                          Server : Chainsaw Changes

NAME
   Chainsaw - Changes from KSU Empire to Chainsaw (1992-93)

Level: Expert

CHANGES.CHAINSAW.1.0

Changes to the Chainsaw code in version 1.0

This file enumerates some of the more important changes between BBN Empire 1.0
&  BSD  Empire  1.1.5, KSU, & MERC empire. BBN Empire 1.0 is a superset of the
other versions, including all MERC code, which includes all  KSU  code,  which
include the BSD 1.1.5 code.

Bug-fixes & Changes

Scrap  and scuttle will now ask for confirmation before scrapping or scuttling
wing or fleets. The will also ask before scrapping or scuttling ALL planes  or
ships (when a '*' is given as an argument)

Bomb  has  been changed to allow planes with the P_T (tactical bomber) flag to
bomb, even if they are also cargo planes. This fixes  the  problem  with  Zep-
pelins not being allowed to bomb.

Power  has  been  modified to not report on all deity countries (as opposed to
just ignoring country 0)

The plane functions have been extensively modified to  calculate  and  enforce
the  ship  plane-capacity limits. In previous versions, this was enforced only
in the load command, and incorrectly maintained. (In some  situations,  the  #
could go negative, and wrap around to 255, causing much disbelief)

The  telegram  command  was changed so that bulletins from a deity include the
name of the deity country that sent them. (Useful for multiple deity games)

The nation files are re-read for the report and country commands. Before,  the
program  would  use the in-memory nation stuff, which meant that it was out of
date if it changed (i.e. people logging in/out after you would not be shown as
logged in in the country output, report would be out of date, esp in  blitzes,
etc)  With this option, the nation file is closed and re-opened, which updates
the in-memory stuff to be current. This is still not perfect, as  when  people
exit  incorrectly,  they  are  still shown as logged on, until they telnet and
kill the process, or the transaction manager is restarted.

Also, the init_nats function was changed. Previously, if a country did not re-
ceive a BTU delta when logging in, its last login time was not set.

OPTIONS

Many new options have been defined for BBN 1.0.

CHOPPER-STEALTH

Choppers have a chance of evading interception. It isn't as good  as  stealth,
which is why it's listed as half-stealth. I'm not telling the exact numbers...
figure them out for yourself.

BABY_NUKES

Credit  for  this  idea  goes to Tom Tedrick. Damage/effects are the same, but
blast effects are confined to the target hex. This also automatically turns of
MISSING MISSILES. Note that launch will still ask about air/ground burst.

SUPER_BARS

Gold bars cannot be pin bombed, and are not hurt by firing.  There  are  still
ways to kill them, but not by shelling or bombing.

EASY_BRIDGES

A  bridge  can be built in any sector adjacent to one of yours, providing that
the target sector is adjacent to a non-sea, non-bridge sector.  Since  bridge-
heads  are not required, you can't collapse bridges by killing the head.  (You
can still kill them by taking the bridge below 20%) This also fixes a  problem
with  planes on bridges not dying when the bridge dies. (This was partly fixed
before, but the fix didn't work all the time)

Note that the sector building the bridge may be a bridge, providing the sector
that the bridge is being built in is adjacent to a non-sea, non-bridge sector.
For example, this is legal:

      . . . . . . .        =>       . . . . . . .
     . . . . . . .         =>      . . . . . . .
      . - = . - . .        =>       . - = = - . .
     . . . . . . .         =>      . . . . . . .
      . . . . . . .        =>       . . . . . . .

This is not legal:

      . . . . . . .        =>       . . . . . . .
     . . . . . . .         =>      . . . . . . .
      . - = . . - .        =>       . - = = . - .
     . . . . . . .         =>      . . . . . . .
      . . . . . . .        =>       . . . . . . .

Also, the sector building the bridge must be at least 60% efficient.

BETTERARMOR

Ship's armor factors now more greatly affect both shelling and  bombing.  BB's
are much harder to kill. Smaller ships are more fragile.

