> ## 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.

# FAQ

> Common questions about BasePixel

## Game basics

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How much does it cost to play?">
    The minimum cost to enter is **0.001 ETH** (\~$3 at current prices) to mint one pixel. After that, all interactions (toggling modes, painting colors) are just gas fees on Base — typically less than $0.01 per action.

    Attacks cost 0.0005 ETH each, but you recover that amount from the bounty if you succeed. So aggressive play has zero net cost as long as your conquests succeed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I lose all my money?">
    No. The most you can lose per pixel is **half the mint price** (0.0005 ETH), which is what's locked in the bounty vault. If your pixel gets conquered, you lose that 0.0005 ETH.

    The other 0.0005 ETH from the original mint went to the platform and isn't recoverable by anyone.

    If you don't enter Action mode, you literally cannot lose money — Unaction pixels are immune to attacks.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why two factions instead of more?">
    Two factions create the cleanest dramatic conflict. Three or more factions tend to result in coalitions, betrayals, and strategic complexity that distracts from the core game.

    Two factions also map perfectly to the binary visual language of pixels: Red or Blue, no in-between. The whole map becomes a gradient of conflict.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I switch factions?">
    No. Once a pixel is minted as Red, it's Red forever. If you want to switch sides, you can mint new pixels in the opposite faction.

    Some players run "spy" pixels — a few Blue pixels deep in Red territory — to gather intelligence and mess with enemy strategy. This is allowed.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a max number of pixels I can own?">
    No hard cap in MVP. Some players will own 1, others might own 10,000+.

    In V1.2 we may introduce per-wallet caps to prevent runaway concentration. Will be discussed with the community before any change.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Strategy

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What's the best mint location?">
    **Frontier vs interior is the key choice:**

    * **Interior pixels** (surrounded by your own faction) are extremely safe but rarely earn bounties. Good for collectors and artists.
    * **Frontier pixels** are constantly contested. Higher risk, higher reward. Good for active players.
    * **Behind enemy lines** (deep in opponent territory) are extremely risky but can disrupt enemy operations.

    There's no "best" — it depends on your playstyle.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I focus on quantity or quality?">
    Both strategies work:

    * **Quantity:** Mint many pixels in a cluster, defend as a fortress. Strong against single-pixel attacks. Each lost pixel hurts less.
    * **Quality:** Mint a few pixels in strategic locations, fortify with V1.1+ AI agents. Better ROI per pixel.

    Most successful players use a mix — a defensive cluster + a few aggressive frontier scouts.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="When should I redeem vs mint a new pixel?">
    Redeem if:

    * The pixel has bounty value (active battles have accumulated more than the default)
    * It's strategically located (key chokepoint, art piece anchor)
    * You can defend it after redemption

    Mint a new one if:

    * It was a low-value frontier pixel
    * Your old position is now indefensible
    * You found a better location to settle
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why isn't my attack working?">
    Common reasons:

    * **Target is in Unaction mode.** Unaction pixels are immune. Switch to a different target.
    * **Target is same faction.** You can't attack your own side.
    * **Target is locked in another battle.** Wait for it to resolve, then try again.
    * **You don't have a layout committed.** Open the formation modal from the side panel and place 3W / 3A / 3S before fighting.
    * **Your pixel not in Action.** Both attacker and defender must have Action mode enabled — and your pixel resets to Unaction after every transfer (battle, redeem, manual).
    * **Insufficient ETH for the fee.** Each attack costs 0.0005 ETH `msg.value` on the lock transaction.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Technical

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Where are the contracts?">
    See the [Contracts](/resources/contracts) page for all deployed addresses on Base mainnet.

    All contracts are verified on [BaseScan](https://basescan.org). Source code is in our [GitHub repo](https://github.com/basepixel).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What chain is this on?">
    BasePixel runs on **Base** — Coinbase's L2 on Ethereum.

    Why Base:

    * Low gas fees (\~\$0.01 per transaction)
    * Native Coinbase Wallet support
    * Strong ecosystem for onchain consumer apps
    * High throughput for active games

    There are no current plans to deploy on other chains.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Are these real NFTs?">
    Yes. Each pixel is a standard ERC-721 NFT, fully compliant with marketplaces like OpenSea, Blur, etc.

    You can:

    * View your pixels on OpenSea
    * Trade pixels on secondary markets (without conquest)
    * Use pixels in any NFT-compatible app

    Note: secondary trading is enabled in MVP but may be restricted in some game modes (e.g., during active battles) in future versions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How is the metadata generated?">
    All NFT metadata (the image you see on OpenSea) is generated **on-chain** as SVG. There's no IPFS, no centralized server, no metadata API.

    The contract has a `tokenURI()` function that reads your pixel's current state and generates a fresh image every time. So when your pixel gets conquered or repainted, OpenSea automatically reflects the new state.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is the contract upgradeable?">
    Yes, using the [ERC-2535 Diamond Standard](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-2535).

    Why upgradeability:

    * We can add new features (alliances, agents, seasons) without forcing players to migrate
    * Bug fixes can be deployed without breaking existing pixels

    Safety:

    * All upgrades require multisig approval
    * Critical changes go through a 48-hour timelock
    * The community can monitor proposed upgrades on-chain before they activate
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Tokens & money

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is there a $BASEPIXEL token?">
    No. BasePixel runs entirely on ETH. There's no project token to buy, hold, or speculate on.

    We may explore tokenization in V2+ if there's a clear utility (e.g., governance, agent staking), but only if it improves the game. We won't launch a token just to launch a token.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does the platform fee go to?">
    The 0.0005 ETH platform fee per mint covers:

    * **Development.** Building V1.1+ features, bug fixes, security
    * **Operations.** Hosting, RPC costs, frontend infrastructure
    * **Audits.** External security reviews before major upgrades
    * **Reserves.** Emergency funds in case of contract issues

    We'll publish quarterly transparency reports on platform fee usage.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I make money playing?">
    Possibly. The economy is **zero-sum** — for someone to win ETH, someone else has to lose it.

    Profitable strategies usually involve:

    * Identifying high-bounty pixels and conquering them efficiently
    * Defending fortified positions where conquests cluster (each redemption sends you 0.00025 ETH)
    * In V1.1, deploying well-tuned AI agents that play more efficiently than humans

    But this is a game, not an investment. Most casual players will break even or lose a small amount. Don't put in money you can't afford to lose.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is this gambling?">
    No. The outcomes of attacks are deterministic (no randomness in MVP). You're not betting on chance — you're committing capital to a strategy game with skill-based outcomes.

    That said, like any speculative activity, you can lose money if your strategy is bad. We strongly recommend treating BasePixel as entertainment, not income.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Community

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I report a bug?">
    Best to worst:

    1. **GitHub Issues** for technical bugs
    2. **Discord #bug-reports** for game / UI issues
    3. **Twitter DM** for security-sensitive issues
    4. **Email [security@basepixel.io](mailto:security@basepixel.io)** for critical vulnerabilities (we have a bug bounty)
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I join the team?">
    We're a small core team and aren't actively hiring, but always interested in contributors. If you've built relevant projects (especially in onchain games or AI agents), DM us on Twitter.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I use BasePixel content for my own project / video / article?">
    Yes — we encourage it. All branding assets (logo, banners, icons) are on our brand kit. Just don't claim affiliation with the team unless we've explicitly partnered.

    Tagging us on Twitter is appreciated.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>