Did Gandhi Ever Go Nuclear in Civ 7?

The legend of “Nuclear Gandhi” from the original Civilization game has become a well-known tale in the gaming community, but how did it originate, and was there any truth to it? Dive into the fascinating history of the Nuclear Gandhi myth.

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

In the tapestry of gaming lore, every community has its legends and myths. From the eerie tales of Herobrine and Ben Drowned to the legendary glitch known as Nuclear Gandhi, these stories captivate players' imaginations. Nuclear Gandhi, a name that might not ring a bell for newer fans of the Civilization series, once held a legendary status among gamers. The story goes that in the original Civilization game, a bug transformed the peace-loving Indian leader into a nuclear-obsessed warmonger. But was there any truth to this tale, or was it simply a figment of the gaming community's collective imagination? Let's delve into the myth and uncover the facts.

The Legend of Nuclear Gandhi as It Was First Known

To understand the legend, we must first explore its origins. In the original Civilization game for MS-DOS, leaders were assigned an aggression parameter by the AI, ranging from 1 to 10 or 1 to 12, with 1 indicating a pacifist and 10 a warmonger. Gandhi, known for his pacifism, was set to the lowest aggression level of 1. The myth claims that upon adopting Democracy, his aggression level would decrease by 2, resulting in a negative value of -1.

The crux of the legend lies in the alleged use of an 8-bit unsigned integer to store this parameter. A negative value would cause an integer overflow, flipping Gandhi's aggression to 255, making him 25 times more aggressive than the most belligerent civilizations. With nuclear weapons becoming available post-Democracy, Gandhi would supposedly unleash a barrage of nuclear attacks, earning the moniker "Nuclear Gandhi."

Nuclear Spreads Through the Whole Community

The tale of Nuclear Gandhi spread rapidly within the Civilization community, eventually reaching the broader 4X gaming scene and beyond. Interestingly, the legend didn't gain significant traction until the mid-2010s, long after the original game's 1991 release. By the time Civilization V was released, the original game's player base had dwindled, making it challenging to verify the myth. Many assumed it was a result of coding errors in the old game, but the truth was more nuanced.

Sid Meier Confirms That Nuclear Gandhi Was Impossible

In 2020, Sid Meier, the designer of the original Civilization, debunked the Nuclear Gandhi myth, calling it "impossible." He clarified that all integer variables in the game were signed, preventing any overflow from a negative value. Additionally, government types did not affect aggression levels, meaning Gandhi's behavior remained consistent throughout the game.

Brian Reynolds, lead designer of Civilization II, supported Meier's statement, noting that the original game only had three aggression levels, and Gandhi shared his pacifist setting with other leaders. There was no unsigned variable in the relevant code, and no mechanism existed to make leaders more aggressive beyond their set parameters. Thus, the Nuclear Gandhi legend was just that—a legend.

How Nuclear Gandhi Came to Be (Twice)

Despite being debunked, Nuclear Gandhi remains one of gaming's most infamous "bugs" due to its ironic appeal. The myth didn't surface until 2012, when a user added it to the Civilization page on TV Tropes. From there, it was picked up by gaming publications and spread rapidly.

The reason for its enduring popularity lies in a twist: while the original Civilization never had a Nuclear Gandhi, Civilization V did. Gandhi's AI in Civ V was intentionally coded to have a high preference for nuclear weapons, a decision made by the game's lead designer, Jon Shafer. Although there's no direct connection between Civ V's Gandhi and the TV Tropes post, the timing suggests this is where the legend took root.

Civilization VI further played into the myth by giving Gandhi a 70% chance of having the "Nuke Happy" hidden agenda. However, in Civilization VII, Gandhi is absent from the roster, potentially putting the Nuclear Gandhi legend to rest. Yet, as history shows, some myths are immortal.

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