ALL_BLEED

When this option is enabled, countries receive tech leakage from ALL tech pro-
ducers,  not merely allies. Tech leakage is 33% by default. The leak is calcu-
lated as 33% of the average tech made by all those making tech.  For  example,
if  there  are 10 players, making 3, 4, 0, 0, 3, 0, 2, 0, 2, 1 tech, the total
tech made is 15 by 6 countries, for an average of 2.5 tech. All  10  countries
would  get  .833  tech leak (33% of 2.5), for total tech production of: 3.833,
4.833, 0.833, 0.833, 3.833, 0.833, 2.833, 0.833, 2.833, 1.833

DRNUKE

You need research to build nukes. (1/4 the tech value,  so  a  tech  300  nuke
needs 100 research)

SLOW_WAR

You  cannot  attack  someone's  land unless you are at war with them. (You can
still blow up their ships with fire, board, torp, etc) When you declare war on
someone, your relation goes to Mobilizing. You still can't attack them.  After
the  next  update, your relation goes to Sitzkrieg, and you still can't attack
them. After the NEXT update, you're at war with them, and anything goes.

If someone is Mobilizing or in Sitzkrieg, or At War with you, and you  declare
war  against  them, your relation is set to be the same as theirs, so there is
no way to gain any advantage through this stuff. It just means that you  can't
sneak-attack people.

The  restrictions  do not apply if you are the old_owner of the sector. If you
are the old_owner, you may bomb/shell/attack at will.

Note that while ships are freely attackable, regardless of war status, even if
they are in a harbor of a nation you are not at war with.

The first person who declares war pays $1000. Return declarations are free.

NOMOBCOST

Ships do not use mobility when firing. Torpedo mobility cost is reduced to  be
equal to 1/2 the mobility the firing ship would use to move a sector.

NEWSUBS

This option encompasses several small changes in sub-warfare. A new flag, sub-
t, is added. Only ships with the sub-t flag are allowed to torpedo subs. Also,
ships  with  depth-charge capability can now use them to their full gun range.
Depth charges are more affected by sub armor  value.  Torpedo  damage  is  in-
creased.

OTHER-CHANGES

Most of the ships have had their firing ranges bumped up significantly.

Thomas Ruschak, The_Scum

CHANGES.CHAINSAW.2.0

Changes to the Chainsaw code in version 2.0

This  file enumerates some of the more important changes between the code used
for BBNII (Chainsaw Empire 1.0) & Chainsaw 2.0.

Bug-fixes

You can no longer map by attempting to land planes on  unknown  sectors.   The
replies have been standardized to give no information.

The radar command is fixed to eliminate 'ghost' images at high tech.

Planes can now land on carriers that happen to be in bridge sectors.

You  can no longer find out if any enemy subs are under your bridges by trying
to load things on them.

You can no longer load things onto non-allied ships, even if  they  are  in  a
harbor you own.

'break'  now  breaks ALL sanctuaries you own, even if some are not adjacent to
0,0.

When specifying a flight path, the terminating 'h' is no longer counted  as  a
sector for purposes of range.

Qorder is now documented, and works as described in the document.

CHANGES

When  scrapping  or scuttling groups of ships/planes or wings of ships/planes,
you will be asked to confirm that you want to do it.  (Also when doing scrap *
or scuttle *)

Ships that assault will always retain 1 food.

You may now specify a "number to build" parameter for build.

The deity can now make declaration on another country's behalf.

Minesweepers now take less damage from mines (1/2 the normal amount).

A plane unloaded in an ally's harbor now becomes his  plane.  A  plane  loaded
onto an ally's ship also becomes his plane.

Your  planes  may now land on an ally's sectors or ships. Once there, they be-
come his planes.

Ships will fire back in defense  of  sectors  being  attacked,  assaulted,  or
shelled.

Your  ships/sects  will no longer shoot themselves in defense.  You can cheer-
fully blast your own ships/sects without fear of  retaliation  from  your  own
forces.  You  can  also torp your own ships, and they will resignedly watch as
the torps slam into them.

Gun ranges are no longer truncated. Instead, there is a % chance equal to  the
decimal  portion  of  the range of gaining a hex. For example, with a range of
2.50, there is a 50% chance of being able to fire at range 3. With a range  of
6.33, there is a 33% chance of being able to fire at range 7.

