Does the AI use nukes?

[BigWilly1974]

I've played CIV IV a LOT. I think most of the board followers here have. I honestly do not think I've ever seen the AI use nukes, nor have I since CIV 2 or something like that many years ago.

Is it me, or are nukes basically a completely unused part of the AI arsenal? Just curious after having just read another person's post about uranium.

[Solver]

In BtS, it uses them like mad sometimes. It has a separate nuclear strategy. In fact, in my current game, Wang Kon used about a dozen tactical nukes in his wars, and Bismarck launched 4 nukes in one turn at some point. Their continent is a damn nuclear wasteland.

[Gunter]

How does Civ IV deal with global warming ? I remember in Civ III that if you did such a nuclear show it would have been a disaster for the whole world despiting efforts to clean it up...

[Solver]

Civ4 has a similar model, tiles just start turning into desert all over the world. If you many nukes are used, that will indeed be quite impossible to stop.

[LordGek]

Originally posted by Solver
In BtS, it uses them like mad sometimes. It has a separate nuclear strategy. In fact, in my current game, Wang Kon used about a dozen tactical nukes in his wars, and Bismarck launched 4 nukes in one turn at some point. Their continent is a damn nuclear wasteland.

I love how many of the "traditionalists" are reacting to this! Its just been accepted strategy that YOU as the human player could go nuts with nukes but the AI would only do so very sparingly.

Tradionalist: This new AI is messed up! Spamming nukes all over like a madman!

Why not use UN to ban the nukes?

Traditionalist: What, and have my 100 nuke stockpile go to waste, HECK NO!"

[Solver]

Actually, if you ban nukes through the UN, your stockpile is still quite useful But I love how the BtS AI can go nuke-mad. It won't happen too often, but when it does, nukes fly all around the world. It's particularly impressive when you land a 40-unit stack inside an AI's borders only to get it hit by a tactical nuke and mopped up.

[BigWilly1974]

I've finished about 4 games of BTS now, and still haven't seen a nuke used. Is it contingent on playing with Aggressive AI? I haven't tried Aggressive AI, but probably will with my next game.

[Solver]

Aggressive AI certainly increases the chances of that happening, but the regular AI will also use nukes under the right circumstances.

Do try Aggressive AI in your next game - it sounds like it's an option for you anyway.

[MattDoyle]

Why not use UN to ban the nukes?

My experiences with this are a resounding NO vote from the AI's

[marvinkosh]

Even in Warlords, the AI will not hesitate to use nukes if it has built them. However I feel that it's a little too trigger-happy, depleting its entire stockpile on the first turn after declaring war. Of course one has to use much of their stockpile just to get any noticeable effect what with SDI and Bomb Shelters.

[jkp1187]

Originally posted by MattDoyle


My experiences with this are a resounding NO vote from the AI's

Depends on timing. If the vote comes up before Manhattan is built, my experience is that it's all over for nukes. Everyone will vote to ban, and no one will vote to un-ban.

[onodera]

In my games the AI sure does use the nukes I give it. On its own territory.

[Jvstin]

Originally posted by onodera
In my games the AI sure does use the nukes I give it. On its own territory.

The Footfall Gambit. I could see the AI doing that if you just landed a stack of doom on their continent and were preparing to go to town.

FWIW, I haven't seen the AI use nukes yet, but in the game I am currently playing, I am considering getting them, especially since I can't break out of a near tie for first. I'm afraid Wang or Yara is going to beat me to the spaceship at this rate.

[A1CBOZ]

I had a last ditch effort war with Portugal in my last game(He was completing his spaceship). And he nuked the hell outta me. The entire northern part of my continent was glowing. BTW, this was on Noble...

And in my current game. The HRE just attacked me becasue I, along with my permanent ally Germany, were pulling away in tech and points. He oppened up with a salvo of tac nukes against Germany, but thankfully I was spared... I can't say that I returned the favor though...

[Tstorm]

Before I got BtS, I played one last game of Warlords, and yes, the A.I. definitely uses nukes. My opponent hit my vassal's cities, including his capital, along with my biggest producing cities, including my capital and largest port.

While that fight was going on, and the greenhouse effect was ramping up...two other A.I.s on the other continent decided to hammer it out. I saw a turn with more than a dozen nukes launched by one A.I. (Large map, epic) Most of them were shot down by SDI, though.