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Zero K
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What is planetwars

For more information check out the PlanetWars section of the Manual!

Planetwars is an online campaign. It gives greater context to indivudal RTS games. In planetwars player can take control of one or more planets and fight along with his/her clan to control the galaxy. At any time, players can see map of galaxy on the web, decide where to attack and what to do with their planets, form treaties and trade.

Basic terms and rules

  • Planetwars consist of succession of ZK battles. Each PlanetWars turn means one RTS battle.
  • Battles take place on planets - each planet has specific map.
  • Players can join clans and clans compete for the control of the galaxy.
  • After each battle, participants are given influence, which is used to determine the planet owner.
  • Influence can be traded with other players.
  • Players can gain credits through mines and spend them on Influence trading or on improving planet structures, such as defense buildings.
  • Clans can form treaties with other clans.
  • Planets are linked together - links determine where it is possible to attack and add spread Shadow Influence.
  • A Planetwars season ends when any of winning condition is met - winning conditions are listed on the galaxy map.
  • After each season, there is some downtime to let players organize themselves for the next round and play normal games.

( Not in the manual now ! )

Clans

  • A clan can be created by any player, which is considered the clan founder.
  • The founder can optional set a password required to join the clan.
  • The founder can kick other people from the clan
  • The founder is in charge of diplomacy: he can offer and accept treaties with other clans.
  • The founder can give rights to other people - which then gain founder rights.
  • Clan size can be limited to XX experienced players and an unlimited number of rank 1 beginners, to encourage tutoring. If beginners are then promoted, they are allowed to stay in the clan. Current limit is - 8.
  • Players can't switch clan while a season is in progess.
  • Clans can have a custom icon and description.
  • If clan has less than YY people, it's possible to leave it. Current limit is 3 - you can leave at any time.

Influence and planet capturing

  • Each player has an Influence score on each planet.
  • Influence is gained when a player wins a battle on a planet.
  • The amount of Influence gained is equal to the amount of XP gained for winning + bonus for clan technologies (3/tech) - malus for having too much influence on the planet compared to others. Losses do no lead to any Influence gain.
  • Influence can be traded with other players for credits.
  • The clan with the most Influence on a planet controls it.
  • The most influential player in the most influential clan owns the planet.
  • Planets project Shadow Influence on connected planets, for their owner. Shadow Influence is a fraction of the owner's Influence on the projecting planet.
  • Shadow Influence depends on link strength between two planets. If you destroy the wormhole on the planet, planet becomes disconnected and no longer projects influence. Players can increase link strength by upgrading wormholes.

Diplomacy and treaties

  • Treaties are always formed between two clans.
  • The treaties are:
    • Ceasefire - clan automatically try to fight on the same side. If one of the clans owns the planet, 33% of other clan's newly gained Influence is automatically donated to planet owner.
    • Research Treaty - clans share all unlocked technologies with each other.
    • Alliance - same as ceasefire, with stronger priority placed on being on the same side in battles, and ships can use allied links to attack remote planets. 50% of influence gained on allied planets are donated to planet owner.
    • In a addition, a clan can declare war with another clan, which prevents from fighting on same side.

Influence Market

  • Centralized place where you can buy and sell Influence.
  • Players can place sell orders (X amount of Influence for Y credits)
  • Players can place buy orders (X amount of Influence for Y credits)
  • locals can buy 1 Influence Point for 8 credits or sell you 1 IP for 45 credits.

Planet attacking / map selection

  • galaxy consists of star systems with planets and moons in interestingly connected structure
  • there is one unique map per planet
    • some planets have maps who are at 99% equal but 1% different.
    • this is a bug due to too many mods and versions of some maps.
  • You can attack planets who are connected with links to your or an allied planet and have working wormhole on your side.
  • If a clan has no planet, they can attack anywhere.
  • planet with most ships is selected by autohost
    • there must be enough ships to overcome planet's defense
    • only the ships of player who are currently active in the battle room are counted
  • You gain ships by fighting battles on planets where you didn't have ship in orbit
    • each player can send ships to orbit some planet on the starmap.
      • orbiting ships cant be reverted. They are destroyed when map gets played
      • ships used in ground invasion provides 30 IPs for if you win and -10 IP if you lose
    • ships can engage enemy fleet - this needs as many ships as is size of the enemy fleet and destroys the fleet
    • ships can bomb a planet - needs 3 + planet defenses/3 ships and kills random structure
    • maximum number of ships is limited to 3 by default
      • if you send ships this limit is free for new ships

Team balancing

  • sides are balanced by ceasefire alliances (if possible). It tries to stick clans together, especially those who sent dropships there.
  • balancing takes elo and team sizes into account too
    • each team get a equal amount of commanders at start - adding second commanders to most skilled players of lower sized team
  • warrying parties are put to oposing teams if possible
  • since IP can be traded, in practice, most players are mercenaries

Technology

  • units are unlocked by a planet structure, for example if your clan control a planet with a Licho structure, you can build Lichos
  • research agreements allow allied clans to share their technologies
  • some planet structures are useless - except tech IPs after battle - if you don't own others, for example the Licho planet is useless if you don't have the Air factory structure
  • custom commanders work normally

Planet structures and specials

  • Some planets already start with aliens and artefacts
  • Each planet starts with a wormhole
  • Structures can be destroyed ingame, and can be repaired for half the money

Building types:

  • Technology building, unlocks a specific unit
  • Ship factory, increases ships gained per turn
  • Fleet command, increases max limit of ships you can have
  • Mine - makes money (can be upgraded to level 2 or 3 with money). starts at level 1
  • Wormhole - destroying it disconnects all links to nearby planets until repaired - it also cuts off mine income.
  • Improved wormhole stabilizer - increases Shadow Influence
  • Jump gate - allows 2 dropship to be transported anywhere in the galaxy

Not buildable, destroyable and prebuilded structures:

  • ancient artifact worlds (victory goal + all techs = win)

Orbital:

  • Planetary defenses (level 1,2,3) - planet will need more ships to invade - invading planet or changing planet owner destroys defenses

Misc.

  • chicken infested planet - all players fight together on them

Game Integration

  • Structures can be destroyed by any player in a game
  • Destroying a structure may downgrade it and disable it until repaired
  • Structure can be repaired for credits

Original design discussions are here: http://etherpad.springrts.com/toKlZni46Z http://etherpad.springrts.com/MxD6k7DOv0