Dr. Strangeciv or: Will Civ 6 Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb?

[TerryR]

I'm not intending this to be a scientific poll, but I am curious to know how often other players have seen the AI use nuclear weapons in Civ 6.

With 945 hours of Civ 6 under my belt, the only time I can recall the AI ever using nukes was 2 or 3 updates ago when, on Immortal Difficulty and a starting age of the Atomic Era, one civ (can't remember which) repeatedly lobbed thermonuclear weapons at a City State. The sight of it was some combination of amusing, disturbing, and ridiculous.

I'm not one of those Civ players that pines endlessly for the earlier entries of the series, but I do miss the tension and outright fear in Civ 2 and Civ 3 when you were concerned about a hostile Civ getting nuclear weapons (before you could effortlessly befriend every civ you come across) - and, they would even threaten you when they got the bomb!

In any case, it would be nice to see the AI pursue and use nukes. Given the developers' admirable recreation of the scourge of climate change, I, for one, would like to see them use the same degree of enthusiasm to recreate the immense problem of nuclear proliferation (beyond one World Congress resolution that occasionally pops up).

 

[8housesofelixir]

Problem is the game usually ends before AI begin to build a nuclear arsenal. (And I'm not even a super-effective player, the game usually ends between t300-325 for me.)

If the starting age is after Modern Era then AI will have the time to build their arsenal, but I also found they were more likely to build GDRs than nukes and thus depleting their uranium stockpile.

 

[enKage]

The only time I saw nuclear bomb in civ6 was my own bomb on my own partisans just to see how it works o_O.

Never seen any more nor build any myself.


OTOH I still remember one of my civ4 games, when me and China were launching nukes on the other every turn, later every 3-4 turns, just because our production suffered

 

[Morningcalm]

Never seen an AI use a nuke. That's because I eliminate them typically before they get such access, or, on the rare occasion I'm playing peacefully, I have alliances which prevent them using the nuke, even if I score many negative diplo modifiers with my allies (friendships and alliances in Civ VI are harder to break since you can renew them the turn they expire and that nullifies the negative diplo modifiers until you let the relationship lapse again and don't renew).

 

[9gkj548hkm20vk79dj689bnj4]

The only time someone ever nuked me was in Civ 5. It was Indonesia (go figure) nuking his own cities which I captured from him.

 

[8housesofelixir]

The only time someone ever nuked me was in Civ 5. It was Indonesia (go figure) nuking his own cities which I captured from him.

That's some Belka style national defense strategy. And I would love to see AI do more Belkan things.

 

[iammaxhailme]

In 3,000 hours of Civ 5, I've probably been nuked like ten times and fight enemy planes pretty much every time I have a late-game war (which I extremely rarely do, to be fair)

In 2,000 hours of Civ 6, I've never been nuked or seen an enemy air unit even once. (I think...)

 

[Virdrago]

Once. In one game sometime last year, AI Cyrus nuked AI Gandhi twice. I was surprised, since I've had this game since it came out and it was the first time. Never seen it happen since. I've built nukes myself, just never used them, since no-one else does.

 

[tsf4]

I find my games I am either conquered before it gets to modern era due to being higher difficulty, or it’s lower diff and therefore the AI is too under developed or passive to use them.

it’s sad, but also the story makes it awe inspiring if it does happen. But I’ve yet to see it.

 

[James_Champagne]

Never seem it happen myself.

 

[Arithmion]

The only time I saw nuclear bomb in civ6 was my own bomb on my own partisans just to see how it works o_O.

Note to self. Don't argue with @enKage . "How's this for more amenities?!"

I launched one against Qin, but he totally deserved it. I was peacemongering, and he launched a formal war. I responded by taking the territory he stole from Saladin (who he also wiped off the face of the map btw). He sued for peace, and denounced me again not long after, so bombs away. All of that happened on chieftain difficulty.

 

[Futumch]

I'm in the "never seen it" camp too.

 

[Karmah]

so am I

 

[Sostratus]

I have been nuked before, but I’ve yet to see one used in the era of the Gun Deployment Rig. Those suckers just inhale uranium.

 

[Drivingrevilo]

Can confirm that I have been nuked by the deity AI, but only once. It happened very late in the game: Pachacuti declared a surprise war on me and immediately nuked one of my frontier cities. I remember being extremely impressed – until I saw that Pachacuti followed up this masterly betrayal by only sending a single anti-tank unit to attack me... AI gonna AI.

AI Cyrus nuked AI Gandhi twice

I've also witnessed this on very rare occasions. Quite recently, I saw Poland beating up on Catherine in a late game war, and Jadwiga nuked Paris three turns in a row. Talk about overkill.

 

[MrRadar]

Fresh example: AI retaliatory thermonuke. I did nuke first, though, and was successful on the third try, lol. First delivery attempt via stealth bomber was shot down by a GDR, second one via a missile from a silo - likewise. Finally, third one from a nuke sub got through. A few turns later I heard the launch sound and watched AI send a thermonuke against Jerusalem for some reason, my vassal CS. Took out my best vampire, bastards

However, Qin never proposed the 'WMD used' emergency. There were zero diplomatic repercussions because of our little nuclear war. Qin's ally and my former friend Trajan was happy to see my empire grow in size. No grievances or negative diplo modifier 'you nuked our friend', even Qin was only showing grievances for taken cities, but no major penalty for 'you nuked us', like in Civ IV.

Given enough time, AI may get somewhere, but yes, nuking is rare. But maybe it is good, if it is so? That is a very extreme measure indeed.
It is much worse that whenever it does come to nuking (or bombing), AI keeps hitting the same 0 hp target.

Spoiler :

 

[kaspergm]

Never seen it. I did get nuked once by Genghis in Civ5, however.

 

[reddishrecue]

Never seen it. I did get nuked once by Genghis in Civ5, however.

Oh wow, I got nuked by Ramkhamhaeng in civ5.

 

[JJOne]

However, Qin never proposed the 'WMD used' emergency.

I don't believe such an emergency exists in this game.

 

[MrRadar]

I don't believe such an emergency exists in this game.

Wiki says there is, quoting Civilopedia, it seems:
>
Nuclear Emergency: A civilization has used a nuclear weapon. The Members must capture cities from the Target. The Members receive a bonus to Movement in the Target's territory, and have Peace, Open Borders, and Shared Visibility with each other. All Members will go to War with the Target and the Target's Strength is reduced when fighting them. If the Members succeed, then the Target's military units suffer an even greater and permanent penalty in Strength when fighting the Members. If they fail, then all the Member cities suffer reduced Loyalty.
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But then again, not everything wiki says is necessarily true. I have yet to see such an emergency myself.