Windows

Generic troubleshooting: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/troubleshooting/

Clean Boot

A great way to troubleshoot Windows issues is by starting with a clean boot: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135/

Windows System Requirements

Minimum	Recommended
Windows 7 Service Pack 1	Windows 10 latest

NVIDIA Low FPS

Known issue with latest driver impacting many games typically in multiple display environments with AMD CPU / NVIDIA GPU.

Disable, set to manual or stop the NVIDIA Display Container LS Windows service.

Disabling will remove the NVIDIA icon from the Windows taskbar.

Report via NVIDIA Support or the NVIDIA Display Driver Feedback Form: https://forms.gle/kJ9Bqcaicvjb82SdA from 466.11 thread: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/forums/game-ready-drivers/13/448105/geforce-46611-grd-feedback-thread-released-41421/

Windows Updates KB5001330 / KB5000842

Also see: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-10-20h2#1594msgdesc

Update Your Windows Graphics Drivers

Please make sure your graphics drivers are up to date by downloading your drivers directly from the graphics card manufacturer websites. Drivers from Windows laptop manufacturer websites are often outdated.

Integrated Intel GPUs: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/
NVIDIA GPUs: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
AMD GPUs: https://www.amd.com/en/support

Alternatively use the graphic card manufacturer auto detection and update tools:

NVIDIA GeForce Experience: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/geforce-experience/
Intel Driver & Support Assistant: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html
AMD Driver Auto Detect Tool: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-driver-autodetect

For a clean driver uninstall:

AMD Cleanup Utility: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/gpu-601
Display Driver Uninstall (DDU): https://www.wagnardsoft.com/display-driver-uninstaller-ddu (follow the instructions carefully)

Multiple GPUs or Switchable Graphics

If your gaming laptop or desktop has multiple graphics cards, please make sure you have updated drivers for both GPUs and that you have configured both PA and CoherentUI_Host to run on your high performance dedicated GPU:

AMD: https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/DH-017.aspx
NVIDIA: https://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2615/~/how-do-i-customize-optimus-profiles-and-settings
Windows: Settings > Graphics settings

Check the GPU in the Windows Task Manager. For some dual GPU configurations you may want PA and Coherent on different GPUs.

Windows Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The default location is in your local app data directory:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Uber Entertainment\Planetary Annihilation

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\local\Uber Entertainment\Planetary Annihilation

Your user AppData directory is hidden by default so you have a couple of options:

paste the full path into the address bar of an explorer window
show hidden files and folders: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/show-hidden-files

Windows Incompatible Software

ASUS / ROG GameFirst	May cause network lag resulting in unit stutter / jumps with both online and offline servers.
Firewall / Security Suites	May cause connection failures and crashes. Disable or add exceptions for SSL / protocol scanning / filtering for PA.exe, server.exe and CoherentUI_Host.exe ESET: https://support.eset.com/en/kb5833-manage-protocolssltls-filtering-in-eset-windows-home-products Kaspersky: https://support.kaspersky.com/12684#block2
On Screen Displays (OSD)	May cause black screens and crashes. MSI Afterburner / Rivatuner ASUS / ROG Sonic Radar
3D API / OpenGL Interceptors	May cause black screens and crashes. Lucid Virtu MVP
Sound Enhancers	May cause no sound, stutter, static, etc.
Nahimic Audio Driver Also bundled in: ASUS / ROG Sonic Studio MSI Audio Drivers Alienware Command Center	May cause no sound, stutter, static, etc and may also freeze when launching on a second display with NVIDIA drivers. Add `PA.exe` to: `C:\ProgramData\A-Volute\A-Volute.Nahimic\Modules\Scheduled\Configurator\BlackApps.dat`

Windows Crash Dumps

PA generated crash reports with logs (and dxdiag on windows) are usually automatically uploaded to our crash reporting system.

When reporting crashes it also helps if you include the crash ID from your logs (same as the filename of the generated minidump):

xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.dmp

The default location for crash dumps generated by PA is now the logs directory in your Planetary Annihilation data directory.

The environment variable MINIDUMP_DIRECTORY can be used to change the location where PA crash minidump files are saved and will also generate more detailed (and larger) minidump files similar to the new --enable-detailed-minidump command line option.

