PlanetWars attack

A large part of PlanetWars is attacking and defending planets by playing 2v2 or 3v3 Zero-K battles. A successful attack brings the attacking faction closer to gaining control of the planet. Factions take turns launching attacks using the initiative system.

Launching an Attack

To launch an attack you must sign up to invade a planet while your faction is in the attack phase of its turn. See the turn structure page for details on initiative. There are three ways to sign up for an invasion.

• Click "Join Attack" in the list of planets found in the lobby in Multiplayer -> Planetwars.
• Pick a planet from the list at the top of the page. Requires site login.
• Navigate to a planets page and click "ATTACK PLANET". Requires site login.

The first planet to reach its required number of signups is selected as the attack target. If you signed up to the target you have launch an attack at an enemy planet. Wait five minutes for the defenders to organize, if they don't you win by default. Do not worry if you did not pick the target, multiple battles can run in parallel so you should have the chance to join a battle soon enough.

Valid Targets

Invasions can be launched towards adjacent planets or through warp gates. You cannot attack your own planets or those of your allies. Additionally, some treaties allow you to launch attacks using the wormhole network of other factions. See the diplomacy page for more details.

A planet is a valid target via adjacency if it is next to an allied planet with an active Wormhole Stabilizer. A planet is a valid target via warp if there are at least 10 dropships from your faction in orbit. Dropships can be sent across the galaxy using Warp Cores, but can be blocked by Warp Jammers. See the structures page for more details and Wormholes and Warp.

The list of valid targets is generated at the start of your factions attack turn and it never shrinks. The list of valid targets in the lobby and at the top of the galaxy is a naively generated list of the top six best targets. If you want to attack a valid target which is not on the list navigate to the planets page and click "ATTACK PLANET". This adds the planet to the list of valid targets displayed in the lobby and at the top of the galaxy page. The "ATTACK PLANET" button is also the only way to attack a planet that may be newly valid due to the passing of a galactic turn or newly broken alliance. You need to be logged into the site and lobby for the button to appear.

Responding to a Challenge

A battle requires players from both the attacking and defending factions. The attacking players are determined by the process of initiating the attack the defenders are determined by responding to the challenge that attack creates. Signing up to defend is much like attacking. The battle begins when the required number of defenders sign up.

Players of the defending faction have a specific time to sign up for defense and the remaining time is shown in the tab. If by the end of this time, the defending team has one player less than the required number of players a battle will start with uneven teams. This can cause 2v1 or 3v2 battles to occur. In this case one player on the defending team will receive two commanders.

If the defending team has more than one player less than required, the battle is automatically lost.

For more details on Influence and capturing planets see the Influence page. For turn and initiative mechanics see the turn page.

Fighting the Battle

For the most part the battle is an ordinary Zero-K game. However, some bonuses at the galactic level may give one of the sides a slight advantage. The main difference between normal Zero-K games and PlanetWars battles is in the optional objectives.

Each side has a Command Center. These structures affect how much Influence the attackers will gain from the battle. If you lose a battle but manage to destroy your opponents Command Center then the outcome is better than if you had just lost. Similarly if you are win a battle then it is much better to win with your Command Center intact. It is a good strategy to try to kill your opponent's Command Center just in case you lose.

Battles can contain more than just the Command Centers. Most of the infrastructure present on a planet will appear in the battle as well. Some infrastructure buildings will provide combat utility for their owners, such as radar coverage or being able to function as a factory. Any infrastructure destroyed in a battle will be disabled for several turns. If the attacker wins the battle then all infrastructure is automatically disabled. So, as an attacker, consider destroying infrastructure if it looks like you may lose and if defending make sure to defend or evacuate vital assets.

If the defending side has an active Wormhole structure of any kind on the planet, they will have an option to Evacuate any other infrastructure building and prevent its deactivation by attackers. However, only one Wormhole building will be present in the battle, and losing it means no further evacuation can happen in the running battle.