Account & Access
Q: I verified my email but cannot join a round. What is wrong?
Email verification alone is not enough during round-cap periods. If a round is at player capacity, you are waitlisted. Wait for the next round or watch for a spot to open if a player is banned.
Q: Can I have multiple accounts?
No. One account per person is the rule. Multi-accounting results in permanent ban of all associated accounts. The system detects shared IPs and browser fingerprints.
Q: I forgot my password. How do I reset it?
Click Forgot Password on the login screen. A reset link is emailed to your registered address. Links expire after 30 minutes. Check spam if not received within 2 minutes.
Q: Can I change my commander name?
Commander name changes cost 500 Crystals and can only be done between rounds (not during an active round). Go to Account → Commander Name → Change.
Gameplay
Q: My fleet was destroyed but the combat report shows I had more ships. What happened?
More ships does not mean more total attack. Battleships deal far more DPS than Fighters. Check the attacker’s tech modifiers in the combat log — a Capital Weapons + Annihilation Drive Battleship fleet can defeat a much larger Fighter swarm.
Q: My building disappeared after an attack. Is that a bug?
No. Orbital Bombardment (attacker wins with no Colony Pod) destroys random structures. Check the combat report for the bombardment damage section. Rebuild through your planet’s build queue.
Q: Can I colonize an enemy planet without a Colony Pod?
No. You can bombard it indefinitely, but without a Colony Pod in the attacking fleet you cannot take ownership.
Q: My resources hit the storage cap. Why are my mines producing zero?
Production pauses when storage is full. Build more Silos (Metal/Crystal) or a Deuterium Vault, or sell surplus on the market to free up space. (Energy storage rules are still being finalized.)
Q: How do I leave an alliance?
Go to Alliance → My Alliance → Leave. You cannot leave while you have an active fleet assigned to an alliance defense mission. The alliance leader cannot leave — they must transfer leadership first.
Q: Why can I not attack this player?
Several conditions block attacks: the target is in Vacation Mode, you are in Vacation Mode, you have an active ceasefire agreement with their alliance, or they are in the same alliance as you.
Q: What happens to my ships when I enter Vacation Mode?
Ships already dispatched complete their current mission. No new dispatches can be made. Incoming attack fleets are redirected. Ships remain home after their missions complete.
Q: How are travel times calculated?
time (ticks) = distance_lightyears / (ship_speed × fleet_speed_modifier). Open Fleet → Dispatch and the estimated arrival tick is shown before you confirm.
Q: Can two players colonize the same uninhabited planet at the same time?
If two Colony Pods arrive at the same tick, the game runs a combat simulation with the pods as combatants. The surviving pod’s owner takes the planet.
Q: I lost all my planets. Am I eliminated?
No. You keep your account and resources. You can build ships (you need a Shipyard on at least one captured structure) or use the market to fund a new colony pod. Reconquering is hard but possible.
Research & Tech
Q: I cannot queue a tech node. Why?
Tech nodes require a minimum Research Lab level and sometimes prerequisite nodes. Hover over the locked node to see what is missing.
Q: Can I research the same node twice for double the bonus?
No. Each node is researched once. Stacking bonuses comes from researching different complementary nodes (e.g., Basic Weapons + Advanced Targeting).
Q: Does diminishing returns apply to economic tech?
No. Only military attack tech applies diminishing returns above 50% total bonus. Economic, defense, and espionage tech bonuses stack fully.
Market & Trade
Q: My market listing did not sell after 50 ticks. What now?
Listings stay active indefinitely until cancelled or bought. If it has not sold, your price is above what buyers will pay. Check current market prices and adjust.
Q: The market fee is 2% but I see 1.8% on some transactions. Why?
Democracy government players pay a reduced 1.8% fee. Every other government pays the full 2%.
Q: Can I trade directly with another player without the market?
Yes — use Direct Trade Agreements (DTA). Go to a player’s profile → Propose Trade. DTAs have no transaction fee.
Alliance & Diplomacy
Q: An alliance declared war on us but we did not get a notification. Is that a bug?
War declarations appear in round-wide news (News tab). Alliance leadership also receives a direct notification. Check both.
Q: Can two alliances be at war and allied at the same time?
No. Each alliance pair has exactly one diplomatic status. Changing from war to allied requires ceasefire first, then a new allied agreement.
Q: Our alliance bank was drained. Who withdrew it?
Go to Alliance → Bank → Withdrawal Log. All withdrawals are logged with commander name, amount, and timestamp. Only Officers and Leaders can withdraw. Demote or remove the offending member and file a support ticket if fraud is suspected.
Billing & Subscriptions
Q: I upgraded my subscription mid-round. When do benefits apply?
Benefits apply at the next tick after payment confirmation. Starting bonuses (extra resources) are only granted at round start — upgrading mid-round does not grant retroactive starting bonuses.
Q: Can I pause my subscription?
No pause option exists currently. Cancel before the renewal date and resubscribe when you return.
Q: What payment methods are accepted?
Credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), PayPal, and Apple Pay / Google Pay where available.
Technical
Q: The galaxy map is not loading. What should I do?
Hard-refresh the page (Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac). If the map still fails, check the status page at planetia.org/status for active incidents.
Q: The game shows wrong fleet positions on the map.
Fleet position updates happen at each tick. If you are viewing mid-tick, positions may lag by up to one tick. Wait for the tick to complete and refresh.
Q: I am getting session expired errors repeatedly.
Your session token has expired or been invalidated. Log out fully, clear cookies for app.planetia.org, and log back in. If this persists, contact support.
Q: Does Planetia support mobile browsers?
The web app is designed for desktop. Mobile browsers may work but layout is not optimized. A native mobile app is on the roadmap. Check the app stores for current availability.