Nukes

[Wiglaf]

Is it just me, or are nukes completely worthless? By the time you discover the needed tech and build the Manhattan Proj, The Laser is right around the corner. This means you'll only have around 10 years (max) to launch a few (expensive) warheads before the SDI defence is widespread. Then you're left with spies, and they have no chance of successful bombing anyway. Can anyone use these things longer than a few turns?

[Laertes]

I think you'll find that a lot of players avoid building the Manhattan project, because the AI use them indisccriminately,on unit stacks as well as cities, and the SDI in every city is expensive and time consuming.

[Wiglaf]

quote: the SDI in every city is expensive and time consuming

They should've made some kind of WoW that gives you one in every base...sigh

[Mercantile]

actually nukes are an important part of the game, part of the fun is trying to win the game before the crafty ai can steal that devious tech from you. Up with nukes, just use them the way they were used in history, NOT VERY FREQUENTLY

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Do you shovel snow in your birkenstocks?

[Wiglaf]

quote: Originally posted by Mercantile on 12-04-2000 07:18 PM Up with nukes, just use them the way they were used in history, NOT VERY FREQUENTLY

True, they weren't used much in history, but the book still isn't closed. To this day, decades after the Manhattan Proj, we still don't have the SDI defence to completely weed out nuclear weapons. Yet in civ2, The Laser comes seconds after the player builds a bomb. I think the Laser should be a little further along so that both a more enjoyable (strategic) experiance and realism is present. Don't get me wrong, I love the game, but I think nukes, a critical portion of every large/rouge nation's military, should be more used.

[Wiglaf]

Goodnight

[Mercantile]

Realistically nukes come out early enough i think, you just have to prioratize the research and then, whammo drop em. Spies are great for cities with/out sdi, as they can, it will cost you a few each time, plant nukes. I do it all the time, but i send 5-7 for each try. Besides most players here hate nukes anyways, or so it seems

[Wiglaf]

I guess I'm not lucky, it takes me at least 20 spies a shot at that base. Oh well...
Well, I suppose I should prioritize to get 'em faster, your right. The AI just keeps stealing my techs on deity level though, and it seems they have a higher success rate with planting, even when doing it against a vet counterspy unit. Oh well, guess I'll try later. Thanks everyone, and goodnight.

[Fiji]

another use for nukes (even after SDIs become widespread)
kill the massive navies some AIs like
if you're lucky, you can get up to 30 kills with one nuke

aaaaaand on the plus side ... no polution

[Laertes]

Spies posted outside your cities, on railways that incoming spies are likely to use, and active not fortified, are a good defence against incoming spies, as they:

- see them coming, and
- block the fast route in, giving you a chance to expel them.

For full-on usage of nukes, you should check out "da smokes", who started some threads recently advocating nukes for breakfast lunch and dinner.

[Wiglaf]

I never thought of 'water bombing'....interesting about the pollution.

quote: For full-on usage of nukes, you should check out "da smokes", who started some threads recently advocating nukes for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Thanks, I think I will.
[This message has been edited by SMACed (edited December 05, 2000).]

[SandMonkey]

"Then you're left with spies, and they have no chance of successful bombing anyway. "

I beg to differ, I've used spies to plant nukes before. If you send in a group of them, all vets, chances are you'll get at least one in... but remember to leave them a few squares away!

[Kyle]

Oh hell no

They're a good way to "take everyone down with you."


Way back when I was still getting trounced on Chieftan, my cities were being picked off (I'd already lost the game), I mass built nukes and destroyed the environment. The Frenchies might've beaten me, but their world wasn't livable


Actually, involving one's self in a nuclear war with a peer competitor is an interesting challenge. Not only to see if you can win, but to also recover from it.

[Wiglaf]

quote: Originally posted by SandMonkey on 12-05-2000 06:01 PM If you send in a group of them, all vets, chances are you'll get at least one in

I guess I'm just not the lucky one, I've sent literally 21 spies at a city and I didn't get one explosion off. Half of them were vet status, and they were quite expensive. How I miss them

quote: They're a good way to "take everyone down with you."

Yeah, but using that strategy means forking over the game. And that doesn't go over well with my 'never surrender' attitude.

[Dissident Aggressor]

the only time I've used nukes on naval units was in the ww79 scenario. I had no other use for them. I conquered the world using conventional means (with both USA and USSR). A nuke shoot out in that scenario is near impossible to keep up with engineers. I got nuked a couple of times, but my howies quickly overran all opposition. But nukes on water are great because of no pollution. One whole battle group- bye bye. But I'd never waste that many shields on that buy building them myself.
[This message has been edited by Dissident Aggressor (edited December 06, 2000).]