The Birdmen Guide to the Galaxy

      _   _                                                        _   _
     /(_W_)\                    C h a p t e r   8                 /(_W_)\
    /  ( )  \                                                    /  ( )  \
   / \/MvM\/ \      M O R E   T H A N   H O S T   A L O N E     / \/MvM\/ \
<============================================================================>
                   About alternative hosts and host add-ons

Make sure you READ the manual all the way through, make sure you know the
ORDER of events in the add-on, and possibly which order they are run by the
host, and by all means get the correct CONFIG SETTINGS. Most add-ons have a
'con' code of some sort to send the variables back to you.

One add-on adds flavour to gameplay, but if your host goes ballistic and loads
every add-on he can find into the game, you may have 3 pages of friendly
codes to get used to.  Go through all the doc files and paste together as
much quick-reference info as you can.  The last thing you want to do is
accidentally self-destruct one of your ships by using the wrong friendly
code.



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.1 PHost   =====================================================>
<==========================================================================>

Assuming you're going to play a PHost game, you'll probably also play with
PList (see below) or another shiplist that takes advantage of
Phosts capacity
for up to 20 beams/launchers or fighterbays in a single ship. Otherwise
planetary defence is just way too tough to deal with.
But there's much more to PHost than the increased planetary defence and the
large battleships. Most of that goes beyond the scope of this manual,
therefore it is highly recommended to read the documentation before you
start.
But a lot of things are much the same, you still have a neat array of cloakers,
including your battleship the D'deridex (the fed nova can also cloak in
plist). You still have the powerful superspy mission. You still need to snipe
and cut supply lines before your enemies get a chance to grow big. You will
find yourself stealing fuel and megacredits as these remain your strongholds.

Note: with PHost special friendly codes never match, so if you for example set
a planetary FC to 'bum' the ships locking the FC can still hit the minefield
around that planet.

Phost 2.13b has introduced advanced cloaking.[10]

Latest Phost features not described in this Guide:
 - BeamUpMultiple extended command
 - Alternative Anti-Cloak feature
 - AlternativeTowing (this especially has a huge effect on the game where it
   is way harder for cloakers to tow out big ships one by one)


<==========================================================================>
<======   8.1.1 PHost Configuration   =====================================>
<==========================================================================>

Make sure the settings that affect you as Romulans are somewhat decent, cloak
failure should be kept low, rob cloaked should be disabled, the fuel cost of
cloaking reasonable, cloaked mine odds approx. half of uncloaked etc.
In the default settings everything is OK for you, you will even get a free
fighter every turn on every starbase (as all other non-fighter races will).
Towing cloaked ships is a configurable option in PHost as well, and the
default is no! This is good news, because it means you can escape an
established tow beam just by cloaking. Wow! Even though I personally don't
think this is a good thing for the game in general, I don't care if I'm
playing the Romulans, and will abuse it whenever appropriate.
Combat parameters are not a toy, fooling around with them will heavily affect
combat in play, so make sure the host either uses default settings for these,
or he should be damn sure of what he's doing. You'll need a copy of the
pconfig.src anyway for use with battlesimulators anyway (Thomas Voigt's Bsim
2.2). Fool around with the simulator, especially if you haven't played PHost
before.
* PHost 2.13b has introduced advanced cloaking. The advanced cloaking ship for
the Birdmen is the King Condor Battleship. The other advanced cloaking ship
is the D3 CHA'DICH Destroyer belonging to the Klingons. Unfortunately, PLIST
was crafted before advanced cloaking was introduced so the two advanced
cloaking ships are not both owned by the Birds.[10]



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.1.2 PHost Alliances   =========================================>
<==========================================================================>

This is a real advantage over TimHost. The ability to establish alliances and
dropping them. In practice this means that you don't have to worry that your
ships will fight your allies, strike a mine laid by one of your friends and
will have info on both his ships and the ones visible to him, and his planets
(all depending on the status of the alliance established).
With the newer versions of TimHost, most of this advantage disappeared.


