I can't build Wonders!!!

[guaporuiz]

Why is it that when a city starts to build a Wonder, it never completes it? It gets through about half way and then the advisor tells me the city can't continue and for me to choose another option. Overall, I build about 1 or 2 of the many Wonders my cities start to build. In the mean time, all other nations are building them like crazy. I play Warlord, default rules. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch you guys!

Rob

 

[JustBen]

You're just not building them fast enough; there can be only one Colossus of Rhodes in the world, after all. If an AI gets one built first, you're out of luck. Are you building them in strong enough cities? They should be pretty big and have high shield production to have a reasonable chance of building a Wonder first. Or you can just fight more wars so you can Leader-rush your wonders.

 

[guaporuiz]

Yeah, I think most of the wonders I've built come from early built cities... which usually are the biggest ones. I'll try and rush them next time.

Rob

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

Originally posted by guaporuiz
Yeah, I think most of the wonders I've built come from early built cities... which usually are the biggest ones. I'll try and rush them next time.

Rob

The only way to rush a wonder is to be lucky enough to get a leader.

Try "prebuilding" wonders before you actually discover the tech necessary to create one. What I mean is start building a palace or other big item in a productive city before discovering literature for example. Then once literature is discovered switch from building the palace to the great library. This works about 2 out of 5 times for me.

 

[USC]

Other tips:
- PLAN cities to be wonderbuilders.
- Strongly focus your tile improvement surround the city or cities you plan as wonderbuilders.
- Add workers to the city (move them there and press 'B') to raise its size, thus increasing its build speed.
- Don't forget that a city can reach size 7+ only if has an aqueduct or lies beside a river/lake, and 12+ only if it has a hospital. In practice, in short: generally, use river/lake cities as your early wonderbuilders.
- Try to figure out in advance what size your wonderbuilder(s) can reasonably reach without going into disorder, then optimize tile development around the city to maximize production while providing 0 surplus food at that size.

And a last tip:
- If you are considering "climbing up the level tree," try playing without building the early wonders. On higher levels, you will have to gradually resign yourselff to not getting them, except through leaders, or as the result of a "sacrifice play." (Generally, though not always, investing the shield cost of an early wonder into settlers or military will provide you a greater benefit than the wonder. Heck, on the higher levels, investment in military will often get you the wonder too!)

 

[budweiser]

- Dont forget about the luxury slider if you want to keep your wonder city happy while it builds.

 

[USC]

Yeah, I almost included that. I kind of forgot and kind of considered it a can of worms, because at first sight the slider's "shotgun" nature can make it seem inefficient. So in short: it's not inefficient. Use a low level for the entertainment slider (or the "luxury slider", as us Civ I/II old-timers keep calling it), and you'll find most cities that don't need entertainment won't spend on it. If you ever become a micromanagement freak like me, you'll avoid some of the excess spending by removing military police from "over-happy" cities, making them grow or shrink so their spending is appropriate, etc. But keep in mind that, while while gold is very important in the long run, it's often just left sitting there when you're in Despotism (and can't gold-rush), so often the best way to "spend" it is to "trade" it for food, shields, and flexibility by using the lux -- er, entertainment slider.

(Its mechanics are: X percent -- the amount you set -- of each INDIVIDUAL CITY's gold generation will go into creating happiness, with each gold spent generating 1 happiness.)

 

[Seanirl]

Use a low level for the entertainment slider (or the "luxury slider", as us Civ I/II old-timers keep calling it),

.... don't you have that the other way around?

It's the luxury bar in Civ III and I remember it was the entertainment bar in Civ II.

I don't remember much about Civ I myself.... for some reason the militia sticks in my mind.... and some game my brother had as America with loads of railroads....