                               Command : BUILD

 SYNTAX:
   [##:##]  Command:   build   [ship|tank|balloon|plane|nuke|bridge]   <SECTS>
[item-type|direction] <TECH>

The build command is used to specify the types of vessels, vehicles, aircraft,
nukes, and bridges you wish to construct.

        Sector type        What can be built
        ----------------   -------------------------------
        h - Harbors        Ships and balloons
        * - Airports       Aircraft, missiles and balloons
        z - Tank Factory   Tanks, vehicles, and trains
        n - Nuke Centers   Nuclear devices
        # - Bridge Heads   Bridges

The ability to build things is based on several factors:  labor  force,  light
production  units,  heavy  production  units,  oil units, radioactive material
units, available  cash,  and  technology  level.   The  quantities  or  levels

                               Command : BUILD

required vary with the object being built.

HARBOR SECTORS

The ship choices range from patrol boats through  battleships  and  yachts  to
nuclear  vessels.   For  a  brief table indicating the production costs of the
different ship types respond with ?.  For a table  describing  the  costs  and
capabilities of the different ship types see info ship-types.

The labor force required to build a particular  ship  type  is  equal  to  the
ship's tonnage, which is the lcm cost plus twice the hcm cost.  Labor force is
defined as the number of civilians multiplied by the work percentage, plus the
number of uncompensated workers, plus two-fifths the number of military.

Only the first letter of the ship type is required to indicate your choice.

Note that ships first appear at 20% efficiency and a 19% efficient  ship  will
not  float  (i.e., it sinks).  As the ships' crew and harbor personnel work on
them, their efficiency grows to 100%.  The  workforce  needed  to  increase  a
ship's efficiency by one percent per time unit is equal to its tonnage.

                               Command : BUILD

Harbor workforce is divided up among those ships needing work in proportion to
their tonnages relative to the total, up to a workforce limit of two times the
tonnage for any ship.  For fastest efficiency growth, put full crews  on  your
newly built ships and leave them in harbor until they reach 100%.

Ships at sea have only their crews to make repairs.  Crew members each  supply
the  same amount of work, whether civilian, military, or uncompensated worker.
A small crew on a large ship may not be able  to  make  any  repairs  at  all.
(Moral: keep your ships fully crewed in anticipation of future damage.)

Entropy acts on ships at the rate of one  efficiency  point  every  four  time
units.   Ships at sea without enough crew to fight entropy effects will gradu-
ally rust, take on water, and sink.

TANK FARM SECTORS

The tank choices start with a small 4-man  tank  and  range  up  through  more
exotic  vehicles  such as battletanks, armored carriers, and rocket launchers.
For a complete table describing construction costs and capabilities for  vari-
ous armored vehicles, see info tank-types.

                               Command : BUILD

Tank efficiency, repair, and construction  force  characteristics  follow  the
same  rules  as for ships (construction labor force = lcm + 2*hcm; newly built
tanks are 20% efficient; etc).  Also like ships, entropy will takes  its  toll
on  rusting,  poorly manned and neglected vehicles, eventually causing them to
fall apart.

For fastest tank efficiency growth, keep your tanks  fully  manned  and  leave
them in a tank farm until efficiency reaches 100%.

AIRPORT SECTORS

The choices range from low tech fighter 1 planes up to  and  including  super-
long range jet hvy bombers and icbm 3s.  For a brief table indicating the pro-
duction costs of the different plane  types  respond  with  ?.   For  a  table
describing  the  costs  and capabilities of the different plane types see info
plane-types.

Note that planes first appear at 10% efficiency.  As time passes, and as  long
as  there  are  available work units in the airport at which the planes reside
(to work on the planes), they grow to 100% efficiency.

                               Command : BUILD

NUCLEAR PLANT SECTORS

If you type
   [##:##] Command: build 6,2
and 6,2 is a nuclear plant that has enough hcm (heavy construction materials),
lcm  (light  construction materials), oil, and radioactive material, the work-
force in the sector is large enough (as defined above), you have enough money,
and  your  technology  level is high enough, then the program will construct a
new nuclear device of the type requested, and add it to the current  stockpile
in that sector.

BRIDGE HEAD SECTORS

You can extend a bridge off of any sector, providing the  sector  contains  an
appropriate  bridge  head.   You  create  bridge  heads by either devoting the
entire sector to that purpose (by designating it `#'), or by  explicitly  con-
structing a bridge head into the infrastructure of an existing sector.

                               Command : BUILD

Constructed Bridge Heads in Any Sector

Infrastucture bridge heads let you extend bridges off of almost  any  type  of
sector.  Construction  of  a bridge head into the infrastructure of any sector
generally only requires a fraction of the materials, workforce, and money that
you  would  normally  spend  to  construct  a single bridge span. `Show bridge
build' will show you exact bridge span and  bridge  head  construction  costs.
The  command  syntax  to build a bridge head is the same as for a bridge span,
except that you need not specify a direction:
   [##:##] Command: build bridge 2,2
If 2,2 has sufficient workforce, money, and materials, and  if  it  is  not  a
dedicated bridge head, and if it does not already contain a constructed bridge
head, one will be constructed for you.  (You can use the `obility  command  to
see  infrastructure improvements; constructed bridge heads are be noted in the
`bhead' column.)

Once built, a constructed bridge head will remain in  existance  until  damage
causes  the  sector's efficiency to drop below 20%.  Sector redesignation will
not affect the bridge head.

                               Command : BUILD

Dedicated Bridge Head Sectors

If you type
   [##:##] Command: build bridge 2,2
and 2,2 either is or contains a bridge head, an attempt will be made  to  con-
struct  a  bridge  span.   If  the  sector has enough hcms (heavy construction
materials), the workforce is large enough (as defined above), you have  enough
money,  and  your  technology  level  is  high  enough,  the program will then
respond:

   Bridge head at 2,2; build span in what direction? j
   Bridge span built over 4,2

To find out the required amounts of materials, workforce,  and  money  try  to
build  in  an  underdeveloped bridge head sector and the program will tell you
the current amounts (may be changed by the local deity).

                               Command : BUILD

If the optional (direction) argument is used in the command line  the  program
will  try  to build a span in the specified direction from all bridge heads in
the given area that have the necessary heavy production units.

BALLOONS

The balloon choices are fairly minimal, ranging from the  simplest  2-man  hot
air  balloon to the relatively large airship.  For a complete table describing
construction costs and capabilities for various balloons,  see  info  balloon-
types.

Balloons can be built in either harbors or  airfields,  and  follow  the  same
efficiency,  repair,  and construction force characteristics used by ships and
tanks (construction labor force = lcm + 2*hcm; newly built  balloons  are  20%
efficient; etc).

See also : launch, fly, nuke

