OpenFront Nuke Calculator: Step-by-Step OpenFront.io Guide

Direct answer: what can this nuke calculator tell you?

Result first: enter your Gold, planned weapons, ready Silo tubes, and ready SAM shots. The tool returns exact costs, slot capacity, SAM range, and a labeled pressure gap.

That result answers budget and capacity. It does not simulate a live map, flight paths, interception order, casualties, or a guaranteed breakthrough.

This calculator gives exact arithmetic for ordinary Gold costs, MIRV price-ladder plans, ready Missile Silo slots, ready SAM shots, and SAM range by level.

It also reports incoming eligible projectiles - ready SAM shots. That last value is a pressure estimate, not a predicted number of impacts.

The tool cannot determine exact flight time, MIRV warhead count, interception outcome, territory loss, or casualties without the live map and full simulation state.

Use it to answer budget and capacity questions before a launch. Do not use it to promise that a strike penetrates or that a defense is safe.

The formal player-facing boundary is v0.34.11. The fixed-price and global cooldown experiment in beta1 was reverted before the stable v0.34.0 release.

v0.34.11 nuclear planning tool

Nuke cost and launcher calculator

Compare exact purchase costs, ready launcher slots, SAM range, and a theoretical interceptor-slot gap.

Budget and strike package Current Gold Atom Bombs planned Hydrogen Bombs planned MIRVs planned MIRVs already launched this game

Launcher readiness Missile Silo level Silo slots cooling down SAM Launcher level SAM slots cooling down Incoming SAM-eligible projectiles

Calculated results

Total weapon cost
Gold after purchases
Next MIRV price
Planned MIRV total cost
Ready Silo tubes
Ready SAM shots
SAM range at this level
Theoretical projectile-slot gap

What this number cannot prove

A positive gap does not guarantee penetration, and a zero or negative gap does not guarantee interception. Geometry, trajectories, targetable flight segments, timing, SAM choice, and MIRV target generation still decide the result.

Enter the strike package correctly

Start with your current Gold. The calculator subtracts all planned Atom Bombs, Hydrogen Bombs, and the complete MIRV sequence.

Enter how many Atom Bombs, Hydrogen Bombs, and MIRVs you want to compare. Also enter the number of MIRVs all players have already launched this game; each planned launch advances the price by 15M.

For readiness, enter each structure’s current level and the number of slots still cooling down. A level is capacity; it is not proof that every slot is ready.

For the theoretical gap, count only incoming projectiles that SAM can target. The MIRV carrier itself is excluded, while each spawned warhead can qualify.

Inputs are planning values, not a connection to a live match. Recheck ready slots and the global launch count whenever any player fires a MIRV.

Exact Gold costs used by the tool

Under ordinary rules, an Atom Bomb costs 750,000 Gold and a Hydrogen Bomb costs 5,000,000 Gold.

The next MIRV costs 25,000,000 plus 15,000,000 for every MIRV already launched in this game. There is no global launch lockout in v0.34.11.

The combined weapon bill is:

weapon cost = 750,000 × atoms
            + 5,000,000 × hydrogen bombs
            + MIRV sequence cost

The displayed balance is current Gold - weapon cost. A negative result is a shortfall, not a financing or queue prediction.

The tool uses integer arithmetic for Gold. It does not round a large series through floating-point abbreviations before computing the total.

Infinite Gold lobbies are an exception. The calculator deliberately models ordinary costs because the special mode makes budget comparison meaningless.

Missile Silo and SAM construction costs are discussed below, but they are not included in the weapon total. Add structures separately if they are not already built.

MIRV sequence cost and the global counter

Let n be the game-wide number of prior launches and k the number of planned MIRVs. Assuming nobody else fires between yours:

MIRV total = k × (25,000,000 + 15,000,000 × n)
           + 15,000,000 × k × (k - 1) / 2

From zero prior launches, one costs 25M; two cost 65M total; three cost 120M; four cost 190M; and five cost 275M.

The calculator assumes consecutive launches. If another player fires between yours, update n: each intervening launch adds 15M to every remaining MIRV.

All players share this price counter, but there is no global launch cooldown. Each player still needs Gold and a ready Silo tube.

The normal 90-tick Silo-tube reload remains separate. The price calculation does not make a cooling tube ready or turn a planned sequence into one atomic action.

The normal interface exposes MIRV as a single action, not an x5 button. A multi-MIRV value in this planner is a budget sequence, not one atomic UI command.

Missile Silo level and ready tubes

A Missile Silo costs 1,000,000 Gold and normally builds in 100 ticks, or 10 seconds. Every level provides one independent launch slot.

Each Atom, Hydrogen, or MIRV carrier launch puts one slot into a 90-tick cooldown. That equals 9 seconds because one tick is 100 milliseconds.