Windows Error Reporting (WER)

The default location for mini crash dumps created by Windows Error Reporting (WER) is:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps\

WER crash dump files are named like:

PA.exe.NNNNN.dmp

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-client/performance/read-small-memory-dump-file#configure-the-dump-type

Windows Environment Variables

To set environment variables on Windows use:

Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Environment Variables (or search for environment variables if using Windows 10).

HDR10

Experimental hardware HDR10 support can be enabled on latest Windows 10 for modern NVIDIA 10 series or newer GPUs connected via DisplayPort 1.4+ or HDMI 2.0+ with full output of dynamic range and colour depth in the NVIDIA Control Panel using:

--hardware-hdr

Troubleshooting

Planetary Annihilation is a cross platform client / server networked OpenGL application.

Any software that interferes with network connections or OpenGL can cause issues.

When playing you are connecting to a local server or hosted server over the internet.

A cabled Ethernet connection to your router will perform better than Wi-Fi for most games. After your router your ISP, their backhaul and their transit to PAnet AWS servers will determine the quality of your network connection.

Like most games you need free memory to run PA especially with a local server. A minimum spec Windows system with 8GB RAM and a dedicated GPU should normally have 6GB RAM free before starting PA.

System level crashes or mouse / keyboard freezes during live games are almost always a hardware / driver issue with your system. PA can really push your hardware to the max.

Windows: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/windows/

macOS: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/macos/

Linux: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/linux/

Discord: https://discord.gg/pa

System Requirements

	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	MODERN Quad Core	MODERN Quad Core+
Memory	8GB RAM for dedicated GPU 12GB RAM for integrated GPU 4GB free for local server	16GB RAM
GPU	OpenGL 3.2+ / 1GB VRAM	Dedicated GPU
Storage	5GB available space	7 GB available space
Internet	Broadband	Broadband via Ethernet

Update Your Graphics Drivers

On Windows please update your graphics drivers: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/windows/#drivers

Older CPUs

AMD Phenom
Intel Core 2

Try the legacy build.: https://planetaryannihilation.com/guides/planetary-annihilation-public-test-environments-pte/

Older AMD / Intel GPUs or Brightness Issues

All modern GPUs should now support sRGB and sRGB multiple render targets blending.

Historical sRGB workarounds for AMD / Intel GPU’s were removed in 114880.

Use the following if you need to enable the previous settings:

--gl-disable-srgb
--gl-disable-mrt-srgb

For Intel GPUs on Windows 10 make sure you have the latest GPU driver and the Intel Graphics Commander Center:

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000055840/graphics.html

Changing Your Display Name

To change your display name in-game, click on the social icon in the lower right-hand corner. A menu should appear with your name and a dropdown box to change your online status. Below that says, “Change Display Name.”

A box will appear where you can type in your New Display Name. If the name you’ve entered has already been taken, a message will appear to notify you.

Adding PA Friends

To add a PA friend send them a friend request using right click on their name in any of the following:

community chat
recent
search results

Friends need to be logged in and online to accept friend invites.

PA Accounts

Historical backers and anyone who wants to play outside of steam can create an optional PAnet account with a username and password that can be linked with a steam account for TITANS ownership.

Lost TITANS Ownership After Linking Steam with PA Account

Open a support ticket at: https://support.planetaryannihilation.com/

Verify Your Game Files

Steam: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335
Legacy PA Launcher: click the verify button.

Clear Your Download Cache

Delete the contents of the download directory in your Planetary Annihilation Data Directory.

Disable FPS Counters / Overlays / Memory Optimisers

The safe way to check stats is via control-p in-game to toggle between:

Client FPS
GPU memory usage

When connected to a local or public server:

Server (always max 1 FPS)
Sim (max 10 FPS once game has started)

Close Other Applications / Browsers

PA is a CPU heavy game especially when running a local server.

Close unnecessary applications and browser tabs especially on older systems.

Client Stalls or Unit Jumps

This is usually a network issue such as packet loss or network lag in transit to PAnet AWS servers (or OVH US for the dedicated servers).

Some network issues may be temporary due to congestion or bad ISP transit / peering routes.

Software such as firewalls or network optimisers can also disrupt network connections. eg ASUS / Rog GameFirst on Windows.

