VGA Planets  - VGA Player Index  - VPI v1.0

For new ideas, questions, suggestions, criticism please write me.

Mail to: the_vagabund@gmx.de

Table of Contents

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Discussion
• VPI Update chronology
• Links
• Acknowledgments
  

Abstract:

The VGAP Player Index (VPI) is a try to rate a players economical strength in dependence of the chosen race, settings a.s.o.

Introduction:

The idea to create a rating system for VGAP players was born by implementing good and reasonable statistics in EchoView. This rating system bases on a determination of the total ore and MC consumption at a distinct turn (=VPI). The VPI offers a player an info about his economical behavior and skill; often also a realistic reflect about his actual (military) fleet strength!
Especially hosts can use the VPI to search for players having a particular VPI, e.g. for a extra rich game, non beginners; VPI > 1100.
Problem: VGAP games are offered with many different settings, which are influencing the economical growth of a game strongly. These parameters (h/pmaster setting or the kind of game) aren't considered in the VPI calculation. Therefore, a classification into 4 different types of game is necessary.  But verifying VPIs between similar classed games is no problem.

Discussion:

How is the VPI calculated?

Ores and MC, which are used to build up starbases, ships, factories, mines, defenses, ammo, minefields and ship building orders are summed up to a total. Therefore, each 1 kt mineral or 10 MC counts 1 point. Fuel isn't considered.
The VPI is calculated by dividing this total through the VPI_Factor and the current turn number.

Starbases, ships: The cost of building SBs, techlevels, ship hulls and their equipment counts. Also the home starbase and beginning ships, because h/pmaster data are often missing. Using phost, lend remote controlled ships counts as own ships.
Factories resp. mines: valued as 4 resp. 5 MC
Defenses: a planet defense is calculated as 11 MCs, a SB defense counts 10 MC and 1 kt ore.
Ammo: each torp is calculated as 3 kt ores and its MC cost, a fighter as 5 ores and 5 MC.
Minefields: the total of all mines is back calculated as torps of the highest tech, e.g. M8 (3 ores, 54 MC),  Selphyr (3 ores, 80/60 MC)
Ship Building Orders: at the end of the building phase all ship building orders are included. Cloning orders are calculated as the original race would build this ship, means cloning cost are set on 100% MC.

Formulas:

Ore(Total) = Ore(SBs) + Ore(ships) + Ore(SB defenses) + Ore(ammo) + Ore(minefields)

MC(Total) = MC(SBs) + MC(ships) + MC(fac, mines, def) MC(ammo) + MC(minefields)

VPI = (( Ore(Total) + MC(Total) / 10 ) / VPI_Factor ) / Current_Turn

VPI_Factor = -8

        +50*(1+(cfg_ProductionRate-100)/100)^0.66

        +50*SQR(cfg_Mining_Rate/100)

        +SQR((cfg_NTAX_Rate+cfg_CTAX_Rate)/2*(1+cfg_HsssEffectRate/5))*0.8

        if race 6 then VPI_Factor is multiplied by 1.2*

* for the Borg we did an estimation, taking pattern from the building cost of his cubes vs Rushs, Golems and Gorbies.

Example (turn 3):

VPI Factor (Robot, default) = 1

VPI = (( Ore(Total) + MC(Total) / 10 ) / VPI_Factor ) / Current_Turn

VPI = (( 1672 + 17071 / 10) / 1 ) / 3 = 1126.37

When is the VPI calculated?

The VPI is implemented in Echoview and can be checked all the time.
If you like to get a comparing information to other players, the VPI must be taken at the end of the building phase! Means, if the first ship is dropped in the building queue, you extract your rst-file, open your Echoview and note down your VGAP Player Index. Don't consume any ores and MCs until you note down your VPI, or you falsify your rating. You cheat yourself!!

Why this turn?

Well, several reasons:
At the end of the building phase most players overspend themselves to build as many good warships as they can. When building phase ends players hardly can strength their fleet. According to my experiences the last building turns often raises the VPI extremely.
During the building phase usually only few ships are destroyed by war. These ships or planets are loss for the VPI rating.
After building phase players can't spend as much ores as they did during the building phase. Thus, the VPI is stagnating or only slowly changing. Exception, the Federation can increase its VPI by the SuperRefit ability.
Furthermore, at the end of the building phase often big wars are starting. This shifts the VPI.

