                              Concept : Sectors

 Sectors are the basic unit of earth, whether land or sea from which the world
is  made.   Sectors may not be changed in basic type (sea or land) by nations,
but nations may make improvements to land by changing the type of the sector.

Most inhabitable sector types can be made efficient.   Building  sector  effi-
ciency  costs  money  and  requires work.  Most sectors that produce something
require that they reach level of 60% before they start "functioning", which in
most cases means producing.  For example, harbors cannot build or repair ships
until they reach 60%.

Sectors that perform unit construction also can use "available work", which is
consumed during the construction of new units.  Available work is also a meas-
ure of idleness; a lot of available work means that work  was  leftover  after
the production cycle.

In all cases, production is based on the efficiency of  the  sector,  and  the
number of workers and their work percentage.

                              Concept : Sectors

                                    BASICS

Basic sector types comprise game-created sector-types.  None of  them  can  be
made efficient; they produce no products.

SEA - Sea sectors form natural barriers that can only  be  crossed  by  ships,
(made  in  harbors, below).  You can not designate anything else to be sea nor
can sea be designated to be anything else.

MOUNTAIN - Mountain sectors  form  another  natural  barrier  that  cannot  be
redesignated; however, they can be moved through (at great expense in terms of
mobility units).

SANCTUARY - Sanctuary sectors are created when a new nation is created.   They
are inviolate in that no one can fire at them or attack them.  This protection
ends when the new country first moves out of the  sanctuary  (called  breaking
sanctuary);  the  sector then becomes a capital.  NOTE: in games with multiple
sanctuaries per country ALL sanctuaries become capitals when any one does!

                              Concept : Sectors

WASTELAND - This is the result of the explosion of a nuclear  device.   Waste-
lands are uninhabitable forever.

WILDERNESS - Most of the world is wilderness at the  beginning  of  the  game.
Wilderness  produces  nothing.  As with any other sector, you can move into it
if unoccupied.  You will probably want to designate it as something else.

                                  INDUSTRIES

Industries take raw materials and intermediate goods  and  convert  them  into
intermediate  goods  or final products, depending on the industry.  Industrial
efficiency depends on the efficiency of the sector, the number of workers, the
technology level of the country, and the presence of materials in the sector.

DEFENSE - In defense plants construction materials are turned into guns.   Gun
production efficiency occurs automatically.  See info products for information
on the materials required to produce guns.

                              Concept : Sectors

SHELL INDUSTRY - These sectors are similar to  defense  plant  sectors  except
they  turn  construction  materials  into  shells.   Shell  production  occurs
automatically.  See info products for information on the  materials  required.
One shell is used for each gun or torpedo you fire and for each bomb you drop.

REFINERY - Refineries produce petroleum by  processing  oil.  This  production
takes place automatically.

LIGHT - Light manufacturing plants produce light construction  materials  from
iron.  This production takes place automatically.

HEAVY - Heavy manufacturing plants produce heavy construction  materials  from
iron.  This production takes place automatically.

BANK - Banks are used for smelting and  storing  gold  bars.  They  include  a
smelter  to  refine  gold dust into gold bars.  Smelting occurs automatically,
and unlike other industries, is not affected by the technology  level  of  the
country.  While the bars are stored in the bank the busy little bankers invest
them and return a profit on their use.  Banks are of the  Fort  Knox  variety;
they  are  more impervious to shelling than most other sectors and military in

                              Concept : Sectors

them fight twice as hard against attack as those in industries.

                             NATIONAL PRODUCTION

National production sectors take raw materials and intermediate goods and con-
tribute  to  the  general level of something in the country such as education,
happiness, or bureaucratic time unit reserves.  National production depends on
the  efficiency  of  the  sector,  the number of workers, and in some cases on
other national levels.