Network Testing

MTR or WinMTR is the preferred tool for testing network connectivity. All hops should show 0 (no packet loss) or 100 (blocked).

Persistent packet loss on many hops is most likely a local issue with PC software / hardware, Ethernet cables, router software / hardware or your ISP last mile connection to network termination / demarcation (or ONT for fibre connections).

Incorrect MTU and TCP MSS clamping settings may result in fragmentation or packet loss. For PPEoE, DSL or cable connections test MTU sizes of 1492 or 1452.

Clean Testing

You can start a clean copy of PA without deleting your existing Planetary Annihilation Data Directory by using the --localstorageurl command line parameter. eg --localstorageurl=localstore-testing

Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The data directory or folder is separate from your install directory and contains:

logs
local configuration localstore
file system mods client_mods and server_mods
downloads for community mods download

The data directory is shared by all installations of Planetary Annihilation:

steam
launcher
stable or PTE streams

Updating or reinstalling PA does not impact the data directory.

By default all installations use the same local configuration. You can override this using the --localstorageurl command line parameter.

--localstorageurl=localstore-testing

Windows Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The default location is in your local app data directory:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Uber Entertainment\Planetary Annihilation

C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\local\Uber Entertainment\Planetary Annihilation

Your user AppData directory is hidden by default so you have a couple of options:

paste the full path into the address bar of an explorer window
show hidden files and folders: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/show-hidden-files

macOS Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The default location is in your local library folder:

/Users/YOURUSERNAME/Library/Application Support/Uber Entertainment/Planetary Annihilation

~/Library/Application Support/Uber Entertainment/Planetary Annihilation

Your user library folder is hidden by default and can be accessed via:

Finder > option key + Go menu > Library: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18928

Linux Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The default location is in your home directory:

~/.local/Uber Entertainment/Planetary Annihilation/

Steam Installation Directory

Open your Steam library
Right click on Planetary Annihilation: TITANS or Planetary Annihilation in your list of games
Select Properties
Click the LOCAL FILES tab
Click BROWSE LOCAL FILES

Steam Command Line Parameters

Open your Steam library
Right click Planetary Annihilation: TITANS then select Properties
Click Set Launch Options…

PA Launcher Command Line Parameters

Open the PA launcher and sign in
Click on your username then select Build Options… from the list
Additional command-line options

Crash Dumps

PA generated crash reports with logs (and dxdiag on windows) are usually automatically uploaded to our crash reporting system.

When reporting crashes it also helps if you include the crash ID from your logs (same as the filename of the generated minidump):

xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.dmp

The default location for crash dumps generated by PA is now the logs directory in your Planetary Annihilation data directory.

The environment variable MINIDUMP_DIRECTORY can be used to change the location where PA crash minidump files are saved and will also generate more detailed (and larger) minidump files similar to the new --enable-detailed-minidump command line option.

Windows Error Reporting (WER) and macOS may also generate different crash reports:

Repeatable Crashes Within N Minutes

When there is a repeatable crash after starting a game, clicking on preview PIPs, etc it’s often caused by local issues like:

out of date drivers
out of date BIOS
faulty / failing hardware
- faulty or mismatched RAM
- old or underrated power supply

PA can stress your hardware more than other games and we can normally spot local issues by:

uniqueness of crash
type of crash
location of crash
kernel events

Full Screen Desktop Resolution and 4K

Full screen uses a borderless window at your native desktop resolution to allow for quick alt-tabbing to desktop and other applications without disruption.

Subsampling

If you are playing on an older or lower spec GPU then try subsampling:

SETTINGS > GRAPHICS > RESOLUTION SCALING > SUBSAMPLE (75%)

Subsampling does not pixelate the user interface.

Supersampling

If you have a high spec GPU then you can also supersample:

SETTINGS > GRAPHICS > RESOLUTION SCALING > SUPERSAMPLE (175%)

GUI Size

You can increase or decrease the GUI size using:

SETTINGS > GAMEPLAY > GUI SIZE

Save will make the changes permanent. Cancel will temporarily change so you can test.

Build Bar Size

You can increase or decrease the build bar size using:

SETTINGS > GAMEPLAY > BUILD BAR SIZE

Bigger Icons Mods

You can install the Bigger Icons mods for larger icons.

