                            Concept : Plane Types

 The general plane types currently available in Empire are:

   fighters
   escorts
   light bombers
   heavy bombers
   transports
   missiles

These plane types differ in their fundamental capabilities; some can fly bomb-
ing  missions,  other  carry  cargo,  others exist to shoot down other planes.
Missiles are special; they are planes which fly one-way missions and cannot be
shot down by opposing planes.

The technology level at which the plane was built is very important.  The same
model plane built at a higher tech level will outperform the planes built at a
lower tech level.

                            Concept : Plane Types

The particular planes available and their attributes are  given  by  the  show
command.  The fields given in the output are as follows.  For building:

 lcm  the amount of lcm to build the unit,
 hcm  the amount of hcm to build the unit,
tech  minimum tech level to build this unit,
   $  cost of the unit in dollars,

For the capability report the fields are:

 acc  bomb accuracy, low is best; a 0 accuracy implies no ability.
load  bomb load/cargo capacity.
 att  air-to-air combat attack rating.
 def  air-to-air combat defense rating.
 ran  base range (in sectors).
 mil  military needed for crew.
 gas  amount of fuel used each trip.

                            Concept : Plane Types

The abilities are given as a set of attributes for each plane.  These include:

 tactical  pinpoint bombing ability
intercept  interception and escort ability
    cargo  cargo-carrying and air-assault ability
   bomber  strategic bombing ability
     VTOL  vertical take-off ability -- no need to use airports
  missile  missile -- one shot.
    light  light, can land on carriers or be carried on a submarine
      spy  spy ability, for recon missions
    orbit  a satellite - stays in orbit until shot down
     xtra  a stealth plane - has a chance of not triggering intercepts

As an example of the output
   [##:##] Command: show plane build

                            Concept : Plane Types

   lt bomber 2    12   8   70 $900
                 lcm hcm crew tech  $
   fighter 1       8   2   1   40 $400
   lt bomber 1    10   3   2   40 $550
   transport 1    12   5   2   45 $800
   hvy bomber 1   20   6   3   50 $1100
   long bomber 1  20   6   4   60 $1100
   fighter 2      10   6   1   70 $800

   [##:##] Command: show plane cap

                            Concept : Plane Types

                 acc load att def ran fuel abilities
   fighter 1      30    0   3   2   4    1 tactical intercept light
   lt bomber 1    30    1   1   2   5    1 bomber tactical light
   transport 1     0    9   0   1   8    2 cargo
   hvy bomber 1   90    5   2   3   9    2 bomber
   long bomber 1  90    2   1   2  30    4 bomber
   fighter 2      25    1   6   4   8    1 tactical intercept light
   lt bomber 2    25    2   2   3  10    1 bomber tactical light
   escort 2       25    0   5   4  12    2 tactical intercept light
   chopper 1       0    3   0   2   6    1 cargo VTOL light

See also : fly, build, show

