The Diplomacy interface is primarily used for reviewing and changing the levels of diplomacy one maintains with one's fellow players. It also contains access to the Message Log. Additionally, one can change player race starmap colors from here.
Planets.nu has several different levels of Diplomatic Status which can be set from the Diplomacy screen:
There are settings in some games that limit the number of diplomatic connections that a player may make. In the SETTINGS screen for a game, the three parameters are maxallies , maxshareintel and maxsafepassage . The lower settings are inclusive of the higher settings.
As an example of how these settings work, if a game has maxallies set to 1, maxshareintel set to 2 and maxsafepassage set to 3, it may have any of the following combinations of active diplomatic relationships:
Full Alliance Share Intel Safe Passage 0 0 3 0 1 2 0 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 1
Many of the system-generated games use the above settings. In addition, these settings may be adjusted for Custom games.
When you send an ambassador to another race it is an indication that you wish to open communication with them for diplomatic purposes. Once you send an ambassador to another race they will be able to send messages to you without the normal 1 turn delay. Any messages they send will be relayed through your account email address.
You will not be able to send immediate messages to them until they send an ambassador to you.
When you grant safe passage to another player you will transmit information about all of your minefields and their ships will not hit your mines when passing through them, nor will your web mines drain their fuel tanks. (Please see footnote regarding Webs and new Standard rules.) By granting safe passage you will not be able to sweep the minefields of the opposing player. You are not able to fly through the opposing player's minefields unless they also grant safe passage with you.
In addition, safe passage disables most of the aggressive actions that can be taken towards the other player. Your ships, planets & starbases will not attack theirs (overriding the Primary Enemy setting and the Kill mission), except in response to an attack. It should be noted that ground attack, Imperial Assault, Pillage Planet, Plunder Planet and Rebel Ground Attack are not disabled by safe passage, or any other level of Diplomatic Status.
Safe passage includes Send Ambassador.
When you share intel with another player you will transmit the location (only the location) of all the planets that you currently own and the location of all of your ships. You will also transmit all ship and planet information from other races that you know about. Detailed information about combat (VCR) is also shared.
In most cases, you will not transmit information about any other races with whom you share intel, but accidents do happen (particularly with Dark Sense et cetera). This limit is due to the Strategic Information Sharing Act of Year 0011.
Share Intel includes Safe Passage and Send Ambassador.
A Full Alliance works exactly like Share Intel except that you will send all information (including the Friendly Code) about your planets and all information (except the Friendly Code) about your ships.
Full Alliances can combine their scores to win games where diplomatic victories are permitted (the Diplomatic Planets win condition ).
In a non-team game, Full Alliances only begin to function once both parties have given a full alliance to each other. Once this happens, the Full Alliance is announced to all players via the in-game "Public Board", which can also be seen in the game's activity feed. If the Full Alliance is later broken, that information is made available to all players in a similar manner. This is the only diplomacy status information that's made available to all users.
In a team game, the teammates start the game with a Full Alliance, and that alliance can't be modified. The Mentor vs. Midshipmen games are a special case of this. The Midshipmen team can remove the alliance with resigned/dropped players.
Full Alliance includes Share Intel, Safe Passage and Send Ambassador.
The following information is never shared:
Note: