Is it realistic to get Petra on immortal?

[CornPlanter]

In my last 4+ games AI completed Petra by the time I started it. I do beeline Currency reasonably fast but it seems you need to beeline it from the beginning and/or get extremely lucky.

 

[DemonMaster]

Yeah, Petra has became one of those "to far to reach" wonders. Although I got GL the other day so perhaps the AI have started to get other priorities (GL has been one of those wonders that is good but don't bother on higher levels).

 

[HurricaneKnapp]

It's a little too far down the tree to just rush there and still expect to get it, and with the AI rapid expansion, you can pretty much guarantee SOMEONE will be near a desert and want it. I don't even bother with trying.

 

[Falconiano]

Petra is so random.
I play deity only, I had games where petra was around for ages, others where it was FINISHED before I even researched Currency.
Well, that's ok with me. If AI wants to build it for me to grab it later I don't mind.

 

[GrantBud]

Very situational though; depends a lot on where your AI is but as Knapp says, its almost for sure someone will get some desert. I tend not to build it if I don't have a GE ready from filling liberty. And that rarely ever happens.

But if I really want it. I'll get it.

Just need to build up my army first

 

[CornPlanter]

Getting Petra via army has a disadvantage of placement AI never puts it into a city designed specifically to abuse Petra, and most of the time the city has like 3 or 4 desert tiles at most. Apparently it only builds it because it can, and to grief a human player

 

[Scott Jegg]

I've not had any problems hard building it. I've even managed to get it in my second city before turn 80 with the help of caravan food to grow it quickly enough to work lots of hills.

You need the capital as big as possible to get the beakers coming in fast enough. Tradition for the food helps a lot. It might even be worth getting pottery for a granary to get up to size 8+, just so that you have enough food to pile everything onto hammers when you eventually get currency

 

[spfun]

Yeah it goes fast, i had Morocco in one game send a city a large distance away from his non desert capital just to snipe it from me. :|

GL still goes around turn 30-40 each game for me, I don't even try to get that even with the perfect start.

 

[Civsassin]

On Immortal, I shy away from wonders unless I get a marble start when I will then automatically go for Tradition, so I can get the double wonder bonus. It's doable if you have a good production start.

 

[JustinianIV]

I'm in the middle of my first immortal game (BNW) and was able to get two early wonders: Colossus, and Stonehenge. I know they come earlier than Petra, but they were just sitting there for so long that I got them around the time I could have gotten Petra. Alas, I had no desert. I almost got Mausoleum too. I didn't use engineers.

Did have marble, though.

 

[livsbrand]

Always goes fast for me. Haven't bothered trying Petra rush on Immortal yet, but I've even seen Attila build it way before I would ever have a shot. Any AI with a tiny bit of desert seems to make it top priority. Maybe if you get early writing and trade embassies to see no one has desert, but is that gold sacrifice really worth it? Sometimes Immortal really frustrates me, I feel I have very limited options in the early game. Can't imagine BNW Deity. On Emperor I do stuff like Library (regular)->HG-Petra on a regular basis.

 

[Teholb]

I never base my strategies around Petra. When you think you really need Petra to gain an edge on the AI, just remember, it will all end in tears.

Just let it go.

 

[Kwami]

Eh, I was able to get Petra in my most recent game (Morocco, Immortal, Continents, Standard, Standard). I didn't get any free techs from ruins and I was in a very flat desert, so production wasn't too good, but it all worked out. It's fun to see useless desert tiles become 2F,2P,1G,1F tiles with Petra, a Kasbah, and Desert Folklore.

Of course, doing this put me very far behind in tech (more than 10%) and slowed my expansion somewhat. I don't think that it would have been possible if my neighbors were more aggressive (China, The Huns, Japan), but they were all entirely passive and friendly until the Atomic Era. They really do need to fix the AI aggression. Letting me build Petra with only one Warrior and one Archer for defense is poor.

Anyway, I finished with a Diplo victory, so it's all good. Petra on Immortal is possible!

 

[OmniPotent42]

On immortal I can consistently get Petra if I beeline it.

 

[Law Lord]

I find the AI does give a measure of priority to Petra. It's no GL or Hanging Gardens, but I regularly get beat to Petra. If you make it your absolute #1 priority you will have a good chance, but otherwise, it is touch and go.

I think it is nice that the AI actually prioritizes the more powerful wonders.

 

[Teholb]

On immortal I can consistently get Petra if I beeline it.

Teach me your ways.

I always find that some other essential facet of my empire must be sac'd if I want to get Petra or a couple of the other mega wonders.

 

[ajok]

on immortal i can get petra if i build much of siege towers/ battering rams....

 

[Shafi-is-back]

I just won my first ever Immortal game as Morocco - got Petra, won game.

Did I get lucky?

 

[Chiatroll]

It depends on if any of the AI players are on the desert. You won't know if they are on the desert when you get to petra so it's a blind leap.

 

[OmniPotent42]

Teach me your ways.

I always find that some other essential facet of my empire must be sac'd if I want to get Petra or a couple of the other mega wonders.

It does require sacrifice, that's for sure. I never build Petra unless the city has more than 6 or so desert tiles, bonus if they are hills.

What you'll want to do is go tradition, you'll be on one city until Petra finishes. I usually go scout->monument->shrine->worker/granary (granary if there is at least 1 wheat) and sometimes I can sneak out a caravan before i research currency.

Make sure to time the Aristocracy policy so that you have it before petra finishes. emphasize production, and if you have to - rushbuy some archers, or squeeze some in before you start on Petra.

As far as opening techs, getting pottery is okay to diverge on, if you can find any techs in ruins that is good too. Get writing immediately after currency, you'll need to do a bit of catching up but if you have a bunch of desert hills next to river (or you are Morocco) then it shouldn't be too hard.

In G&K I used to do a Petra + Polder opener with Netherlands, it was a bit reliant on the start (with flood plains AND desert hills) but it would set me up for the rest of the game.