Civ 7 Won't Have Gandhi to Go Nuclear, But Did He Ever?

The enduring legend of "Nuclear Gandhi" from the original Civilization game is a classic example of gaming folklore. But was this infamous bug real, or merely a product of the community's imagination? Let's delve into the history and truth behind this legendary glitch.

The Myth of Nuclear Gandhi

The story goes that in the original Civilization, leaders had an aggression level (1-10, or 1-12 depending on the account), with 1 being pacifist and 10 being warmongering. Gandhi, being a historical pacifist, started at 1. Upon adopting Democracy, his aggression supposedly decreased by 2, resulting in -1. The legend claims this negative value, stored as an 8-bit unsigned integer, caused an overflow, boosting his aggression to 255 – making him incredibly aggressive. With nuclear weapons readily available after adopting Democracy, this led to Gandhi unleashing nuclear devastation.

The Reality Check

However, Sid Meier himself debunked this in 2020. He stated that the original Civilization used signed integers, preventing the overflow. Furthermore, government type didn't affect aggression levels. Brian Reynolds, lead designer of Civilization II, corroborated this, highlighting the game's limited aggression levels and the fact that Gandhi wasn't unique in his pacifist setting. The code simply didn't support the behavior described in the legend.

The Legend's Spread

Despite the lack of evidence, the Nuclear Gandhi myth gained traction in the mid-2010s, spreading rapidly through gaming communities. This was long after the original game's popularity had waned, making verification difficult.

A Twist of Fate: Civilization V

Interestingly, while the original Civilization didn't feature Nuclear Gandhi, Civilization V did. Its AI was explicitly programmed to give Gandhi a high preference for nuclear weapons, a design choice confirmed by Jon Shafer, the game's lead designer. This might explain the origin of the myth, though there's no direct link to a specific early online post.

The Legacy of Nuclear Gandhi

Even though the original myth is false, its impact is undeniable. The irony of the pacifist leader becoming a nuclear warmonger resonated with players, cementing its place in gaming history. Civilization VI even acknowledged the legend, giving Gandhi a high chance of the "Nuke Happy" hidden agenda. With Gandhi's absence in Civilization VII, the legend might finally rest, but some myths, like Nuclear Gandhi, are simply too compelling to die.

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