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

The "Nuclear Gandhi" myth: A Civilization legend debunked

The infamous "Nuclear Gandhi" bug from the original Civilization game is a well-known gaming legend. But was it real, or just a fanciful tale spun by the gaming community? Let's explore the history and truth behind this legendary glitch.

The Legend: A Pacifist's Nuclear Arsenal

The story goes that in the original Civilization, leaders had an aggression value (1-10, or sometimes 1-12), with 1 being pacifist and 10 being warmongering. Gandhi, a historical pacifist, started at 1. Upon adopting democracy, his aggression supposedly dropped 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. Coupled with the availability of nukes after adopting democracy, this resulted in a pacifist leader unleashing nuclear devastation.

The Spread of the Myth

The Nuclear Gandhi legend didn't gain traction until the mid-2010s, long after the original Civilization's heyday. Verifying the claim was difficult, given the game's age. However, the reality is far different.

Debunking the Legend

Sid Meier himself, the game's creator, stated in 2020 that Nuclear Gandhi was impossible. He pointed out two key flaws in the legend: integer variables were signed, preventing the overflow; and government type didn't affect aggression. Brian Reynolds, lead designer of Civilization II, corroborated this, stating the original game only had three aggression levels, and Gandhi wasn't unique in his pacifism. There was no unsigned variable in the code, and even exceeding the maximum aggression wouldn't have triggered the described behavior.

The Genesis of the Myth (and its Second Life)

The legend likely originated around 2012 with a user-submitted entry on TV Tropes. Gaming publications then amplified the story. While the original Civilization lacked a Nuclear Gandhi bug, Civilization V had a different situation. Gandhi's AI was explicitly coded with a high preference for nukes, a decision confirmed by lead designer Jon Shafer. This likely fueled the existing myth.

The Legacy of a Legend

Despite being debunked, the Nuclear Gandhi myth persists, highlighting the power of a good story. Civilization VI even acknowledged the legend. With Gandhi absent from Civilization VII, the myth might finally rest.

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