The  power report has been changed to be more realistic. The relative worth of
most commodities has been changed, and a country's total is  multiplied  by  a
tech factor to arrive at a final value.

There  is no longer a minimum maintenance cost of $1/ETU for planes and ships.
The new minimum is $1.

The torpedo command is changed. Surface ships may now have the  torpedo  abil-
ity, as well as subs. When surface ships torpedo, they are fired at by defend-
ing ships BEFORE they fire their torpedos.

An  "escort" flag was added for planes. Planes with the escort flag may escort
missions. (Formerly, only planes with the intercept flag could escort)

Fighter aircraft being used as tactical bombers are now at a  greater  penalty
in air-to-air combat.

Ships  with  no  mobility  may now be nav'd. This allows fishing boats and oil
derricks to check resource values without having mob. (Of  course,  you  can't
move with no mob, and an attempt to do so kicks you out)

The load command will now allow you to load wings/groups of planes.

You  may  now give things to allied ships using the tend command. (You may not
take things from allied ships, only give) (If ALLYHARBOR is used)

You may now upgrade allied ships. (If ALLYHARBOR is used)

Your civs will work on allied ships in your harbors. (If ALLYHARBOR is used)

You may assault your own sectors. Mil assaulting are simply added to the  num-
ber in the sector.

You  may  now  land planes on a carrier in an allied harbor. (If ALLYHARBOR is
used)

Conventional non-tactical missiles will now be intercepted by ABM's.

Options

Trade-Ships

Trade ships simulate internal or external trade. In the real world,  you  make
goods  someplace  where  they're cheap, ship them somewhere they're expensive,
and sell them, making a profit.

For empire purposes, you make a trade ship, which uses many  cm's,  and  costs
$2500.  You  then  sail  it somewhere and scuttle it. You get money back, more
than you put into building the ship. The return rate depends on  several  fac-
tors.

The  primary  factor  is distance. The distance is calculated as straight-line
distance from the sector the ship is scuttled in to the sector in which it was
built. You have to sail it at least 8 sectors to get any profit at all. If you
sail it more than eight, the profit rises steadily.
                dist < 14:      +3.5% * dist
                dist < 25:      +5.5% * dist
                otherwise:      +7.5% * dist

Another factor is the sector in which you scuttle it. If you scuttle it  in  a
harbor  you  own,  you  get normal cash. If you scuttle it in the harbor of an
ally, you get a 20% bonus, AND your ally gets 10% of the cash you  make  as  a
bonus (you still get the full amount)

For example, using the numbers from above, if you sailed 15 sectors, and scut-
tled  in  an allied harbor, you'd get $4562 * 1.2 = $5.5K, and your ally would
get $4562/10 = $456.

The last factor is the efficiency of the trade ship. The cash return is multi-
plied by the efficiency of the ship when it is scuttled.

Note that captured trade ships can be scuttled by pirates, who receive cash as
if it was their own.

FUEL

Each ship has a fuel capacity, and a fuel usage rate. During an update,  ships
use  fuel at a rate of 10 mob for every <fuel-usage> units of fuel. Ships with
a fuel usage of 1 get 10 mob for every 1 fuel, ships with 2 fuel usage get  10
mob for 2 fuel, etc. Ships with no fuel do not get mobility. Ships with a fuel
usage of 0 do not need fuel. (Sailing ships & nuc ships/subs)

A  new  command, "fuel" is added. It allows fueling from a harbor sector, or a
ship or ships with the "oiler" flag. When fueling, petrol and/or  oil  in  the
harbor  or  on the oiler is exchanged for fuel points, which are loaded on the
ship. Petrol is used first, if available, at a rate of 1 pet  =  10  fuel.  If
there is not enough petrol, oil is used, at a rate of 1 oil = 50 fuel.

Ships of allies can be fueled, if the ALLYHARBOR option is in use, either at a
harbor, or with an oiler.

SEMILAND

This  option  adds  a flag, "semi-lander", which allows the ship to use 25% of
its mil in an assault.

SHIPCHOPPERS
XLIGHT

These two flags are similar. They establish new plane flags, "helo" (ship  he-
licopter),  and "x-light" (extra light). Each ship is then rated on it's abil-
ity to carry those types,  independently  of  it's  ability  to  carry  normal
planes. This allows deities to let non-carriers carry sams, for example, or to
let ships carry anti-sub helicopters or transport helos.

