SOURCE-VERIFIED · commit
02bf82d Numbers read from the game's source, not guessed
Troop caps, combat math, building efficiency, build orders. 50 constants are extracted from the repository so the guides and the calculators always agree. When the game patches, the build stops first.
- Guides
- 10
- Extracted constants
- 50
- Calculators
- 5
- Last verified
- 2026-07-28
Learning paths
Read them in order. However many guides pile up, there are still three paths.
2
Understand the numbers
5 · 14 min
All guides by topic Full list →
Growth & Economy
- Troop Cap and the 42.2% Rule Core How OpenFront troop growth actually works, straight from the game's source. The max troop formula, why 42.2% is the growth peak, and why cities beat land.
- All Six Buildings — Costs, Effects, Placement Core Exact OpenFront building costs from the source: cities double to a 1M cap, defense posts cap at 250K. Ports and factories share a counter — a trap that catches everyone.
- How Many Cities Should You Build? Mid An OpenFront city adds exactly +250,000 to your troop cap, straight from the source. At 1,000 tiles, one city is worth 5,175 tiles of land.
- Where Should You Build Ports? Distance 300 Is the Hinge Mid OpenFront trade income is a sigmoid in port distance. Distance 200 pays 13,557; distance 400 pays 91,443. Ports built close together are effectively worthless.
Combat
- Combat Math — Terrain, Ratios, Defense Posts Core What actually kills your troops in OpenFront. Terrain multipliers of 80/100/120 (not 5.0), the attack ratio clamps, encirclement, and the 25% retreat cost.
- What Attack Ratio Should You Use? Mid Two different thresholds govern OpenFront attacks. Wilderness caps out at 6,600 troops on plains; player attacks bottom out at 1.67× the defender's troops. Straight from the source.
- Defense Post Range and Placement Mid An OpenFront defense post multiplies attacker losses by 5 and slows them by 3 within 30 tiles. Overlapping posts do not stack — the code stops at the first one it finds.
- When to Use Nukes — Costs, Blast Radius, SAM Coverage Advanced An OpenFront atom bomb costs 750,000 — six cities. Hydrogen bombs cost 5,000,000. Blast radii are 30 and 100 tiles. Early nukes are almost always a mistake.
Calculators
Ported from the game's formulas. Everything runs in your browser.
Troop cap
2×(tiles^0.6×1000+50k)+cities×250k Including the 42.2% peak Opening timer 0:00 → 1:30 Keeps the 2-second click rhythm Trade ship income gold ∝ distance The gold curve by port distance Building cost cost(n) cumulative Shared port/factory counter Opening simulator 60s → tiles Compare slider % and click interval