                                Command : BOMB

 SYNTAX:
   [##:##] Command: bomb <BOMBERS> <ESCORTS> <mission-TYPE> <SECT> <PATH>

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 sector, pounding  one  or  more  targets,  and
landing at another sector.

<BOMBERS> represents a list of planes which  can  carry  bombs.   Only  planes
which  have  a bomb bay, are located in a sector which is stocked with gas and
shells, and have sufficient range and mobility will be selected for  the  mis-
sion.

<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, commoditites 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  flightpath  specification  (see  `flightpath').  The
flight  begins  at altitude 1, and the routing string can contain `^' altitude
changes.  Be aware, however,  that,  once  at  the  target,  bombing  accuracy
decreases  at  higher  altitudes.   Base  accuracy  values  (the `acc' numbers

                                Command : BOMB

reported by `show plane cap') are exact for altitude 1; the lower  the  value,
the  better  the  accuracy.   Each step up in altitude adds increased error to
this value.  The effective bombing accuracy value can be computed as:

         EffectiveAccuracy = BaseAccuracy + (2 * (Altitude-1)^2)

For example, a plane reported by `show plane cap' as having an accuracy of  40
will have, at various altitudes, an effective accuracy of:

                                Command : BOMB

                         error        effective
           altitude      added        accuracy

               1      2*(0^2) = 0        40
               2      2*(1^2) = 2        42
               3      2*(2^2) = 8        48
               4      2*(3^2) = 18       58
               5      2*(4^2) = 32       72
               6      2*(5^2) = 50       90

At 100% efficiency, fighters consume 12 mobility per  flight;  other  aircraft
consume  20  mobility  per  flight.  As efficiency drops toward zero, mobility
usage linearly increases to three times those values (i.e., 36 mob/flight  for
a 0% efficient fighter, 60 mob/flight for a 0% efficient anything else).

                                Command : BOMB

Light bombers are used primarily for pinpoint bombing.  They perform  as  well
as  fighters  do for strategic bombing.  Heavy bombers, 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 at war with you, fighter planes from the enemy country  will  scramble
and  attempt  to  intercept  your force.  If the country 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
risky  to attack, even though hitting ships in harbor is like shooting fish in
a barrel.

                                Command : BOMB

Sub-hunting aircraft on bombing missions have a 10% chance of not  being  able
to  locate  subs  at  periscope  depth.  If they are lucky enough to spot one,
bombing accuracy is somewhat reduced, making the  submerged  sub  a  difficult
target.   Deep subs are an even more difficult target; bombers have only a 45%
chance of spotting them, and bomb accuracy  is  even  more  severely  reduced.
Also,  if  the target sub is underwater, you will never be informed of a posi-
tive sinking, but may instead spot debris on the surface -- and that  may  not
necessarily mean that the sub is sunk!

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.

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

