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Subsections


Command line options

The list below gives all available command line options. Following the full list is a further explanation of those options that mere mortals might not fully understand from the brief descriptions in the list below. 

Usage: stats [-a][-B<path>]
             [-b[A][n][l][F][d][D][f][r][m][t][b]]
             [-c[t][f]]
             [-d[n][l][c][f][g][r][D][o][s][i][m][p][h][t]
             [T<happylow>][d]]
             [-f[path]][-help][-l][-o<filename>][-p<player>]
             [-r[i][w][b][c<t,b,e>][r]][-s][-u[t]][-v]
             [-w][-t<happylow>]
             [-x[n][d][T][t][w][m][o][h][W][M]]
             [path]
-a : Include all planets in report (also the unpopulated).
-b : List starbase related information.
  A: All options.
  b: Building order at starbase.
  d: Defence (<base>+<planet>) / <base>.
  D: Damage.
  f: Fighters stationed here.
  F: Friendly code.
  l: Location of base in galactic coordinates x,y.
  m: Mission.
  n: Name of the planet the starbase is orbiting.
  r: Reserves of torpedos.
  t: Techlevels.
-B<path>: Path pointing to planets base dir ( Hullspec, etc.)
          Default path is player data path.
-c : Change player data files.
  b: Create/Replace beamup commands.
  B: Undo '-cb'.
  t: Set tax (see 'T' command line option).
  f: Randomise planetary friendly code.
-d : Display planet related information.
  A: All options.
  c: Climate.
  C: Consumption of supplies due to overpopulation.
  e: Population expansion.
  d: Display defense position (starbase==*).
  D: Depletion time in turns per mineral.
  f: Friendly code.
  g: Ground deposits per mineral.
  G: Tax levied in one maximum step of growth taxing.
  h: Happiness values.
  i: Industry (mines & factories).
  l: Location of planet.
  L: Tax levied at maximum sustainable tax rate.
  m: Money (cash & supplies).
  M<turns>: # mines needed to empty planet in [turns] turns.
            Default: 20.
  n: Planet name.
  o: Display planetary output per mineral.
  p: Population.
  P: Maximum population.
  r: Retrieval rate per mineral.
  s: Display surface stores per mineral.
  S: Maximum sustainable tax rate.
  t: Current tax rate.
  T: Maxtax.
-e : Common error detection.
  A: All options.
  d: Ship Fcode depending on mining mission.
  b: bdm.
  M: ships without missions.
  c: cln.
  T: Beam Transfere fcodes.
  P: PBx.
  e: ETA > 1.
  l: lfm.
  B: Bases without build order or mission.
  D: planets with d > 49.
  m: mkt.
  s: special missions.
  p: pop.
  N: NTP.
  f: fuel shortages.
-f[path]: Stores various data in files in directory pointed to
          by path. Default path is current dir.
-h : This list.
-i<1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|a|A|b|B>,<filename> : Parse commandfile.
-j<filename>: Parse configuration file.
-l : Display taxes levied from your subjects.
-m : Display mission list.
-M : Dump outgoing messages.
-o<filename>  : Append output to file 'filename'.
-p[1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|a|A|b|B]: Select players. Cumulative.
                               Default: all players. 
-r : Display all hulltypes.
  A: All options.
  c: Building costs of complete ship as specified with 'l'.
  i: Special indices and ratios.
  l<torp,beam,engine>: Techlevels. Defaults: 9,7,9.
  r: Empty and full maximum ranges.
  t: Short ship type.
  w: War relevant parameters.
  1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|a|b: Select players. Default: all players.
-s : Gives total industrial production of players
-T<Colonists[,Natives]>: Set happiness targets for taxation.
                         Default: 70,70.
-t : Display data on enemy targets.
  A: All options, except T (-tAT == everything).
  c: Cargo in target, including fuel and weaponry.
  h: Hull mass (no weaponry).
  l: Location.
  n: Name.
  r: Race id.
  t: Hull type.
  T: Hull type long.
  w: Weight.
-u : Unpack player file first. Requires '-p' option.
  t: Create aditional plain text file containing the messages.
-v : Give version.
-w : Make distance table.
-x : Display ship data.
  a: Ammunition (torpedoes/fighters) on board.
  A: All options, except T (-xAT == everything).
  b: Neutronium that will be burned this turn.
  c: Cargo space.
  d: Damage.
  e: Race number of primary enemy.
  f: Friendly code.
  h: Heading.
  H: Hull mass.
  m: Minerals on board.
  M: Mission.
  n: Name of ship.
  o: Non-mineral ship contents.
  t: Short ship type name.
  T: Long ship type name.
  w: Weapons.
  W: Weight of ship after beam transfer.

path : Directory with player data. (including trailing slash)

--turn       : Display turn number from player files.
--help       : Same as -h.
--defense    : Display overview of interesting number
               of defense posts.
--sanity     : Display report of potentially unwanted
               common errors like running out of fuel.
--mines      : Same as -dpcsgM20rPn -a.
--population : Same as -dpPceLid.
--myhulls    : Same as -rtwc .


