My wishlist of wonders for the game

[Xandinho]

I've had some free time, so I decided to create a thread to post my wishlist of all the wonders I'd like to have in the game, and a bit of what they'd provide.
First of all, I'd like to see a new category of wonders, the Neolithic Era wonders, a lot has already been discussed here about this. I think they should work similar to natural wonders, they'd appear on the map from the very beggining, but with some differences:

• Neolithic wonders should provide a bonus for everyone who explores them, but a special bonus for the first one.
• The region around a Neolithic wonder is very rich in acheological artifacts. So, after you discover Archeology, a lot of Antiquity Site can appear near to Neolithic wonders. Artifcats discovered near to a Neolithic wonder are more stronger than normal artifacts.
• Having a Neolithic wonder inside your territory doesn't provide any bonus, but it's still nice to have them due the later artifacts.

About regular wonders, I'd like to see some changes for the future:

• Now they have more flexible placements. Some of them can be build inside the city (Great Library, Eiffel Tower...). A few of them can be build outside the city and fill all a tile (Pyramids, Petra...). Great Wall would work the same in Civ5: it appears on the map without filling tiles.
• They are cheaper to build.
• City-states can compete to build them. Cultural city-states focus on building cultural, great people and happiness wonders. Trade city-states prefer to build trade, naval and diplomatic wonders. Industrial city-states build industrial and growth wonders. Scientific city-states like to build scientific and golden age wonders. Religious city-states focus on building religious, stability wonders. Military city-states build military, political and spy wonders.
• It would be nice to see some "quests" to build some wonders. For example, if you want to build Notre Dame, you'd need to have at least three cathedrals in your empire. If you want build Hwangnyongsa, you'd need to have three pagodas in your empire.
• Wonders now can be pillaged, and if they keep to be pillaged, they'll be destroyed.
• I cut Atomic and Future Eras out, I just think that is not necessary four eras for the boring late game. Two is enough. In this way, we can have more experience playing the earlier eras, which are more interesting.

So, here are my list:

Neolithic Era (10)

Carnac stones (France)
Çatalhöyük (Turkey)
Göbekli Tepe (Turkey)
Goseck Circle (Germany)
Ħaġar Qim (Malta)
Knap of Howar (Scotland)
Mehrgarh (Pakistan)
Newgrange (Ireland)
Tell es-Sultan (Israel)
Stonehenge (England)

Ancient Era (12)

Abu Simbel (Egypt): stability and faith bonus. Minor bonus towards era points and golden age.
Apadana (Achaemenid Persia): political and government bonus.
Etemenanki (Babylon): bonus related to population.
Great Bath (Indus Valley/India): food and housing.
Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt): faith and culture.
Hanging Gardens (Assyria or Babylon): food and growth. Minor tourism bonus.
Oracle (Greece): generation of Great People.
Palace of Knossos (Minoan): diplomatic bonus.
Pyramids (Egypt): production bonus. Free builders.
Statue of Zeus (Greece): get faith by killing military units.
Temple of Artemis (Greece): archers for free. Minor faith bonus.
Temple of Solomon (Israel): religion and a Great Prophet for free.

Classical Era (12)

Colosseum (Rome): happiness.
Colossus (Greece): gold on coast tiles and a trade route for free.
Great Library (Ptolemaic Egypt): science, culture and slots for Great Works of Writing.
Great Lighthouse (Ptolemaic Egypt): ships are built faster. A Great Admiral for free.
Great Wall (China): Walls for free in the city. Units receive extra defensive strength when they defend on the border.
Jebel Barkal (Nubia): extra gold and faith for trade routes that pass through the city. Minor faith bonus.
Mahabodhi Temple (Maurya/India): faith and diplomatic bonus.
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Achaemenid Persia): bonus for Great Engineers. Bonus towards golden age.
Petra (Nabataea): bonus for desert tiles.
Pyramid of the Sun (Teotihuacan): production and population bonus.
Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania (Numidia/Berbers): stability bonus.
Terracotta Army (China): promotions for land military units. A Great General for free.