<==========================================================================>
<======   8.1.3 Planetary and starbase defence   ==========================>
<==========================================================================>

To overcome the problem in host.exe that planets are too easily conquered
PHost defence features planets (and bases) with torplaunchers. This increases
their strength enormously, so you can forget about having a cheap B'rell in
deep enemy territory and taking freighters and planets with it. Just taking
out freighters and SuperSpying is all you can do with a weakly armed ship.
On the other hand, once driven on the defence you will benefit. Especially
once you know that you could stock up on torps in a starbase which will be
used when that base is attacked. And that a base is capable of fighting prior
to the ships orbiting it. The effects of this can be enormous, make sure you
test this at home.



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.1.4 PHost Armament   ==========================================>
<==========================================================================>

One of the features in PHost-plist is that high tech stuff tends to pay off.
High tech torps and beams do way much more damage than in host.exe, and they
discharge at a higher rate. Tech one beams don't perform the same way against
fighters as tech 10's do. So you've got to invest.
Less known is that against a carrier you're better off with either ion cannons
(tech 7) or electron rams (tech 6) but against bases you have a better outcome
with tech 10 Multitrafs. This is because in ship to ship combat your
Multitrafs discharge so fast that they take out the fighters which are on
their way back to the carrier, whereas Ioncannons due to their slowness only
take on the incoming fighters.



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.1.5 PHost Combat   ============================================>
<==========================================================================>

Although it looks different, combat is as different for Romulans as for all
other races. Simply get used to PHost, use Bsim a lot, and you will manage.
As mentioned above you will not fight anyone that has a combatlevel alliance
with you. This enables you and your allies to attack a mixed fleet of enemies
with mission set to KILL, whilst saving your friendly codes to make up the
best possible battle order.
I simply cannot stress enough the importance of high tech stuff. Invest in it,
it pays off. Of course this means that you need a well established economy to
pay for all these goodies and you'll have to steal the rest.
* Several extended missions are implemented in PHost that move the
fcode-driven missions (like torpedo building, fighter building, etc.) to
extended missions, leaving the FCode free to select battle order. Use these
extended missions for rebuilding torps etc. during combat without losing
control over your battle order.[10]



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.2 RacePlus   ==================================================>
<==========================================================================>

* The Birds gain the ability to plant eggs (mines) aboard enemy ships with their
Bright Hearts. You need a full cargo of supplies and at least 41 crew aboard
to attempt the mission. You risk losing some crew and getting uncloaked by the
mission if unsuccessful. Multiple eggs can be planted by a flock of Bright
Hearts aboard a single ship resulting in instantaneous destruction. You could
also plant one or more eggs on a ship to weaken it for easier destruction by
other waiting birds. Mating a Resolute - or Fearless, to a flock of 2-4
Bright Hearts will allow you to refuel and resupply the flock for additional
strikes without having to return to a friendly planet.[5]
* The new EGG bomb ability is just what the Birdmen needed to stop those huge
battleships. The bomb is perfect for crippling large battlefleets. Keep small
groups of Bright Hearts near the front-line filled up with 40 supplies and let
them operate in pairs or groups. The effective radius of the Bright Heart is
not that large (90 kT fuel tank), so you'll have to operate on front-line
planets. Or send in a Resolute stocked with 280 supplies for refuelling when
operating in enemy territory.
* Know the RPCONFIG settings of RacePlus: there might be a limit of the number
of EGG bombs, and there will be a fixed percentage of failure.
* Of course there are dangers of losing crew and the ship, but this shouldn't
withhold you of using the bomb, right?
* Keep your mission on Super Spy when using the EGG bomb orbiting an enemy
starbase: it might have its FC set to EGG and its mission to Force Surrender.
* If you do happen to find a Crystal starbase with a FC of 'MKn', you'll know
the planet has Siliconoid natives. Don't neglect to try to reset the FC to
something senseless - if only it was for one turn.
* You can also try to 'HUD' Federation planets. If the Federation player does
find the Government Upgrade useful, you'll only be doing his work. But maybe
he doesn't find it useful on that particular planet, or maybe it isn't the
right time and does he need the supplies and megacredits for another job.
This is just another example of reading the docs well and extracting the
information you can use when playing the Birdmen. Planetary FC's are always
great very handy to annoy your opponents.
Anyway in this case just beaming up the megacredits will also do. :-)



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.3 Borders   ===================================================>
<==========================================================================>

This very simply allows players to setup a tripwire early warning line between
up to 4 planets. A cloaker crossing the line has a chance of setting off a
warning. All the owner receives is a note stating a cloaker passed between
planet x and y. No specific ship info, location, race nor heading are relayed.

