                               Command : RECON

NAME
   recon - Use planes to take a look around

Level: Expert

SYNTAX
   [##:##] Command : recon <SPYPLANES> <ESCORTS> <SECT> route|destination

The  "recon" command is used to gather intelligence about sectors that the spy
mission overflies.  The planes take off from their respective airports, assem-
ble, and then fly the mission and land in the destination sector.

<SPYPLANES> represents a list of planes which are to perform the  intelligence
gathering  operation.  Only planes with sufficient mobility, based in a sector
stocked with petrol, will be successfully selected for the mission.

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

<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 or an ally, or you or an ally must have a ship  there.   It  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.

When getting a path interactively, empire will show you  the  information  you
have (from your bmap) concerning the current area, to help plot your course.

Information given by recon is not totally accurate.

Recon  missions can be intercepted just like any other mission.  See info "In-
tercept".

If the destination sector is not an airport, then all planes  in  the  mission
must have V/STOL capability.

Planes with the ASW ability will perform a sonar search on each sector as they
fly  through it.  Each sub contact will be reported only once, giving the sec-
tor and number of the sub, from the sector  in  which  it  is  first  detected
(which  may not be the sector the sub is in, as plane sonar has a range depen-
dent  on  acc,  and  a  chance  of  finding   a   sub   of   ((100-acc)-(4-sub
visib)*10))+((100-effic)/5)  percent.   The  sub  being sonared may detect the
sonar ping.

Note that a plane must be at least 40%  efficient  before  it  can  leave  the
ground.

SEE ALSO
   Plane-types, bomb, fly, paradrop, drop, sweep, Mobility, Planes, Detection