Medieval Era (16)

Alhambra (Granada/Spain): range attack. It acts like a fort.
Angkor Wat (Khmer): bonus related to population and growth.
Borobudur (Shailendra/Indonesia): bonus towards luxury resources.
Brihadisvara Temple (Chola/India): massive faith bonus.
Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Armenia): bonus towards legacy, stability and faith.
Great Mosque of Djenne (Mali): bonus towards religious buildings. A Great Engineer for free.
Great Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe): bonus towards commercial hubs and land trade routes.
Hagia Sophia (Byzantium): bonus for religious units.
House of Wisdom (Abbasid Caliphate/Arabia): science by trade routes.
Hwangnyongsa (Silla/Korea): faith based on science of the city.
Kotoku-in (Japan): faith and diplomatic bonus. Warrior monks for free.
Leaning Tower of Pisa (Pisa/Italy): bonus for harbors. A Great Merchant for free.
Notre Dame (France): culture, tourism and faith.
Taq-i Kisra Palace (Sasanian Persia): political and government bonus.
Temple of Kukulcán (Maya): bonus towards golden age.
University of Oxford (England): science. A Great Scientist for free.

Renaissance Era (16)

Casa de Contratación (Spain): bonus related to colonization of cities on another continent.
Corvin Castle (Hungary/Romania): massive bonus for Great General. It acts like a fort and also has range attack.
Forbidden City (China): political and government bonus.
Himeji Castle (Japan): extra strength for land military units inside the territory. It acts like a fort.
Huey Teocalli (Aztec): happiness and bonus for lake tiles.
Machu Picchu (Inca): food, housing and trade routes.
Oost-Indisch Huis (Netherlands): massive bonus for Great Merchant and bonus towards maritime trade routes.
Porcelain Tower (China): massive bonus for Great Engineer. It gives porcelain luxury resources.
Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela (Ethiopia): culture and extra strength for religious inside the territory. Faith for near cities.
Taj Mahal (Mughal/India): bonus towards golden age.
Topkapi Palace (Ottoman Turkey): bonus towards legacy and stability.
Torre de Belém (Portugal): massive Great Admiral bonus. Ships for free and they have free promotions. Extra movements for ships.
St. Basil's Cathedral (Russia): religious tourism and additional belief to the religion.
St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican/Italy): diplomatic bonus based on how many civs are converted to the religion.
Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence/Italy): massive bonus for Great Writer, Great Artist and Great Musician.
Uraniborg (Denmark/Sweden): massive bonus for Great Scientist. Massive science.

Industrial Era (10)

Big Ben (England): gold and trade routes.
Bolshoi Theatre (Russia): culture and slots for Great Works of Writing and Music. A Great Writer for free.
Brandenburg Gate (Germany): bonus for military units and stability.
Buckingham Palace (England): political and government bonus. Minor diplomatic bonus.
Eiffel Tower (France): production and appeal.
Louvre (France): culture and slots for Great Works of Art and Artifacts. A Great Artist for free.
Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque (Qajar/Iran): culture and faith.
Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany): happiness and bonus related to castles.
Statue of Liberty (USA): diplomatic and influence bonus.
Svenska Akademien (Sweden): science and Great People.

Modern Era (8)

Broadway (USA): culture and slots for Great Works of Writing and Music. A Great Musician for free.
Château Frontenac (Canada): bonus towards national parks.
Cristo Redentor (Brazil): culture and faith. Culture and tourism based on the happiness of cities.
Empire State Building (USA): bonus related to corporations and population.
Lubyanka (Russia): more spies. Greater chance of success in espionage actions.
Palace of Nations (Switzerland): diplomatic bonus.
Pentagon (USA): counter-espionage bonus. Bonus for military air units.
Santuario de Las Lajas (Colombia): culture and faith. Bonus towards religious tourism.

Information Era (8)

Burj Al Arab (United Arab Emirates): gold based on toursim. More powerful hotels.
California Academy of Sciences (USA): bonus related to environment. Minor science and diplomatic bonus.
Estádio do Maracanã (Brazil): happiness. More tourism during sporting events.
Golden Gate Bridge (USA): tourism, appeal and gold. Bonus towards seaside resorts.
Lotus Temple (India): culture and tourism based on the faith and population.
Marina Bay Sands Casino (Singapore): happiness and massive tourism.
Sydney Opera House (Australia): culture, more appeal to coastal tiles and slots for Great Works of Writing and Music.
Three Gorges Dam (China): production and electricity.

Feel free to post your own wishlist of wonders for the game.

 

[Zaarin]

Good list!

City-states can compete to build them.

