                             Concept : Nuke Types

NAME
   Nuke-types - Description of different kinds of nuclear weapons

Level: Expert

There  are  two  different  types of nuclear devices in Empire: fission bombs,
fusion bombs.  Both fission and fusion bombs perform  similarly,  with  fusion
bombs giving "more bang for the buck".

In  general,  the only way to avoid damage by a nuclear detonation is to avoid
the area prior to and during  actual  detonation.   "Hardening"  missiles  (in
silos)  is  the only exception, and even that cannot protect from a direct hit
by the larger nuclear devices.

The details of the nuclear devices present in Empire can  be  seen  using  the
show command.  The meaning of the fields are as follows:

name  The nukes name.
 lcm  The amount of lcm needed to build the nuke
 hcm  The amount of hcm needed to build the nuke
 oil  The amount of crude oil required to build it.
 rad  The number of radioactive products required to build it.
tech  The minimum tech level required to construct the nuke.
   $  The cost of the nuke to construct.

The other fields given in the capabilities are as follows.

blst  The blast type of the nuke
 dam  The damage rating of the nuke
 lbs  the  weight  of  the  warhead, limiting missile and plane nuclear device
      carrying capacity.

As a guide (these numbers are subject to change):
   [##:##] Command : show nuke build

           lcm hcm  oil  rad tech $
   10kt fission   50  50   25   50  200 $7500
   50kt fission   60  60   30   75  225 $9000
   100kt fission  75  75   40  100  250 $12000
   250kt fusion   50  50   25   50  280 $7500
   500kt fusion   60  60   30   75  295 $9000
   1mt fusion     75  75   50  100  310 $12000
   3mt fusion    100 100   75  127  325 $19000

   [##:##] Command : show nuke capab

           blst dam lbs tech $
   10kt fission     3  80   4  200 $7500
   50kt fission     3 100   6  225 $9000
   100kt fission    4 120   8  250 $12000
   250kt fusion     4 150   4  280 $7500
   500kt fusion     5 170   6  295 $9000
   1mt fusion       6 190   8  310 $12000
   3mt fusion       7 210  10  325 $19000

The larger the megatonnage, the more damage done by the weapon.   Effects  (as
in  the  real  world)  can  only  be  determined  by experimentation, although
research suggests that radioactivity left behind by  nuclear  detonations  may
have lasting effects.

SEE ALSO
   launch, fly, build, transport, show, Planes

