Wich are the best wonders?

[hbdragon88]

I rate Sistine's better than JS's, although the lack of JS's is killing me in this one game. I managed to build Sistine but the AI started to get smart and beat me to Magellan's, JS's, and Newton's nearly simotaneously. I have a wide Mercedes-Benz-like empire and over on one "point" I have to build other improvements and can't build Cathedrals...

Longevity IS a lot better in the Industrious Ages but Longevity is very time-conscious. It is only now that we've gotten better at medicine and improving health, and because of that our populations is booming faster. For gameplay purposes some mods have allowed Longevity to be built in the Industrious Age w/ Sanitation.

Having Pyramids + Sun Tzu's + Hoover Dam is a godsend when capturing cities on the same continent. I could have spent 60 turns building a granary in a newly conquered city; but I don't have to thanks to the Pyramids.

 

[OmegaMega]

well, i'm guessing poor sanitation makes people sicker... and they die more...

 

[Alex the Great]

The Great Library RULES! I am playing a game and every ten turns get a series of techs. So while I research stuff the AI doesn't bother to I never fall behind in tech, they do the research for me. And I can sell those techs. It's a GREAT wonder until education.

 

[puglover]

PYRAMIDS!

 

[hbdragon88]

...unless you're on islands, puglover. Pyramids, Sun Tzu's, and Hoover become virtually useless.

That's a serious frustration when conquering islands for me.

 

[tao]

Wonder Build Strategy on Emperor / Continents

The following strategy let me win all (about 10) emperor games I played so far (all victory conditions):

Don't bother with the ancient wonders. It is much more important to shape up your infrastructure and military and to to stay current on techs (except for iron working, I buy them). Usually, I have 4-5 cities and tying 1 or 2 of them in wonder production is IMHO a bad idea.

In the Middle Ages, I go for Sistine's, Bach, Copernicus', Newton's. Happiness and science rules, because it allows me to conquer what else I desire.

In the Industrial Ages, ToE and Hoover are must have's for me. Suffrage is nice, but not essential, because I usually fight short decisive wars.

In Modern Times, UN and SETI. Never built Manhattan. The game is usually over, before Longevity, CfC and SDI are built/available.

PS: I'm afraid I have to tackle Deity Level next to keep up the challenge.

 

[Fulcrum]

i put my research on 100%, that cost alot of money.. plus i use libraies to increase my culture. that cost alot of money too.. and u might already figured out that i'm a science guy... so, in order to ease the pressure on my wallet.. i always go for the following wonders....
1.Sun Tzu. (free barracks that impreves ur military)
2. colossus (more gold)
3. Leonardo's (upgrade at 1/2 cost)
4. Smith Trading Company (saves maintenance cost=more gold)
5. Wall Street (alot more gold!!)

 

[OmegaMega]

I always get smiths. saves big bucks on a big empire, especially when airports come around.

 

[greynite1]

I always try to go for a combination cultural/Military victory so I do my damndest to go for all the following wonders. I started off playing on the originally king to monarch level. The second to highest and second to second to highest levels. I find that building the wonders is essential to staying ahead of the AI because it never seems you are able to stay ahead without them. The AI cheats like a mofo and I had it proved to me just recently that the AI trades like hell with itself which is why once one AI gets alittle ahead they all start researching everything possible to get ahead of you in research. I had a situation where the Romans, Iroqoius, Aztecs and Carthaginians were all on one continent. Suddenly I got contacted by the Spainish and she wanted horses which i gave her for 4 advances I hadn't researched yet. Then suddenly I was deluged by contacts all in the same turn from Germany, Frances, and all the others on my continent all asking for deals. Then suddenly I was checking on my local opponents and noticed one person had a tech ahead, then some else had a different tech ahead of me. then a turn later they were all 3 techs ahead. I was like !@#$@@#$ I had been seriously wonder building.

My favorites on the higher levels are

1. The Pyramids: Essential to quick expansion cause the computer will take what you can't and I find the number of cities essential to bringing in more revenue and commerce. Saves you money on building granaries in your cities.

2. The Great Library: triple essential because this allows you a bit of time to switch governments as soon as its built. Because as I stated before the computer will be doing everything and then some to beat you in tech. This gives you time to finish all the neccesary techs and advance to the next age.

3. The Oracle: As stated by others anything which makes your pop happier longer is good + if your going for Cultural score it helps.

4. The Colossus: very important thanks to the increased commerce your own research efforts are boosted significantly for the time being.

5. The Great Lighthouse following the same ideas of expansion and exploration. If you can sell contacts with all the other civs to the others its worth alot of gold.

6. Hanging Gardens: Excellent to build in your primary wonder building city because nothing kills you faster then your population rebelling. this is definitely not the most important but a substitute if some bastard gets The Oracle before you.

7. Sun Tzus Art of War a MUST!! Why?? because of veteran units and it saves you boatloads of money on barracks.

8. Sistine Chapel: Same as the Oracle don't let your enemies get this one.

A fun tip make the great libraries effects last so hold off researching Education till you need to which you do. because you can get your enemies to research and give you engineering and invention usually thats all you can get.

9. Coperniucs Observatory: after the SC tear ass to this wonder as ANYTHING which improves science output is absolutely essential.

10. Newtons University: Same effect as the CO don't let your enemy get this one as the Cultural boost is even higher.

11. Smiths Trading company: A HUGE WONDER I don't hear people mentioning much because it pays ALL the maintence for Marketplace, Banks, Harbors and Airports and i think the new improvements, Commercial docks and stock exchanges.
All meaning one primary thing MORE MONEY = More Research= More units for conquering = Higher Tech attack units = Getting to more wonders first.

