Design a Wonder contest (public poll)

[onedreamer]

are you comparing the +1 hammer per priest specialist bonus offered by spending 3 (or more ?) Great Priests with 16 more workable tiles ??? Besides, placing those 3 GP as great specialists would equal to placing 6 priest specialists with that Altar at the proper level, plus an additional +9 raw gold. If you're Good you're most likely to be able to cast Bless anyways. The main bonus is really the one of the victory condition...

 

[zxcvbnm]

One city challenge spoilers, aren't they

 

[Grey Fox]

are you comparing the +1 hammer per priest specialist bonus offered by spending 3 (or more ?) Great Priests with 16 more workable tiles ??? Besides, placing those 3 GP as great specialists would equal to placing 6 priest specialists with that Altar at the proper level, plus an additional +9 raw gold. If you're Good you're most likely to be able to cast Bless anyways. The main bonus is really the one of the victory condition...

For me the biggest bonus was the experience and +1 str on my Monks. Sure I won with the altar that game, but man was that boring.

 

[3nigm4]

Hello guys, as a first post i vote for Port Royal, i like the defense perspective of the city it is built in. A canal could be well defended by a city with this upgrade.

I take the opportunity to thx all the FFH team for putting up this great mod, there is such depth and replayability its awesome and now i see that you guys listen to fans with the pooling system. Good job!

 

[abman]

Comments on the ones I thought were the most unique:

Arcane Academy. Very well thought out requirements and effect. The +3 unhealthy penalty seems a bit arbitrary though. I would have done -3 money or hammers instead, with the idea that research is supplanting the trade and production in the city.

City of 1000 Slums. Too powerful without enough of a penalty. Needs a MASSIVE unhappy/unhealty effect (like, -1000) because, you know, its a slum!

Port Royal. Also very well thought out. However, I would prefer this be implemented as a regular building, not a wonder. Is there anything like the "city cannot be blockaded, enemy/HN ships take damage" idea currently in the game? It is so good that it should be available to every coastal city, if perhaps at a high price.

 

[Elm]

City of a Thousand Slums

If this could be imagined as people living outside the walls, I would think this Wonder could cause a penalty to city defense. Or, maybe rather than a % penalty, maybe it should simply remove the defense created from influence.

 

[zxcvbnm]

Arcane Academy. Very well thought out requirements and effect. The +3 unhealthy penalty seems a bit arbitrary though. I would have done -3 money or hammers instead, with the idea that research is supplanting the trade and production in the city.

I thought of hammer/gold reduction too but wanted to have the unhealthiness instead for various reasons even though some penalty to the others might have had some interesting flavour/balancing as well.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I think Port Royal should definately be a wonder, not a normal building. It would be way to powerful to have in every city.

However, its anti-blockade effect (but not the damage to enemy/HN ships within its city radius effect) would also be good for the building that is made available to those paying to support the Undercouncil's Smugging Ring resolution.

 

[White Elk]

Of all the contests this one was the toughest for me to decide. Some of my top choices need some tweaking I think. And since I don't know if or how these wonders will be tweaked I don't know if I should vote for them. I started out just commenting on a couple wonders I think may need tweaking, but then decided to use this opportunity to help me work out my final decision...

Spoiler :

Arcane Academy

Spoiler :

almost got my vote just for its access to Reagents. Even if Guilds do allow Reagents I think the game needs another option for it (unless Guilds work like FfH religions and grant an executive even if the headquarters have already been established). But I like this wonder for more than just the Reagents. The extra experiance for fortified units would be a great addition. I've always thought there should be a city specialist which trained units. One each for arcane, disciple, melee, recon, and mounted. There is a mod which makes this possible. Your wonder idea would make this happen at least for arcane units. I like it. And Requiring a level 6 arcane unit will make this an interesting wonder to race for. Lots of options, strategies and decision making for meeting the pre-reqs for this wonder before your opponents do. I like this wonder for its own merits, but like others have posted, I would think a hybrid of this wonder and the Conclave of Blades would be great fun. But its still great as is. I hope it makes in despite what I end up voting for.

City of a Thousand Slums

Spoiler :

sounds great, but if I were to limit it to any alignment, it would be to forbid evil civs from building it. But I don't think it should have any alignment restrictions. Alignment can be changed. So why limit the building of this wonder by alignment? And causing an evil civ which changes alignment to lose the effect of the wonder would just seem odd. I think this wonder would be the most powerful of all the wonders currently in the game. I don't think it should be limited to evil civs only. I won't vote for it because of the alignment restriction. I'd love to have this wonder if not for that. It sounds cool and would be quite fun to play.

Conclave of Blades

Spoiler :

a school for the training of Battle Mages sounds very cool to me. The Magic Resistance may be a bit of a pain though. It would suck if they resist the Haste spell etc. Perhaps a decreased damage from magic instead? But then if this school is all about increasing hand to hand combat then perhaps it should have no effects beyond melee combat. Or if its a mixture of melee training and battle magic then perhaps it should grant Combat 1 instead of Enchanted Blade. Combat 1 is useful for melee and summons. But perhaps these other options are for other wonders or buildings. As it is I like your proposal very much. I hope it makes it into the game.

The Holy Ale Great Brewery

Spoiler :

at first sounded to me to be a bit overpowered. Now I'm not so sure. I suppose I'd have less reservations if Breweries were not limited to riverside cities. I never liked that Brewery restriction. Access to fresh water is all that should be required. Aqueducts exist to bring fresh water to a city. I think Aqueducts should be the prerequisite for cities not riverside. And I wonder if the standard breweries should be capped at one happy instead of giving one happy for each of the requisite resources. But even if the Breweries were tweaked I can't stop wondering if a free Brewery in every city might be a bit much. Imagine a warmongers newly conquered cities just coming out of revolt and instantly gaining up to +3 happiness. I like the idea of this wonder, I just can't decide if its overpowered.