Additional information on the command line options

This section contains some additional information on some command line options, but lets first start of with some general remark concerning the parsing of command line options. Options are parsed from left to right. Later setting override earlier ones. The toggles activating information items on the reports only enable items, they do not disable. Adding more switches adds more informatio. Consecutive report commands do not generate additional reports. So '-dnpP' is equal to '-dn -dpP'.

-a
This is a switch to -d and -w. Without it -d only shows planets with colonists, with -a it also displays the info on not-yet colonised planets. The same with -w, there -a also includes the not-yet colonised planets.

-B
should be specified including the trailing '/'. This is also the location where the mission.ini file is expected.

-c
When this option is specified all player data files are written at the end of the execution phase.

-cf
Randomises all non-special friendly codes to another non-special friendly code. The resulting friendly code is human readable as required by host.

-cb
This options check for ships with a beamup special mission (the special mission, not the 'gather molybdenum'-type). When such a ship is found a matching beamup line in the outgoing messages is looked for. When this beamup line exist and specifies all possible parameters, or does not exist the ship us unloaded and a beamup line is created loading the cargo that was beamed down back unto the ship.

Restated, this only applies to ships with the beamup special mission set. In principle all cargo is unloaded to the planet and the beamup line is calculated to beam everything back to the ship again. If an existing beamup line is present, it's contents are taken into account.

In practice this boils down to privateer protection. Set the beamup special mission and stats rains everything down and beams it up again, untouchable by those nasty stealing basterds. That 'll teach them!

To allow easy changes to the cargo content the -cB option has been created. This loads all beamup commands into the ships so changes can be made, getting the right amounts of cargo into the right ships.

-ct
Taxation uses the growth method. The lower limits can be set using the -T options. The turn before the 100% happiness would be exceeded the natives are taxed. The tax level used is the lowest tax rate that generates the same amount of MC as the tax rate that would set the population to the happiness threshold next turn. Basically, this means the natives are taxed as much as possible, but keeping in mind their happiness and the amount of available tax collectors (colonists).

When the player is Borg some exceptions exists3.1:

-dC
Phost formulas are used.

-dD
Using the current number of mines. Trans uranium decay is accounted for, meteors not.

-dG
Outputs the amount of tax levied from the native population when giving them the maximum 100 to 70 happiness kick using the growth method. This is the same as the number of colonists you need to get this maximum efficiency out of the growth tax method.

-dM
the optional argument sets the amount of time you allow for stripping the planet clean of it's minerals. When this deadline cannot be met by 999 or less mines 'In' is displayed (for 'infinite').

-dP
The maximum planetary population is calculated based on the race owning the planet. In case of an unowned planet the player's id is used. Since different races allow different populations to live on a planet, this might not have the effect you expected.

-dT
for more details on tax see the -l report.

-f
when a directory is specified this should end with a trailing slash, otherwise it is seen as a file prefix. The files listed below are created in that (or otherwise the current) directory. If the files already exist, the information is appended to them. If you do this four times in one turn, the same information gets added four times, so you're warned.

Each line contains the turn number and the information item. This is ideal food for gnuplot. A file with sample gnuplot commands is provided in the scripts/ directory. Files generated all have a name formatted like: 

VGA<playerid><code>{stats|score|dbase}.dat
stats indicates the file contains statistical data, score indicates the file contains score information, and dbase indicates the file contains a set of multiple information items. What the codes mean is explained below.

-i
Note the comma. It is required.

-l
This options tells everything you may want to know about taxation. Some headings might not be clear at first sight, they are explained below.
Hap
The current happiness of the colonists.
Hp0
How happy your colonist will be next turn when they don't have to pay taxes.
Mt
The maximum tax rate you can set while keeping them happy above happy target.
Ut
The lowest tax rate that will earn you as much as the Mt rate.
Natives
from left to right: native clans, race, government.
Ind
What would be levied at the current Ut rate when colonist were not an issue.
Take
Same as Ind, but now taking colonists into account.

-o
Redirects all non-error output.

-rt
the short hull types are generated using the first letter of each word in the long ship type name. This results in some double codes for the standard ship list. Table 3.1 contains the modifications made to make all codes unique. When using non-standard ship lists one should be aware these might introduce new double codes. No check is performed on this in the code generation. Normally this is not an issue, but ships to get traded or nicked. This short code ends up for instance in the history data files, there it is harder to distinguish between ships, hence the remapping.


Table 3.1: Remapped short ship types.
ANNIHILATION CLASS BATTLESHIP ACB $\Rightarrow$ ANNI
AUTOMA CLASS BASESHIP ACB  
BLOODFANG CLASS CARRIER BCC  
BIOCIDE CLASS CARRIER BCC $\Rightarrow$ BIO
GORBIE CLASS BATTLECARRIER GCB $\Rightarrow$ GORB
GOLEM CLASS BASESHIP GCB  
SAGE CLASS FRIGATE SCF $\Rightarrow$ SAGE
SABER CLASS FRIGATE SCF  
SAURIAN CLASS LIGHT CRUISER SCLC $\Rightarrow$ SRN
SCORPIUS CLASS LIGHT CARRIER SCLC  
SUPER STAR CARRIER SSC  
SUPER STAR CRUISER SSC $\Rightarrow$ SSCR
VICTORIOUS CLASS BATTLESHIP VCB $\Rightarrow$ VICY
VIRGO CLASS BATTLESTAR VCB  
   


-ri
Gives some special indices which are useful for evaluating ship types.

