I have decided to do a series or articles on the Great Wonders. Let me begin by saying that, if you are a new player that desires to advance in difficulty level, it is far better to forego any Wonder building. For a more detailed rationale for the reasons, click on the link at the bottom of this post.
Having said that, Great Wonders add a myriad of strategies and give the game more variety and flavor. The value of any particular Wonder is often situational or map dependant. What follows below assumes that either your strategy or map type is such that the Wonder is of value.
The Mausoleum of Mausollos the Catapult wonder
Perhaps the most underrated and passed up of all the Ancient Age Wonders is Mausollos. At face value it seems to add very little. Available with Philosophy, this wonder adds 3 happy faces (only in the city it is built) and generates 2 culture points. No doubt if you have mastered the difficulty level you are playing on, this wonder is of little value. But for those that are playing at a level where getting a wonder is no easy task, Mausollos may be THE best wonder you can pull off in the Ancient Age.
Mausolloss value is highly indirect and therefore often overlooked. For the most part the best wonders in CIV are in the Middle Ages. Used properly, building Mausollos in the Ancient Age can give you a huge head start on grabbing multiple Middle Age Wonders. The reasons are fairly simple. Typically in the early game (first 2 ages) your cities will begin to grow in population at a faster rate than you can build happiness buildings, or afford the luxury of stationing 2 or 3 units there to act as military police. Many players often find that their wonder city has a few entertainers in them. This waste valuable shield production and greatly reduces your wonder building speed. As a consequence you are often forced to choose between raising your luxury slider for the sake of a single city, or risk losing the race for a Middle Age wonder to another Civ.
The 3 happy faces of Mausollos is the equivalent of an ancient age Cathedral! Pull this Wonder on a decent river bound - high shield city, and you will have created a monster Middle Age wonder grabber. A common strategy is the Mausollos-Sun Tzu-Sistine gambit. A well-timed Palace pre-build with Mausollos in the Ancient Age, will almost assure you of pulling Sun Tzu in the Middle Ages. Often you will be able to pull Sun Tzu, and still have enough time to start another Palace pre-build before any AI has researched the techs that make Sistine or Leonardos available. Mausollos is even stronger for the warmonger player that also seeks to build a few wonders. Typically the warmonger builds very few temples/cathedrals well into the middle ages. For this player, the 3 happy faces of Mausollos may provide his ONLY option for a decent shot at any of the late Middle Age wonders.
Underestimated and under appreciated The Mausoleum of Mausollos, can be used to catapult you towards your Middle Age favorites.
Ision
The 4 rules of Wonder addiction
Having said that, Great Wonders add a myriad of strategies and give the game more variety and flavor. The value of any particular Wonder is often situational or map dependant. What follows below assumes that either your strategy or map type is such that the Wonder is of value.
The Mausoleum of Mausollos the Catapult wonder
Perhaps the most underrated and passed up of all the Ancient Age Wonders is Mausollos. At face value it seems to add very little. Available with Philosophy, this wonder adds 3 happy faces (only in the city it is built) and generates 2 culture points. No doubt if you have mastered the difficulty level you are playing on, this wonder is of little value. But for those that are playing at a level where getting a wonder is no easy task, Mausollos may be THE best wonder you can pull off in the Ancient Age.
Mausolloss value is highly indirect and therefore often overlooked. For the most part the best wonders in CIV are in the Middle Ages. Used properly, building Mausollos in the Ancient Age can give you a huge head start on grabbing multiple Middle Age Wonders. The reasons are fairly simple. Typically in the early game (first 2 ages) your cities will begin to grow in population at a faster rate than you can build happiness buildings, or afford the luxury of stationing 2 or 3 units there to act as military police. Many players often find that their wonder city has a few entertainers in them. This waste valuable shield production and greatly reduces your wonder building speed. As a consequence you are often forced to choose between raising your luxury slider for the sake of a single city, or risk losing the race for a Middle Age wonder to another Civ.
The 3 happy faces of Mausollos is the equivalent of an ancient age Cathedral! Pull this Wonder on a decent river bound - high shield city, and you will have created a monster Middle Age wonder grabber. A common strategy is the Mausollos-Sun Tzu-Sistine gambit. A well-timed Palace pre-build with Mausollos in the Ancient Age, will almost assure you of pulling Sun Tzu in the Middle Ages. Often you will be able to pull Sun Tzu, and still have enough time to start another Palace pre-build before any AI has researched the techs that make Sistine or Leonardos available. Mausollos is even stronger for the warmonger player that also seeks to build a few wonders. Typically the warmonger builds very few temples/cathedrals well into the middle ages. For this player, the 3 happy faces of Mausollos may provide his ONLY option for a decent shot at any of the late Middle Age wonders.
Underestimated and under appreciated The Mausoleum of Mausollos, can be used to catapult you towards your Middle Age favorites.
Ision
The 4 rules of Wonder addiction