Streaming

Use game capture with a specific window to avoid jitter when scrolling.

Twitch Game is Planetary Annihilation: TITANS

HDR10

Experimental hardware HDR10 support can be enabled on latest Windows 10 for modern NVIDIA 10 series or newer GPUs connected via DisplayPort 1.4+ or HDMI 2.0+ with full output of dynamic range and colour depth in the NVIDIA Control Panel using:

--hardware-hdr

Note: macOS HDR10 support is automatic.

Regions

APNorthEast: AWS ap-northeast-1 in Tokyo, Japan
APSouthEast: AWS ap-southeast-1 in Singapore
Australia: AWS ap-southeast-2 in Sydney, Australia
USWest: AWS us-west-2 in Oregon, USA
USCentral: AWS us-east-2 in Ohio, USA
USEast: AWS us-east-1 in Virginia, USA
EUWest: AWS eu-west-1 in Ireland

1v1 ranked automatically selects a region between players.

Region at Capacity

New instances constantly spin up as needed and may take up to 5 minutes to appear online.

Error Codes

Basil

Coherent UI initialization failed. Verify your game files.

Cilantro

Coherent UI view creation failed. Verify your game files.

Parsley

Coherent UI GPU process crashed. Update your graphics drivers.

Rosemary

Coherent UI component corrupted or missing. Verify your game files.

Sage (Steam)

Restart Steam, check for steam client updates and verify your game files.

macOS

macOS is our primary development environment.

Generic troubleshooting: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/troubleshooting/

Discord: https://discord.gg/pa

macOS System Requirements

	Minimum	Recommended
macOS	10.9 64 bit	10.15
CPU	MODERN Quad Core i5	MODERN Quad Core i7+
Memory	8GB RAM for dedicated GPU 12GB RAM for integrated GPU 4GB free for local server	16GB RAM
GPU	OpenGL 3.2+	Dedicated GPU
Storage	5GB available space	7 GB available space
Internet	Broadband	Ethernet Broadband

macOS Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The default location is in your local library folder:

/Users/YOURUSERNAME/Library/Application Support/Uber Entertainment/Planetary Annihilation

~/Library/Application Support/Uber Entertainment/Planetary Annihilation

Your user library folder is hidden by default and can be accessed via:

Finder > option key + Go menu > Library: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18928

macOS Crash Dumps

The default location for minidumps generated by PA is now the logs directory in the Planetary Annihilation data directory.

On macOS you can also use the console application to locate macOS generated crash reports:

https://support.apple.com/guide/console/welcome/mac

Linux

Linux is our labour of love.

Starting with build 114220 we have upgraded our Ubuntu based toolchain to gcc-9 with LTO which is available in the default repositories or backports of most distributions.

gcc-9 is available for all Ubuntu releases back to Ubuntu 12 Precise and derivatives via https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ToolChain

gcc-9 for Debian 10 buster can be pulled from Debian 11 Bullseye.

https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/libstdc++/manual/abi.html

Local servers will see performance improvements from the move to gcc-9 with LTO and c++17.

https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=GCC-9.1-Compiler-Released

Generic troubleshooting: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/troubleshooting/

Discord: https://discord.gg/pa

Linux Dependencies

The only supported distro is Ubuntu latest.

libstdc++6 >= gcc-9.3 GLIBCXX_3.4.28 (native)
libcurl4-gnutls (native on non Ubuntu / Debian)
libsdl2 (provided by steam)
libgl1 (provided by steam)
libudev0 (provided by steam)
libuuid (provided by steam)
libgconf (provided by steam)

There are some known issues for Linux distributions not based on Ubuntu / Debian.

As a last resort if packages are not available for libudev0 or libcurl4-gnutls you might be able to use a hacky symlink (not recommended).

Steam Linux Client Beta and Scout vs Soldier Steam Linux Runtime

The current Steam Linux Client only supports the original Scout Steam Linux Runtime which is based on Ubuntu 12 Precise from 2012 with 32 bit support then hacked / patched to 64 bit and somewhat modern packages while trying to allow for native libraries like graphics drivers. eg there is no modern compiler support with only an old version of gcc-5.4.1 pre C++11 ABI changes. ie no full c++11 or c++17 support.