P/i
Punch per investment. The higher the more bang for the buck.
PMi
Punch times mass per investment. Big bang is no fun when one goes kaboom oneselfs.
P/i
Same as before, but now the price of the fish3.2 is also accounted for.
PMi
Same as before, but now the price of the fish is also accounted for.
Mtr
Cargo room / hull mass. The higher the more suited the hull is for moving things around.

-rr
How many light years could this ship travel starting with a full tank, and assuming it was either completely full, or empty the entire way. Does not take gravitonic capabilities, and a lot of other things into account.

-tt
see -rt.

-u
Unpack the player?.rst file when present. It does so only for the specificly specified player. It thus will only work together with the -p option. -u can handle both planets and winplan files. However only the planets.exe files are extracted from the winplan *.rst file. This option is bigtargets proof.

-ut
This generates the mdata<pid>.txt file. which is human readable and input for the scrore extractor script in the vga_scripts directory.

-xH
This is including the weight of weaponry.

-xt
See -rt.

-sanity
One of the most beautiful options of the game. It was created to help prevent all those silly mistakes you can make when playing planets. What it all checks for is described in the following section.

Sanity

A description of what is and isn't checked by the sanity checking option.

Scanning ships for mine related friendly codes without proper mission

Friendly Codes 'mdh', 'mdq', 'mdN', and 'miN' require a 'Lay Mines' mission. Friendly Code 'msc' requires a 'mine sweep' mission. Ships with such friendly codes are checked to see if the related mission is also set. When this is not the case a warning is displayed.

Scanning bdm on ships without cash, or above our planets

Ships with Friendly Code 'bdm' are checked on two items. First is there any money to beam down? Second are they above a planet? When either of these questions answers "no" a warning is displayed, since you probably forgot to turn of the friendly code.

Scanning for ships without missions

Missions are too valuable to be running a ship without them. All ships without a mission are reported. Missions formulated as commands in your outgoing messages are not taken into account.

Scanning for ships with Friendly Code 'cln' on location, base presence, base tech, and resource availability

Checks to see if ships with a friendly code 'cln' are next to a planet with a base that has the required tech levels to perform the clone, and if the planet has sufficient resources to build the copy. Not taken into account are:

Scanning ships for beam transfer codes without enemy ships or transferable items

All of the above ships are checked to see if there is at least one know ship of another race at the same location.

Scanning for double PBx codes, and ordering thereof

Checks if a 'PBx' friendly code is used by more than one planet with base, and also reports any skipped PBx codes. When for example two planets have a 'PBx' friendly code set. Say PB1, a warning will be reported PB1 has been used twice. Also a warning is issued if you skipped a number, for instance if you only used PB1 and PB3.

Scanning for ETA > 1 turn

This reports all ships that will not arrive at their destination the next turn. The following items are taken into consideration:

Ship repairs and towing are not taken into account.

Scanning for lfm beaming up resources

Ships with friendly code 'lfm' are first checked to see if they are owned by the Robot, Rebel, or Colonial. For the rest of the warnings it is assumed you only want to use the 'lfm' code to process resources already on the ship, and want to reserve the resources remaining on the planet for other things. In order to validate that this policy is correctly implemented two checks are performed. First a check is performed whether at least one fighter can be build using the ship's cargo. Secondly a check is performed to see if the ship has space left to load a resources for at least one additional fighter, and resources for at least one are on the planet. Not taken into account are beam transfer missions, or an 'unload freighter' mission from an orbiting base.

Scanning for bases without build order or mission

Bases with a mission or a build order are reported.

Scanning for planets with d > 49 and no ATT or PB? set

All planets with more than 49 defence posts on the planet and no 'ATT' or 'PB?' friendly code are reported.

Scanning ships with friendly code 'mkt'

Ships with friendly code 'mkt' are reported when they have no torpedo bays, or lack the resources to build at least one torpedo.

Scanning special missions for planet/ship dislocation, own object targets, and fish/resource levels

This is based on the phost default mission.ini configuration. The following items are reported:

Scanning for Friendly Code 'pop'

All ships with a friendly code 'pop' are listed. Popping is good, but just to make sure you don't pop one too many...

Scanning for Friendly Code 'NTP'

All ships with a friendly code 'NTP' are listed.

Scanning for fuel problems

Reports ships that will run out of fuel before they reach their destination at the given warp speed. Ships with a 'Beam Up Fuel', or 'Beam Up Multiple' mission which are above a planet are not reported, the assumption is made that they will beam up sufficient fuel to reach their destination. Note: this is not fail-safe! Intercepts are treated as any other destination. This means that only against the current location a check is performed.

next up previous contents
Next: Configuration and command files Up: Stats manual for Stats Previous: Examples   Contents
Reinout van Rees 2003-06-23