Launch detection

[skeuri]

Hi,

Perhaps this has been answered elsewehere but the seach-function still doesn't work.

When you get a "Launch detected" warning, does that mean that:

a) A nuke has actualy left a silo and is now airbourne? or
b) A silo has just reached ICBM-mode and is capable of launching nukes as of now? or
c) A silo had just begun changing to ICBM mode and there is still 120s left before it can fire a nuke?

Furthermore does anyone have an idea of how long it takes nukes to get halfway around the world? In other words, is there any point in targeting a launching silo if it's on the other side of the globe or will it (the silo) have come back to Air-Defence-mode by the time your nuke is nearing the silo?

Grtz, skeuri.

[Hegemon Hog]

Launch detection is triggered when a missile becomes airborne, be it from a bomber, submarine, or missile silo.

I'm not sure what the travel time of a nuke is across half the map. It takes 340 seconds (5min 40sec) to switch back to AA mode. In my experience they get back into AA mode pretty quick so I wouldn't count on your nukes making it there in time.

[skeuri]

Does anyone have any experience with this specific point?

Does it pay to have a cluster of silos in a remote area and have them fire one nuke each and then revert back to AA-mode too prepare for the counterattack? Or is it better to just launch the entire store of nukes and hope the counterattack arrives after all the nukes have launched?

Grtz, skeuri.

[Spartiate]

Well, if the enemy has Subs off your coast then there is no way in hell that your silos will be back in defense mode in time. So I think that unless your launching an all out attack its best firing from your silos in bursts of 1-2 nukes, then switching them back to defense mode. Ideally having nearby silos in defense mode the entire time. Would be unwise to fire all simultaenously unless you were 100% sure the enemy could not counterattack before you are ready.

[skeuri]

What I've been doing so far is have silos near my cities for AA-defence and one silo in a remote area. Then as soon as DEFCON-1 hits, I launch the remote silo. The reason being that some opponents will then fire back with multiple silos so I suddenly have a better view of their defences. Then I sneak the subs in and strike back so hard and short range they won't be able to defend enough. After that I'll usually have more nukes left than them and can start nuking at my leisure and slowly bring my score back up. I haven't won yet but gotten to second place most of the times with this strategy.

[kruko]

Launch detection is triggered when a missile becomes airborne, be it from a bomber, submarine, or missile silo.

Actually, bomber launch is not followed by launch detected warning.

@ skeuri

yep, that strategy works against AI, and stupid enough human

[skeuri]

using a Silo to trigger an enemy launcing nukes, you give away the location of that Silo.... your Silo would go poof and your strategy is useless.

That's the whole point, to sacrifice one silo to detect three, or more. And by the time that one silo is destroyed, it will have launched all its nukes anyway.

Man, it feels so good to have a few weeks experience above yours...

Don't you just hate those damn beta-testers? Besides, your tactics are considered old-skool now anyway.

[kruko]

That's the whole point, to sacrifice one silo to detect three, or more. And by the time that one silo is destroyed, it will have launched all its nukes anyway.

And what if he launches bombers?