Idea about Nuclear Weapons

The first atomic weapons developed (and subsequently used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) unleashed explosions on the order of magnitude of kilotons of TNT. Later, when thermonuclear (or hydrogen) weapons were developed, the explosions had forces on the order of megatons of TNT. That means that the H-bomb is 1000 times or greater in force than the A-bomb. If A-bombs are modeled in Civ IV as a weapon capable of greatly reducing a city's population, destroying many of its buildings and military units in the process, then it only makes sense that H-bombs, if allowed in the game, would be used to utterly annihilate a targeted city. Depending on scale, they may even have effects in surrounding cities! Neutron bombs were a particularly evil idea where most of the energy would be released as neutrons instead of explosive force, killing all life and irradiating the target for millenia.

Instead of making H-bombs insanely expensive, the control mechanism should be cosnequences for actually using them. I like sir schwick's idea that MAD-like response mechanism needs to be allowed for sufficiently technological civilizations. Perhaps when an ICBM is launched, you are notified of what nation has launched (assuming that you have the tech to know a missile has launched) and get the option to retaliate before the missile actually hits.

Another good control would be climate and environmental effects of using the weapons. It is commonly accepted that if the US and USSR had ever actually followed through with their promises of MAD, that the resultant plumes would very likely have blotted out the sun and lead to nuclear winter, or possibly even a mass global extinction on par with the end of the Mesozoic Era. Of course, nuclear winter could be kind of fun, as you watched your civilization slowly devolve into the Stone Age. Then, you could start all over again!
 
@mercobb
Destructive power of explosives is not linear - it follows a cube root law. So a 10 megaton bomb is merely 10 times as destructive as a 10 kiloton bomb. Impressive, but certainly not the multicity killer you envision.

Don't worry, explosives is only a hobby with me.
 
Most strategic weapons(at least before the weapons treaties) were MIRV based. You cause more consistent and widespread damage with 20 - 500 KTon warheads in a spread pattern than one 10 MTon warhead. Of course then there would be an option to have an international MIRV ban. This would reduce the destructive power of individual nukes you built considerably.
 
I think another argument here is to balance realism against gameplay issues: before you ask for something too loudly ask youself: 'would you like it if it were used on YOU?' ;) If not, then there is a chance that it is because it is unbalanced and, therefore, a gamekiller.
I think a key issue may not be so much HOW much damage a nuclear weapon does when it first hits, but the lingering effects of fallout on your city's population growth-and should be another parameter which can be altered in the editor.

Yours,
Aussie_Lurker.
 
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