ASW_PLANES

A new plane flag is added "asw". This allows planes with the flag to spot subs
on  recon missions. (Detection chance is (100-accuracy)-(4-sub visibility)*10)
Planes with this flag may be informed (depending on  detection  ability)  when
pin-bombing a sea-sector of the presence of subs. They then have the option of
bombing  the  subs.  Each plane on such a mission rolls separately to find the
subs, and can only bomb the ones it can find.

PARAFLAG

A "para" flag is added for planes. Only planes with the para flag can be  used
to paratroop.

STEALTHV

This  option  adds a new statistic for planes, stealth percentage. Use of this
option effectively disables stealth planes and the CHOPPER_STEALTH option,  as
the stealth and half-stealth flags are ignored.

With  this  option,  each  plane is rated as to its percentage chance to evade
ground-fire and interception. The stealth rating of a group of planes is equal
to the rating of the plane in the group with the lowest stealth rating.

MULTIFIRE

When this option is used, both fire and torpedo accept multiple ships/sectors.
Each firing ship/sector may be used against a separate target, or all may fire
together.

Return fire is distributed evenly over the firing ships/sectors, with each de-
fending ship/sector firing once. The spreading of damage also applies to  subs
being  depth-charged after torping, and for torpedo boats being fired at prior
to torping.

RETREATS

Each ship/fleet may be given a retreat path, and  retreat  conditions.  Condi-
tions  are:  retreat  when  damaged  at all, retreat when torped, retreat when
sonared, retreat when fired upon from beyond max range, retreat if bombed, re-
treat if depth-charged.

Retreat conditions are assigned to ships, and may be assigned to entire fleets
at once. When a ship's retreat condition is satisfied, things happen.

If the ship's fleet has a retreat path, all ships in the fleet that are in the
affected sector attempt to retreat 2 sectors along the path, using mobility as
if they were navigating.

If the ship's fleet does not have a retreat path, then the ship checks to  see
if  it  has  it's  own retreat path. If so, it retreats 2 sectors along it, as
above.

Note that retreating ships can hit mines, and could be blocked by new bridges,
or by an ally changing to non-allied status (which would make them  unable  to
retreat into a harbor)

Retreat  paths  are  wiped  from a ship when the ship moves. Retreat paths are
wiped from fleets only at the player's request.

HARBOR_POLICE

With this option, the board command is extended to  allow  boarding  of  enemy
ships  in  your harbors. The harbor sector must have mobility, but the command
does not use any mobility.

MINE_PLANES

With this option, planes with the "mine" ability are allowed to use  the  drop
command to drop shells as mines in sea sectors. (see info drop)

SWEEP_PLANES

With  this  option, planes with the "sweep" ability will automatically attempt
to sweep mines while on recon missions. See info recon for more details.

BUDGET  This option changes the update ordering a bit, and allows you  to  set
priorities  for  production, for those situations where money is tight.  A new
command, "budget", is added, that shows financial information, and allows set-
ting of priorities.

DAVYJONES

When this option is used, nukes striking wasteland or sanctuary sectors do not
detonate. Nukes striking water sectors affect only their impact sector.

Thanks go to all the people who've helped me with ideas and playtesting: Jorge
Diaz (Ansalon), Tom Tedrick (Afrika Korps), Keith  Graham  (DreamLands),  Dave
Nye  (Evil_Empire),  Sasha  Mikheev  (Dolgopa),  Baldric, Elsinore, Brett Reid
(Resvon), Kazzadur \ystein Tvedten (Flipper's evil  twin),  Tharkadia,  Yikes,
and  many more I'm forgetting. The good things are mostly ideas contributed by
these people. The bugs, I'm afraid, are my own.

                                        Thomas Ruschak (The_Scum)

CHANGES.CHAINSAW.2.1

Changes to the Chainsaw code in version 2.1

Chainsaw 2.1 has some minor differences from Chainsaw 2.0.