The Steam Linux Client Beta now partially supports a long awaited new Soldier Steam Linux Runtime based on Debian 10 with modern packages that falls back to Scout.

There is currently no officially supported way to target Solider and we hope this eventually releases based on Debian 11 with full gcc-9 / LTO / c++17 support.

Stops on launch splash

Downloads are stalled due to missing certs on some non Debian / Ubuntu distributions like Fedora or NixOS.

Use the OpenSSL SSL_CERT_FILE environment variable when launching PA from a shell script:

SSL_CERT_FILE=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-bundle.crt

For steam command line arguments use:

SSL_CERT_FILE=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-bundle.crt %command%

Black screen or fails to start

Check your logs for missing dependencies:

libcurl4-gnutls
libstdc++6 from gcc-9 or newer

Some non Ubuntu / Debian distributions provide a libcurl-compat package for compatibility with libcurl-gnutls from Ubuntu based builds.

You can also manually launch PA from the command line to check for missing dependencies.

Note: if video acceleration fails the intro video may play as a black screen (press ESC or space to skip).

Mesa Coherent UI Panel Corruption

The following added to /etc/drirc or ~/.drirc in the <device driver="radeonsi"> section may help:

<application name="CoherentUI_Host"executable="CoherentUI_Host">
    <option name="radeonsi_zerovram" value="true" />
</application>

Toggling full screen may clear issues (alt + enter).

Linux Planetary Annihilation Data Directory

The default location is in your home directory:

~/.local/Uber Entertainment/Planetary Annihilation/

Sim Performance, Time Dilation and RAM Usage

Planetary Annihilation is a cross platform client / server networked OpenGL application.

Any software that interferes with network connections or OpenGL can cause issues.

When playing you are connecting to a local server or hosted server over the internet.

A cabled Ethernet connection to your router will perform better than Wi-Fi for most games. After your router your ISP, their backhaul and their transit to PAnet AWS servers will determine the quality of your network connection.

Like most games you need free memory to run PA especially with a local server. A minimum spec Windows system with 8GB RAM and a dedicated GPU should normally have 6GB RAM free before starting PA.

System level crashes or mouse / keyboard freezes during live games are almost always a hardware / driver issue with your system. PA can really push your hardware to the max.

Troubleshooting: https://planetaryannihilation.com/support/troubleshooting/

A high spec dedicated server with multi-threading enabled will always out perform a public shared server: https://planetaryannihilation.com/guides/hosting-a-local-server/

Client Performance Does Not Impact Server Performance or Other Clients

The performance of individual clients has no impact on servers or other clients. ie a player with a low spec computer has no impact on the server or other players.

Sim Performance and Time Dilation

When the sim is under pressure the sim rate will slow down causing time dilation.

ie the sim time is slower than real time (this is not lag).

Sim performance depends on:

map
- number of planets (sweet spot is under 8 unless they are tiny with MAX_PLANETS = 16 defined in media/server-script/sim_utils.js)
- radius (recommended maximum size is 800 – 1000)
- CSG (more CSG = more complex pathing and navigation)
number of armies
number of AIs
- increase the difficulty before adding more
- increase their eco modifier before adding more
number of units
number of unit interactions
number of projectiles
play style
- hoarding units
- area patrolling a large group of units
CPU
- number of cores
- single thread performance: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html
network usage (see below)

Games with large systems containing many big planets with lots of CSG and many players that hoard thousands of units are not going to perform well on any server.

Each shared team is considered to be a single army in the sim so a 5v5 shared is only two armies and will impact the sim less than a 5v5 unshared or 10 FFA.

Moving large groups of units will impact the sim with planet wide area patrol having the most impact.

Sim Network Throttles

The sim currently throttles to maintain each history viewpoint at a maximum of 4 Mbps (megabits per second).

Each PIP is a separate viewpoint connection multiplexed into a single TCP connection.

The maximum bandwidth per client TCP connection or socket is 16 Mbps (megabits per second).

32 players might use up to 512 Mbps (megabits per second) of outgoing bandwidth on a server.

Server RAM Usage

Server RAM usage depends on:

system (see sim performance above)
history
- game time
- number of units created / killed
- number of unit interactions
- number of projectiles

Large systems containing many big planets with lots of CSG will require more initial RAM during loading on both the server and clients.

