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Playing with PHOST |
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Playing with PHOST |
Note specifically that WinPlan players must not view PHOST-generated
battles using the built-in VCR viewer. This may cause WinPlan to crash,
and will at least show the wrong results.
![[Remote]](remote.gif){kind=small}
,
VPA recognizes and correctly loads PVCR to view battles. Simply place PVCR.EXE
in the same directory as VPA. VPA will find and run PVCR to display PHOST-generated
battles.
file is also available from the PHOST home page; follow the preceding link).
This file should be placed in the main WinPlan directory. The remainder
of the DOS Planets distribution can be discarded. This file contains bitmaps
for the ships.To view a PHOST-generated battle, open a DOS window (full-screen) and enter the main WinPlan directory. Let's assume that you are player 3 and that your game is in the VPWORK4 directory. Then, you would type:
This arrangement will work fine for games hosted by both HOST and PHOST. Once you perform the above file renaming, you will most likely never have to worry about it again.
If a new version of PVCR is released (perhaps as part of a new PHOST distribution), then simply install the new PVCR.EXE program as VCR.EXE in the main directory. Leave the VCROLD.EXE program as it is.
and EchoView)
that can read and interpret this file.
Note that some utilities,
and VPA in particular, will not read PCONFIG.SRC files that come
from Unix systems. This is because the end-of-line character sequences
are different for Unix files than for DOS/Windows files. On Unix systems,
each text line ends with the hexadecimal character 0Ah (decimal
10). On DOS/Windows systems, each text line ends with the hexadecimal characters
0Dh 0Ah (decimal 13 and 10). If VPA (or other utilities)
indicate that they cannot read the PCONFIG.SRC file, use a utility
program to convert the line endings to DOS format. Many such programs exist,
for example addcr10.zip,
chktxt.zip,
and doscvt27.zip. If
all of the above links are out of date, just ask around for a program,
people have been converting files between DOS and Unix for as long as both
systems have existed.
Also note that in PHOST 3,
many configuration options, including some original HOST options, have
been "array-ized". That is, they are now configurable on a per-player basis.
Look at the PCONFIG.SRC file carefully; you may have a different
setting from the setting of other players! Note that this also applies
to the combat configuration options.
Here are some configuration options that you should pay particular attention
to, as they may have enhanced functionality or enable add-on-type behavior:
| AllowRegisteredFunctions | Your host may have configured this game to forbid any player from accessing registered-player functions |
| TerraformRate | This is configurable in PHOST |
| ShipCloneCostRate | Privateers and Crystals are allowed to clone, but may have very high costs |
| AllowBeamUpClans | Your host may disable access to the Beam Up Clans extended mission if he/she deems it too powerful |
| AllowBeamUpMultiple | Your host may disable access to the Beam Up Multiple extended mission if he/she deems it too powerful |
| GravityWellRange
RoundGravityWells AllowHyperjumpGravWells |
These are configurable in PHOST |
| UseAccurateFuelModel | If this is enabled, you won't be able to rely upon the fuel estimates provided by your client program |
| TowedShipsBreakFree | Involuntary tows can be broken in mid-tow |
| AllowAlternativeTowing | The rules of towing can follow one of two different models |
| MaxShipsHissing | Lizard players may have a limit on how many ships may hiss at one planet |
| SpyDetectionChance | The Super Spy mission has a configurable rate of detection |
| CumulativePillaging | The Klingons may perform more than one pillage at a planet per turn |
| AllowPrivateerTowCapture
AllowCrystalTowCapture |
This needs to be enabled for the Privs/Crystals to effect boarding parties |
| AllowAlliedChunneling | Allies can perform chunnels to each other's ships if enabled |
| CrystalSinTempBehavior | Growth on Crystal planets may follow a different model |
| AllowRGAOnUnowned | Controls whether RGA can be performed on unowned planets |
| RGANeedsBeams | Controls whether a ship needs beam weapons to perform RGA |
| DefenseForUndetectable
FactoriesForDetectable MinesForDetectable |
Controls how visible planets are to sensor sweeps |
| NativeClimateDeathRate | Natives may die on harsh planets |
| MaxColTempSlope | Affects maximum number of colonists on harsh planets |
| ColonistTaxRate
NativeTaxRate |
Two separate tax rates instead of the single rate for both colonists and natives |
| RaceGrowthRate | Can have different colonist growth rate, perhaps for each player |
| ProductionRate | Can have different supply production rate, perhaps for each player |
| PlanetaryTorpsPerTube | Planets may have tubes in addition to beams and fighters |
| UnitsPerTorpRate | Controls how torpedoes are converted to minefields |
| MineOddsWarpBonusX100
