User Guide

ICBMS
ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles), also known as
“nukes,” can ruin a leader’s whole day. These are the ultimate
weapons available in Civilization IV, and they are extremely
potent.
Acquiring Nukes
To build nuclear weapons, you need the following:
THE MANHATTAN PROJECT WONDER
Someone in the game must have built the Manhattan Project
wonder. It needn’t be you; once anybody has built the
Manhattan Project, everyone can build nukes (if they meet the
other requirements).
ROCKETRY AND FISSION
You need to know the Rocketry and Fission technologies to
construct nukes.
URANIUM
You need access to the Uranium resource to build nukes.
Uranium is revealed by the Physics tech.
Constructing Nukes
You build nukes in a city, just like any other unit.
Launching a Nuke
Nukes have unlimited range: they can reach any space on the
map. Once launched, nukes reach their target space and deto-
nate immediately.
Area of Effect
Nukes are “area of effect” weapons; when detonated they cause
damage in their target square, but they also cause damage to the
eight squares that are adjacent to the target square. In fact, the
eight adjacent squares get hit just as hard as the target square.
Damage Effects
BUILDINGS
If a nuke detonates in or adjacent to a city, the computer makes
a “kill check” against each building; if the building passes the
check, it emerges unharmed. If the target building fails, it is
destroyed (but see “bomb shelters,” below).Wonders cannot be
destroyed by nukes!
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UNITS
The computer makes a “kill check” against each unit; if the
unit fails the check it is destroyed. If the unit passes the check,
it may emerge damaged or unscathed.
IMPROVEMENTS
If a nuke detonates on top of or adjacent to an improvement,
that improvement is destroyed.
Fallout
A nuclear detonation may produce “fallout” – radioactive
debris – in any of the target squares. Fallout makes the space
totally unworkable; in other words, a nearby city cannot draw
food, commerce, production, or resources from a square dam-
aged by fallout.
SCRUBBING FALLOUT
Once you have discovered the Ecology technology, your work-
ers can “scrub” (or clean) fallout. Scrubbing fallout is like any
other worker action: multiple workers can scrub a space simul-
taneously to speed the job up; certain civics and wonders may
cause workers to scrub fallout faster; and so forth.
SDI and Nukes
The SDI project has an excellent chance of intercepting any
nukes targeted at your territory.
Bomb Shelters and Nukes
A bomb shelter in a city reduces damage by 75%.
Diplomatic Penalties
There are serious diplomatic penalties attached to using nukes.
Relations with other civilizations are almost certain to drop
precipitously, and you may find yourself at the receiving end of
someone else’s nuclear arsenal.You have been warned!
Global Warming
Use of nuclear weapons may cause Global Warming to begin,
turning previously fertile tiles into useless desert. Prolonged
nuclear exchanges may eventually transform the world into an
uninhabitable wasteland.
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