Trying to build wonders in BNW

[MantaRevan]

My experience with BNW so far is that one or two of the other civs tend to horde all of the wonders they possibly can in the early game, even on the lower difficulties. Is this happening to anyone else? It's good to see an AI formulate a strategy and beeline the techs and wonders that it needs to be a strong player the game, but it seems like wonders are getting snagged left and right, before the human even has a chance at them. Has anyone else had this experience or can anyone explain this?

 

[OmniPotent42]

Yes, but that is the nature of how the AI plays. Some civs are more inclined to wondermonger, and if they get a good start location (or you're on Immortal+) they can snag most of the wonders before anyone else has a chance.

 

[Tyrvos]

From what I've seen in civ 5, the AI always does this. I tend to just shoot for a few major ones. For example I play a lot of coastal trade teams so I'll go to the Colossus, Great Light House, and Big Ben. You just have to accept you won't get too much of them, just make sure to try to get the ones that fit your play style. I also tend not to beeline, because i make sure to get the science first so I get there quickly.

 

[ahawk]

Depends on what you mean by "lower levels".

On Prince, I can hard-build a good deal of wonders safely, if Prince is what you consider to be a lower level. My first game of BNW I played on Prince just to mess around, and as Morocco built a good deal of wonders and won via culture.

On Emperor, though, I feel like wonder-spamming has gotten faster. In G&K, I could expect the AI's to finish their first wonders around T+50, which still ruled out GL but left enough others on the table. Now, I see first wonders done around T+35-ish, a whole 15 turns earlier, and ridiculously quick for Emperor, in my opinion.

I haven't gotten back up to Immortal yet in BNW, but I played G&K on both Immortal and Emperor regularly and won a good deal of the time.

So, long story short, if Prince is what you mean by "lower level" then I disagree. But if you mean Emperor, then I think I probably agree, because the first wonders now seem to get finished somewhere from T+30 to T+35 on Emperor alone.

 

[Martinus]

Yeah, this is definitely noticeable. I usually play lower difficulties (Warlord or Prince) as I play more for entertainment than for a brain-wrenching challenge, but it seems that unless you really beeline and focus on a wonder you want to get, you get beaten to many wonders both in early and middle game.

Hell, in my recent game as Byzantium, Assyria managed to steal several cultural wonders from me (notably, the Globe Theatre and the Parthenon) while still managing to build several wonders I wasn't even trying to get (like the Statue of Zeus and the Terracota Army) and still managing to mop the floor with Arabs, whom they totally overrun.

 

[JustinianIV]

Maybe this is Ramses' chance to distinguish himself on the harder difficulties.

 

[IdiotsOpposite]

I definitely noticed this amongst the Dutch. I had taken Liberty and had a good four cities when I noticed that my neighbors, the Dutch, only had two. Wondering what was going on, I proceeded to try for the Pyramids, but was beaten by one turn to them by, you guessed it, the Dutch.

So I quietly built up an army and then sent my massive army down to kill him and take my damn Pyramids back. Poor bastard never saw it coming - he was building another wonder the entire time. Only had a couple of Warriors and an Archer.

 

[MantaRevan]

Depends on what you mean by "lower levels".

On Prince, I can hard-build a good deal of wonders safely, if Prince is what you consider to be a lower level. My first game of BNW I played on Prince just to mess around, and as Morocco built a good deal of wonders and won via culture.

On Emperor, though, I feel like wonder-spamming has gotten faster. In G&K, I could expect the AI's to finish their first wonders around T+50, which still ruled out GL but left enough others on the table. Now, I see first wonders done around T+35-ish, a whole 15 turns earlier, and ridiculously quick for Emperor, in my opinion.

I haven't gotten back up to Immortal yet in BNW, but I played G&K on both Immortal and Emperor regularly and won a good deal of the time.

So, long story short, if Prince is what you mean by "lower level" then I disagree. But if you mean Emperor, then I think I probably agree, because the first wonders now seem to get finished somewhere from T+30 to T+35 on Emperor alone.

Well both the games I played were on king, I saw it happen in an emperor? LP, and I've also had various people mention it so far, and I don't know what level they were on. By turn 150-200(I usually play on epic) in my games one of the AIs(Ashurbanipal the first time, Ethiopia the second) had already gotten five or six wonders, basically all of the classical wonders, and a few of the medieval ones.

 

[Loucypher]

I am noticing it too, but I'm also noticing a shift in which wonders the AI persues. They really seem to beeline the Theology wonders ($*(($*%^ Rameses beating me to both Hagia Sophia and Borbodur (sp?) in one game) and pick up the Oracle on the way too, leaving a bit more time to grab the Hanging Gardens and Petra.

 

[budweiser]

Yes, I see it.

My theory is that since there is so much more to do now in the early game, one or two AI will get on this path while the others don't. Starting resources is probably another factor.

I think the thing to do is make a mental note about who is doing it and pay them a visit once you get your c-bows ready. If they are half a world away, get them with frigates.

 

[ptoss1]

I like this. More of a challenge. Definitely an improvement.

 

[Cyanfunk]

Ramses has become a goddamn lunatic with the wonders, I've noticed that.

 

[ptoss1]

Ramses has become a goddamn lunatic with the wonders, I've noticed that.

Even more reason to smack that sonofa.