Publisher Description
Ahost is an addon to the VGA Planets host that, through the use of friendly codes, puts in several more planet and ship abilities. For instance, all Small Transports get a "Probability Jump" device, allowing them to transport to a random point in the Cluster. All races can lay moving minefields (with momentum and heading, like an Ion storm), and exchange planets; there are also spies, Bird cloaking shield (on all Bird ships), new planetary buildings, (stadium, theme park, mining research center) subspace anomalies, new alchemy ships...

Publisher Description
Ahost is an addon to the VGA Planets host that, through the use of friendly codes, puts in several more planet and ship abilities. For instance, all Small Transports get a "Probability Jump" device, allowing them to transport to a random point in the Cluster. All races can lay moving minefields (with momentum and heading, like an Ion storm), and exchange planets; there are also spies, Bird cloaking shield (on all Bird ships), new planetary buildings, (stadium, theme park, mining research center) subspace anomalies, new alchemy ships...

Publisher Description
They are big, black and malevolent.
They move unspeakably fast and kill silently.
They are perhaps the most terrifying nightmare of the universe.
Perhaps they did not even evolve naturally. Perhaps they are bioweapons.

If so, their creators surely regretted their crime for the short rest of their lives. I need not say more. We've all seen the movies - or haven't YOU?

Yes friends - it's the ALIENS. And this time they're invading the Echo cluster.

-------------------------------------------------------
Written by Thore Schmechtig ------------
------------ Supported by Joerg Schueler

Publisher Description
Asteroid is an add-on utility for VGA Planets 3.5 that takes advantage of the AUXHOST features found in HOST 3.20. This add-on provides the capability for players to capture asteroids and tow them to planets for added mineral resources and the ability gather Quadbenium (a new mineral) from the surface of the asteroid and use it as a super fuel.

With the added spacelane activity comes some risk. Each time an Asteroid is generated there is a chance that it might stike a planet. These Asteroids have no minds and wander blindly throughout the Echo Cluster. If they strike a planet damage will result.

Publisher Description
Blanks the score so players don't have an idea of each others strength and size. This program runs in the Post-Host commands at the end of the host batch file.

Publisher Description
Allow a host-defined cap on the total number of player-buildable ships in a THost game. This allows for smaller/faster games when hosting a game with fewer players.

Publisher Description
If you are tired of carring colonists and supplies around the universe to colonize planets, this utility may help you.

It uses the auxhost feature of version 3.2 and whenever a player unloads 1 clan on an unexplored planet, on the next turn he/she gets 100 clans and 100 factories already built.

Publisher Description
The idea of the Crystalline Entity is from the Star Trek: The next Generation series. It's a really big lifeform that is able to live in space. However, as every lifeform it needs food to survive. The Crystalline Entity absorbs all life it can find on planets it encounters and transforms it into energy. That doesn't mean it's a killer, it's only trying to survive. But as always, those who ARE the food don't care much about this, they only want to destroy the thing that is going to kill them.

But the Crystalline Entity doesn't just leave lifeless rocks behind, there are sometimes a few lifeforms that are able to hide themselves and survive. As a byproduct of the transformation of life into energy, new minerals are produced known in Planets as Neutronium, Duranium, Tritanium and Molybdenum. These minerals will be buried deep in the ground of the planet.

Publisher Description
This program was created to delete messages between players in a blind game, keeping in game communication silent between players. Host messages are not removed. This program must be run before host in the host batch file.

Publisher Description
The Dimension Gate addon will bring together several games, playing at once, and make each game different dimensions. Dimensions will be able to access other dimensions and steal ships, and or receive ships and materials. This will allow up to 99 players to interact with each other and help or compete in a common goal.

Publisher Description
Explore Map will create individual xyplan.dat files for each specified player. Explore map will 'hide' planets that the player has not yet 'seen'. Making universe exploration more inventive a scenerio. As players fly out into space they will 'see' new planets. These are updated to each player's personal xyplan??.dat file.

ExplMap works with both HOST and PHOST. However, some features will only be available in PHOST games (alliance support, xtern commands).

Non-DOS versions can be built with the PDK.