12. Military academy if you can swing it the ability to build armies thus getting the Pentagon which allows the possibilities Great leaders which means Instant Wonder building. I'm all for stock piling the great leaders and using them whenver I think someone might beat me to a wonder then burn em.


Well thats a STart up to the middle ages. Generally if you manage to get all these wonders from your enemy your Civ score is 80 -100 pts higher then them and they will all be in Awe of your culture thus making negotiations for techs that much easier.

PHEW!! I love wonder building on higher levels its a serious challenge.

Good luck

 

[Dr Jimbo]

Originally posted by brianboru

Originally posted by eyrei

>> and after that you should see the AI try to take out an army of infantry fortified on a mountain in their territory. The fact that a military academy allows you to build your own armies should not be overlooked<<

You have not worked out the numbers properly. let's take a stack of 3 vet. infantry versus an army of the same. You are in enemy territory and the AI attacks with waves of units. Your army can lose 11 (3 *4 - 1) hit points before it dies. Your ordinary stack can lose 9 Hps before it loses its 1st unit, 10 hps to lose its second unit and only dies when the 11th Hp is gone. The army offers only a tiny dvantage and costs a fortune.

Armies would only be useful if the old Civ rule that a stack died when one unit died, still operated.

Don't forget that your stacked, unarmied units will probably upgrade as they're fighting off the hordes, gaining a HP each time, which units in an army can't do.
Yup, armies suck alright. Build one to get Heroic Epic, that's it.

 

[Alkar]

I restart the game if another civ builds the Pyramids... Population boost by instant granaries is unvaluable.

Art of War and Leo's Littleshop of Horrors gives you an impressive military advantage.

The Hoover Dam becomes the Hoover Damn when is not under your control.

United Nations is unbalacing... if Diplomatic Vict. is enabled, its construction is madatory.

I find Smith's Trading Co. quite useful, as it saves a considerable amount of money.

I haven't built the Internet yet, but I was delighted when I first read of its effects. I have just read the PTW review by Cracked... and it rocks!! Perhaps its effects has to be reduced 'cos it accelerates cultural victory in excess.

 

[hbdragon88]

Alkar dont' you mean "invaluable" not "unvaluable"?

I have to agree that Art of War and Leo's give you a military advantage. Saves me from having to build a barracks in each city and to bite the bullet when upgrading units.

One time I held off on building airports because of the mantinence - d'oh! I built Smith's and didn't even know it...

 

[Grille]

I always prepare to build Sistine on my own. I'd pay irrational gpt for theology when others got the tech lead. And I'm very careful about those ancient wonders the ai could switch to Sistine, so I usually keep my hands off of them.
As ai likes to research nationalism/communism first in industrial age, I try to make it to industrialization (change palace to US), rush 2 factories and go for TOE (get electronics) and HD, thus selling expensive techs for really awesome irrational gpt. I'm now ready for a major war under democracy and occasionally try to capture one or another wonder.

PS: Capturing Great Library at the right point of time is very nice. You should have to pay an overtime premium to your science advisor - not for his research duty, but for his loooooong report all at once.

 

[Persepolis]

i think we all agree on Pyramids (if ur on a continent), i play @ low diff's now so i build virtually all, in my last game (iam @ Flight now) i got all great wonders sofar except the oracle... which are the best wonders...it doesnt say which are the best Great wonders so ill go for Pyramids, Wall street, IW, ToE and if i wanna fight san tzu

 

[Finlander]

I think almost everyone agrees with the best wonders, but how about the worse? For example, does anyone ever build The Great Wall? I think it is completely useless and a waste of time, even if the map was full of raging barbarians.

 

[barron of ideas]

There is no single best wonder, but as has been pointed out, it is tough to win a Diplomatic victory unless you build the UN, and others may use it to win a game you "deserve" to win.

This wonder loses its primacy if the diplomatic victory is disabled, or if there are only two players left, or three and you are the weakest, and thus not running, as the two candidates will vote for themself. It makes the finish tricky in this 3 player situation, you need to capture the UN before becoming the #2 or #1 player, or run the risk the new #3 will vote for the AI player who is your opponent in the vote.

If the UN is not the most important, it is in the running, most of the time.

 

[gecko1234]

Most critical is Un
5 best wonders would be: pyramids, leos, sistine chapel, hoover, sun tzus.
Other extremely useful wonders: smiths, JS Bach, great library( switch off the research for 10 techs and watch the cash role in especially useful just after switching to Republic) , Collussus

The science wonders are very usefull but they arent near as useful as the above.

Almost completely useless: Oracle (unless culture win), Great Wall, Manhatten Project (why bother wasting sheilds when the AI can), Shakespeares theartr (occassionally useful),

The best 2 small wonders are Forbidden Palace and Heroic Epic.

 

[hbdragon88]

I agree that Manhattan is pretty pointless. Why build it when the AI will? Better to spend shields on something else, like the UN.

 

[Pal {UI}]

By the time I usually get to Manhattan I am getting bored and build it just for the culture value. Most games are well over (one way or another) before reaching that stage of the game.

The problem with pyramids is that it can only really be built on lower difficulty levels. At higher levels city unhappiness arrives so quickly that you end up trying to build it with only a few citizens in the city and loads of entertainers. You need to build a separate settler farm and another military farm just to be able to subsidise the pyramid building city, which on deity is often suicidal!

My favourite wonders are great library (if you can get it) - saves a stack of gold in the early game allowing loads of expansion and military build up + TOE. If you get TOE you can almost always get a huge head start on Hoovers and its game over. All the modern wonders just fall into place after that.

 

[Naval Power]

I like to build Bach, Sistine, and Shakespear's theater in the same city if possible it always ends up in WLTKD. Later I put Cure for Cancer to.

Other than those I love IW and Sun Tzu (SP?).

I also try to get to Theory of Evolution to get the tech lead.