Concept : Nuke Types

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):
[##:##] 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



[##:##] 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