Publisher Description
A sophisticated enhanced host for VGA Planets. Boosts game play with many new features. FHost does not replace the original host.exe or phost.exe, it’s just an enhancement

Carrier Fleet Combat, Advanced Fighter Missions, Advanced Torpedo Missions, Stargates, Core Torpedo's, Sunbuster Torpedo's, Supernova, Plasma Sunscoops, Ramscoops, Deathstar Destruction Beam, Maintenance Ships and many new friendly codes. Winplan support. Highly configurable.

Available for DOS/32, OS/2, and WinNT/95/32.

Publisher Description
JSBHole is an add-on utility for VGA Planets using the features implemented in Host 3.2 and higher. Alternate Hosts will be support if they are compatible with the Host, structs and AUXHOST features of Tim Wisseman. This add-on generates dangerous black holes in which ships will be compressed nearly to zero volume and this results in destruction of the ships.

Publisher Description
JSNebula is an add-on utility for VGA Planets using the features implemented in Host 3.2 and higher. Alternate Hosts will be support if they are compatible with the Host, structs and AUXHOST features of Tim Wisseman. This add-on generates storms of neutronic particles in which ships and planets can convert the particles to massive neutronium using it as fuel.

Publisher Description
JSQ is an add-on utility for VGA Planets using the features implemented in Host 3.2 and higher. Alternate Hosts will be support if they are compatible with the Host, structs and AUXHOST features of Tim Wisseman.

Q'u is a very bad guy. As great transcendental might he travels through the galaxy. His game is to ask for different things and players have to answer with their FriendlyCode. If some answers with <x> are given they have set FC to x of the real answer. If answer is wrong bad things can happen.

Publisher Description
Jump Gate is an add-on utility for VGA Planets 3.5 that takes advantage of the AUXHOST features found in HOST 3.20. This add-on provides the capability for players to Build, Attack, and Repair Jump Gates as well as using them as a form of travel. Four new friendly codes are introduced with this program. They are case sensitive and as follows:

• BJG - Build Jump Gate
• AJG - Attack Jump Gate
• RJG - Repair Jump Gate
• Jnn - Jump to Jump Gate ID# nn

With the convienence of controlled hyperspace travel comes risk. Each time a ship travels via Jump Gate, there is a small chance that an alien ship will exit the destination Jump Gate with the traveller. The aliens are a warrior race, intent on conquering all that they see. They will conquer the entire Echo Cluster unless stopped.

Publisher Description
Jupiter is an add-on that combines the power and convenience from Nemesis and Gryphon with even more features, including alliance support, host-999, windows Help file, and windows config program with global on/off switches for Nemesis and Gryphon abilities.

This add-on program is an attempt to better the famous game of VGA Planets. With the many new racial special abilities and a few universal ones, this program will add a new dose of spice and excitement to any game it’s included in. The new abilities, ranging from Planetary Cloaking Shield to Genesis Device and from Advanced Terraforming to Cloak-Towing will surely add depth and cause new feats of strategy in the all-time favorite space strategy game. It was written in 386 protected mode to allow me to fully exploit the architecture of newer processors and more power and more abilities than ever. Jupiter is the most feature-rich add-on to VGA Planets, providing new abilities designed for power and convenience. With MANY configurable options and a special TEAM game switch, the host can customize the game to his preferences and the players may use the team game to exchange ships and racial special abilities. And yes, it does support Phost.

Publisher Description
The Killing Floor is a combat replacement for VGA Planets that supports multiple ships fighting together, rather than facing off two at a time. It consists of two programs: the viewer (KFVIEW.EXE, used by the players) and the host add-on (KFHOST.EXE, used by the host). This is the Host Addon.

Publisher Description

Lurkers
This is a multi-part VGA Planets Add-on. It will serve a two fold function. It will offer a target as a kind of Computer Player for people wishing to play as a group against a common enemy. It will also act as a background (add-on) to normal games of VGAP. This program can operate in three different modes.

• Mode 1 - (Team)
  This is the operating version where the LURKERS will be considered the "Big Nasty Bad Guys." They have come openly and with hostility to the Echo Cluster. They are out to exterminate all of the existing races. They come armed for bear and all they want to do is destroy. The players will have to play together to withstand the attacks of the LURKERS and they can expect to loose some of their number.
  
