Nuke cannon

"Behold, the bringer of light."

- Nuke Cannon rolling out of the War Factory

The Nuke Cannon was China's and arguably the world's most advanced siege weapon, firing tactical nuclear shells over considerable distances, with suitably destructive results. The majority of generals had to spend promotional points to acquire it (possibly at the expense of another ability), although the Chinese Government entrusted General Tsing Shi Tao the use of Nuke Cannon without spending promotional points.

Background
"We bear gifts."

- Nuke Cannon

The Nuke Cannon consisted of a large howitzer-like weapon mounted on a tracked vehicle, with a cabin for the crew located at the front, similar to a regular truck.

Before firing the cannon, the vehicle had to deploy four stabilizers. This, coupled with the slow speed of the vehicle and long reloading time of the main gun, made using it in the field time-consuming and potentially very costly; Nuke Cannons cost considerably more than Inferno Cannons, but were similarly weakly armoured and even more vulnerable to enemy fire. Nevertheless, many generals considered the destruction wrought by the Nuke Cannon to be worth the hassle, as nuclear shells were effective against tanks and infantry at far greater ranges than the Inferno Cannon, which could only lob comparatively weak shells.

Later in the conflict with the GLA, all Nuke Cannons could be supplied with Neutron Shells (an alternate to Nuclear Shells), which killed infantry instantly while leaving structures and vehicles intact. This way garrisoned buildings could be cleared and vehicles neutralized and used by Chinese forces.

Abilities
"We will be generous."

- Nuke Cannon

Base
"Brighter than the sun."

- Nuke Cannon

Strategy
"This day is to be remembered."

- Nuke Cannon

The Nuke Cannon, in spite of its ponderousness, was effective both as a siege weapon and an aid for base defence, helping to finish off enemy units caught up in stationary defences. Their nuclear shells were extremely deadly against pretty much anything on the ground, as no vehicle smaller than a Paladin Tank could survive more than a single shell-infantry were simply swept aside by the explosion while buildings were at their complete mercy. It was perhaps the most cumbersome unit in the war, but some generals were still put off by its slow speed and deploying time, however, as well as the fact that it could not be transported in a Helix. Furthermore, the Nuke Cannon was vulnerable to any other unit at close range, and especially vulnerable to aircraft. It required protection at all times. Careful attention was required when deploying the Nuke Cannon in urban settings, as careless crews often launched their shells directly into the walls of nearby buildings, needlessly destroying the vehicle. It was also the second most expensive Chinese unit, next to the Overlord Tank.

Despite these weaknesses however, it has several advantages that set it apart from other siege weapons. It uses a dud shell instead of a missile unlike the GLA's rocket buggy and scud launcher as well as the USA tomahawk launcher. This makes it extremely effective at destroying base defenses as the shells cannot be stopped by anything. The splash damage from the nuclear shells can kill multiple enemies and leave radiation that harms all infantry and vehicles that go through it. The neutron shell upgrade makes it even more effective at stopping enemies in their tracks, as the blast from a neutron shell is able to slay all infantry instantly, even those in ground based vehicles, allowing Chinese forces to acquire the vehicles for their own gain. While the Nuke Cannon has a long set up time, it can easily be halved by setting it to Defend. This does lower its range slightly but makes it capable of quickly pulverizing anything unfortunate enough to come within range.

Changelog

 * Generals patch 1.04:
 * explosion damage done after a nuke cannon is destroyed is reduced from 25 to 10
 * nuke cannon changed so it moves the same speed when damaged, not faster

Trivia

 * The icon image was based on the 280mm Atomic Cannon fired during Upshot-Knothole. The M65 might have inspired the creation of the Nuke Cannon.
 * There are unused versions of the Nuke Cannon for Nuke General. The only significant difference in these is that the Chinese red star is replaced by a radiation symbol. The Nuke Cannon was also supposed to get a unique selection picture. It's rather surprising they ended up unused, seeing as they would have been very easy to implement.