The three most important wonders in the game...

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playing on deity and i'm a builder type. great light house is actually the most important wonder for me. It helps me stay in tech race while expand quickly before AI grabs all the land.
 
I have a soft spot for the Taj Mahal mainly because golden ages are better in BTS and it comes just as I usually shift a tonne of civics in basically every category, which would be at least 3 turns of anarchy otherwise.
 
On higher difficulties, I would put the Oracle right up there on the top as well.

Getting metal-casting for free in before 1000BC means you can often trade it around 5-6 other techs with the AI. And if your industrious, being able to build cheap forges from almost the getgo pays off huge. You also get +2 preist birth rate for the whole rest of the game since it never goes obselete.

I tend to think of certain wonder combinations being completely game-breaking rather then just wonders by themselves.

For example, in my last Deity game, with the Great-Lighthouse/Temple of Artemis combo in my capital, I was able to reach liberalism by 690AD, and I got Constitution as my free tech since I hadn't build the pyramids. Nothing will ever give you a better early commerce city then ToA/GreatLighthouse in your capital - nothing. Once you have Beaucracy/Oxford/harbour/castles, etc, I often find its possible to be getting over 600:science:/turn from that city alone with this, and over 1300:science: per turn by 1000AD civ-wide. (with lots of big costal cities)

Pyramids are great for early represtation and settled specialists, goes especially well with the great library.

Another favourite of mine is Spiral Minerat/UofSankore/AP. This combo can be game-breaking as well, especially if you have alot of cities.

I rarely bother with Statue of Zeus, Mausuleum, great wall, or even stonehenge, I find these are nice if I can build them (but most often impossible on deity), so I tend more towards Oracle/Pyramids/GLib/GlightH/ToA/Parthenon as my early "to build" list, and later Statue of Lib / Taj I set as very high priority too.

Cristo is extreamly poweful, don't get me wrong, but since I'm a wonder whore and delay scientific method till as late as possible, 90% of the time on Deity I wind up lossing the race for this since Scientific method leads to radio. (easy to get tho on emperor or lower if you're industrious)
 
Pyramids : see above :p
Parthenon : I very rarely play a Phi leader, so this one is a must-have for me.
Great Wall : early spy + a good protection against barbarians in early games. Also very easy to beeline.



Statue of Zeus as 4th. It's not that I want it badly, but I rather build it myself than having an opponent having it. WW sucks :mad:
 
I play (comfortably) on Prince so I can't tell about higher difficulty levels, but The Great Wall is worth three Oracles when you count in the Espionage points you get. It also saves you from barbarians and the great generals are never a bad thing. I look at Great Wall as a delayed-blast Oracle. Sure, you don't get an instant-boost to a religion (Code of Laws or Theology) or something else, but instead you can focus on the Metal and Money oriented branches of the Technology tree, which will - in time - become more powerful than the Spiritual branch.
 
Meh.

Pyramids - I'd include them in my top 3. Representation earlier than everyone else is such a boost.

Stonehenge - not for me. The Oracle's a lot more important IMO.

SoZ - again, not for me. I'd replace this with either the Great Wall, Sistine Chapel or something else. I find the Internet quite handy when I'm behind and chasing the Space Race...
 
Great Library, Pyramids and Parthenon, preferably each in a different city. Then put National Epic in the GL city. Could go for Liberalism by lightbulbing the Great Scientists, but more likely I'd settle most in the GL/NE city (after using one for an Academy). Any Great Artists, I'd lightbulb or use for a Golden Age.

But getting all three means Industrious and/or a lot of trees and/or both marble and stone. Not so likely. Presuming only marble, I'd be going for GL and Parthenon and maybe Oracle as the third.
 
Stonehenge is great to get an early Great Prophet, which makes you almost guaranteed to found Christianity and get AP.
 
Apostolic Palace is my fave; I rarely win with it, but those extra hammers rock. Ungodly in combination with Spiral Minaret and University of Sankore, and I guess Sistine Chapel, though I rarely go for that. This means that settler+missionary= new city with +2 hammers, total of 4 bonus commerce usually paying for maintenance, +3 culture for quick borders!

If I don't go for those four then
Oracle- free tech and Great Prophet points for shrine
Pyramids- early rep and Great Engineer points for one of the above wonders
Apostolic Palace- even without above strategy, I can't keep my hands off it
 
I usually choose Metal Working for the Oracle. It pretty much guarantees you'll get the Colossus.

My choices:
Oracle
Spiral Minaret
Great Library
Stevie

I'll have to try the Great Lighthouse/Temple of Artemis combo. I hardly ever get the Lighthouse, though, since the AI seems to prioritize it.
 
Apostolic Palace is my fave; I rarely win with it, but those extra hammers rock. Ungodly in combination with Spiral Minaret and University of Sankore, and I guess Sistine Chapel, though I rarely go for that. This means that settler+missionary= new city with +2 hammers, total of 4 bonus commerce usually paying for maintenance, +3 culture for quick borders!

What? You only get hammers, commerce and culture from religious buildings.
 