MineTravelSafeWarp WebMineOddsWarpBonusX100 WebMineTravelSafeWarp CloakMineOddsWarpBonusX100 CloakedMineTravelSafeWarp |
Ships may travel better at lower warp speeds and even be immune to mines at certain warp speeds. See Minefield Travel section below. |
| MineHitDamageFor100KT
WebHitDamageFor100KT |
Controls how much damage a mine hit causes |
| WebDrainFuelLoss | Controls how much fuel a ship in a web mine loses |
| FighterSweepRange
FighterSweepRate |
Controls how fighters can sweep minefields. May also be configured to allow non-Colonial players to sweep minefields with fighters. |
| RobCloakedShips | Cloaked ships may not be immune to robbing |
| AllowTowCloakedShips | Cloaked ships may be prevented from being towed (except by allies) |
| AllowESBonusAgainstPlanets | Ship-to-planet combat may have the engine shield bonus enabled |
| NativeCombatSurvivalRate | Controls how many natives survive when a planet is lost in combat |
| AllowInterceptAttack | The intercept attack phase of combat may be disabled |
| AllowAlternativeCombat | Alternative combat implies a very different model of combat. Make sure you look at all of the other combat-related config options. |
| AlternativeAntiCloak | Loki anti-cloak ships don't decloak your own ships (and other changes). |
When this parameter is between 1 and 11, it represents the minimum level of hull tech which is not affected by mines, with respect to the maximum distance travelled (as in HOST 3.2). For example, if a ship is travelling at Warp 7, then it may move up to 49 LY in one turn, regardless of the number of mine hits, as long as the damage to the ship does not reach 100%. If the ship's hull tech is lower than HullTechNotSlowedByMines, however, its maximum range is limited to 49-10=39 LY for that turn.
Setting HullTechNotSlowedByMines to 1 means that no ships are affected in this way. Setting it to 11 means that all ships are affected. This range of values enables HOST-compatible operation.
When the HullTechNotSlowedByMines parameter is 0, a different mechanism takes effect that is independent of hull tech. After a mine hit, the maximum damage-limited speed of the ship is recomputed and the ship continues on its journey at that speed. The maximum distance, then, is simply the amount of time remaining for travel multiplied by the new ship's speed. For example, a ship travelling at Warp 8 to a waypoint 64 LY away hits a mine after 32 LY. Its new damage-limited speed is Warp 5. Since 32 of 64 LY have passed, the ship is halfway through its journey. Thus, it can travel an additional 0.5*(5^2) = 12.5 LY towards its waypoint.
The exact formula for computing a ship's mine hit probability (per LY) is given by (as a percentage from 0% to 100%):
Per-Light-Year Probability = MAX(0,MineHitOdds - ((9-ShipWarpSpeed)*MineOddsWarpBonusX100 / 100))The MineOddsWarpBonusX100 config option in the formula above is a speed derating factor. It describes an increase in safety (i.e., a decrease in mine hit probability) as your ships travel slower than warp 9.
Note that a ship travelling at warp 9 has a mine hit probability of MineHitOdds, as usual, as there is no warp bonus at this speed. A ship travelling at warp 1 gets 8 times the warp bonus reduced from the MineHitOdds base probability. If MineOddsWarpBonusX100 is 5, for example, then each warp speed below 9 decreases the hit probability by 0.05%.
Another factor to consider is the setting of the MineTravelSafeWarp config option. This option indicates the warp speed at which ships have no chance of hitting a mine. That is, travel through mines is completely safe at this or lower speeds.
As an example, let us set MineHitOdds=1,
MineOddsWarpBonusX100=6,
and MineTravelSafeWarp=3.
Here is a chart describing the per-light-year mine hit probability as a
function of the ship's warp speed:
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Note that there are 3 independent sets of config options that govern mine hit probabilities, depending upon whether the ship is travelling through normal or web mines, and whether or not the ship is cloaked. They all work in the fashion described above, however.
The tow strength of a ship is determined as follows:
Tow Strength = Engine Contribution + Movement Contribution Engine Contribution = (EngineTechLevel^2 * NumberOfEngines * WarpSpeed * GravFactor * TowStrengthEngineScale) Movement Contribution = Movement * TowStrengthDistanceScale
Note that in PHost before version 3.4a, these parameters
were hard-coded to 163 and 1. See the parameter description for more
information.
In addition, if a ship has no fuel then its tow strength is 0.
Currently, tow resistance is identically equal to tow strength.
The above sections described how contested tows and breakable tows are resolved. After that, loops and chains might still remain (like: A tows B, B tows C, C tows D).
Note that PHost before version 3.4h did not do any loop
resolution, so results are close-to-unpredictable in these versions.
The Non-Standard Race Assignments
section of the "Hosting with PHOST" page has
more details on exactly which abilities are possessed by the various races
in the game.
