How long to wait during defcon 1 to fire nukes

[Nukemaster]

How soon shoudl you wait after defcon 1 to fire nukes.

[Montyphy]

You should wait x length of time. Where x is z > x > y.

[rowenlemmings]

I would advise NOT launching any nukes until either they've launched, you've found their silos (or at least one target), or they've found all the silos you plan to launch from.

10 nukes per silo -- that's a lot of megadeaths. You don't want to reveal where those silos are early, do you?

The only possible exception to this would be a bait and switch where you perhaps have all of your silos clustered around one particularly defensable area with plenty of radar coverage, and launch one nuke to "test the waters" so to speak, and see if they fire a salvo of easily-destroyed nukes that will do marginal damage. That way, they'll waste nukes, you'll see if they have heavy coverage on the area you fired at, and you'll see where their silos are that opened up on you (assuming they take the bluff).

Beware though, as if you find one silo through a launch, they can just as easily be doing the same thing.

[SRG01]

I also noticed that the AI will tend to wait until -your- silonukes are fired before it starts firing its own.

[Alagos]

I also noticed that the AI will tend to wait until -your- silonukes are fired before it starts firing its own.

No not always, I've seen a 2v2v2 where a player left during Defcon5. The AI took South america and started to nuke North America right after Defcon1 has been pronounced. I've never seen a game with a better AI... actually the AI and the human player won the game with an enormous lead(they played survivor)

[Soldant]

If you play a game with nothing but AI, they all launch at different times. Sometimes they'll launch as soon as the clock ticks over to DEFCON1, sometimes they'll wait until an enemy has launched, or sometimes there's a long period of nothing before one of them gets nervous and leans on the big red button.

The AI is pretty brutal at times...

[Cabbage]

I actually find that launching nukes early gives you some advantge, because your enemy will then probably convert to ICBM mode to retaliate and your nukes will have an easier time getting to his cities.

[Ridiculous Hat]

I'm not exactly sure what's ideal, here, as I am getting repeatedly annihilated by the AI, but it seems as though the key is scouting->synchronization. Without destroying every battleship you see, your subs are worthless as they get destroyed immediately upon readying their nukes. It seems like putting them on active sonar and scouting around a bit is a good idea, as they're quite strong at rooting out battleships-- though you might want to bring some of your own in case carriers are lurking. It seems as though targeting carriers early on is the best idea, though. The first wave is to get them out of the way and then the subs can roam free and wreak all sorts of havoc.

I've found that every time I deploy my bombers offensively, they get shot down quickly-- but they're adept at destroying battleships thanks to their thick hides. Sending a couple after a fleet of battleships to protect your subs seems to work well-- though I had to learn this the hard way when my bombers kept disappearing halfway to the enemy cities.

The most valuable tactic to have when you finally decide to go on the offensive is synchronization, and that is what makes the AI so powerful. Oftentimes I would see their silos firing missles, and then minutes later a horde of sub-fired nukes and bombers would arrive at precisely the same time and my silos would be obliterated. If one's attack can be coordinated in a similar manner, you'll have some losses in terms of missles and bombers, but your opponent will have losses in the millions of citizens. Is it ever right to target their silos? It seems like the best idea is to just bomb cities over and over again, but I could be wrong.

And whoever said the AI is brutal is right-- playing speed defcon against a digital opponent makes me feel inferior as a human being.

[Alagos]

I actually find that launching nukes early gives you some advantge, because your enemy will then probably convert to ICBM mode to retaliate and your nukes will have an easier time getting to his cities.

I never do that, I scout the ICBMs with my fighters and retail with my subs/Carries .

[martin]

I actually find that launching nukes early gives you some advantge, because your enemy will then probably convert to ICBM mode to retaliate and your nukes will have an easier time getting to his cities.

I never do that, I scout the ICBMs with my fighters and retail with my subs/Carries .

indeed, my somewhat infamous Turtle tactic involves almost launching NO silo nukes until the win timer starts. Before that it is all nuking with bombers and subs, which is quite effective.

[krytonix]

It seems like your opponents would be foolish to let that happen. For the win timer to start and you to still have all your silo nukes, everyone else would have to shoot their wad knowing you're still sitting on a pile of nukes. Any nukes they DO still have will probably be coming your way too, and since you aren't staggering your silo/AA mode, there's a good chance many of them will hit your cities.

The other thing is that at the end, it's likely most big cities have already been reduced to rubble so it seems like you wouldn't score enough to overtake the point leader.

I prefer to stagger my silo nuking, preferably in 2 or 3 silo volleys with submarine or bomber backup. Take out the biggest cities in the area and, especially if I plan to strike again nearby, silos and maybe radar.

When it reaches Defcon 1, it's usually best to see what your opponents do before committing. However, if you notice cracks in the enemies defenses, exploit them as soon as possible, even if it means being the first to fire nukes. Waiting too long is as sure a way to lose as blowing it too early.

-Hegemon Hog

[Yonder]

I have played several games so far, and the strategy which is working the best for me is to scout them out with fighters, and try to eleminate vulnerable structures with bombers. With full sub salvos I destroy their silos (before our after they launch their nukes at me, it doesn't matter) I am then free to ICBM them to my hearts content. Often my sluggish pace means that the AI has already nuked my, but a strong defence can keep them from getting inland and scouting out structures, leaving my military intact. This means that even though my citizens die first, they still (usually) do so in smaller numbers.

[lasertrout]

Of course it makes a huge difference to know what you're hitting, but a strategy that has yet to fail me is to launch every single nuke you have as simultaneously as possible, with as many distractions (fighters & bombers) as possible.

Just go for their cities (unless you can take out some radars and silos ahead of time) -- if you fire enough shit at once, there will be too much stuff for them to shoot it all down.


Drawbacks: it leaves you vulnerable for a rather large period of time, you only get one chance.

Benefits: they can't stop it, period.

[Menelven]

What I have found effective is using my sub/bomber nukes before ICBMs, and to mke sure the bombers get through I send them as one large wave synced with the subs.

[wwarnick]

As for the people who don't waste time destroying enemy silos and instead focus on their cities and sacrifice some nukes to do it, if you'd destroyed their silos, you wouldn't have to sacrifice any more nukes and they wouldn't have any nukes to retaliate with. And saving them for the victory timer is risky because they can take out your silos before the victory timer starts.