Am I the only one who gets Great Walls every game now?

[whakojacko]

Its seems such an obvious wonder to get now. In the 5 games ive played with different leaders and strats IVe always gotten it.
1. 150H instead of 250H
2. Barbs are much more evil (to be honest, realistic) now. You cant just park a couple of guerilla archers on hills to be barb magnets. Not having to deal with barbs is nicer than ever.
3. Great Spy points
I cant be alone in assuming this is a very huge wonder now. Thoughts?

 

[Phrederick]

Getting an early great spy is indeed a great way to get ahead on espionage. It's certainly improved in my opinion, but I don't always try to get it, since sometimes getting a couple axes or another settler is going to be more important.

 

[shyuhe]

barbarians are more aggressive in BtS than in the previous 2 incarnations. I've seen emperor level AI's losing cities to barbs in a few of my games. Not to mention a city or two that I've lost myself when I failed to get the proper resources. I'm really starting to reconsider learning archery now...

GW is great if you can get it - but like all wonders, I don't like trying it without stone or industrious.

 

[The Almighty dF]

I do two things in every game, or try to. Found Hinduism and build the Great Wall. Culture bonus and not having to worry about barbarians? Priceless.
I still love how the AI never goes for Polytheism first... or Great Wall.
But they do get Stonehenge.

Admitedly though, I'm a Wonderholic. I thrive on Wonderhol.

 

[Huxley Hobbes]

Since I got BtS I've seen at least two civs get wiped out by barbs. Always early game, sure, but I watched Bismarck get the Attila the Hun event about thirty turns in. The results were... grisly.

The Great Wall is certainly higher on my list than it used to be.

 

[weimingshi]

well, if you play on emperor and above setting and raging barbs option on and on larger maps. After researching bronze working, you don't find any bronze within your culture border. Well at this point you either get lucky and get masonry from huts and rush the great wall or pretty much get owned by barbs. The barbs are definately more nastier and comes in waves.

The settings I play on is huge map, raging barb, 18 civs. Forget about axe rush for me, at start of game its all about surviving the barb onslaught. The ancient age should really be called age of barbarians in my game. I am actually glad to see AI civs settle cities besides me, because that means less barbs from that direction. When the age of barbarians ends I usually ends up with 10 lvl 4 axe men. The great wall seems almost like a cheat button for me. If I manage to build, I can use those barb fighting axe men to tear down my neighbors capital. Its a very over powered wonder with the settings I play.

 

[kell_the_kyuss]

I will try that one time.

I always playing raging hordes. Race for bronze working and masonry, chop the wall, kick it in style.

I think there is such a thing as too many great spies though.

 

[HiroHito]

I so fear the Vedic Aryans now

 

[Spearthrower]

I think its a bit tacky to put Raging Barbs on with the plan to build the GW!

I'm trying to actively ignore this wonder from now on... It's great for the free early Great Spy.... but it makes the start game too easy and puts too much pressure on the AI (all "your" barbs also go for them) and they collapse sometimes under the weight of numbers.

Dealing with barbs is easy anyway.

 

[Hyoga]

I've been getting the Great Wall in every game since it came out with Warlords.

I really, really love that wonder. It's cheap and soooo good for early expansion. It's just amazing now and even easier for me to get every single game.

So, yes, every game. But I've always done that. Love that wonder.

 

[ComradeGeneral]

I build the great wall for the spies, its always funny to see the scotland yard skyscraper in an ancient city.

 

[romelus]

forget barb bonus. i'd take it just for the great spy.

great wall = 5 to 6 free techs. best wonder in the game now

 

[Withouthatred]

I used to be the same way with stonehedge, getting it almost every time, but now that it's been improved by so much, the computer always goes for it too

 

[kell_the_kyuss]

but it makes the start game too easy and puts too much pressure on the AI (all "your" barbs also go for them) and they collapse sometimes under the weight of numbers.

I might find it tacky on a map with 5-6 other civs, but thats a ton of barbs on a 14 civ planet. Actually thats a TON of barbs on a 14 civ planet.

With some of the changes to BTS its nice to see the AI have to struggle a bit and leave me alone.

 

[[EC]Eternal]

i like it with the hre nice fast great gens

 

[thomnipotent]

Call me crazy, but I think one of the best things that can happen is for someone else to build the GW while you're building it.

1. Gold bonus that'll be nice for upgrading once you hit Feudalism.
2. Dealing with barbs forces you to build a military.

I've seen people build the GW only to get overrun by a neighboring Montezuma or Alexander because they thought they didn't have to build a military up. Or they simply forgot about it.

 

[Spearthrower]

Agreed themnipotent... the GW has all the markings of a "crutch" you can come to fully depend on..... dealing with Barbs is not only easy, it's also good for training up your troops.... rotating troops out to the front, then back to guard cities when they are highly promoted...... when Monty comes knocking he wont find such an easy target with all your crack troops stationed throughout the country!

 

[whakojacko]

Agreed themnipotent... the GW has all the markings of a "crutch" you can come to fully depend on..... dealing with Barbs is not only easy, it's also good for training up your troops.... rotating troops out to the front, then back to guard cities when they are highly promoted...... when Monty comes knocking he wont find such an easy target with all your crack troops stationed throughout the country!

Oh, I definitely go kill barbs for xp. When they group up outside my territory . Its just nice not to have to deal with annoying pillaging and such.

 

[BYC]

The only thing I really want from Great Wall is the Great Spy points. I get it from time to time as an Imperialistic leader for some Great General laughs, but otherwise, it's something I don't even consider in most games.