void NounPlanet::updateAllegiance( dword nTick )
{
    // other factors can affect allegiance levels, so we calculate the XP required here
    m_nAllegianceXPRequired = 1 << ( allegiance() + 2 );
    m_nAllegianceXPRequired *= ALLEGIANCE_XP_MOD;

    if ( nTick < m_nAllegianceTick )
        return;

    m_nAllegianceTick = nTick + ALLEGIANCE_UPDATE;

    // only increase allegiance if we're at 90% control or more
    // and if we're not already at max allegiance
    if ( ( ( control() * 1.1 ) > maxControl() ) && maxAllegiance() > allegiance() )
    {
        m_nAllegianceXP += ALLEGIANCE_UPDATE;
        if ( m_nAllegianceXP >= m_nAllegianceXPRequired )
        {
            // we may have more than the required XP to level the planet, put that back into the pool
            m_nAllegianceXP = m_nAllegianceXP - m_nAllegianceXPRequired;
            m_nAllegiance++;
        }
    }
}