Now, when navigating, sonar or radar commands  will  default  to  the  current
ship, or the first (lowest numbered) ship in a group. You may override this by
specifying the desired ship on the command line.  (I.e. "r 12" or "radar 212",
etc)

The  chance of a plane aborting is changed to (100-eff)%. This means that if a
100% plane takes a hit for 30% damage, it has a 30% chance to  abort.   If  it
then  takes  another  hit  for  20%  more, a total of 50% damage, it has a 50%
chance to abort.

Also, when bombing ships, rolls are not made  for  aborting  until  after  all
ships  have  fired,  rather than rolling every time the plane takes a flak hit
from a ship.

A new command has been added, the 'payoff' command.  It  shows  the  value  of
trade ships if scuttled at the current sect (check info payoff).

Constants  have  been added to control ship & plane efficiency growth rate. It
is now possible to allow 2xETUS growth in efficiency, 3x, etc.

Subs may no longer shell.. they may only torpedo.

A WIRE option has been added that activates the 'wire' command. The wire  com-
mand  reads  only  announcements.  The  normal  read  command  then reads only
telegrams & bulletins.

When assaulting, troops will always leave at least 1 food on the ship.

You may now build multiples of an item by adding a build count at the  end  of
your build command. (see info build)

You  may  now  give comments in the hours file. Comment lines start with a '#'
character. (Players do not need to care about this.. it's for deities)

The report command has been changed to not include countries that are not  ac-
tive. (i.e. visitor or in sanctuary)

The  version command now show the ship/sector/plane mobility max/gain, as well
as the ship/plane growth constants.

CHANGES.CHAINSAW.2.2

Changes to the Chainsaw code in version 2.2

Chainsaw 2.2 has some minor differences from Chainsaw 2.1.

A new option, SNEAK_ATTACK is included. It can only  be  used  in  conjunction
with  SLOW_WAR.  It allows you to attack a sector of someone you're not at war
with. Once attacked, the attacker automatically declares war against  the  de-
fender,  and pays $5K.  At that point, the attacker has to go through the nor-
mal SLOW_WAR procedure before attacking again. See info attack, info  assault.
SNEAK_ATTACKs may not be done by parachute.

The  'list  of  commands' command now puts a 'c' in front of commands that re-
quire you to have a capital to use, and a '$' in front of  commands  that  re-
quire you to be non-broke for use.

CHANGES.CHAINSAW.3.0

Changes to the Chainsaw code in version 3.0

Chainsaw 3.0 has some major differences from Chainsaw 2.2.

Ships that don't carry enough crew lose effic when at sea. See info build (the
ship building section)

The  BUDGET  option has been removed. Budget is now standard.  The NEWSUBS op-
tion has been removed. NEWSUBS is now standard.  The MULTIFIRE option has been
removed. MULTIFIRE is now standard.

I took out the 'too much traffic for workers' thing, because it was dumb.

Ships of tech 310 or better can detect mines with sonar.

Conventional missiles launched from subs are anonymous. The victim is not  no-
tified of the launching country's identity, and the news knows naught.

In  order to export something from a sector, you must have military control of
the sector. In order to import something from a distribution sector, you  must
have military control of the distribution sector.

The chances to hit a mine are changed. See info mine and info lmine.

Two  new deity commands have been added, 'disable' and 'enable', which disable
and enable updates. The 'update' command will mention it if updates  are  dis-
abled.

When  you  capture a sector, all distribution info is wiped (distribution sec-
tor, thresholds).  Sectors just taken over are stopped (see start and stop).

The criteria for sector ownership have been changed slightly. See info sector-
ownership for information.

Countries still in sanctuary can now get telegrams and announcements.

Fishing boats and oil derricks only work in open ocean sectors.

Civs & mil may be distributed. No sector will export its last civ.

A new command, bdesignate, has been added. It allows you  to  manually  modify
your bmap.

When navigating a ship or marching a unit, you get a map of the sectors around
your ship or unit, without using BTU's.

When using map or bmap, giving the number of a ship you own instead of an area
will give you a map centered around that ship. For example,

   [##:##] Command : map 1

will  give  you a map centered on ship 1. Lmap works similarly, except you can
get a map around a land unit, and pmap gives a map around a plane.

