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What is a “tick” and why does everything happen on ticks?

Ticks run every 2 hours. This guide explains what resolves on tick and how to plan around it.

Read 1 minGetting Started#ticks#timing#outcomes

Updated February 17, 2026

Tick cadence (authoritative)

A world tick runs every **2 hours**. The simulation is deterministic: same inputs before the same tick produce the same outputs.

Think of actions in two phases:

  1. Intent recorded now (you click a button, queue a build, place an order, launch an attack)
  2. Outcome resolved on tick (authoritative state change appears in outcomes)

What typically resolves on tick

These systems commonly settle during tick processing:

  • Construction and queue progress
  • Economy deltas (income/upkeep and related adjustments)
  • Population/food effects
  • Market settlements and order consequences
  • War result updates and war progression state
  • Outcome/event entries for audit and recap

Some UI acknowledgements appear immediately, but those are not final simulation proof. Outcomes after tick are authoritative.

What can appear immediate

Immediate responses usually mean validation passed and intent was recorded. They do not always mean final values have settled yet.

Examples:

  • Build queued successfully
  • Order accepted by market rules
  • Attack request accepted for processing

For each 2-hour cycle:

  1. Open Nation dashboard
  2. Queue intentional actions (build/market/war)
  3. After tick, open Outcomes (tickWindow=1)
  4. Use Reason codes when something is blocked

This keeps your decisions deterministic and debuggable.

Troubleshooting delayed or missing changes

  • Wait for the next tick boundary if the action is tick-bound
  • Confirm you are viewing the correct nation and world context
  • Check outcomes first, then dashboards
  • If blocked, inspect the reason code and next-step guidance