CAPITAL - Capitals are the source of bureaucratic time  units  (BTU's).   They
accrue  in proportion to the efficiency of the capital and the number of civi-
lians at work in it.  No materials are used for BTU production.  If a  country
has a 100% efficient capital with 100 civilians in it BTU's will accrue at the
rate of 4 per hour, (assuming half-hour time units).   Most  commands  use  up
BTU's -- see list of commands for numbers of BTU's used per command.  A nation
may only have one active capital at a time, although any number may  exist  as
possible  replacements.   If  an active capital is captured by an attack a new
one must be designated by the victim in order to be  able  to  collect  BTU's.
The  capture  of  a  capital  will result in the loss of money from the victim

                              Concept : Sectors

nation (loss of tax records, federal reserves, etc).  Capitals  are  twice  as
efficient  at  defending  against attack as other sectors (except fortresses).
Use the capital command to make a capital the active one.

TECHNOLOGY - Technical centers are bastions of pure technology research, which
is to say universities with massive defense department grants.  They turn con-
struction materials into technological advances thereby  raising  the  overall
technology  level  of  the  country.   The  production of technological break-
throughs takes place automatically, and is affected by the education level  of
the  country.   Technological  breakthroughs  are  applied using a logarithmic
function, representing duplication of effort and general diminishing returns.

RESEARCH - The research lab is a bastion of pure medical research, which is to
say  it  is a large university with massive March-of-Dimes funding.  They turn
construction materials into medical discoveries which raise the research level
of  the  country  and help retard the spread of disease, usually caused by the
pollution from technical centers.  The production of medical discoveries takes
place automatically, and depends on the education level of the country.  Medi-
cal discoveries are applied using a logarithmic function, representing  dupli-
cation of effort and general diminishing returns.

                              Concept : Sectors

PARK - The park is a combination of Disneyland and  Yellowstone,  representing
the degree of "good things" available to the civilian and military populace at
large.  Parks require light construction materials to produce happy strollers.
The  production  of  happy  strollers  occurs automatically, and the number of
happy strollers are divided into the population size yielding a happiness pro-
duction  value  for  each update.  This in turn is applied using a logarithmic
function, representing the diminishing returns from an overdose of fun.   Hap-
piness  affects  the willingness of people to work at higher technological and
education levels.

LIBRARY/SCHOOL - The library/school sector is the foundation  of  a  country's
educational structure.  Libraries require light construction materials to pro-
duce classes of graduates each update.  Graduations occur  automatically,  and
the  number of graduates are divided by the population size yielding an educa-
tion production value for each update.  This in turn is applied using a  loga-
rithmic  function,  representing  the diminishing returns from over-education.
Education affects the efficiency of research and technology centers,  as  well
as the use of higher tech units.

                              Concept : Sectors

                                RAW MATERIALS

Raw materials sectors use particular resource levels in the sector to  produce
raw materials.  Raw materials production depends on the efficiency of the sec-
tor, the number of workers, and the technology level of the country,  as  well
as particular per-sector natural resource levels.

MINE - Mines produce iron ore by digging it out of the ground.  Iron ore  pro-
duction  occurs  automatically, dependent on the mineral sample for the sector
(min on the census report).  Iron is a renewable  resource;  i.e.  digging  up
iron does not deplete the mineral content of the sector.

GOLD MINE - Gold mines are similar to ordinary  mines,  (above),  except  that
they  produce gold dust.  Gold dust production occurs automatically, depending
on the gold sample for the sector (gmin on the census report).  The  raw  gold
dust  can  be  transported to any sector but if it is left in a bank sector it
will be refined into bars automatically .  Gold is a  non-renewable  resource;
i.e. extracting the gold depletes the gold content of the sector.

                              Concept : Sectors

URANIUM MINE - Uranium mines are very similar to gold mines,  (above),  except
that  they  produce  radioactive  materials.  Radioactive materials production
occurs automatically, depending on the uranium content of the sector (uran  on
the  census  report).  Uranium is a non-renewable resource; i.e. extracting it
depletes the content of the sector.

