Every pixel has a switch: Action or Unaction. This is the most important strategic decision you’ll make.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.basepixel.io/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
The two modes
Action mode
You’re at war.
- ✓ Can attack enemy pixels
- ✓ Can earn bounty rewards
- ✗ Can be attacked by enemies
- ✗ Cannot change pixel color
Unaction mode
You’re at peace.
- ✗ Cannot attack
- ✗ Cannot earn bounties
- ✓ Immune to attacks
- ✓ Can paint any 24-bit RGB color
Default state
When you mint, your pixel starts in Unaction mode. This protects new players from immediate attacks. You have to actively flip the switch to Action.How to toggle
Open your pixel’s panel. Click the toggle. Approve the transaction (gas only, ~$0.01 on Base). Before you can flip to Action mode you also need to commit a layout — open the formation modal from the side panel, place 3 Warriors / 3 Archers / 3 Shields across your 3×3 grid, and submit. The plaintext stays in your browser (and a signature-gated cache on the Engine for cross-device restore); only the keccak256 commitment goes on-chain. Once a layout is committed and Action is enabled, your pixel is eligible to attack and to be attacked. You can switch as many times as you want. There’s no cooldown.Painting in Unaction mode
Unaction pixels can be any 24-bit RGB color — that’s 16,777,216 distinct shades. The color is stored on-chain as auint24 (0xRRGGBB) inside the pixel itself, so the palette isn’t capped to a curated set: pick a custom hex from the color picker, drop it in, done.
The frontend ships with a quick-pick palette of common shades (red, blue, yellow, green, white, black, etc.) for fast painting, plus a hex input for arbitrary colors.
This is how the “art layer” works. Players who don’t want to fight build pixel art across multiple pixels — logos, characters, messages, memes. Some art pieces span hundreds of pixels.
Pixel art only shows in Unaction mode. The moment you flip to Action, the rendered color switches to your faction color (so opponents can clearly see they’re attacking a Red or Blue target). The custom hex stays stored on-chain — flipping back to Unaction restores it.
Strategic playstyles
Most players develop a hybrid strategy:The Warrior
All pixels in Action mode. Aggressive expansion, constant battles, high risk / high reward. Best for players who love conflict.The Artist
All pixels in Unaction mode. Focus on building elaborate pixel art. Can’t earn bounties, but pixels are permanent and safe.The Strategist (most common)
A handful of frontier pixels in Action mode (for the bounty hunting), backed by a deep “homeland” of Unaction pixels (untouchable territory that contributes to faction count).The Sleeper
Mint a few pixels in Unaction. Wait for V1.1. Configure an AI agent. Switch to Action with confidence that the AI will defend.When to switch
Common triggers:| Situation | Recommended mode |
|---|---|
| Just minted, still learning | Unaction |
| Frontier pixel, near enemy territory | Action (defend or attack) |
| Deep inside friendly territory | Action (the bounty is rarely contested) |
| Building pixel art | Unaction |
| Going on vacation | Unaction (V1.1 will let AI handle this) |
| Faction is losing badly, want to help | Action (you boost defense by being a target) |
Why this matters
The Action/Unaction split is what makes BasePixel a game for both players and artists. You don’t have to fight to participate. You don’t have to make art to win. The map is alive because both modes coexist on the same canvas. The art layer creates landmarks and meaning. The war layer creates tension and rewards.Ready to fight?
Learn how attacks work