[##:##] Command : sail <SHIP/FLEET> [<PATH>|q[uery]|-]
You use the sail command to give a sailing path to ships. At each update, ships with a sailing path auto-navigate along the path that was set for them. Telegrams notify you of arrivals or problems encountered while attempting to follow the path.
Radar operates continuously as the ship moves along the path, constantly adding sector information to the known world map.
Ship movement is performed before mobility is increased. This insures that after the update, ships with a sailing path will still have some mobility so that you can always manually navigate to some extent.
Note that ships sailing can encounter exactly the same interdiction as ships navigating.
[##:##] Command : sail <SHIP/FLEET> q
sail, with the query parameter, shows the current sailing path. The report indicates:
shp# ship number
ship type type of ship (cargo ship, destroyer, etc)
x,y ship's current position
mobil ship's current mobility
mobquota mobility available per update to sail
follows ship that is being followed
path the current sailing path
shp# ship type x,y mobil mobquota follows path
1 cargo ship -27,19 44 32 1 jjjuujj
12 cargo ship -27,19 40 32 1
34 fishing boat 15,32 58 32 3 ggbbgyyg
58 cargo ship 18,34 62 0 4
4 ship(s)
[##:##] Command : sail <SHIP/FLEET> -
sail, with the - parameter, causes the sailing path for the ships specified to be removed.
The PATH is a normal empire path specification. You may *not* give a destination sector on the command line, or at any time while giving the route. Use the order command if you wish this functionality.
When getting a path interactively, empire will show you the information you have (from your bmap) concerning the current area, to help you plot your course.