As the Birdmen you can play games with this by moving a single ship back and
forth across a suspected line and possibly cause all kinds of panic. You
could also disable or reset these lines using your SuperSpy abilities.[5]



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.4 FHost   =====================================================>
<==========================================================================>

* FHost brings a lot of new combat thinking and tactics to Planets, as with
all new add-ons (especially this one) read the manual thoroughly. Study the
order of events, paste in FHost events into where they'll occur in Tim-or-P
HOST. Combat before movement takes some getting used to. Also the variables
can radically alter the way a game is played.
FHost comes with a program called FHUTIL.EXE make sure you get this from your
host or go get it yourself off the net - it will provide hit probabilities
based on tech and range modifiers. Don't play without it.[9]

* FHost dramatically changes the nature of VGA Planets as you can now "reach
out and touch someone" at a distance with fighters and missiles. This addon
is very configurable so my comments will be limited to some general
observations based on default settings. I'm also presuming FHost to run in
AUXHOST1.INI - which is before most other host activities. If FHost is run
later, it drastically alters the tactics you will want to employ.[5]

Fighters:
---------
* The big carrier races can really zap you now so wandering about uncloaked -
or sitting uncloaked over a planet, within fighter range is asking for some
serious trouble. The Valiant doesn't have much cargo capacity so it is not
the most exciting weapon under FHost. The Red Wind, on the other hand,
becomes a lot more intriguing as a build since it can cloak and only carries
20 less fighters. It's limited fuel capacity means you'll need to have a
Resolute or other high capacity ship around to refuel. If you use a
"shoot'n'scoot" approach - alternate fighter strikes with cloaking and moving
some distance, you can avoid getting tagged by enemy fighters or missiles.[5]
* I found fighter missions to be largely useless, I launched four fully loaded
Redwing carriers against a Klingon Ever-victorious and only managed to take
down the shields.  Three Dark Wings launching tech 10 torps at close range
were able to rip the ship in half. Once again, host settings make all the
difference.[9]

Missiles:
---------
* Cruise missiles are the greatest thing to ever happen to the Birdmen. You
can easily demolish an entire fleet without taking any damage.  FHost has a
config switch for 'cloaked ships fire' if this is ON, (default off) your
troubles are over. Load your Dark Wings with tech 10 tubes and spray
everything that comes near you. Decloak to finish off crippled ships. Also
starbases will really have to fear you, since you can bombard them from
orbit, and they can't even send ships to take you out. Combine this with Host
3.22.005's no-fuel cloaking Dark Wing, and you're REALLY laughing...
* The Dark Wing gets even nastier as a surprise strike weapon. With its eight
tubes, it can fairly easily dispatch small and medium-sized targets at a
distance. A flock of Dark Wings can pickoff bigger ships at minimal risk to
themselves. Ships with limited tubes aren't going to be as useful for ranged
combat as you only get 1 shot per tube per turn. Better TL tubes means better
accuracy, so don't skimp on your tubes - especially for those ships with only
a few tubes. If the switch, "cloaked ships may fire missiles" is ON, you can
really run wild. Even if this is OFF, you can still use the tactic of
"shoot'n'scoot" outlined earlier to stay safe from fighters and missiles.[5]

If you have to decloak to fire, it's not too bad. FHost happens before regular
movement/combat so you can move in close on someone, fire a full spread, and
if you miss, big deal, they've already moved away. You will be uncloaked for
one turn, but can not be attacked, unless you are in orbit over a planet or
unless someone move right on top of you.

Also, since FHOST battles take place before regular combat, you can soften up
a target considerably before you actually fight it.