Do not like this; it's bad enough they compete for natural wonders. As a nice person who doesn't bully city-states, I very much do not want city-states (or minor civs) competing for wonders.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Just a few comments and suggestions, sticking to the Neolithic to Classical Eras at first:

Neolithic Era (10)

Carnac stones (France)
Çatalhöyük (Turkey)
.....NOTE: Catalhoyuk was a city, not a wonder, and a city that didn't even survive continuously - it was abandoned when drought struck the region after 6200 - 6500 BCE, and it wasn't even unique: nearby contemporary Cayonu shows similar construction and configuration.
Göbekli Tepe (Turkey)
Goseck Circle (Germany)
Ħaġar Qim (Malta)
Knap of Howar (Scotland)
Mehrgarh (Pakistan)
Newgrange (Ireland)
Tell es-Sultan (Israel)
..... NOTE: Again, this is the modern archeological site of the ancient city of Jericho. It included monumental walls and a stone tower, but was a city site, not a monument.
Stonehenge (England)

.....Suggested alternatives/additions:
Maumbury Rings (British Isles)
Hunebedden (Dolmens) (Netherlands)
Rogim Hiri ("Tumulus of the Wild Cat") (Palestine)

Ancient Era (12)

Abu Simbel (Egypt): stability and faith bonus. Minor bonus towards era points and golden age.
Apadana (Achaemenid Persia): political and government bonus.
.....NOTE: Built roughly from 550 - 401 BCE, which makes it Classical, not Ancient
Etemenanki (Babylon): bonus related to population.
.....NOTE: built supposedly between 604 and 560 BCE, approximately, which makes it a Classical Wonder, not Ancient
Great Bath (Indus Valley/India): food and housing.
.....NOTE: "Great Bath" in Civ VI is an Artificial Wonder - the real archeological site is a lustral basin for ritual bathing, if anything, with no identifiable connection to agriculture, irrigation, or architecture. A better 'Food" Wonder would be:
Great Dam of Mar'ib (Yemen) - irrigated enough land to feed an estimated 50,000 people
Great Sphinx of Giza (Egypt): faith and culture.
Hanging Gardens (Assyria or Babylon): food and growth. Minor tourism bonus.
.....NOTE: In Babylon ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar II, in Nineveh to Sennacherib, in both cases at about the end of the 7th century BCE and so only marginally Ancient, rather very early Classical Wonder
Oracle (Greece): generation of Great People. (Temple of Pythian Apollo at Delphi)
.....NOTE: The actual 'Oracle' is not really attested until the 6th century BCE, although there was some kind of shrine there since Mycenean times (1600 BCE). That makes the actual Oracle Classical, not Ancient
Palace of Knossos (Minoan): diplomatic bonus.
Pyramids (Egypt): production bonus. Free builders.
Statue of Zeus (Greece): get faith by killing military units.
.....NOTE: The Statute is generally dated to the 5th century BCE, making it a Classical Era construction, not Ancient in game terms.
Temple of Artemis (Greece): archers for free. Minor faith bonus.
.....NOTE: Sacred Site since Bronze Age, but earliest temple found (archeologically) dates from 7th century BCE, or beginning of the Classical Age
Temple of Solomon (Israel): religion and a Great Prophet for free.

.....Suggestions for alternatives/additions:
Monolith of Tlaloc
Nabta Playa

Classical Era (12)

Colosseum (Rome): happiness.
Colossus (Greece): gold on coast tiles and a trade route for free.
.....NOTE: The Ho Kolossos to Helios had nothing to do with Trade, it was a Thank You Gift to the God for delivering Rhodes from a siege. Any bonus should be related to defense or walls, not Trade.
Great Library (Ptolemaic Egypt): science, culture and slots for Great Works of Writing.
.....NOTE: The Mouseion also acted as a research center producing Great Works of scientific writing by the likes of Euclid, Ptolemy, Galen, and Dioscorides. In addition to slots for GW Writings, should probably give a bonus to getting them or Great Writers
Great Lighthouse (Ptolemaic Egypt): ships are built faster. A Great Admiral for free.
.....NOTE: Didn't have anything to do with building ships, but this is the Wonder that should give a Trade bonus, as it made it easier for coastal shipping to reach the harbor
Great Wall (China): Walls for free in the city. Units receive extra defensive strength when they defend on the border.
Jebel Barkal (Nubia): extra gold and faith for trade routes that pass through the city. Minor faith bonus.
Mahabodhi Temple (Maurya/India): faith and diplomatic bonus.
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Achaemenid Persia): bonus for Great Engineers. Bonus towards golden age.
Petra (Nabataea): bonus for desert tiles.
Pyramid of the Sun (Teotihuacan): production and population bonus.
Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania (Numidia/Berbers): stability bonus.
Terracotta Army (China): promotions for land military units. A Great General for free.

