Discord: https://discord.gg/pa
Like any RTS there is a learning curve
Try the following to ramp up quickly:
- Read the Controls and User Interface guide
- Read the in-game player guide
- Play the in-game tutorial
- Explore units using sandbox mode and the unit database: https://palobby.com/units/
- Review every game you play using chronocam at the end of your game
- Watch replays (with caps lock on to see orders) including the top 10 gold, platinum and star ranked players (gold will be easier to emulate if you are new)
- Watch videos:
- Practice against the AI in skirmish mode (your goal is to win games with two Absurd AI players consistently)
- Practice against different Queller AI mod personalities
- Practice on different maps (search for map under the Community Mods available tab then browse for new maps when selecting a system)
- Work your way up the Skills Pyramid
- Have fun even if you’re losing (it takes time to learn)
For single player:
- Read the Galactic War Difficulty and Adding More Maps guide
- Alternate between Galactic War and AI Skirmish with the Queller AI mod and map packs
Tips for New Players
- There is no pay to win
- Commanders skins are cosmetic
- PA uses a streaming economy based on energy and metal: https://palobby.com/units/table/economy
- Left click drag for area build, attack, patrol, assist, reclaim, repair, etc
- Right click drag for local custom line formations
- AVOID custom line formation moves across the map by moving platoons via waypoints in group formation then shift queuing a custom line formation at destination
- Control move to break formation and move at full speed (a wide area selection of units will move into formation at the slowest unit speed)
- Early game you should snipe fabbers, attack economy and prevent expansion (factories are harder to destroy and cannot produce units with no eco)
- T2 Advanced Metal Extractors can be built over the top of T1 Metal Extractors and vice versa
- Link Teleporters by selecting one then right clicking the other teleporter including the Helios Invasion Titan mobile teleporter
- Open the top right planets menu for info like the number of Halley engines required to launch a planet
- Nuclear Missiles and Unit Cannons are interplanetary
- PROTECT YOUR COMMANDER
Tips for Returning Players
- Check the balance changes: https://planetaryannihilation.com/guides/titans-balance-changes/
Tips for Opening Build Queues to Manage your Economy and Expansion
The goals of an opening build queue are:
- Minimise walking by your commander and fabricators
- Avoid stalling your economy with too many fabricators or factories
- Produce units to scout, raid and defend your nearby expansions
- Produce fabricators as needed for expansions, proxy bases and eventually the transition to T2 once your economy can support BOTH the cost of a T2 factory and production of T2 units
- Avoid idle fabricators and commanders
- Avoid excessive use of static defenses
The key elements of an opening build queue are:
- Optimal starting location
- Optimal build order and factory selection
- Optimal placement
Opening build queues will vary for each map, planet terrain, starting location, nearby expansions, opponents, game mode, etc.
Take your time to look around the map and don’t just randomly click in the starting location. You’ll want to spawn close to a metal spot within range of the commander while leaving space to build your initial energy plants and factories around the commander to minimise walking.
A typical new player opening build queue might be:
- Bot / vehicle / naval factory (never air) with priority queue (control click) of two or three fabricators to claim nearby metal spots then continuous build of fighting units (rallying to a point in the direction of the next expansion or raid)
- One (or two metal extractors only if within turning range of the commander)
- One or two energy plants
- Air factory with priority queue (control click) of one Firefly scout then continuous build of fighters and a bomber to snipe enemy fabricators (rallying to a point where you can easily select your air)
Note: for Galactic War without air tech build a Skitter vehicle scout and raid with Dox or Strykers - One or two energy plants
- Next factory with continuous build of fighting units (rallying to a point in the direction of the next expansion or raid)
- One or two energy plants
- Priority queue (control click) of one or two additional fabricators for expansion which may include an air fabricator to expand to other parts of the planet
As you become more experienced you’ll adjust your energy to be more efficient with only a single energy plant per T1 factory or fabricator. Be careful with other units that also use energy. eg Spark tesla bots.
Place your factories on the outside and near choke points to protect your economy. In important areas outside of your main base consider creating proxy bases by building factories next to your expansions that will continuously build more units.
The more you queue with your commander and fabricators the more you can focus on positioning other units to scout and raid while protecting your fabricators and their expansions. Once you have scouted the enemy be prepared to adjust your build queues and unit mix.
Tips for falling in love with spherical planets
- Disable pole lock and use align to north pole (default keybind: n)
- Learn to use middle mouse to grab and alt middle mouse to rotate
- Alternately use the arrow keys and control + arrow keys to rotate
(on macOS you’ll need to change the default mission control keyboard shortcuts in system preferences > keyboard > shortcuts > mission control for move left a space and move right a space) - Learn to scout and expand as you can be attacked from all directions including orbital and other planets
You will get used to playing on spherical planets. Once you do it’s hard to go back to flat maps.
