Headquarters

Rochester
Players are divided into two teams. Each team is given 5 headquarters to defend: 2 on the corner ramps, 2 on the upper level, and 1 in the center of the arena. The objective is to destroy all of the other team’s headquarters while defending your own. In games with 8-19 players, the corner ramp headquarters start with 50 shields, the upper-level headquarters start with 200 shields, and the center headquarters start with 300 shields. In games with 20-40 players, the corner ramp headquarters start with 100 shields, the upper level headquarters start with 375 shields, and the center headquarters start with 400 shields.

Players must be five feet away from defending players at all times; referees are more strict in this game mode than any other game modes.

Players start at the recharge station. When the game begins, players will be activated with 60 laser pulses and 15 energy units. If they run out of either, they must return to their recharger to recharge. Players will score 40 points every time they tag another player. Points scored by tagging a Headquarters vary depending on where the HQ is: tags on a center HQ are worth 50 points, tags on an upstairs HQ are worth 100 points and tags on a HQ on a corner ramp are worth 200 points. However, the team that wins is the team that destroys all of the other team's headquarters first - points do not affect the team that wins.

To attack the headquarters, you must tag the sensors on the top of each headquarters which light up the team's colors. These sensors are shaped like a Y and flash white when tagged.

When headquarters are attacked, the lights on it will flash, making it impossible to hide. The TV will also show the remaining shields. Once the headquarters are destroyed, it will explode in a series of white and purple flashes, fading to purple, and the TV will show a purple X.

Once the game ends, the sectors and walls will flash the winning team's color. Each session is made up of 4 five or six minute games.

Strategy

 * People tend to attack the center headquarters first, then the corner headquarters, then the upper ones. This works well but this strategy is popular and usually ends in a tie. If you do the corner headquarters first, you will take those two down faster than ones in the center.

Trivia

 * The scoreboard shows how many remaining headquarters a team has instead of team points.