Picture this: 2 Dark Wings uncloak 15 LY away from the enemy HomeWorld, and
unload a full salvo of torpedo tubes into the starbase, crippling it. During
the same turn, a Resolute drives in set to "kill" and smashes up the few
freighters and alchemy ships in orbit, then easily destroys the starbase.

Or: Gorbie-killing 101. The "unstoppable" death star has punched through your
minefields and is headed directly for your HomeWorld.  Your warships are
pulling back from the front lines, but even at maximum warp they will be 1
month too late.  What to do?  Get as close as possible, then fire like crazy.
Then pile in your ships, make sure your combat takes place ALL AT ONCE. 
Maybe you'll only drop his shields, that in itself is an achievement against
a death star (considering you are in no danger while doing it).[9]

Build Free Torps:
-----------------
* By default, you can build torpedoes aboard ships in space using 5 supplies
instead of MC. The torps cost 5 MC regardless of the techlevel, so you might
as well go with Mk VIII's instead of the more commonly selected Mk VII's.
This means you'll want to build more ships with good cargo bays as torp
builders. You may even just park them over bases for this purpose - build
them with cheap drives and beams.  Also, this means you have some awesome
mine-laying power - effectively equalling the Robots if you use MK VIII's.

Sunbusters:
----------- 
* These special missiles are very expensive and tricky to use, but very
deadly. These missiles can totally wipe-out everything on a planet and can
damage - or even destroy, ships which are within shockwave range the
following turn. The key to success with these is timing. If any enemy ships
are in orbit around the target planet, the missile will be shot down - even
by freighters!  Tow away defending ships with other cloakers and use cheap
Swift Hearts as sacrificial forward observers to insure the target area is
clear. You can even use these against ships if your opponent is unaware of
your presence - or careless, and moves in predictable fashion. Targeting a
planet ships will arrive at will result in the fleet getting nailed by the
shockwave. Due to the cost - default is 8000 MC, you definitely want to chose
your targets carefully and maximise your effectiveness of these weapons.[5]
* This is an expensive party trick.  Don't even think of ever using this in
real combat, unless you are vaporising a Bovinoid tropical planet that you
cannot take over yourself.  It IS a good bargaining item - sell it to the
Borg or the Lizards if you dare, they are better suited to handle it's
ridiculous cost.  Default says it can be shot down by 100 defence posts, so
super spy first if you just HAVE to see it go off.
Pardon me, there is *one* real use for this weapon. If you're playing an
'ashes of the empire' scenario, whacking the empire's only Neutronium
planet will end the game real quickly if you manage to pull it off.
Also, all ships in orbit will be damaged by the shockwave, including yours,
so be prepared to write off your ship as it will probably decloak after
successfully causing the sun to go nova.[9]



<==========================================================================>
<======   8.5 Nemesis   ===================================================>
<==========================================================================>

* This is a very scary host addition. Why? Because it gives some of the races
abilities that are still being debated as "fair" or "unfair". Like, it's not
bad enough that the Evil Empire has the Imperial Assault, Nemesis gives the
Borg a "strip planet" mission which does practically the same thing, except
it demolishes all the mines and factories. In any case, it is too soon to
tell whether Nemesis unbalances a game or not. Only lots of playtesting and
feedback will reveal it's impact.[9]
* Nemesis is a double-edged sword if running at defaults. Each race gains some
very nasty abilities but - like all add-on's - some are definitely better
than others. Like FHost, the order this add-on runs in the AUXHOST1 and
AUXHOST2.INI in relation to other add-on's can have a major impact on
tactics.  I will not attempt to analyse all the implications all these new
abilities these have on the birds, but will look at the benefits the Birds
themselves gain, a few universal ones, and the Robot Viral Field.[5]


Birdmen abilities under Nemesis:
--------------------------------
Planetary Cloaking Shields - As long as you have sufficient fuel, you can make
your planets invulnerable to a single race by setting a FC. Naturally, if
you're facing attack by several races in a joint fleet, you'll not be able to
screen all of them.  However, you can chose which one you don't want to fight
- and cause the alliance some discomfort as they attempt to plan their
attacks.  You can also install this on other races worlds  - and are
unaffected by these shields yourself.[5]
Cloaking planets - neat idea - jam any race's combat computer, they can't beam
down troops, attack, etc. Finally we can rest at ease even if there are a
dozen Imperial Assault ships in orbit. Definitely a good thing to build. Note
that it can't be used against you, so feel free to trade this ability for
other goodies, like The Klingon Galactic Missile System, or the Feds' Genesis
Device.[9]

LDSF/NFC Fuel Bonus - Your LDSFs and NFCs can move now at half the fuel cost.
This will make expansion and fuel support for your cloakers a lot easier.

