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Scanning is a major activity in Alliance Wars to check for targets to help a planet expand and grow into a capable player with a fleet to be reckoned with, and a mine supply that constantly allows growth. Without scanning, things would be hit and miss in attacking.

Scans send out ultra fast gamma rays at low frequency through vast areas of space, and act like a sonar in a way heading back after a certain distance giving detailed mapping of the area it was sent to. It can be limited down to planet size to even determine the number of ships in an enemy fleet.

This topic is divided into three sections. Section A deals with the general use of scans - how to obtain them and to execute them. Section B deals with each scan, the cost, what it does, and who is allowed to use it. Section C deals with how to choose a good target before going to scan the target, and how to use the information you receive.

SECTION A - CONSTRUCTING YOUR INFORMATION HIGHWAY

• PART 1: OBTAINING SCANS

Obtaining a scan is a very easy process. To get a new scan, you must build the necessary construction to allow you to get the ability to use that scan. To do this, go to Scans. When there, go to the first scan, Planet Scan, and click build. Each scan requires a certain number of Tech Points to build. You will find it at the bottom of the scans page. What you do is you select the scan required, enter the coordinates of the planet to be scanned, and hit SCAN. Hopefully, you will in a moment get a scan of the planet. Building more of those scans, gives you a better picture of the subject scanned. Remember the phrase, "Knowledge is power." This is true in Alliance Wars. He who knows his enemy will be able to defeat him easily.

SECTION B - SCANS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES

In Alliance Wars, there are seven different scans that can be used for different purposes that can help serve the affairs of a player to further himself, and to make him and his alliance the best. Remember each scan also includes the Ruler and Planet Name, Location, and Score. Listed below are the scans, and the technology you have to research between each:

PLANET SCAN Availability: All Races Construction Costs: 5,000 Ore and Uranium; 600 tech points Scan Cost: 500 Ore and Uranium Requirements: None Information Given: Resources on Hand Attack and Defense Travel Time Bashing rate and vacation mode check Scans Constructions Technology Constructions Whether the Planet is Within Your Bashing Level or Not Failure Rate: 10% Leads To: Sonic Waves

SONIC WAVES Availability: All Races Construction Costs: 10,000 Ore and Uranium; 1,200 tech points Scan Cost: N/A Requirements: Planet Scanner Information Given: N/A Failure Rate: N/A Leads To: Orbit Scans

ORBIT SCAN Availability: All Races Construction Costs: 15,000 Ore and Uranium; 1,800 teach points Scan Cost: 1,000 Ore and Uranium Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves Built Information Given: Number of Ore and Uranium Mines Ore and Uranium Mining Constructions Failure Rate: 10% Leads To: Automated Probes

AUTOMATED PROBES Availability: All Races Construction Costs: 20,000 Ore and Uranium; 2,400 tech points Scan Cost: N/A Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner built Information Given: N/A Failure Rate: N/A Leads To: Troop Scanner

TROOP SCAN Availability: All Races Construction Costs: 25,000 Ore and Uranium; 3,000 tech points Scan Cost: 1,500 Ore and Uranium Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbit Scanner, Automated Probes Built Information Given: Number of Troops Troop Constructions Failure Rate: 10% Leads To: Orbital Arrays

ORBITAL ARRAYS Availability: All Races Construction Costs: 30,000 Ore and Uranium; 3,600 tech points Scan Cost: N/A Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner built Information Given: N/A Failure Rate: N/A Leads To: Fleet Scanner

FLEET SCAN Availability: All Races Construction Costs: 35,000 Ore and Uranium; 4,200 tech points Scan Cost: 2,000 Ore and Uranium Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner, and Orbital Arrays Built Information Given: Number and Kind of Ships Factory Constructions Failure Rate: 10% Leads To: Cloaked Probes

CLOAKED PROBES Availability: Slithin Only Construction Costs: 40,000 Ore and Uranium; 4,800 tech points Scan Cost: N/A Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner, Orbital Arrays, Fleet Scanner built Information Given: N/A Failure Rate: N/A Leads To: Alliance Scanner

ALLIANCE SCAN Availability: Slithin Only Construction Costs: 45,000 Ore and Uranium; 5,400 tech points Scan Cost: 2,500 Ore and Uranium Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner, Orbital Arrays, Fleet Scanner, and Cloaked Probes Built Information Given: Alliance Planet Belongs To Failure Rate: 15% Leads To: Partical Waves