The calculator uses:

ready Silo tubes = max(0, level - cooling slots)

A level-5 Silo with two cooling slots has three ready tubes. A level-2 Silo with two cooling slots has none.

Upgrading adds one slot, but the new slot starts with a 90-tick loading period. Enter it as cooling until that period ends.

The game chooses the nearest ready Silo by Manhattan distance to the target. Current source defines no maximum nuclear launch range.

One Silo staggers multiple nukes by at least one tick. Different ready Silos can launch on the same tick, which affects the shape of a real volley.

SAM level, loaded shots, and range

SAM level controls two different resources: the number of missile slots and the actual firing range.

The first SAM level costs 1,500,000 Gold. Later new SAMs or upgrades normally cost 3,000,000 under the capped scaling formula.

Every level adds one missile slot. Each fired slot takes 90 ticks, or 9 seconds, to reload.

The ready-shot formula matches the Silo calculation:

ready SAM shots = max(0, level - cooling slots)

The exact range formula is:

SAM range = 150 - 480 / (level + 5)

Useful values are 70 at level 1, 90 at level 3, 102 at level 5, 118 at level 10, and 130.8 at level 20.

Range approaches 150 as level rises but never reaches 150 at a finite level. Upgrading supplies both broader geometry and more parallel shots.

As with a Silo, the new SAM slot begins unloaded for 90 ticks. A just-completed level increase should not be entered as an immediately ready shot.

What the theoretical slot gap means

The calculator subtracts ready SAM shots from incoming SAM-eligible projectiles.

slot gap = eligible incoming projectiles - ready SAM shots

A positive value means there are more listed projectiles than shots ready at that instant. It does not tell you how many projectiles will hit.

Zero means the counts match. It does not prove the SAM can reach every trajectory or fire before impact.

A negative value means more shots are ready than projectiles were entered. It does not prove interception, because geometry and timing still gate every launch.

The comparison also ignores reloads that finish during a long wave. A slot used early may become available again before a delayed MIRV warhead reaches a valid intercept point.

Use the number to compare pressure plans under the same assumptions. Never label it “guaranteed penetrations” or “guaranteed stops.”

Why a SAM coverage circle is not a safety guarantee

SAM logic inspects a nuclear projectile’s future trajectory. It needs an intercept point that is both targetable and inside the launcher’s actual level-based range.

Nukes are targetable only while strictly within 150 tiles of their launch point or destination. A long route can contain a non-targetable middle segment.

The SAM missile travels at 12 tiles per tick. It must have enough remaining ticks to reach the selected point.

The launcher uses a 600-tile search radius to discover candidates early. That is not its firing range and should not be entered as one.

Hydrogen Bombs receive a special priority bonus. Distance and urgency also influence which projectile claims a ready slot first.

Once a SAM claims one projectile, other SAMs filter that target out. The distribution of shots across a network therefore depends on execution order and valid choices.

These rules require coordinates, trajectories, cooldown queues, and tick order. Four numeric inputs cannot reproduce them honestly.

Why MIRV warhead count cannot be calculated here

A MIRV attempts to build a target list of at most 350 points. The clicked center is included, but every extra point must pass live-map tests.

Candidates must be land owned by the selected player, within 1,500 Euclidean tiles of the center, and at least 55 Manhattan tiles from every earlier target.

Map borders, water, impassable terrain, fragmented ownership, and narrow territory remove candidates. The bounded random search can also stop before reaching the ceiling.

The calculator therefore asks you to enter an eligible-projectile estimate instead of manufacturing a “350” result.

For a broad continental target, you can compare several assumptions such as 50, 150, and 300 eligible warheads. Treat that as sensitivity analysis.

For islands or coastal strips, expect geometry to matter even more. Only a map-aware implementation using the seeded target generator could return an exact count.

Why exact ETA and casualties are excluded

OpenFront nuclear paths are curved. Exact travel time uses the formal parabola pathfinder rather than straight-line distance divided by speed.

Atom and Hydrogen Bombs use a base speed of 10 tiles per tick. The MIRV carrier uses 15, while warheads use 22 through 26 plus independent waits of 0 through 14 ticks.

Those values are useful context, but they do not convert one distance field into an exact ETA.

Territory inside an outer blast radius is not uniformly destroyed. The normal outer ring uses a seeded irregular selection and skips impassable tiles.

Casualties also depend on the actual impacted tiles, player territory, maximum troops, current troops, outgoing attacks, and transports.

A trustworthy casualty simulator would need the full map and live player state. This page intentionally stops at quantities the listed inputs can support.

Worked budget scenario

Suppose you have 200M Gold. You plan two Atom Bombs, one Hydrogen Bomb, and three MIRVs.