Mirror Mirror

Spoiler :

I find to be interesting but I don't feel it fits the game real well. I can't imagine many of the civs doing this. Though for some I can. But I like that dynamic of one unhappy per city resulting in a +1 (x each city) commerce bonus in the building city. With a different story I think this could be an interesting wonder for the game.

Pan's Meadow

Spoiler :

is great for flavor and fun. I mighta voted for it if I knew if its effects were city or empire wide. If it only affects the city in which it was built then I think its great. But if it affects every city in the empire then I think it is too powerful. I think FOL needs a religion specific wonder. If this one doesn't win I'd hope it makes it in anyway (but only if its effects are just citywide).

Port Royal

Spoiler :

interests me alot. I think it may be a tad bit overpowered though.. but maybe not. +2 trade routes and +100% trade route yield is alot. Especially combined with the Great Lighthouse etc. But it is a late wonder so its effects towards increased research won't make such a huge difference by that time (and beelining to it is enough of a sacrifice that I think it might balance out fine). I very much like this wonders zone of control. This is what makes this wonder for me. I hope it can be implemented for without this the wonder is too much like the Great Lighthouse and I wouldn't see the need for it. But I do like there being something more to this than just the ZOC. Although I like the idea of preventing blockade; I think it should be limited to the cities cultural influence. So rather than limit any chance of blockade, it would instead just protect the cultural borders from blockade. This would still be useful because an enemy would have to use more ships in order to effect a blockade. So instead of using 1 or 2 ships to blockade the port, they will have to patrol further out and would perhaps require 3 or 4 ships. I think this wonder has more than enough going for it that it shouldn't grant line of sight for other cities Harbors. I like this wonder alot and might vote for it. I very much want to see this in the game, but since I can only vote for one I may end up voting for another. Don't know yet.

Sacrifice to Bhall

Spoiler :

would be great for an Armageddon strategy. I think the game very much needs something to help balance the AC in favor of those who seek to increase it. For this wonder I think an alignment restriction is justified. I wouldn't mind seeing it be a repeatable ritual, but still think it works quite well enough to be a one off wonder. Especially if it had another bonus associated with it. The spawning of the barbs make a nice counter for the peace. I think this would be an interesting addition to the game. I may not vote for this one, but I'd like to see it in the game.

After all that I sill can't decide but I have narrowed it down between Arcane Academy and Port Royale... I think. And if City of a Thousand Slums didn't have an alignment restriction, and if I knew if Pan's Meadow was city or empire wide, then they would be on this final list as well. Tough choice. Those that didn't make my final cut I would still like to see them in the game.

 

[White Elk]

I think Port Royal should definately be a wonder, not a normal building. It would be way to powerful to have in every city.

Another option would be to make it work like Temples and Cathedrals. For every three Harbors a civ can build one Port Royal. Though I like it as a wonder better than a building and agree that as is it would be too overpowered even if it was limited such as Cathedrals. But I think an Armored Port which only grants the ZOC, and perhaps a limited anti-blockade ability would be very cool.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I still think it should be left as a wonder, with an Esus (or Undercouncil)-only building emulating its anti-blockade abilities (but explained by blockade running, not naval superiority in a well fortified harbor)

 

[3nigm4]

Another option would be to make it work like Temples and Cathedrals. For every three Harbors a civ can build one Port Royal. Though I like it as a wonder better than a building and agree that as is it would be too overpowered even if it was limited such as Cathedrals. But I think an Armored Port which only grants the ZOC, and perhaps a limited anti-blockade ability would be very cool.

Port Royal should be a wonder but maybe create a city improvement without the anti-blockade feature thats named Coastal Defense (can attack enemy and HN ship but WAY less powerfull than Port Royal), it could be a prerequiste to Port Royal as well. Coastal Defense could have Wall as prerequiste, a bit like Colonization... I like that idea.

 

[White Elk]

Alright I'm decided and have voted for the Arcane Academy. Learning that Guilds would not provide Reagents was the final push perhaps. I've also been thinking of how slow an effort it is to gain back some high level casters once the Avatar has spawned. I often like playing to bring the Avatar into the world since he can wield such an awesome army. And in non-Avatar games it becomes a drag to carefully level up spellcasters on weakened foes. I like the idea of having a wonder which makes this less necessary.

 

[miracle]

City of a Thousand Slums is strong (probably TOO strong to be implemented) and is limited to evil civs only.... Are evil civs so weak now they need such help? Or there will be a balanced offered for good and one more for neutral?

What about evil civs with sprawling already?

Seems like very unbalanced idea

 

[Xuenay]

What about evil civs with sprawling already?

Well, there are none unless the Kuriotates turn evil, and blocking this wonder from them seems a natural solution in any case...

 

[zxcvbnm]

They seem to have issues with many of these wonders. Pan's meadow gives the mmore boost than others but is not unbalancing, Mirror mirror gives either 2 or unlimited gold, Slums would make one über-city as it seems to be buildable only by city hubs if it is buildable to them, and great brewery is a bit of waste for them.

 

[Frozen-Vomit]

Well seems like Port Royal only takes 3rd place - but thanks for the support folks.

 

[White Elk]

Its not over yet. The poll doesn't close for another 52 hours. Good luck!

 

[zxcvbnm]

Well, it leads the next one with more than the Academy leads it so it might well get to the game. My guess is that the Slums, Academy and Port are the ones to be chosen.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

I hope the top 3 do make it. I don't care if the the top 2 are implemented or not, but I really want number 3. It seems less likely that number 3 would make if the first 2 don't though.