PARTICAL WAVES Availability: Slithin Only Construction Costs: 50,000 Ore and Uranium; 6,000 tech points Scan Cost: N/A Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner, Orbital Arrays, Fleet Scanner, Cloaked Probes, Alliance Scanner built Information Given: N/A Failure Rate: N/A Leads To: Deep Troop Scanner

DEEP TROOP SCAN Availability: Slithin Only Construction Costs: 55,000 Ore and Uranium; 6,600 tech points Scan Cost: 3,000 Ore and Uranium Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner, Orbital Arrays, Fleet Scanner, Cloaked Probes, Alliance Scanner, Partical Waves built Information Given: Number of Troops Location and Fleet of all Troops Failure Rate: 15% Leads To: Outpost Arrays

OUTPOST ARRAYS Availability: Slithin Only Construction Costs: 60,000 Ore and Uranium; 7,200 tech points Scan Cost: N/A Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner, Orbital Arrays, Fleet Scanner, Cloaked Probes, Alliance Scanner, Partical Waves, Deep Troop Scanner built Information Given: N/A Failure Rate: N/A Leads To: Deep Fleet Scanner

DEEP FLEET SCAN Availability: Slithin Only Construction Costs: 65,000 Ore and Uranium; 7,800 tech points Scan Cost: 3,500 Ore and Uranium Requirements: Planet Scanner, Sonic Waves, Orbital Scanner, Automated Probes, Troop Scanner, Orbital Arrays, Fleet Scanner, Cloaked Probes, Alliance Scanner, Partical Waves, Deep Troop Scanner, Outpost Arrays built Information Given: Number and Kind of Ships in all Fleets Location and Fleet of all Ships Failure Rate: 15%

SECTION C - SCAN USAGE CRASH COURSE

It is all good and fine for a player to have built some of the scans, but it is similar to a kindergartener with a listening bug; you need to know how to use the scans properly or you will never be able to really become a true player of Alliance Wars. This section will deal with how to pick a target and then properly use the data.

• PART 1: PICKING A SCAN TARGET

Picking a scanning target is basically a decision by the player to find out who to dig up information on. There are two scanning categories. They are:

ALLIANCE SCANNING - This is when a target is picked to help your alliance get information. It can range from scanning targets to charting planets, for other members to find out which alliance other players belong to.

PERSONAL SCANNING - Things that fall under this category are scanning targets or in a more vague sense, scanning for your own self-interest.

Depending on either category, you will be scanning for different items for information depending on your choice.

If scanning for your alliance, your target will be depending on what your alliance decides, from scanning sections of the universe to decide the political relations of each planet or to give info to the admiral on the sizeable fleet and location of that fleet for a certain planet so as to help him decide on whether to launch the massive alliance attack on it. If this is the case, the manual does not contain much useful information for you.

But if you are scanning for personal use, looking for someone to raid easily, this will be helpful.

Before wasting any resources on a scan for a raid, it is useful to check the bashing limit. For example, lets say you did all the scans to determine if someone is a good target (orbit, troops, fleet) and think you have a perfect target. The cost for scans can quickly add up if you are being very clear cut trying to know all you can about your target. So it saves you time and money if you make sure you are actually able to attack the target. You can do this by doing a Planet Scan to retrieve Bashing Level information. It will appear below the travel times, in red if you can attack, in yellow if you can't. Remember you need to do a Planet Scan on the hour of your attack, or your fleet will refuse to attack.

With the bashing limit checked, you can now proceed to scan the target with no worry of not being able to attack.

• PART 2: USING THE INFORMATION

If you are actually reading this section and have not formulated your own ideas on how to use the information, please turn off the computer and go memorize your multiplication tables. But if you insist on playing, here is a quick overview:

PLANET SCAN - Use this to check your ETA, or to discover the target's scan and technology constructions.

ORBIT SCAN - Use this to determine how many mines a player has. It might not be worth it to attack a target with very few mines, as you only caputure 20% of them per tick.

TROOP SCAN - Use this to determine the number of enemy troops, to see if you can actually defeat them. General rule: the attacker should have twice as many troops as the defender in most cases.

FLEET SCAN - Use this to check the number of ships your target has in total.

ALLIANCE SCAN - Use this to find a target's alliance affiliation; it might not be best to make enemies of a bigger alliance.

DEEP TROOP SCAN - Use this to find the location of the target's troops and how many are at each location.

DEEP FLEET SCAN - Use this to find the location of the target's ships and how many are at each location.