OIL - Oil fields produce oil by sucking it out of the ground.  The  extraction
of  oil  takes place automatically, and is dependent on the oil content of the
sector.  Oil is a non-renewable resource; i.e. extracting oil depletes the oil
content of the sector.

AGRIBUSINESS - These sectors are large farms and provide  food.   Agribusiness
sectors produce as much as five times as much food as other sectors.  The har-
vesting takes place automatically depending on the  fertility  of  the  sector
(fert  in  the  census).  Food is a renewable resource; i.e. growing food does
not deplete the fertility of the sector.

                              Concept : Sectors

                          BASES / UNIT CONSTRUCTION

Bases and unit construction sectors represent the military-industrial  complex
in Empire.  Some are for strict defense, others allow construction and provide
bases for other Empire military units.  Those which allow construction must be
functioning to build or repair.

AEROSPACE - Aerospace sectors are a combination of  aerospace  industry,  air-
base, and spaceport.  They are the only sectors in which planes, missiles, and
spacecraft can be built and repaired.  Although most low tech  planes  do  not
require airports, high tech planes will need aerospace sectors to operate.  No
planes, missiles, or spacecraft are constructed until  the  build  command  is
given,  at which time an incomplete plane, missile, or spacecraft is placed in
the designated aerospace sector (see info build).  Functioning aerospace  sec-
tors  will  also automatically repair damaged planes, missiles, and spacecraft
each update.

                              Concept : Sectors

HARBOR - Harbors combine shipyard facilities and docks.  Construction  materi-
als are converted into ships and the ships can be loaded and unloaded in func-
tioning harbors.  (see info load).  No ships are constructed until  the  build
command is given, at which time an incomplete ship is placed in the designated
harbor (see info build).  Functioning harbor sectors will  also  automatically
repair damaged ships each update.

NUCLEAR - Nuclear plants combine nuclear reactors and nuclear device construc-
tion plants.  The nuclear plant turns construction materials into nuclear dev-
ices.  No devices are constructed until the build command is given  (see  info
build).   Note that a nuclear device is useless until actually loaded aboard a
delivery system, such as a plane or missile.

ENLISTMENT - The enlistment sector is the boot camp  of  Empire.   Functioning
enlistment sectors automatically convert civilians into military, depending on
the number of military trainers present in the sector.  Note: unlike the other
production  sectors, only military count as workforce for production, although
civilians count for initial construction.

                              Concept : Sectors

FORTRESS - Fortress sectors produce nothing, however they greatly decrease the
damage  done  by  enemy  shells  and  bombs,  and even decrease damage done by
nuclear devices!  Also, a fortress  grants  occupying  military  a  tremendous
advantage  over  attackers; each defending military acts as 6 military for the
purposes of odds calculation, based on 100% fort efficiency.  See info  attack
for details.

                                COMMUNICATIONS

Communications sectors produce nothing, but facilitate  movement  and  provide
information.

HIGHWAY - Whenever you move civilians, ore, gold, etc, mobility units (mob  on
the  census) are consumed dependent on how far and how much you move.  However
if the movement is through 100% efficient highway it costs nothing to move.

RADAR - Radar stations can scan the surrounding area and generate a radar plot
identifying  sector  types  at distances up to 1/3 their range and ships up to
their full range.  Radar range is 16 times the national tech  factor  in  sec-
tors,  assuming  100%  efficiency.  For instance, a 100% radar base owned by a

                              Concept : Sectors

nation with a tech factor of 25% would yield a 4-radius radar report.

WAREHOUSE - Warehouses are used to store shells, guns, iron, gold dust,  food,
oil,  light  construction materials, and heavy construction materials.  Moving
the above out of a functioning warehouse only takes  one  tenth  the  mobility
cost  it  normally  would.   Note:  warehouses  are often used as distribution
centers.

See also : designate, products

