What does a ICBM do to a capital city?

[kenjara]

I know what the ICBM does to normal cities as they are replaced by a nice big crater but does it do anything other than decrease the population in capitals?

[Gamer10156]

I think it kills off all their units/armies in there and the buildings, but still leaves enough for you to run in and take it over.

[Cipher 8]

i think it also destroys the buildings and warriors defending it that way if you can get to attack the city in the same turn a one warrior unit should be able to take it over...

[Jason2K]

It's more or less been said here, but it basically destroys all buildings and units, but leaves the city itself standing. You have to move in a unit (any unit) to take it.

Any other city is completely obliterated.

[kenjara]

cheers thats all I needed to know. I wanted to make sure it was a feasible option to instantly take an opponents capital if they were close to winning.
Thanks for the clarification.

[Jason2K]

cheers thats all I needed to know. I wanted to make sure it was a feasible option to instantly take an opponents capital if they were close to winning.
Thanks for the clarification.

Yeah, during development before sid made that change, nuking someone's capital was an awesome way to screw them out of a tech victory. You'd get the message that they were close to AC, and BAM! Declare war, nuke their capital without ever having to move a unit. Muahahahahahahahah.

The game is a bit more balanced now. :)

[chappie2k8]

On a game I was playing earlier (I was Greeks), I was waiting outside the Mongol Capital (Karakoum - or something like that ;) ) with 3 armies of Riflemen; all of which were 1 tile off the city. All I needed was this capital and then I would have won Domination. I released a nuke it hit the capital taking out all their defences.

All was going to plan, until I saw my three armies laying on the floor dead!

But not was all lost as I won the game 3 turns later thanks to culture :D

Happy Days!

[MorteEterna]

it's balanced but not too many; i say it because only one could have the ICBM that coast 750 (the Manhattan project, but it's the same thing) and it is maybe impossible to lost when you have the ICBM. So i think that it could be better to unlock to all the ICBM, but only one for player and who has bought the Project Manhattan will get some prizes.. I was thinking about who took the first ICBM need 750 resources and other players 1500. But not more ICBM as civilization IV, because if a game becomes long you could have 100 ICBM..

[TheMystic]

I am extremely happy to see that nukes can wipe a city off the map now. It's interesting that there's a limit to one nuke, although I think I read that there are still suitcase nuke units or did that not make it over to Rev?

Assuming we see a Civ 5 on the PC one day, please consider upgrading the power of nukes there as well, even if it means more detrimental effects by using them. I always thought nukes were a bit too weak and too easy to spam in Civ 4.

[2K Elizabeth]

there aren't suitcase nukes. only 1 nuke in the game. first to build it, gets it.

and i always battle whether i'd rather just destroy a city or use it to help me take a capital. :D