I like ToA,SoZ, and AP. I love that 50% extra trade route bonus, and an extra great priest. I can't remember if it counts towards your great people points or not but it is still great. I want SoZ just so it can't be used against me, and the AP is wonderful beyond belief.
 
i like the Great Wall for the graphic it provides, the Shadowan thing that allows all religious civics, and the Statue of Liberty-
These three are the most essential (Lincoln/Standard/Prince):scan:
(Edit: The Great Wall is a must if you do not like espionage and barbarian attacks and too-great spies pop up like crazy with the GW..underated wonder-)
 
I rarely bother with Statue of Zeus, Mausuleum, great wall, or even stonehenge, I find these are nice if I can build them (but most often impossible on deity), so I tend more towards Oracle/Pyramids/GLib/GlightH/ToA/Parthenon as my early "to build" list, and later Statue of Lib / Taj I set as very high priority too.


The Mausoleum of Maussollos is one of my new favorite wonders, especially with (or maybe only with) the revamped golden age mechanics. Between the Mausoleum of Maussollos, the Taj Mahal, and three GP-initiated golden ages, I had 44 turns of golden age in one game where everything seemed to go right for me. :crazyeye: The game ended in 1802AD; I don't know how many turns that is, but I figure I must have been in a golden age for about 15% of the entire game.
 
On higher difficulties, I would put the Oracle right up there on the top as well.

Getting metal-casting for free in before 1000BC means you can often trade it around 5-6 other techs with the AI. And if your industrious, being able to build cheap forges from almost the getgo pays off huge. You also get +2 preist birth rate for the whole rest of the game since it never goes obselete.

I tend to think of certain wonder combinations being completely game-breaking rather then just wonders by themselves.

For example, in my last Deity game, with the Great-Lighthouse/Temple of Artemis combo in my capital, I was able to reach liberalism by 690AD, and I got Constitution as my free tech since I hadn't build the pyramids. Nothing will ever give you a better early commerce city then ToA/GreatLighthouse in your capital - nothing. Once you have Beaucracy/Oxford/harbour/castles, etc, I often find its possible to be getting over 600:science:/turn from that city alone with this, and over 1300:science: per turn by 1000AD civ-wide. (with lots of big costal cities)

Pyramids are great for early represtation and settled specialists, goes especially well with the great library.

Another favourite of mine is Spiral Minerat/UofSankore/AP. This combo can be game-breaking as well, especially if you have alot of cities.

Great point I agree very much that you almost have to rank them as combo's The Temple of Artemis and the Lighthouse together are amazing.
I play on Monarch and win consistenly and I'm trying to move up to Emperor so while I like the Pyramids and agree they are the best often it's really difficult and risky to go for it on higher levels. One thing I like about the ToA is for when I am non-philosophical. With the extra priest you have 5 gpp and can get your first GP real quick. On the higher levels G. Lighthouse is not too difficult to get if you beeline and it is a good wonder on most maps. Oracle also is good but on higher levels it is difficult to get because you have to spend valuable research time on many religious techs. I also like the GL because it is a great wonder and it is not very difficult to get at higher levels as well. Lastly, I would say the Statue of Liberty is great too. It boosts all your cities and can increase your commerce, science or your hammers so it is flexible as well. So my three are

Pyramids
Great Library
Statue of Liberty
 
Anybody here think that the Statue the Liberty and the Kremlin should switch cost and effects (except for the Kremlin being a place allowing you to hire spies)?

My favorites are Stonehenge, The Statue of Liberty, and Eiffel Tower.
 
1. Pyramids
2. Great Library (I hate scientific method...)
3. Apostolic Palace

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4. Cristo Redentor (powerful but comes very late)
5. Statue of Liberty (if most cities on same continent)

The rest I consider optional :)
 
personally I'd go with great wall for being able to expand without too much worry from barbarians(i.e. land grabbing) Spiral minaret has been a favourite of mine for a long time, just for the money. I find once I build that, I never have to worry about my tech slider again(well almost never) third would be the university of sankore. oracle and pyramids are also pretty good, but I consider oracle better because it lets me get to minaret faster.
 
1) Apostalic Palace- it does everything. Controlling which religion becomes the AP religion returns in hammers many-fold.

2) Sistine Chapel- if you have neighbors, you need culture. Ancient culture temples are amazing with this.

3) Great Lighthouse- this lets you unlimited REX on the coast without courthouses. Your trade routes will pay for your city upkeep. This opens up its own strategy; strategic advantages >>> tactical advantages.

Honorable mention:

Great Library- lets you pop early Great Scientists for the Academy, and it leverages itself. Built, run Bureaucracy and built Libraries/ Universities, and forget.

Great Wall- barbs are annoying.

Overrated:

Pyramids- you actually have to use specialists to leverage Representation; although the happiness bonus is decent. But then you get the happiness from Hereditary Rule as well. This is a better wonder if you are spiritual.

Mausoleum of Mausollus- at best you get the equivalent of 1.5 golden ages: 4 turns from Taj Mahal, 4 turns from the 1st great person you pop, 4 turns from GP 2 and 3, or if you get lucky with events. Golden ages are never worth more than 2 GP. So on average its simply equivalent to Taj.

Oracle- most of the time I'm teching faster than my production can keep up in the first place, even going full slavery. 600-700 beakers? You get more out of a Great Merchant trade route, let alone something like Great Lighthouse or Great Library. Its a good wonder because its a bargain value (same with Stonehenge). They're both worth building, but it doesn't make them important, and they aren't worth hurting your development to build.

Cheers,

Dai
 
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