The Atoms cost 1.5M. The Hydrogen costs 5M. With zero prior MIRV launches, three MIRVs cost 120M. Total weapon cost is 126.5M, leaving 73.5M.

Now assume a level-5 Silo has two slots cooling. Three tubes are ready, so all three MIRV carrier launches fit the current slot count.

A level-5 SAM also has two cooling slots, leaving three ready shots. Its exact range is 102 tiles.

If you enter five incoming eligible projectiles, the theoretical gap is +2. That means five minus three, and nothing more.

It does not say two will hit. Some of the five may be unreachable, a slot may reload, or another target may receive priority.

If another player launches first, the three planned MIRVs now cost 40M + 55M + 70M = 165M. Update the counter before committing.

Three separate ready tubes can support the sequence; each launch advances the price counter for everyone.

This is the calculator’s main value: it exposes a bad budget or capacity assumption before you build a strategy around it.

Offensive planning checklist

Enter the game-wide MIRV launch count and budget each planned MIRV at its own rung.
Recheck the price after any player’s launch.
Count ready Silo tubes rather than structure level alone.
Keep Gold for armies, transports, and the follow-up capture.
Estimate eligible warheads from target shape instead of assuming 350.
Compare the estimate with ready SAM slots as pressure only.
Consider Hydrogen priority when building a mixed strike.
Recalculate when another player launches or a Silo tube reloads.

The cheapest plan is not automatically the best plan. A 25M MIRV aimed into poor geometry can generate less useful pressure than several well-timed conventional nukes.

Likewise, a large positive slot gap can be strategically empty when the strike lands where you cannot capture or hold the damaged territory.

Defensive planning checklist

Record each SAM’s level, location, and current cooling queue.
Use the level formula for true range, never the 600-tile search radius.
Treat newly added slots as loading for 90 ticks.
Count the carrier as non-targetable and each warhead separately.
Reserve for mixed Atom, Hydrogen, and MIRV priority pressure.
Spread coverage when terminal trajectories differ across valuable regions.
Keep forces outside likely craters for recovery and counterattack.
Recheck the network after every interceptor fires.

Defense is a timed network problem. Total levels across the map are less useful than loaded slots with reachable intercept geometry at the threatened location.

Common calculator mistakes

Treating the first price as the whole sequence

The 25M opening price applies only when the global counter is zero. Two consecutive MIRVs cost 65M, not 50M; there is no global 60-second wait in the current release.

Treating Silo level as ready launches

Cooling slots are unavailable. Subtract the queue length, and remember that a new upgrade slot starts unloaded.

Entering the MIRV carrier as SAM-eligible

The carrier is excluded from the target list. Enter individual spawned warheads that you expect could qualify.

Calling the gap a penetration forecast

The gap has no geometry, targetability, priority, intercept time, or reload simulation. It is only a count comparison.

Assuming 350 warheads for every MIRV

The generator caps its list at 350 but can produce much less on small, coastal, fragmented, or edge territory.

Adding straight-line ETA

Formal trajectories are curved, and MIRV warheads have speed and wait staggers. A distance divided by one speed would look precise while being wrong.

Nuke calculator FAQ

Does the total include Silo and SAM construction?

No. It includes planned Atom, Hydrogen, and MIRV purchases. Add 1M per Silo level and the applicable SAM build or upgrade costs separately.

Why can the calculator show an affordable MIRV that I cannot launch?

The calculator handles Gold and ready local tubes, but the live game may have advanced its shared MIRV counter after you entered it. Check the current price and whether your Silo tube has reloaded.

No. The ordinary radial menu exposes batch quantities for Atom Bombs. Multi-item Hydrogen or MIRV values here represent a planning sequence.

Does level 5 mean five SAM shots are ready?

Only when no slots are cooling. With two cooling slots, a level-5 launcher has three ready shots.

Why does level 5 show 102 tiles?

Substituting level 5 into 150 - 480 / (level + 5) gives 150 - 48 = 102.

Can a positive gap guarantee at least one hit?

No. Some entered projectiles may never be eligible for that SAM, while reloads or other launchers can add shots during the wave.

Can a negative gap guarantee full interception?

No. A ready interceptor still needs a reachable targetable point and enough time to arrive before the nuke executes its impact.

Where can I learn the full MIRV targeting model?

Read the MIRV guide for the 1,500-tile candidate radius, 55-tile spacing, carrier split, warhead timing, attack flow, and defense flow.

Formal sources and verification boundary

The current formal release boundary is v0.34.11.

The formulas are verified against the exact v0.34.11 sources and formal tests:

Use nuclear weapon mechanics to interpret the calculator’s boundaries. Use nuclear deterrence to connect costs and ready slots to strike and retaliation decisions.

OpenFront Nuke Calculator: MIRV Cost, Silo Slots & SAM Range