Alliance
An alliance is a group of players that works together primarily in attacking and defending. Unlike galaxies, members of which may also attack and defend together, alliances are usually created to last for several rounds, with some lasting for 20 rounds or more.
In the current Planetarion setup, Alliances are part of the game and are represented by a tag.
The Universe page has a section on alliances which shows the ranking of the top 30 alliances in the game. This data is compiled by adding up all of the planets signed up to the alliance in-game.
Tag Limits
Tag limits were introduced for round 12. They restrict the number of planets that can be in an alliance at the same time. Since then, the limit has fluctuated between 60 and 100 members.
During some rounds, the number of planets that counts towards the score of the alliance is lower than the maximum number of members. The tag limit in round 37 is 100, of which at most 50 contribute towards tag score.
Controversy
The topic of alliance limits has long been a controversial issue in Planetarion. One side argues for high limits (in some cases for no limits at all) because they feel that the rarity of spots in tags excludes newer players from joining established and that there are not enough competent HCs to manage a large number of smaller alliances.
The other side is in favour of low limits (sometimes as low as 20, about the size of a galaxy), because they feel that lower ranked alliances are crippled by the recruitment of higher ranked alliances and that the only way to create a level playing field is to make sure there are a lot of full alliance tags.
The counting limit is not as hotly debated but the community is just as divided about it. On side argues that it allows alliances to be less afraid of recruiting new players, while others say that it leads to internally tiered alliances, in which counting players recieve preferential treatment over non-counting players.
However, it can be said that throughout PA's history, there has been no objective evidence that changing the tag limit (either upwards or downwards) has had a clear impact on the number of players each round.
Merging
Alliances can merge their tags. Currently, this is only possible until tick 672 and the combined member count of both tags cannot be over 60.
In-game Alliance Tools
There are a number of helpful tools available for alliances in-game. These can be used to take care of the day-to-day managing of alliances, but also to define the relationship with other alliances and as a database for information.
Attacks
Defence
Since round 10, joining an alliance in-game has allowed all the planets within that alliance to defend each other with -1 tick travel time.
Scans
Alliance fund
Arbiter
NAPs
Access
Joining an Alliance
Joining an alliance is considered a vital part of the game, both for full enjoyment of Planetarion and for chances of success. One's alliance is a source of defense and attacks, as well as a place to socialize. Players can apply to join an alliance from the alliances page in-game, though many alliances do not accept anyone that has not applied on IRC. Most alliances also have a publicly accessible IRC channel, and it usually best to enquire about joining there before applying in-game.