When loading/unloading, you can give a desired level as a negative number  in-
stead of an amount to load/unload. For example:

   [##:##] Command : load 4 -10 food

will  attempt  to  load  or unload food as necessary to get ship 4 to 10 food.
(Similar to the syntax for enlist) See info load for details.

Land units have been added. There are many new commands for dealing with them.
Look at info Land-units for a general overview.

Sectors that don't have enough food at the update will  now  attempt  to  draw
food  from  supply  sources.  (see  info supply for details on supply sources.
Conquered sectors will not draw food) Other sectors/ships/units will now  draw
supplies (mostly shells) when they need them.

You  can  now  give destination sectors instead of paths for all movement com-
mands. For example,

   [##:##] Command : move c 0,0 10 5,-1

will move 10 civs from 0,0 to 5,-1 via the most efficient path, the  one  that
uses the least mobility.

Ships/planes/units  now use lcms/hcms as they gain efficiency, rather than us-
ing them all at once. See info build for more details.

Distribution has been changed. Each  sector  now  has  a  distribution  sector
rather  than  a  distribution  path (during the update, the least-cost path is
found and used) Also, importing & exporting via distribute now happen in sepa-
rate  phases, rather than being mingled. See info distribute and info  update-
sequence for a full description.  Read info distribute, or don't cry.

There is a document that details the update sequence. (info update-sequence)

Civs/mil/uw's are much harder to kill (how much harder is deity-settable) with
shelling or bombing or nuking.

Air  to  air  combat is changed. Check info interception for an explanation of
the interception process and a description of air combat.

Fully efficient roads now have a small mob cost to move through.

Fort gun range is now (7*tech factor). Damage from fort shelling  now  depends
on the number of guns firing. Forts get a +1 range bonus if at least 60% effi-
cient.

Sectors  can  cost  money  to designate, and may cost extra to build. They may
also take lcms or hcms to build. Show sector build will show this.

A new command, cede, allows you to give a sector or ship to  a  neighbor.  See
info cede for more details.

There are several new information commands, such as neweff and starvation. See
the info pages for details.

Sectors are damaged by combat occurring in them. See info attack for details.

Missions  may be given to ships/planes/units, allowing them to interdict enemy
movement, support friendly attacks & defense, and other things.  See info mis-
sion for details.

Forts automatically fire at enemy ships coming within range.

Mountains can be used (poorly) as capitals. See info capital.

New options:

RES_POP: when RES_POP is enabled, the maximum number  of  civilians,  mil,  or
uw's  that can be in a sector is determined by research. See info research for
exact details.

NEW_STARVE: when NEW_STARVE is enabled, the starvation  ordering  is  changed.
Instead  of  losing equal numbers of each type of population (uws, civs, mil),
you first lose uw's, then civs, then mil. As before, no more than 1/2 the  to-
tal  population of a sector can starve in one update. Example: if you have 200
uw's, 100 mil, and 500 civilians, and no food, normally you'd have  100  uw's,
50 mil, and 250 civs after the update. With NEW_STARVE in effect, you'd have 0
uw's, 300 civilians, and 100 mil.

NEW_WORK:  When moving civs to or from a sector with low work, the new loyalty
and work percentage of the destination sector is computed proportionally.  For
example, of you move 100 people from a 0% work sector to a 100% work  destina-
tion  sector  with  100 people in it, the destination sector will have 200 50%
work people in it. If you then moved in 100 people with a 100%  work  percent-
age, the sector would have 300 67% work people in it.

CARRIER_WORK:  carriers  will  now  work  on damaged planes on board. It's not
much, but it's something.

STOP: there are now 2 new commands, stop & start. If you  stop  a  sector,  it
will  not  gain  efficiency  or  produce for 1 update. Start counteracts stop.
Census is also changed to report the production status of a sector.

CHANGES.CHAINSAW.3.3

Changes to the Chainsaw code in version 3.3

Sectors taken over have the their production stopped.  This should prevent the
"redesignate a dozen tech centers" update attack.  If STOP is not defined, the
new sector designation is set to be the same as the  current  sector  designa-
tion.

The  'file'  utility  now  creates  an all-sea world instead of not creating a
world.

SEE ALSO
   Server

