Always go for Apostolic Palace?

[KMadCandy]

yeah i love ET and MM is totally skippable if i'm willing to give up Hollywood. one thing i wonder ... if the owner of the AP city learns MM, so it goes obsolete, but then it's captured by someone who doesn't know MM, does it come back to life? i honestly don't know.

 

[Refar]

Yes mass media comes late, and by that time 6 Hammers (assuming all 3 buildings) are not that much. Still it's nice to have.

Whats wrong with Eiffel Tower and Mass Media ?

@KMadCandy

Did not came to try it yet - does not happen often, that a backward AI takes wonder rich core cities form someone . I think my next game i will perhaps take the AP city and gift it to a backward civ.

 

[KMadCandy]

no, it's that owning eiffel tower makes mass media a lot less valuable. ET gives you a free broadcast tower everywhere. if you don't get ET, you can't build the individual towers until you learn mass media. so ET is a great wonder, you not only get the shiny towers, you can skip an entire tech. MM doesn't give you anything except the towers, UN, and hollywood, so if you're willing to forego the 2 wonders there's no reason at all to learn it, not even a discount on any other tech, it's a total dead end. you can skip mass media without being backwards in tech, silly .

oh, and MM lets you found Civilized Jewelers. but i like Mining Inc, which it competes with, and sushi gives me enough culture to nab territory from folks i'm warring with, so i skip that too.

 

[Refar]

Oh, i see. Did not realized that.

I was in the position to try 'someone else has AP after Mass Media thing...', and it does work. Its Taoist. I dont have Taoist Monastery - did not get around to build it - so i do not know if i would have the hammers from it - its obsolete with Sci Method, but can still build missionaries... so not sure if it counts.... You can see Creative Jewelers incorporated in the city, meaning i have MM.

Spoiler :

 

[Iranon]

I found it an invaluable tool to abuse my brothers and sisters in faith. Opposing civilisations seem to vote for an end of a war against them even if it's not in their best interests.

I like the ability to nick a few choice cities from a vastly superior opponent and have peace break out the instant my initial offensive falters/served its purpose.

Whether you need to build it yourself varies... if I focused on religion in the early game I can usually let a neighbour do it.