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THE COLUMN
NUCLEAR WARFARE IN CIV3
By Tim
June 23, 2001

NOTE: This is The Column, a regular feature on Apolyton where anyone can write about anything to do with Civilization or the gaming industry as a whole. If you feel like writing, please visit the article submission page.

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COLUMN ARCHIVE

One problem I have had with civ2 is that its nuclear implement was really quite crappy. I think it would have been better completely without it, then with what it has. Though this is not one of my biggest complaints with civ2 (rather, a suggestion for civ3), but I think it is important enough to bring it up. I have thought a lot about how nuclear warfare should be implemented into civ3, and this is what I have come up with:

1. Nuclear missiles (as well as cruise missiles) should be launched from a city, or silo, NOT moved around like regular units. Silos could be built by settlers outside a city (like a fortress or airbase), or be a city improvement. They would have the one purpose of storing and launching missiles. Later in the game, there should also be underground missiles, which would be protected from ground units.

2. Nuclear devstation in civ2 is like a walk in the park, with nothing but half of that cities population gone, and a few polution tiles around the city. Heres what i suggest for civ3: After launched from a city or silo, the missile would have a curtain percentage (%) of hitting its target, depending on how far away the target was, and the kind of terrain surrounding the target, for example: a target (city) with mountains and hills around it would have a 50% chance of hitting its target, while a target that is situated on flat terrain (e.g. plains) would have a 60 or 70% chance of hitting its target. and if the target is more then half way around the world, it would have at least a 50% chance of either dropping short, or completely missing it, and the further away the target, the more the chance of the missile missing its target. But any missile, no matter how good the terrain is, or how close the target is, would have no more then a 80% chance of hitting its target. When a missile hits its target dead on, the blast radius would include the entire city radius, and 1-2 squares out from that. Everything within that blast radius would be completely leveled, and destroyed, that also includes agriculture, and the tiles in the radius would be turned to chard tiles, and could not be used for anything, for a minimum of the next twenty turns. aslo, if any cities are within say...ten squares of that city, then that cities population is reduced by 25%, and 1-5 improvements are destroyed at random. If a wonder is destroyed in a targeted city, it is automatically transfered to the closest city of that civilization. The next turn, a fallout or radiation field would be created, starting at the central target, and expanding to five squares beyond that cities original radius. The field would stay there for approximately ten turns, and any units passing through the field (the field is invincible, but you will be given a warning when any of your units gets close to it) will lose 25% of its health each turn for every turn that that unit is in the field, once all the units health is gone, it dies. If the field envelopes any surrounding cities, then those cities' populations are dropped by an additional 25%. if one or more of your cities was within either the blast radius, or radiation radius, you will suffer the same as enemy cities, even though it may have been your misile. If a city (enemy, or friend) felt the blast, half of that cities units (e.g. riflemen) will die.

3. in civ2, if you nuke an enemy, no one cares, and you lose no reputation, not among your people, nor other nations. in civ3, you will lose next to all your reputation among your own people, and other nations. any nation who felt the impact of the nuclear blast, will immediately become angered at you, and will have a good chance of declaring war, even if its an ally. If one or more of your cities felt the blast, then 25% of your entire national population will become angry at you, and an additional 25% will go neutral.

4. When a nuclear missile is launched, it will arrive at its target...1-5 minutes after the launch, even if its during his or any other players turn, and will interrupt the game temporarely to show the blast, or rather, mushroom cloud. One minute after the launch took place, all the civs playing at the moment will be warned that a missile from ______ had been launched at ______, although this will be a warning, the targeted civ will NOT be able to evacuate, one reason is that he will not know which city(s) are the target(s), ALTHOUGH, he will have a chance to launch back if he is capable.

Well, that is all I have to say. I know that many civers will disagree with me, that this may be WAY too bad, but I guarantee, I do know that what I am talking about is accurate. If you wish to look it up, read the book: Alas, Babylon. Its about a nuclear holocaust in america.

---------
Civ series fan

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