utilX.dat will not obsolete sub-space messages, players will still want to read them. To allow client programs to link messages to starchart locations, HOST 3.20 introduced message tags. PHost started to use them with version 2.6, and uses them uniformly since 3.3b.
The message tag is at the beginning of the first line of a message, and looks like this:
(-pc086)<<< Distress Call >>>
- The hyphen identifies the message as a current one, it could also be o for an old message (see DeleteOldMessages, not supported by PHost).
- The first letter (p) contains the class of the message. Here, it is a planet message.
- The second place may be a number or letter and gives further information.
- The last digits finally are the Id number of the referred-to object. Usually, there are three digits, but there may be more or (rarely) fewer.
Here are all known message tags:
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (-90xxx) | Race-specific mission. Hiss, Dark Sense: xxx is a planet Id. Rob: xxx is a ship Id. |
| (-a0xxx) | Message from 3rd-party add-on. xxx is the add-on identifier. Not used by PHost, but generated by a number of add-ons. Winplan can associate a bitmap file provided by the add-on author (vpauxXXX.bmp) with these messages. |
| (-c0xxx) | Tim Continuum attacking planet #xxx, or PBPs. Not used by PHost, which sorts these as (-h). |
| (-dRxxx) | Message from starbase #xxx (starbase built, ship built or recycled). When a ship surrenders, its race code (1..9, a, b) is reported as R, otherwise, R is zero. |
| (-e0xxx) | Distress call from ship #xxx. |
| (-f0xxx) | Ship or planet #xxx has been destroyed or captured. In PHost, xxx always is a ship Id. |
| (-g0000) | HConfig. Not used by PHost. HOST reports its configuration in these messages. |
| (-h0000) | Message from host. |
| (-i0xxx) | Ion storm #xxx. |
| (-l0xxx) | Minefield #xxx laid. |
| (-m0xxx) | Minefield #xxx scanned/swept. |
| (-n0xxx) | Intercepted enemy messages: ship #xxx ran on a mine, or planet #xxx being pillaged/RGAed. |
| (-pRxxx) | Message from planet #xxx. R may be a native race code (1..9) if the message concerns natives, c if the message concerns colonists, or zero otherwise. |
| (-rX000) | Message from race X (1..9, a, b). X may be 0 or missing if it is an anonymous message. |
| (-s0xxx) | Message from ship #xxx. #xxx is zero if the ship no longer exists (glory device). |
| (-t0xxx) | Terraform status from planet #xxx. |
| (-uxxxx) | Message about UFO #xxxx. Used by PHost 4.0e and later for wormhole reports. Not supported by all clients. |
| (-w0xxx) | Web drain complete on ship #xxx. |
| (-x0xxx) | Explosion on long range sensors (#xxx = sequential number of explosion). |
| (-y0xxx) | Meteor on planet #xxx. |
| (-z0xxx) | Scanner report for planet #xxx. |
