I'm a noob, so please tell me if my reasoning is flawed because I'm missing something-
Most strategy games follow a rock-paper-scissors mentality. There is always a defense.
A surprise atomic bomber attack while AFK has no defense. Even if you fill your skies with hordes of patrolling fighters, they will just wave at the mass of atomic bombers as they fly by towards your capital, massed armies, and other important targets. The pilots are apparently thinking all of those nuke bombers are on a site seeing tour since, hey, we aren't at war with those guys yet.
Atomic bombers are fast. Atomic bombers are one shot kills. The only way to stop them (if not at war) is to be glued to your screen for 24 hours. This isn't intended to be that type of game. Or, you must automatically declare war on every single country that produces an atomic bomber so you know your fighters will respond if they come your way. Big map late game that would be a morale killer.
Regular bombers and fighters aren't one shot kills. If they surprise attack, your patrolling fighters (while you are AFK) at least have a chance to do some damage on the return trip since you are now at war. There's no return trip for an atomic bomber.
SOLUTION: Atomic Bombers (only) cause war when crossing a non-ally border. This makes sense from a realistic point of view. If India sent waves of Atomic Bombers towards Pakistan, I'm thinking Pakistan's fighter pilots wouldn't just wave as they passed by even though they are not currently at war with each other. By setting the cause war to only the Atomic Bombers (not other aircraft), we can still have flying scouts with any other aircraft. As mentioned above, your patrols will still have some sort of chance to do damage to them since they aren't one and done attacks like the nukes.
It might be wise to include Nuclear Rockets as a trip as well, even though you can't intercept them.
Yes, there is: nuclear bombers can be shot down by either AA ground fire or other aircraft, including interceptors and tactical bombers. I have witnessed several nuclear bombers being shot down by anti-aircraft defenses. However, if the nuclear bomber is engaged in a sneak attack against a country with which its parent nation was not already at war, then the passive AA defense of ground units or interceptors on patrol does not work.KS_Lawdog wrote:
Most strategy games follow a rock-paper-scissors mentality. There is always a defense
Declarations of war by neutral countries are no more automatic in the game than they are in the real world. If the neutral country feels that its airspace has been violated, then it can declare war against the offending nation.
Read what I mentioned above again please. I have no problem with the system if you are at war with someone. As you stated, it works. There IS a defense with AA and aircraft. Your reasoning with non-automatic declarations of war fails when you consider there are automatic declarations in this game caused by ground units. If some infantry can cause an automatic war, then why not a nuke bomber? 
I think the later would be of much more concern.
I think you missed my point of the problem with nuke sneak attacks which was my only gripe. The problem comes with AFK + Nuke attack has no defense against it at all. The entire point, for example, of patrol fighters is to have them defend while you are not around. Allowing aircraft to violate airspace without war (unlike ground units) makes it impossible to defend against unless you watch your screen 24 hours a day or declare war on everyone as soon as they make a nuke. Neither alternative is feasible as I previously mentioned. This is a slow moving game that is played over days and weeks. Obviously it's set up so you can give orders and be AFK. There is no effective order to use against the fast moving one shot kill of nukes from countries you aren't at war against. Unless of course you use scenario B and kill your morale by declaring war on nearly every active non-coalition player in the end game.
Thus my fix: Nukes cause war like ground units when they cross into a non-allied province. That fixes it for me and I don't see any big problem with it. Also more realistic. Keep the other aircraft capable of scouting without causing a war. They aren't so fast and they aren't one shotters. You can actually take them out on the return trip during a surprise attack. No return trip for nukes.
I LOVED this game until the nuke stage because of this issue. I watched an ally who was AFK go from having a dominant force to nothing because of a swarm of atomic bombers and thought there was nothing he could have done to prepare for it anyway...except never sleep and stare at the screen or instantly declare war on everyone who had built a nuke.
Well, that's what you get for being to passive.
Seriously though, you need A LOT of fire power to take out a well prepared opponent. If a player has his forces arranged so that he can be neutered in one strike, he is either an inept noob who thinks doom-stacks are the real sh!t; OR he is being way to passive in letting a potential enemy get a dozen nukes with striking distance of his vital areas.
There is this thing called planing that you have to do when 24h watching isn't an option.
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