FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions organized by topic. For detailed mechanics, see the Mechanics section.
- Q · What is OpenFront.io?
- A · OpenFront.io is an online real-time strategy game based on real geography and abstract maps. Players compete by expanding territory, forming alliances, and launching nuclear weapons. Maintained by evanpelle, source code is AGPL-3.0 open source.
- Q · Where do I play?
- A · Official site openfront.io, works in all major browsers with no download. Mobile native login supported (v24).
- Q · Can I play without an account?
- A · Yes. Accounts are mainly for preserving stats, skins, and alliance history. Anonymous players can join public lobbies normally.
- Q · Where does combat calculation run?
- A · Core simulation runs in each player's browser (deterministic TypeScript in Web Worker). Server only collects Intents and broadcasts Turns each tick—this is why games are smooth but occasionally have desync corrections.
- Q · Why can't I spawn trade ships?
- A · v24 introduced a global 150 ship cap. More ships = lower spawn probability, plus the "embargo mercy timer" slows spawns for players who reject trades. Solution: upgrade existing Ports instead of building new ones, minimize manual embargoes.
- Q · Can I intercept MIRV?
- A · No. MIRV carrier and its MIRVWarheads are SAM-immune. Best defense: spread out Cities/Silos and upgrade Cities for population buffer.
- Q · Why did I get crushed after betraying my ally?
- A · Betrayal puts you in traitor state: defense ×0.5, speed ×0.8, lasts 30 seconds. Also auto-triggers embargo from former ally. Unless you can finish the kill in 30 seconds, betrayal usually hurts you more.
- Q · How many levels can a City have?
- A · v24: City/Port/SAM/Silo all support 4 upgrade levels. City gives +250,000 troop cap per level, max +1,000,000 at level 4.
- Q · Can I change default settings?
- A · Private lobbies can adjust: goldMultiplier, isPeaceTime, isNukesDisabled, isSAMsDisabled, isAlliancesDisabled, isWaterNukes, spawnImmunityDuration. Public lobbies use mode presets.
- Q · Is this site's data reliable?
- A · All values extracted by scripts/extract-game-data.mjs from OpenFrontIO source (src/core/configuration/Config.ts, src/core/game/Game.ts, resources/maps). Last update time and OpenFrontIO version shown at database page footer.