New Beamup Codes - Everyone can now selectively beam up stuff from planets via
FC. Useful in conjunction with SuperSpy as you don't have to uncloak to rob
enemy planets of resources.

Give planet FC - Players can now exchange planets via FC, with your super spy
you could steal enemy planets if this option is enabled. (I personally turn
it off in games I host.)

Orbital Defence Satellites - All races can build these devices which can be set
to attack enemy ships which enter orbit. If the maximum number has been built,
these can all be exploded to damage cloaked ships. Otherwise, your cloakers
aren't affected by them.

Viral Field (Robots) - This is a very very nasty one. A Cybernaut can generate
a field of up to 100 LY which will disable and decloak ALL ships! Ships within
the field are adrift, unable to move or fight. You want to stay well clear of
these guys if this is in play. Check the config so you know exactly what the
radius of this is.  Also, it won't work if another Cybernaut is within 100
LY.[5]



<============================================================================>
<======   8.6 Starbase+   ===================================================>
<============================================================================>

No race-specific abilities - in fact, this add-on seems to have been
written to allow unregistered players to get all tech 10 ships put together.
Hmmm. I wonder why Wisseman hasn't yelled at D&D for this. 
The starbase minelaying and sweeping is a nice thing to have, though.

Mental note: One Mark 8 torp costs 55 credits and costs one kT of each
mineral. It makes 100 mine units. One Mark 4 torp costs 13 credits and costs
one kT of each mineral. It makes 36 mine units. If you scoop a minefield made
of mark 8 torps with a ship with mark 4 tubes, you will get a 3:1 return.
This will save you a little bit of cash and a LOT of minerals.

Just remember that "msc" is a registered only friendly code.[9]



<============================================================================>
<======   8.7 Tachyon   =====================================================>
<============================================================================>

True this add-on is a hassle to cloakers, but two things work in your favour:
1. They can build only 2 devices. Destroy those two ships and you will 
never need to deal with them again - unlike Lokis.
2. If you are struck by a tachyon pulse, you will receive a message telling
you the X,Y coordinates and ship ID# that originated the pulse. Write this
down, and steer clear until you have a convenient time to destroy it. Tachyon
pulses have a maximum range of 100 LY.
3. It is very fuel-costly to fire a tachyon burst at maximum range. With a bit
of planning you can use this to your advantage, draining his fuel while in
deep space. Most players who use this like to keep you uncloaked at all
times. That tends to suck their planets dry. Therefore just driving around
being obnoxious may do more damage economically than attacking him. Once
again, VGA-Planets is not about combat so much as about domination. There are
many ways to win.[9]



<============================================================================>
<======   8.8 Jumpgate   ====================================================>
<============================================================================>

Instantaneous travel from one jumpgate to another.  Good idea, but remember
that you decloak (unless otherwise config'd) when you jump through.[9]



<============================================================================>
<======   8.9 Portal   ======================================================>
<============================================================================>

Better than Jumpgate, IMHO. Allows alliance portals, configuring certain gates
for private or for allied use. Also allows temporary jump portals to be
created by ships (big fuel cost) that link back to portal stations. Still in
beta at time of writing.[9]



<============================================================================>
<======   8.10 Tantalus Machine   ===========================================>
<============================================================================>

Destroying a race happens by the FC of a central planet with the Tantalus
machine. Usually a race has to hold the Tantalus planet for a longer period
of time (default is 20 turns) before the Tantalus machine becomes active.
After that the machine can be fired against one race everyt run. It destroys
all colonists but one clan on every planet, all defence posts, facories and
mines buth 25 factoies and mines, and kills all crew on beoad of the target
race's ships but 1 crew member. This effectively destroys the economic base
of a race and forces all ships to return to starbases for recrewing before
engaging a battle.
You could try to lock that planetary FC so that the race that owns that planet
fires the Tantalus machine against its own planets and ships and then conquer
the Tantalus planet yourself. [4]



<============================================================================>
<======   8.11 Alternative Shiplists   ======================================>
<============================================================================>

When you play in a game using an alternative shiplist, use the descriptions of
the ships below and fit them to the standard ships described above.



