Star Catch

Star Catch is a Game Mode in Hills of Steel 2.

Stars spawn in the center of map, about once every five seconds. Tanks collect stars they come into contact with; the number of stars a tank currently has appears in an icon above it.

Once a team collects ten stars, a 20-second countdown begins. As long as that team has at least ten stars and more stars than the opposing team, the countdown continues until the game ends. The team with the most stars wins.

A tank that is killed drops all stars it was currently carrying. If a team is carrying less than ten stars, the countdown ends. If the opposing team collects more stars, the countdown ends and a new one immediately begins.

If a tank is killed as the countdown goes from one to zero, the game still ends even if the highest total star count is less than ten. This means that a team can potentially win the game when their opponent's countdown reaches zero.

Strategy
Star Catch benefits from at least one careful, defensive player; charging into the enemy spawn point with a large number of stars is extremely risky and can make victory all but impossible.

Tanks with high health and/or high speed make great star collectors. A team of such tanks can defend the center of the map until they collect enough stars to win. Or one or two aggressive tanks can push the enemy while their ally falls back to collect stars.

Keep an eye on each tank's total star count so you can prioritize attack and defense. If the countdown begins, work with your teammates to drop the enemy's star total to less than ten or to help your teammates with the most stars fall back to a safe point (ideally your team's spawn point).

Pay attention to how many stars your allies have. Be ready to sacrifice your tank to protect the lead star-holder.