What's a good VPI rating?

We classify between 4 kinds of games until now - very high, high, medium, low rich.
The given VPI-values for "low rich" games are approximations until now, because we need much more games for analysis. If you have one, please help us and send me your rst, (p)master, xyplan and password.
Games with extremly high richness of minerals or many starting ships and planets can't be classified. In these cases the VPI makes no sense, because players didn't earned their VPI by themselves.
Below the table we offer some selection principles, where you can classify your games.

! Maybe classifications are set too high or low. I need more rst-files (first and end of building) for analysis. If you have some, please zip them with a short game characteristics and password and send it to the_vagabund@gmx.de.
Furthermore, maybe I forgot to list some important game criterion. Be free to mail me !!!!

Very high: (can't be rated by the VPI)
- Starting VPI is >5000
- Disunited kingdoms: >5 planets, >1 SB, >2 ships
- starting MC >15000, in total more than 3.5 millions colonist
- linear high richness mineral distributed game, high densities (can be done by campaign editors)
- natives are granted on homeplanet
- >20% small meteors
- ....

High: (standard extra rich game, end turn of building usually 30)
- Starting VPI is >2500 (normal game) or >3000 (e.g. PLIST)
- Disunited kingdoms: <6 planets, 1 SB, 2 ships; Classic scenario
- extra and all the same rich universe
- starting MC 15000, engines tech >6, in total 2.5 - 3.5 millions colonist
- SB+, Jumpgates

Medium: (standard normal rich game, end turn of building usually 35)
- Starting VPI is about 2000
- NO disunited kingdoms; Classic: 1SB, max. 2 ships, Wandering tribes: 0 SB, max 5 freighter, 3 warships
- normal and all the same rich universe
- starting MC 5000, engines tech >6, about 1 million colonist
- big meteors are on for THost, small meteors <3%

Low: (standard low rich game, end turn of building usually 40)
- Starting VPI is <2000
- Classic: 1 SB, max. 2 ships, Wandering tribes: 0SB, max 5 freighter, 3 warships
- low and all the same rich universe, no meteors at all
- starting MCs < 5000, engines tech <5, <1 million colonists
- no big meteors THost, small meteors <3%

Can I use the VPI value later?

Yes. During a normal winning game the VPI should increase turn by turn. If the VPI is stagnating you still get stronger in total; playing on a high VPI level (3000+) that is fine. But if the VPI is reducing or it is stagnating on a low level that's a bad indication for loosing the game.
VPIs of 6000+ are possible in a later game (turn 60+), common is 3000-5000.
Interestingly, a high VPI in later games becomes more and more independent of the (p)master setting.

FAQs

VPI of a bad luck game. I found rubbish only. - Well, take the average VPI of this game and another very lucky game.

I lost a lot of ships in a battle before ending the building phase. - Usually the end of the building phase is now moved to one or two turns later. During this time you can balance your loss. However, if only 2 or 3 races are hard fighting the VPI rating shifts to worth values.

Why are the ships of the building queue included? - At the last building turn some players are more lucky then others. They build nearly all their ships, while other wasn't able. If now building orders are exclude in the VPI, the VPI would be falsified and can't be compared.

Can I use the VPI for all shiplists? - Mostly. Only, if the ship hulls are very cheap or very expensive the VPI can't be verified with standard games, because the end of building phase moves to much lower or higher turns. Using the Tims shiplist or e.g. the PLIST shiplist VPIs can be compared without any problems!

In my game are a lot of quitters. Is my VPI representative? - Usually, building phase ends about turn 30 (extra rich) - 40 (low rich). If you continue building ships after this limit, you will get a slightly higher VPI rating. Get your VPI at my suggested final turn, which correspondes to your game richness.

Why aren't the beginning minerals for starbases and ships subtracted from the VPI? - However, therefore we always (!) need the first turn, in order to calculate the deducted value. We decided us against this idea.

VPI Update chronology

non, until now.

Links:

Acknowledgments:

The VPI was developed by Degi and realized by Stefan Glasauer! Thank you, Stefan!!!
Thanks to Hans Wilmer, who wrote a good small statistic program. When we discussed its features, I get the idea for the VPI!
Thanks to Heiko Schlenker for his critical discussion.

For any questions concerning the VPI write me:

Mail to: the_vagabund@gmx.de