.....Suggestions for alternatives/additions:
Dionysius' Workshop (Or: Ortygia) - this is the one that could give a bonus to constructing advanced weaponry like polyreme warships or catapults.
Cholula (largest pyramid in the world by volume)
Chankillo (Peru) - astronomical complex, solar calendar and observatory, so could have scientific or Food bonuses
Pantheum (Pantheon) - still the largest unreinforced concrete free-standing dome 2000 years later: could have religious, architectural or engineering bonuses
Baths of Caracalla - Potential Health, Culture, Amenity Bonuses
Sigirya (Sinhagiri, or Lion Rock) (Sri Lanka) - may have been occupied as early as 3000 BCE, so potentially an Ancient Wonder, but current site is considered a wonderous example of urban planning from Classical Era.
Shaolin si (Shaolin Monastery, China) - one of the first Buddhist complexes in China and, of course, associated with Martial Art monks since the late Classical Era. Potential martial monks or religious spread bonuses.

 

[Xandinho]

@Boris Gudenuf, I put some wonders out of their appropriate eras just because of chronological balance. I wanted to make the Ancient and Classical eras equal in the amount of wonders. I can extend the list and add more wonders later, and place some of them in their appropriate eras.

Do not like this; it's bad enough they compete for natural wonders. As a nice person who doesn't bully city-states, I very much do not want city-states (or minor civs) competing for wonders.

I see your point, I just think that if we have more than 70 wonders, the game would be pretty overcrowded of them and competitors wouldn't be able to build even half of the wonders. So city-states being able to build them would be a way to balance that.

 

[Zaarin]

I see your point, I just think that if we have more than 70 wonders, the game would be pretty overcrowded of them and competitors wouldn't be able to build even half of the wonders. So city-states being able to build them would be a way to balance that.

I see where you're coming from; I just don't feel like minor civs should be full-on competing with major civs in any sense. Generally speaking in historical geopolitics small powers stayed independent by leveraging some kind of advantage that made it desirable for the big players to keep them around (like the buffer states between Rome and Sassanid Persia); if they started to become competition rather than an asset, they had a tendency to get absorbed.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

@Boris Gudenuf, I put some wonders out of their appropriate eras just because of chronological balance. I wanted to make the Ancient and Classical eras equal in the amount of wonders. I can extend the list and add more wonders later, and place some of them in their appropriate eras.

The boundaries between Eras should be pretty fluid, especially early in the game - unless the game keeps the completely artificial era distinctions of Civ VI, which I really, really hope they don't. In any case, you could always designate the 'era' for a Wonder based on the Technologies or Social/Civic Policies required to build it, which would make the exact chronological historical date much less important.

I see your point, I just think that if we have more than 70 wonders, the game would be pretty overcrowded of them and competitors wouldn't be able to build even half of the wonders. So city-states being able to build them would be a way to balance that.

I repeat what I've said before, I have no problem with having more Wonders available than anyone could legitimately build in a single game, but making the requirements for a Wonder, and the Bonuses from it, so specific that there is no reason for any Civ or other in-game entity to attempt to build more than a fraction of them. I think that gives us several benefits:

1. No more ridiculous capital cities surrounded by multiple Wonders of wildly different types and origins.
2. Less competition for Wonders, since in any given game only a fraction of the major Civs would have any reason to build a specific Wonder.
3. Emphasis on the Wonder part of Wonders instead of building so many of them in your Civ that they become just another District.

By giving each Wonder very specific Bonuses to make them only situationally valuable would drastically reduce Wonder Race-type competitions. At the same time, almost any Wonder also becomes a potential Tourist destination (along with Natural Wonders) so that there is always a 'late game' benefit to them, just not enough to make it worthwhile to build them only for that in the early game when resources are much more limited.

 

[Xandinho]

I agree that Wonders should provide less specific bonus. Giving influence points bonus to Statue of Liberty instead of Diplomatic Victory points is a lot better, make it important for other types of victory, it's also less boring. Eiffel Tower giving production instead of only appeal is another example. Besides that, the game needs more "tied mechanics": tourism should be important for more things more than just CV; national parks should provide some diplomatic benefits; religion should impact more diplomacy. Just pointing out some examples.

 

[civac]

The whole tourism thing is stupid. One of the mechanics Civ is better off without.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

The whole tourism thing is stupid. One of the mechanics Civ is better off without.

Since at this point we have no idea what mechanics Civ VII will use, I regard "Tourism" in this case as shorthand for Late Game Cultural Dominance of some kind. Tourism is not a bad way to measure that, but definitely not the only way, and some of the 'Tourism' mechanics in Civ VI are simply idiotic.