Trouble with the Great Library

[daveinva]

I rushed this with a great builder in a game last night. It wasn't rendered obsolete yet, not for a while.

Yet, I don't think it did a single thing for me. No new techs appeared.

How is the GL supposed to work? I remember the old Civ games-- build it, and you get any tech that 2 other civs have that you don't. Is it the same way in CivRev? For if it is, it didn't work at all last night-- I was really far behind on tech, all three other players were ahead, and we went through dozens of turns where surely they acquired more tech.

Really, the rest of the game I just kicked myself for not building Hanging Gardens instead.

Help?

 

[Endure]

Well first I'll preface by saying I've never actually built the Great library myself in civ rev.

However, according to http://www.civfanatics.com/civrev/wonders it should do just as you say, you get any tech known to at least 2 other civs.

My guess would be that very shortly after completing it, someone researched university and rendered it obsolete. Unlike in civ 4, anyone researching the tech that renders it obsolete causes it to become obsolete. So you can't just build a wonder and then avoid learning the tech that obsoletes it for awhile.

The other possibility is that it was just bugged out and that just plain sucks

 

[runningtired]

I have gotten some tech from it before. It also greatly depends on your AI level. On lower levels (chieftain/warlord/etc) I found myself crushing the AI in tech. So, in other words, there were never any techs that two other civs had and I didn't.

Once when I built the GL, I received two techs on the next turn. I don't know if this continues as time goes on, or if you only get the bonuses that one turn. Only problem is that you're counting on receiving tech from those civs outpacing your own science. If they're so far ahead of you, they'll likely get University and obsolete the GL quickly.

 

[InFeRnOgTiTaN]

I have received a tech from this before. Maybe they were all researching different things and then university came along.

 

[duality72]

I've gotten a number of techs from this wonder over many turns, but the thing I did was pretty much completely stop my own research and focus on trade instead. As slow as the other civs can be about researching things, if you continue researching yourself, you'll cut significantly into what other civs might have given you. When the GL obsoletes, I crank the research engine back up again, generally at or near the tech lead and significantly more developed in other ways.

 

[goofyballer]

Unlike in civ 4, anyone researching the tech that renders it obsolete causes it to become obsolete.

Even better, you can research techs yourself that make your wonders obselete and it won't obselete them (i.e. only if OTHER civs discover said tech will your wonder become obselete).

One thing that irritates me though is how the game doesn't actually tell you when your wonders become obseleted. This is most apparent when I have the Great Wall or something and I learn it's become obselete when 3 civs declare war on me at once.

 

[806slidingdoors]

I used to always build the Great Library on older Civs but in CivRev it is close to useless. With only four other civs playing, I need to be a backward civ before I get anything. I am not that backward.

Come to think of it, I don't think there are many wonders worth the time & effort. What do others think?

 

[Carch]

I agree that the ancient wonders seem to expire much too quickly to be useful. The more modern ones can be crucial though. Wonders like Magna Carta, East India Company, Leonardo's Workshop and the Military-Industrial Complex, to name a few, can really give you an advantage depending on the type of victory you're going for.

 

[I-am-a-panda]

manhattan project is good. Internet and hollywood are worthwhile, but are unlocked way too late to be useful. same with Apollo.

 

[806slidingdoors]

Yes, I should not forget Leo's Workshop. I go for that one. Hollywood is good but very expensive! Apollo is important too if I am aiming for a technological victory.

OK there are a few good ones but there are many I do not even consider (particularly if there are Mongols & Zulus at the door!)

 

[Raw Power]

I usually build if possible:
Colossus, Trade Fair in my main economic city, usually rushed by gold as i get it back tenfold later.

East India is also one of my must buys.

Leonardo I build to stop the AI from getting, or if I'm a warmonger to give my already promoted units a buff.

Internet, Apollo, Manhattan and Hollywood i usually buy at the end game in this order to beef up my score, and avoid the AI from getting them.

The rest I usually only rush buy in the very end, or for specific victory conditions, like shakespear, magma carta for culture, etc.

 

[motor_ola]

What point is there in researching Apollo if you're going for a tech victory? You get it from Space Flight anyway, by then you should have saved some gold/hammers and rush the whole SS and bunker up.

The Apollo seems pretty useless to me no matter your goal, when you're that high in the tech tree you'll already have picked up the crucial techs, and any others just seem too late to make a difference.

 

[Raw Power]

What point is there in researching Apollo if you're going for a tech victory? You get it from Space Flight anyway, by then you should have saved some gold/hammers and rush the whole SS and bunker up.

The Apollo seems pretty useless to me no matter your goal, when you're that high in the tech tree you'll already have picked up the crucial techs, and any others just seem too late to make a difference.

You need Space flight to get to Space

And the reason to build Apollo is that i usually beeline for Space Flight, so use the Apollo to get the techs i passed on the way. I usually always have the chance to win economic victory before i reach space flight, so i have enough money to rush it, and the space ship parts. Beside from launching the spaceship until it arrives is a few turns that can be used to buff up your score by getting the remaining techs, and maybe a few future ones and also build all buildings in the cities.

 

[motor_ola]

Well i didn't really count buffing up your score as important, only thinking about assuring victory here. Sure i try to buff up my score but i don't take it into account in any strategy. The only techs you need once you've got Space Flight are the military unit ones, and on the turn you get Space Flight (unless you're under siege perhaps) you should be prepared to launch all the SS parts on the next turn. Better to spend those hammers on units than wonders.

 

[Slobberface]

the Great Library is crap
i build it and end up getting something stupid like masonry out of it...yay, 25 turns for masonry...i hardly ever bother with it anymore

 

[KrikkitTwo]

It can be useful on higher difficulty levels.

I played as the Arabs on Deity and rushed
Zulus with Horsemen
Greeks with Catapults
and then got the Great library because the Mongols and Chinese were ahead of me... I got Combustion from it (as well as some other things)

I do agree it is tempramental... you need to be playing a warmonger type game for it to work.. and you need to hope that the AI is focusing on military techs

 

[erislover]

Has anyone gotten Space Flight from the Oxford University wonder? Apollo would be amazing then.

 

[obscurereferenc]

Yeah I've built the Great Library a few times, but have never received anything from it. I think there just aren't enough Civs in a civrev game for it to be useful. They should tweak it so that you automatically get ANY techs other civs have discovered, at least for a short time, or with a delay of a few turns. That would make it really powerful and sought after wonder. At the moment there's just not much point in building it.