• Mode 2 - (Harass)
  This version is a weaker and slower propagating version of Mode 1. This version of the LURKERS will move about the Echo Cluster and harass the different races randomly. Attacking quickly and nastily. They pick from the top scoring players and harass them for a short time, before picking a new target.
  
• Mode 3 - (Ally)
  This is the operating mode where LURKERS will be more of a background influence. They will sneak quietly into the Echo Cluster. Intent upon using one of the existing races as a puppet to bring down the other races. The will come quietly and select one of the races as an ally. The race chooses if they want to accept the alliance with the LURKERS.
  
  As your ally the LURKERS can be ordered to defend planets for you and they will. They can gather spy information for you from enemy planets and they can even be persuaded to attack enemy planets.
  
  In exchange they ask that you provide them with materials to build ships and occasionally you have to go attack targets that they select for you. If you are successful and accomplish your missions, they will stay happy and help you. If eventually you displease them (they loose ships attacking for you, you don't make proper deliveries of resources, ect.) they will leave to select a new ally, and in leaving they will chastise you for failing them.

StormFront
StormFront is a 3rd party add-on for VGA Planets that uses the new third party features in VGA Planets host 3.2x. This program allows the player, through the use of a device that they build and attach to their ship, to manipulate the power and/or heading of an Ion Storm in a game of VGA Planets.

Publisher Description
The Machines Of Yore is an add-on for VGA Planets that scatters machines of differing functions on planets throughout the cluster. One machine provides an unlimited source of moly, another provides a more efficient form of transportation, another destroys ships lightyears away, and there are more.

These machines were constructed long ago by a very intelligent and argumentative alien species. Fortunately, this very intelligent and argumentative alien species also killed each other off long ago. Apparently, some sort of argument developed as to what engineering software was the best to design new machines. There were other arguments, too. Some wanted to be the Empire of Yorians, and others wanted to be the Empire of Yoreans. And others wanted to be the Empire of Yorelites. And others thought "of" was too wordy so they wanted to be the Yorelite Empire. As more and more others were created, they started attacking each other. Eventually, they had completely eradicated themselves from the universe. Which turned out to be a great thing for the new species!

Another great thing for the new races, all the machines were built of non-biodegradable material and are 100% intact!

Publisher Description
An add-in program for VGA Planets by Tim Wisseman. Allows creation of custom ship configurations by docking with UFO bazaars travelling through the Echo Cluster.

Publisher Description
This add-on allows the host to create a circular area on the starmap in which combat and special abilities are prohibited. A UFO object marks the center of the Neutral Zone and the UFO label indicates the radius of the Neutral Zone.

Publisher Description
Removes all alliances between players. This must be run in auxhost1.ini

Publisher Description
This add-on program allows for the destruction of planets. All inhabitants and structures are destroyed, and the planet is reduced to freezing rubble. This has one major advantage: the minerals in the core are laid bare for pick-up.

Publisher Description
The RacePlus is an add-on utility for VGA Planets 3.0 / 3.5 that takes advantage of the AUXHOST features found in HOST 3.20. This add-on provides all eleven races with new racial and ship abilities. This add-on allows for abilities ranging from a modest native government modification ability to the ability for a ship to generate a massive gravity well. The abilities provided to the races are many and varied.

Publisher Description
Starbase+ is an add-on utility for VGA Planets 3.5 that takes advantage of the AUXHOST features found in HOST 3.20. This add-on provides starbases with more inherent abilities. With this Addon, starbases can now lay mines, sweep mines. Transport starship components and transfer megacredits to your other starbases on the map.

Publisher Description
Starbase+ is an add-on utility for VGA Planets 3.5 that takes advantage of the AUXHOST features found in HOST 3.20. This add-on provides starbases with more inherent abilities. With this Addon, starbases can now lay mines, sweep mines. Transport starship componeSphere is a host add-on product for VGA Planets. It will convert any VGA Planets map that adheres to the standard coordinate system (1000 to 3000) into a torus, allowing ships that travel off one side of the map to reappear on the opposite side (e.g. a ship on the southern edge of the map can travel 100 lys south and be at the northern edge of the map). The default "seam" is 50 lys from the edge of the standard (i.e. X or Y < 950 or X or Y > 3050) but this may be configured to accomodate "compressed maps" (e.g. a map of 350 planets with all planets between 1500 and 2500).