<============================================================================>
<======   8.11.1 PList (in combination with PHost)   ========================>
<============================================================================>

Sparrow bird of prey                Somewhat OK.
                                    It's two beams and one tube limit fighting
                                    to small opponents. Fuel tank just enough
                                    for short range operations, near safe territory.  
                                    Cargo combined with a good tube could turn
                                    it into a very useful cloaking minelayer though.
                                    2 beams, 1 tube, 100 kT, cloaks.

Archeoptrix scout                   Great.
                                    Cheap scout with three beams. Huge fuel tank
makes it 
                                    a good ship for SuperSpying deep in enemy
territory. To 
                                    hunt for freighters too. 3 beams, cloaks.

Dead parrot fuel carrier            Holds 900 kT of Neutronium, for supplying where
ever 
                                    you need it. A decent engine and 1 kT of fuel in
the 
                                    tank make it great for moving money.

Sirius cybernetics (250 kT cargo)   No substitution for these babies if you
Foundation freighter  ( 600 kT)     want to make it big. Your economy depends
Talarian merchantman  (1000 kT)     on them, build as big as you can, and
Hansa large transport (1500 kT)     build up a good transport system.
Ferengi tradinger     (2600 kT)

B'rell bird of prey                 Good.
                                    Less useful than the death specula, but still a
killer.
                                    Well equipped it can take out planets. Large
fuel tank
                                    makes it a good ship for long range operations.
Towing
                                    away targets from bases. 6 beams, 3 tubes,
cloaks.

K'tinga B-cruiser                   Not so good.
                                    Despite less beams and equal amount of
                                    tubes stronger than a B'rell due to it's mass.
                                    Maybe it may come in handy to capture weak
                                    planets, but don't build your empire on them.
                                    3 beams, 3 tubes.

C7 qapla battlecarrier              Useful if you have enough bases which supply you
with
                                    free fighters or if you're allied with a free-
                                    fighterrace. (Or trade with the Cylons or
Rebels, who
                                    miss a mid-size carrier with many beams.) In
that case
                                    it is the ship of choice to conquer planets with
a good
                                    defence. And it is so cheap! 8 beams, 5 bays.

Phoenix destroyer                   Not one of your best, but a decent mid-class
ship.
                                    3 beams, 7 tubes, cloaks.

Black bird light cruiser            Worthless. Sparrows make far better minelayers.
                                    9 beams, 1 tube.

King condor battleship              Yes!!! This is a very good choice, relatively
well armed,
                                    great in combat. On the downside, it takes quite
some
                                    Tritanium, but it still isn't expensive if
compared to
                                    what other races have. 8 beams, 9 tubes, cloaks.

Superhawk assaultcarrier (cloaks)   If you have access to fighters it makes hell of
a ship.
                                    Otherwise use for transport of fighters or for
trade.
                                    As it is the only cloaking carrier, make sure
you
                                    will receive something special. 2 beams, 7 bays,
cloaks.

D'deridex warbird                   Well, this is it. Aim to build them in huge
quantities,
                                    as the 12 beams and 10 tubes don't stand up to
what some
                                    other races have. But as it cloaks, it's your
call
                                    whether to fight or not. And their ships are far
                                    more expensive. On a comparative basis, this
ship gives
                                    you much more for your resources than what most
other
                                    races have access to. Use wisely. 12 beams, 10
tubes, cloaks.

Miraculix refinery/                 Lots of supplies? Short on minerals or
Merlin alchemy                      fuel? These may be what you need.

[contents] [next page (7)]