For simulating combat, the BSIM
2.2
utility is invaluable. It allows you to read a PCONFIG.SRC file
and simulate battles based upon the parameters within this file. Do not
use the combat simulator built in to VPA
or WinPlan as they will give incorrect results for PHOST battles.
The order of battle in PHOST is fully described on the "Order of Battle" page.
and WinPlan client programs support the extended mission (or M.I.T.) interface
which allows ship missions beyond those supported by the original HOST
program. PHOST takes advantage of this interface to offer several extended
missions of its own. These are documented fully on the "Extended
Ship Missions" page.
The missions that you can select are determined by the contents of a MISSION.INI file. This file comes with the PHOST distribution, or you may receive this file from your host. You should place the MISSION.INI file in your game subdirectory, so that VPA and WinPlan can display the proper extended missions.
Note that if you are using the DOS Planets client program, you must enter extended missions using the command processor's extmission command. DOS Planets does not use or recognize the MISSION.INI file.
The main reason for extended missions is to free up the much-abused friendly code from doubling as both a determinant of battle order and as a way of initiating missions (such as building torpedoes, scooping minefields, etc.) Using an extended mission to build torpedoes, for example, lets you build torpedoes on the same turn in which you attack an enemy, and leaves the friendly code free to determine battle order.
Other extended missions have been added to implement addon-type functionality. For example, there is a new Standard Super Spy extended mission for the Birdmen, a Beam Up Clans mission, among others.
HULLSPEC.DAT ENGSPEC.DAT BEAMSPEC.DAT TORPSPEC.DAT TRUEHULL.DAT HULLFUNC.TXT or HULLFUNC.DAT (optional)Collectively, these files are referred to as "a ship list". PLIST
is one example of an alternative ship list, and is highly recommended for
use with PHOST.
If you are using the VPA
or WinPlan client programs, simply place the ship list data files in your
game subdirectory. VPA and WinPlan will recognize and use those files instead
of the original ship list files.
If you do not correctly install
the alternative ship list, you will get Red Alert errors from PHOST!
Your host will only send you a HULLFUNC.TXT or HULLFUNC.DAT
file if the game is using custom hull functions.
Your host will provide more details in this case. Note that VPA
and EchoView
both support the HULLFUNC interface.
or WinPlan client programs, simply place this file in your game subdirectory.
VPA and WinPlan will recognize and use this file instead of the original
map. Your host may also have sent you a custom PLANET.NM file.
This file contains the names of all the planets.
If you do not correctly install
the custom map, you will get Red Alert errors from PHOST!
You need to be aware of this because you will not see the ship's true owner,
unless you look carefully. That harmless Federation scout ship you see
coming may actually be a Rebel ship preparing to RGA your planet!
This switch of information can be quite damaging to players who are not aware of the true ship's owner and hence the ship's true capabilities. To prevent this confusion, PHOST implements different forms of information provided to players regarding remote control ships:
will make use of this data to display the true ship's owner.Priv Ship
Priv Ship*5The same ship, if it now becomes owned by Player #11 (but under remote control by another player) would have its name modified to be:
Priv Ship*B
PHOST 3 implements two different anti-cloak mechanisms, depending upon the setting of the AlternativeAntiCloak config option. With this option disabled, the setting of the AntiCloakImmunity config option determines which players are immune to anti-cloak ships, regardless of who owns the anti-cloak ship. Thus, a Klingon player in possession of an anti-cloak ship will decloak his own ships.
With AlternativeAntiCloak enabled, own-player ships are also immune to anti-cloak. For example, a Klingon player in possession of an anti-cloak ship will not decloak his own ships. Furthermore, this own-player immunity is extended to allies to whom the ship level of alliance has been granted. Note, however, that the AntiCloakImmunity config option is still in effect to grant absolute immunity to any player.
or ListUDat
can be used to extract the PCONFIG.SRC
file from the UTIL.DAT file. Note that the send
config command processor command achieves the same thing without
having to change any planetary friendly codes.
or VPA
that can read and understand UTIL.DAT files. Since the contents
of UTIL.DAT files mirror the information in player messages, it
is somewhat redundant to have both. In addition, player messages can become
overwhelming, especially in the later stages of the game, when mine scan
messages, sensor sweep messages, dark sense messages, etc. can leave a
player with over 200 messages to deal with. PHOST attempts to alleviate
this problem by not sending player messages which convey information already
present in UTIL.DAT files. This form of filtering is enabled for
each player via the FilterPlayerMessages
config option.
The idea behind message filtering is that the information utilities will read the UTIL.DAT file and present the information to you visually. Thus, there is no need for you to read about it textually.
Note that you can enable message filtering by yourself (without host intervention) using the filter command processor command.
Here is a complete list of messages which are excluded when message filtering is enabled:
(support@phost.de).