This should make the game a bit tougher. No longer can a player put all his forces on his front lines and leave his rear areas undefended. The increasingly popular "Invasion" games should be a bit more challenging as Homeworlds may come under attack from the other side of the map. It should also end the complaint of those players who find themselves stuck in a corner of the map without any decent planets - just move to another corner.nts and transfer megacredits to your other starbases on the map.

Publisher Description
Information is power. That axioma especially goes where warfare is concerned. I believe even Sun Tzu would agree on this. When playing VGA planets, you can be very sneaky and get all kinds of information without your enemy knowing about it. The arsenal of sneaky tricks that you have up your sleave has now been enlarged even more!

This add-on will allow all players to drop spies or saboteurs on enemy planets by simply using friendlycode 'SPY' on a ship with fighters to drop a spy, or 'SAB' on a ship with fighters to drop a saboteur.

Spies hack into the enemy computers and drain as much information as possible from them, then relaying it to you. Saboteurs do something entirely diffirent: they undermine the planet economy or damage the ship they are on. (More details in the chapters devoted to them).

This add-ons was written to provide a new weapon in the war against your enemies. Use it well!

Publisher Description
Stargate is a host side add-on program for the game VGA Planets. It is written in C and uses the Portable Host Development Kit (PDK) to access the data structures. This means that it should be easy to port it to many platforms.

The idea of Stargate is to allow faster movement through the galaxy (in-game). This is done by building stargates with starbases and ships, and then travelling from one stargate to another. Stargate uses four extended commands and some control messages. The extended commands are:
- Build Stargate
- Deploy Stargate
- Use Stargate
- Destroy Stargate

Publisher Description
This VGA Planets add-on is an effort to "populate" the VGA Planets landscape, a feature wished for in the Planets newsgroup and elsewhere.

It is a known fact, that the average distance between stars is about 3-4 light years (ly). However, not every star has a habitable planet. That is why the average distance between the VGAP planets is often tens or more ly. With the help of Super Nova add-on, these "uninhabitable" and therefore invisible on the maps stars can explode, or "go super-nova", inflicting tremendous amounts of damage to the neighboring space, destroying or damaging ships, planetary structures, and other types of hardware. The challenge here is to make maximum use of these nova stars, towing them closer to the enemy territory and detonating them as close as possible to his planets or ships (and then possibly move in with your own starfleet, mopping up the remnants of the enemy's damaged planets and shattered economy).

Publisher Description
Tachyon is an add-on utility for VGA Planets 3.5 that takes advantage of the AUXHOST features found in HOST 3.20. This add-on provides the capability for players to build and incorporate Tachyon Pulse Generators into 2 of their ships. This device will allow the player to burn fuel and fire a pulse of Tachyon energy into space. This pulse will uncloak any ships that are cloaked with in its pulse radius.

With the added ability to thwart cloaked vessels come some extreme costs. This is the large base fuel cost needed to fire a Tachyon Pulse.

Publisher Description
UFO for DOS, v1.20. A VGA Planets add-on that gives dos players the same ufo information to which Winplan players have access, including ufo objects and minefield updates. This utility is required for dos players to use certain add-ons that make use of Host's ufo database. (Freeware!)

Publisher Description
Wormholes are, quite simply, folds in the space/time continuum. Travel through a wormhole can allow a ship to travel huge distances virtually instantly. The biggest downfall to wormhole travel, however, is their unstable nature. They are *NOT* jumpgates. Ships must endure unpredictable amounts of hull stress on their way through a wormhole. Also there is no way to know whether or not the wormhole will still be there when the ship wants to return.

On the plus side, a ship travelling through a wormhole expends an insignificantly small amount of fuel. They can also provide nearby planets with an additional source of income from scientific and commercial pursuits.

Publisher Description
X Name was developed to keep players from communicating with one another in a blind game by putting messages on their ship hulls. The program will rename all ships to "ship XXX" where XXX is the id number of the ship. Execute this program from both auxhost1.ini and auxbc.ini

Publisher Description
Zeus is an add-on for the PBEM Game Vga Planets 3 developed by Tim Wisseman.
It contains several supplements for the original game increasing the richness of the game and giving the players more opportunities.

Many new features and buildings.