Why does one AI always run away with wonders?

[MantaRevan]

This has happened to me every game in BNW, there's usually one player that beats me to the GL and then proceeds to grab every other wonder they can get their hands on after that. It seems near impossible to build any wonders.
This is the biggest problem when the other player spawns on another continent so that you can't stop their wonder-ific steamroll. What about BNW has caused the bots to do this? It's irritating to not be able to build any wonders.

Edit:Sorry, this was meant to go in BNW, not general discussions.

 

[Loreise]

I've always suspected some form of witchcraft.

But I know how you feel. in a G&K game, I was playing against Austria, and they got more-or-less every wonder up to the Medieval era, and the only reason they stopped then was because I knocked them out. I suppose a computer player has access to more information than you do and, depending on their playstyle, will always choose to make a wonder when it suits their resources and time to a degree that human players - particularly new/ish ones such as myself - haven't learned to do yet. As for when they're on other continents, they may not be necessarily have any other pressing issues, such as a military if they're isolated, so they can just pour obscene amounts of production into wonders - and you're absolutely helpless to stop them.

 

[budweiser]

Its a function of the starting terrain therefore also their bias. Salt, hills, marble spells trouble. Nothing to worry about. If you want the wonders they make, go kill them later or re-roll your own salt start.

 

[AW Arcaeca]

I can't say for BNW on account of I play G&K. But I suspect the AI in question in Ramesses considering his UA which gives +20% production when building wonders. He has consistently beaten me to... well, pretty much every wonder ever.
Thus the moral of the story is: Always kill Egypt.

 

[bobbo008]

I can't say for BNW on account of I play G&K. But I suspect the AI in question in Ramesses considering his UA which gives +20% production when building wonders. He has consistently beaten me to... well, pretty much every wonder ever.
Thus the moral of the story is: Always kill Egypt.

I'm on my second BNW game. The first game it was China, the second it was Babylon. The curious thing, which would indicate a nice start, is it's always in one city (the capital, duh).

What he's getting it, and what I'm supporting (though it's only a 2 game sample size) is that it's very noticeable since the expansion, so what has happened since the expansion that has caused this to happen, as it's not a change in resource bonuses as far as I know.

 

[Jaymax]

Maybe the AI prioritizes wonders more than before this expansion? Meaning that if they manage to get an industrial powerhouse capitol, they'll realize that they can build tons of wonders easily.

I was watching an LP of someone playing Venice, and in that particular game Russia had a huge production base around and near Moscow, with caravans (I believe) transporting production to Moscow. This allowed Catherine to build a substantial amount of wonders, but she had next to no military possibly due to ignoring the military for wonders.

 

[MantaRevan]

Maybe the AI prioritizes wonders more than before this expansion? Meaning that if they manage to get an industrial powerhouse capitol, they'll realize that they can build tons of wonders easily.

I was watching an LP of someone playing Venice, and in that particular game Russia had a huge production base around and near Moscow, with caravans (I believe) transporting production to Moscow. This allowed Catherine to build a substantial amount of wonders, but she had next to no military possibly due to ignoring the military for wonders.

Quill's LP is only one example of this happening. This has happened to me several times. Normally, it wouldn't be difficult to just go and grab those wonders, but as I said, you can't stop a civ that goes nuts on the other side of the world.

 

[Jaymax]

Quill's LP is only one example of this happening. This has happened to me several times. Normally, it wouldn't be difficult to just go and grab those wonders, but as I said, you can't stop a civ that goes nuts on the other side of the world.

I guess you're right. The best thing you could do is just harass that civ in every way possible.

 

[joncnunn]

One particular AI more than the others??? That's because like a lot of other things, in Civ V this is flavor driven. Those with high culture flavors make an effort for anything producing culture.

 

[pilot00]

I have seen this usually happen when an AI starts with a superb production start. In G&Ks once, Sweden was the premier wonder builder as Stockholm had nothing but hill tiles. We literally had split the wonders till I decided I had enough and following a 70 turn siege took his capital.

 

[Browd]

Some AIs have always had a taste for the wonders (Ramses and Kammy are the usual suspects), but I suspect BNW economics are driving, at least to some extent, what sounds like may be a broader trend.

The AI is seeing less gold on the map (aren't we all?), which means spamming units is not a good plan -- more units means more unit maintenance gpt which means running gpt deficits, hurting science. Regular buildings also have maintenance costs, but, glory be, wonders do not. I suspect the AI is prioritizing buildings that allow it to defer as much maintenance gpt as possible until it has trade routes up, and wonders are top of that list (along with walls and markets).

 

[Falconiano]

They're just being gentle and letting you focus on the other things, so you can get all the wonders in the game directly by conquering their capital.

 

[azzaman333]

Combination of Tech Leader, High Culture/Wonder flavour and the snowball factor.

 

[André Alfenaar]

Just be picky in what Wonders you want to build. I am playing The Dutch on Emperor and I got Stonehenge, The Oracle and The Colossos in my capital. I am planning to use the GE from Stonehenge for the Sistine Chapel.

I built Stonehenge immediately after my first Settler. That way you have a good chance. Then sneaked out two Settlers again and went for The Oracle and Colossos. The latter was a bit of a gamble but it took only 8 turns to build.

I think GL is just too risky. If you want a fair chance you should build it even before your first settler. It is simply too popular for the AI. And I don't think the bonus of that wonder is that good to justify that. Stonehenge is much better because it will give you an early religion.

Another trick: leave some wonders to be build by the AI. This way you have a better chance of getting the wonder you really want.

 

[I_qua_I]

I actually find wonders more likely to be spread across multiple civs since BNW. I play on prince.