Effect of nuke on AI capital

[FriedLiverAtack]

My main question is if you can destroy enemy spaceship by nuking it, or do you actually have to capture the city. I only used nukes once and it was a normal city and it cut the population in half, destroyed the 7 aircraft the AI had there (that's why used nuke), contaminated the area, and caused neighboring previously friendly AI to declare war. Does it destroy buildings inside the city? I would think that nuking would cause everyone to declare war but that doesn't seem to be the case.

But I like the idea of maintaining a quick strike force ready to take out enemy capital if it looks like it is near a science win ahead of me and currently I've been using two carriers with aircraft and a number of destroyers and a few land units. I am trying to figure out if I should have a ready nuke in this mix.

 

[skallben]

My main question is if you can destroy enemy spaceship by nuking it, or do you actually have to capture the city. I only used nukes once and it was a normal city and it cut the population in half, destroyed the 7 aircraft the AI had there (that's why used nuke), contaminated the area, and caused neighboring previously friendly AI to declare war. Does it destroy buildings inside the city? I would think that nuking would cause everyone to declare war but that doesn't seem to be the case.

But I like the idea of maintaining a quick strike force ready to take out enemy capital if it looks like it is near a science win ahead of me and currently I've been using two carriers with aircraft and a number of destroyers and a few land units. I am trying to figure out if I should have a ready nuke in this mix.

Allways have nukes ready/in production in modern era IMO. They can help you cut through a carpet of doom like a hot knife through butter. Drop Nuke, follow up with radar artillery kills, mech inf/tank assault, air-strike cleanups. Use ships aswell if at coast. Nukes turn the tides of war like flipping a coin.

 

[grandad1982]

I nuked Eygpts capital last night as they were 2 components ahead in the space race. It didn't destroy the spaceship, which I found very stupid. I nuked it again. Same result.

Luckilly I guess I destroyed the production in Rammys capital and this combined with a GA boosted me to the win. Sweet.

Actually despite the disappointing lack of damage to the space ship I really enjoyed this end of game. I rush brought a Carrier and moved my Atomic Bombs to it, then went full speed accross the ocean for 6 turns before I was in range. All the while I was expecting his last booster to be ready while I still had about 20 turns of production left (this went down in the GA). Also rush brought a Hydro plant in my cap for some monster Hammers.

 

[FriedLiverAtack]

I nuked Eygpts capital last night as they were 2 components ahead in the space race. It didn't destroy the spaceship, which I found very stupid. I nuked it again. Same result.

Luckilly I guess I destroyed the production in Rammys capital and this combined with a GA boosted me to the win. Sweet.

Actually despite the disappointing lack of damage to the space ship I really enjoyed this end of game. I rush brought a Carrier and moved my Atomic Bombs to it, then went full speed accross the ocean for 6 turns before I was in range. All the while I was expecting his last booster to be ready while I still had about 20 turns of production left (this went down in the GA). Also rush brought a Hydro plant in my cap for some monster Hammers.

Yes, you would think a nuke would destroy something is fragile as a spaceship. In one of my early games I noticed the AI would declare war if I started to build spaceship so I just hold onto the pieces for awhile then assemble it quickly.

I just gave up my first try at archipelago as Elizabeth, UN was built and Russia had 12 allied CS and I didn't have the time or resources to buy-off or capture 4 CS, despite my killer fleet of 10 L7+ destroyers. Can you stop a diplomatic victory by taking opponents capital?

 

[Pyrrho]

Yeah it is a little weird that it does not have an impact on previously built spaceship parts, but like it was mentioned above, if you nuke the production city it will have serious repercussions for future production so it is a very viable move, especially if you are lagging behind.

To be honest though, I am very glad that nukes do not destroy the spaceship because that would make things too easy. I find diplomacy and science victories are the only victory conditions where the AI has a good chance of beating me @ immortal/deity, mainly due to my inability to significantly mess with their progress (unless I go to war, at which point I might as well be playing a domination game with a side order of gold-bribes/beaker-pushing)

 

[Treso]

Spaceship is a "wonder" I think. In Civ4 at least you cannot destroy wonders by nuking.

 

[DashieBaby87]

I committed mass genocide on Askia (sp?). He only had one city left (his capital) and wanted to be left alone. Two pre-emptive nuke strikes took care of him. Not even a leaderhead loss screen.

I think you have to kill off the Civ, though. That would be cheesy if you could just nuke and take out the spaceship.

 

[SpearMan153]

my guess is that the in transit space parts count as units and are nuke-able but once assembled in the capital are safe

Can you destroy capitals with nukes?

 

[sharkles]

They could conceivably be building the spaceship in a protected bunker.

 

[KM]

It makes perfect sence that the spaceship is not destroyed by the nuke. All thought you transport the parts to the capital they probably assemble the spaceship in some dessert (the risks of lounching a spaceship from within a big city is just to big)

Where do they lounch spaceships in real life, desserts, thundra etc.

 

[dubrown]

The spaceship moves with the capital, so capture the capital will not stop or destroy the Apollo program or already assembled spaceship parts, it just moves to the next capital. To really end an enemies spaceship race you need to annihilate the enemy completely.

On the other hand, a few nukes sets back production alot so it'll certainly give you extra time to beat the AI to victory. Just identify which AI cities that's high on production and nuke them.

Nuking an "initial" capital will not destroy it, atleast it shouldn't be possible to destroy it completetly, it should stop at 1 pop, just like city states. Any other city or temporary capital can be destroyed completely by a nuke if small enough to begin with.

 

[diz2]

I would venture a guess that "loose" spaceship parts can be destroyed, but once they are assembled it is no longer possible.

By nuke or otherwise.

I don't have much experience with either spaceships or nukes though.

Can confirm that conquering city with apollo program the old fashioned way causes spaceship to shift to new city.

 

[stryfe]

I the space ship not assembled in space? I thought the parts were units but once a part was added to the ship it was sent into space for assembly.

 

[SpearMan153]

I the space ship not assembled in space? I thought the parts were units but once a part was added to the ship it was sent into space for assembly.

well if you click "On More Turn" after winning space you get to see the spaceship launch - so I'd say not sent into space