for the memories, But more maps created with a specific ruleset and flag spawning structure in mind to bring a diverse set of tactics would be nice to see. (I also despise Village...I really really really hate that map!) reveran is good, as is sandibush.
I also very much disagree with decreasing the timer. I think increasing the time back to 5mins, spawning the flags from the begining, introducing points for a kill where it could make it mathematically possible to win by killing more enemies even if you lose the round. IE winning round is 20points - a kill is 4points, so you could camp flag win 3 rounds and get 60 points, but youve only killed 10 guys adding 40 points = 100 points. however each round you lost 7 guys, so the other team picked up 7*4=28 *4 = 112. Thus such a scoring system would encourage more aggresive tactics as it would pay to kill more than the other team.
or somthing similar.