RAM usage will continue to grow over time based on the number of units created / killed and unit interactions.

History is very compressible so memory compression in latest macOS, Windows 10 and Linux will help to limit RAM usage as the history grows.

Public Shared Servers

Our PAnet shared public servers currently run on Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the following regions:

USWest (Oregon)
USCentral (Ohio) – this was USEast (Virginia) on UberNet from March 2018 to May 2019
USEast (Virginia)
APSouthEast (Singapore)
APNorthEast (Japan)

The following regions have higher capacity servers for bigger games:

USWest (Oregon)
USCentral (Ohio)
USEast (Virginia)
EUWest (Ireland)

Public Test Environments (PTE) and Legacy Builds

What is a PTE?

Public Test Environments are publicly available builds for testing upcoming changes prior to release as a stable build.

A PTE can contain any of the following:

fixes
enhancements
new features
new content
new units

How do I access a PTE?

You can install a PTE using papatcher via a PAnet account:

modern-pte (modern Public Test Environment for modern CPUs)
legacy-pte if available (legacy Public Test Environment for older CPUs)

What is a Legacy Build?

Legacy builds are publicly available stable builds for older CPUs like:

AMD Phenom
Intel Core 2

They automatically target the current stable servers.

How do I access a Legacy Build?

You can opt-in to a legacy build via Steam or papatcher via a PAnet account:

legacy (stable for older CPUs that automatically targets stable servers)

Steam (Windows / macOS / Linux)

Open your Steam library
Right click Planetary Annihilation: TITANS then select Properties
Select the BETAS tab
Select the legacy build from the list
Click the CLOSE button and Steam will download any changes for the legacy build

Outside of Steam

papatcher using PAnet accounts

Download papatcher.go from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/planetary-annihilation/papatcher/master/papatcher.go

Install golang from repo (Linux) or https://golang.org/

go run papatcher.go --stream=modern-pte --update-only

Legacy PA Launcher (Windows / macOS prior to Catalina 10.15) using PAnet accounts

Open the PA launcher and sign in
Click on your username then select Build Options… from the list
Tick the PTE or legacy build you want to install then click SAVE
Change the stream from stable to the PTE or legacy build you want to test
Click VERIFY to install or update the selected PTE or legacy build

Windows Dependencies

For Windows you may need to install the latest Visual Studio 2019 64 bit runtime: https://support.microsoft.com/en-nz/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads

Linux Dependencies

libsdl2
libgl1
libstdc++6
libcurl
libuuid

On Fedora / NixOS the following environment variable may be needed:

SSL_CERT_FILE=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-bundle.crt

Clean Testing with Multiple Copies of PA

You can start multiples copies of PA using the --localstorageurl command line option with a different name for each copy:

--localstorageurl=localstore-test1

A separate directory for settings will be created in your Planetary Annihilation Data Directory.

This can be used to separate testing from your stable build and is required when running multiple copies of PA at the same time to avoid data loss.

Playing on Stable Servers with PTE

For most PTEs you can play on stable servers using the --version command line option:

--version 115958

Remember to remove or update this when a new build goes live.

Crash Dumps

PA generated crash reports with logs (and dxdiag on windows) are usually automatically uploaded to our crash reporting system.

When reporting crashes it also helps if you include the crash ID from your logs (same as the filename of the generated minidump):

xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.dmp

The default location for crash dumps generated by PA is now the logs directory in your Planetary Annihilation data directory.

The environment variable MINIDUMP_DIRECTORY can be used to change the location where PA crash minidump files are saved and will also generate more detailed (and larger) minidump files similar to the new --enable-detailed-minidump command line option.

Windows Error Reporting (WER) and macOS may also generate different crash reports:

Steam Command Line Parameters

Open your Steam library
Right click Planetary Annihilation: TITANS then select Properties
Click Set Launch Options…

PA Launcher Command Line Parameters

Open the PA launcher and sign in
Click on your username then select Build Options… from the list
Additional command-line options

Steam Installation Directory

Open your Steam library
Right click on Planetary Annihilation: TITANS or Planetary Annihilation in your list of games
Select Properties
Click the LOCAL FILES tab
Click BROWSE LOCAL FILES