Let's Compare Monuments

[Swein Forkbeard]

I like the Stele's bonus the most, but I voted for the Totem Pole. As a builder, I HATE ignoring Astronomy, which obsoletes the Stele's bonus. I guess it might be fun for somebody to play as Ethiopia and go out-a-conquering with Oromo Warriors and their "descendants" while ignoring Astronomy.

 

[sooooo]

The obelisk is best IMO. Simply because of the power of the apostolic palace. With an obelisk, a city can easily generate an early great prophet to lightbulb theology, found christianity and build the apostolic palace. Really important to have this wonder working for you rather than against you. Then you can make another prophet for the christian shrine.

 

[Nay]

Stele 4tw!

Stonehenge is a MUST HAVE for any no-creative civ, with creative its just better.

Stonehenge = 3.75 Culture per turn for each city, thats full fat cross in 8 turns for a new city, opposed to 30 with a normal non-creative Stonehenge monument.

+priest is nice, but can you REALLY spare a tile to make it into a priest?

And i dont like the totem pole either, since its.... that the civ behind the UB is not to my liking.

 

[Dennis_Moore]

Just had a game with Toku of NA. IT WAS MONSTER.

Well, how about Abe of the Egyptians?

 

[Elros]

Stele+Stonehenge+Creative=Never having to worry about culture again.

 

[DigitalBoy]

I think they're all good, and I couldn't choose between them.

I think the key is that they each have their own specific uses. Obelisks means you can get Great Prophets without having to rely on wonders. The totem pole doubles as a barracks so long as you're training archers. The steele increases your cultural influence.

 

[illram]

Wow, no love for the obelisk? Two priests before any other civ is pretty awesome if you ask me.

 

[Bhruic]

Well, for me, I don't like the obelisk simply because I don't tend to run priest specialists. Early game, unless I've founded a religion, I want to run scientists. If I have founded a religion, I can build temples and get a priest from that. So for me, they aren't useful.

I haven't actually played the Native Americans yet, but I can see the Totem Pole being nice to crank out highly promoted Archers. I have played with the Stele, however. It was quite useful when aiming for a Cultural victory. Not that I couldn't have done it without it, but I'm sure it shaved a few dozen turns off. So for me, it's probably the most valuable of the three.

Bh

 

[pi-r8]

I don't like the totem pole as much, even though apparently everyone here loves it. My opinion on it is that, yes, it makes it impossible for anyone to conquer your cities- but it is of very little helps in waging offensive war, and that's really what you need.

My vote goes to the Obelisk. I haven't tried this yet, but I'll bet a combination of priests, early settled great priests, Angkor watt, and representation from the pyramids would be awesome.

 

[DilithiumDad]

I haven't played as the Native American yet, but I case my vote for the stele because I got my earliest yet cultural victory thanks to them. By the way, you need to build them in your three cultural cities and not use Stonehenge. Steles give you +2 culture the whole game if you actually build them. It doesn't obsolete with Astronomy.

 

[TheLastOne36]

Just, Had, a Teamer Game.

Police State(pyarmids), Theocracy(shwedong Pya), Vassalage, Totem Pole, Longbows, Barracks, Stable!

I had Iron and Horse!

My team had Stonehenge!

 

[bonafide11]

I'm surprised to see Totem Pole winning, I voted for the Stele

 

[Stylesrj]

Comparing monuments are we?
Mine is this big:

<---------------------------------------------------------->

I think the Totem Pole has teh win. Archery units with 3xp? AWESOME!! Imagine the Infantry!
Steele. No. Culture isn't the answer.
Obelisk. No. Two extra priests? Nope

 

[BYC]

I can't believe totem is winning. People really love experienced archery that much? Even with BtS improved war AI, I still seldom get sieged or even surprised attacked. I mean, how much protection do people want? He's already Protective, and archery units are just horrible attackers, although good in stacks to screen for the city raiders.

Voted for obelisks. It's never too early to get GPPs, especially when a player can control if and when he can get Prophets.

 

[Stylesrj]

I'm not looking at the protection from archery units. Imagine an Infantry with 6 XP (barracks, pole) and also West Point, Theocracy and Vassalage. That's a lot of XP for a Longbowman and you give him First Strikes or Strength, attach a GG if you want and you've got a badass Infantry or Rifleman!

But it does not matter to me. I prefer Gandhi or Roosevelt

 

[Ball Lightning]

Stele is good with the 25% cultural bonus, and the totem pole is also good, it all depends on what your strategy is.

 

[Gorman Truart]

As a builder, I love the early great prophets from obelisks. With a holy city and shrine early on, and the extra production from preists, you can out-REX everyone else without too much sacrificing of infrastructure. You develop an early lead, then just maintain that lead while choosing how you want to win.

 

[Arlborn]

I am a builder. I seldom wage war and my power is always marginal.

I really like the totem and stale then.

 

[onedreamer]

The best one is of course the Obelisk, since Egyptians are also Spiritual.
Second is the Ethiopian one, especially if you're aiming at a cultural victory, although the Pavillon is more powerful.

they all get obsolete (far too soon ), and i tend not to choose a Civ where the UB does get obsolete.

This isn't really true. Obelisks will be effective probably more turns, in total, than say German or Russian or American UB.... even if these never go obsolete.

 

[Permanganate]

Second is the Ethiopian one, especially if you're aiming at a cultural victory, although the Pavillon is more powerful.

IMO, the Stele doesn't help that much with a cultural victory. It gives you 25% more culture over the part of the game where you're making the least culture; by the late game, you'll be making ten times more than you did before Astronomy. While I've done no number crunching, I suspect it only speeds up a culture victory by a single-digit number of turns.