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.