What is the objective of Silvershard Mine?

Question

After waiting in the queue for a while I finally entered the new Silvershard Mine Battleground. The Alliance was already losing at this point so I didn't really get a chance to figure things out from the start and everything was very hectic.

I gathered that it has to do with the carts that spawn and moving them by standing in the circle around the cart, but what actually makes the cart move? How do you score points? I guess I am looking for a breakdown of the ins and outs of Silvershard Mine as there appears to be a lot more involved than a simple capture the flag.

Answer 1

WoW Insider has an in-depth preview of the battleground, which gives details about how the battleground is supposed to work (in theory). As they describe it:

[T]he objective of the battleground is for each faction to capture and escort mine carts to depots at the end of the line, retaining control of the carts throughout their jouney from the central depot to their destination.

And:

Your team earns points for controlling carts over time, with a larger number of points for carts that land in the depot when under their control.

To move carts, you need to first capture them:

Once the carts spawn, you need to capture them. This is done not by clicking with a capture timer like the flags in Arathi Basin but by fighting in proximity to the carts, like the towers in Eye of the Storm.

Then, they'll move along predetermined paths, determined by what crossroads your faction controls:

Last, the two yellow markers are the two crossroads. This is where players can choose to alter the direction of the mine carts. Capturing the crossroads causes the arrow to flip around and change direction, sending the cart where it's pointing.