                               Concept : Ruins

 A ruin (sector type `_') is a sector that has been reduced to rubble.  Almost
any  developed  sector can be converted into a ruin by sustaining enough heavy
damage.  The designation changes automatically if a single instance of  damage
every  exceeds three times the sector's current efficiency, and the new ruin's
"efficiency" level will begin to grow.

The efficiency of a ruin is a measure of how "ruined" it is.  The  larger  the
efficiency,  the longer it takes to clean up the mess and turn the sector back
into something useful.  The work cost associated with rebuilding something out
of  a  ruin is the same as the cost for "ramping down" a developed sector, but
the efficiency decreases only one fourth as fast, making the clean up  efforts
take on the average about four times longer than a simple redesignation.

Continued damage will cause a ruin's efficiency to INCREASE;  and  as  a  ruin
becomes  more "efficient", it takes longer and longer to dismantle and convert
into something more useful.

Ruins produce nothing, and generally are of little use.

                               Concept : Ruins

See also : designate, sector-types

