                                Command : BOMB

 SYNTAX:
   [##:##]   Command:   bomb   <BOMBERS>   <ESCORTS>    mission-type    <SECT>
route|destination

The bomb command is used  to  rain  destruction  upon  helpless  enemy  ships,
planes, and sectors.  It represents a complete mission for one or more bombers
and escorts taking off from one place and returning to base at the end of  the
mission.   You cannot attack a nation you are not at war with. (see info rela-
tions)

<BOMBERS> represents a list of planes which  can  carry  bombs.   Only  planes
which  have  a  bomb  bay,  belong  in  a sector which is stocked with gas and
shells, and have sufficient mobility will be  successfully  selected  for  the
mission.

<ESCORTS> represent a list of fighter planes which are  capable  of  escorting
the bombers all the way to the target.  To be selected, escorts must have fuel
and mobility.

                                Command : BOMB

Mission-type must be one of "pinpoint", "strategic", or "nuclear".  Each  mis-
sion has different objectives for the planes performing it.  Pinpoint missions
allow bombers to attack ships, sector efficiency, commodities in sectors,  and
planes on the ground in the target sector.  Strategic missions damage all com-
modities in the entire target sector, while not damaging any ships  or  planes
resident  (similar  to  the  ship and sector fire missions).  Nuclear missions
allow each bomber in the list to drop a nuclear device in the  target  sector.
Nuclear  devices  damage everything in the sector; planes, ships, and commodi-
ties.  Only missiles in hardened silos can avoid damage from  a  nuclear  mis-
sion.

<SECT> represents an assembly point, where all of the planes  in  the  mission
meet  before  proceeding  on to the target sector.  The assembly point must be
owned by you, and must not be more than four sectors  away  from  any  of  the
planes selected for the mission.

Route is a normal empire path specification. You may also give  a  destination
sector  on the command line, or at any time while giving the route, and empire
will use the best path from the current sector to the desired destination sec-
tor.

                                Command : BOMB

Light bombers (with the tactical capability) are used primarily  for  pinpoint
bombing.   They  perform  as well as fighters do for strategic bombing.  Heavy
bombers (with the bomber capability), while they can perform pinpoint bombing,
are  notoriously inaccurate and in general miss what they are aiming at.  They
are used mainly for strategic bombing.

During the course of a mission, your planes may fly over someone else's  land.
If you fly over land owned by another country, and this country is either hos-
tile or in any war state (see info relation) with you, fighter planes from the
enemy country will scramble and attempt to intercept your force.  If the coun-
try is simply neutral, he will be notified that his radar tracked your  planes
as  they  flew  over his country.  If the country is allied, then nothing will
occur.

If you manage to fight though the enemy fighters and arrive at the target sec-
tor,  your  force  must  still contend with any flak guns which your enemy has
stationed there.  What's more, any enemy ship in the target sector  will  also
shoot at each of your bombers before any attacks are performed.

A well-equipped fleet of battleships in a heavily-defended harbor can be  very

                                Command : BOMB

risky to attack, even though hitting ships in harbor is like shooting fish  in
a barrel.

If the ASW_PLANES option is in use, and your planes has  anti-submarine  (asw)
capabilities, you will be told when you arrive in a sector whether it has sub-
marines in it. If you then choose to pin-bomb ships, each plane in  turn  will
attempt to find submarines (this ability varies with the plane's accuracy rat-
ing) Each plane can only bomb the subs it can find. (It is assumed that planes
on anti-sub missions split up to cover the area)

Planes have differing  air-to-air  combat  abilities,  differing  ranges,  and
load-carrying  capacities.  Some airplanes don't need runways, but can operate
out of any sector which has fuel in it.

If the ASW_PLANES option is used, asw capable planes may attempt to  fly  pin-
bombing  missions versus submarines. To do this, the plane gives a target sec-
tor, and flies there. If there are any subs in the sector, a message  will  be
printed  saying that. If the plane then attempts to bomb ships, it may get the
chance to bomb subs in the sector.

                                Command : BOMB

The chance to detect a sub is: ((100-acc)-(4-sub visib)*10))+((100-effic)/5)

If the plane does not detect a particular sub, it may not bomb it on that mis-
sion. On other missions, it could roll again.

Trying to pinpoint bomb land units is similar to trying to bomb  a  sub.   The
chance  to  find  the  unit to bomb it is based on the unit's visibility & the
type of the sector it is in. Units under 20% are too small to pinpoint  bomb..
you'll have to shell or strat-bomb the sector they are in...

See also : plane-types, build, fly, para, drop, recon, relations

