Worst Wonder Ever!

[Steve1]

I can't stand the Oracle. It's not worth the sheilds, and expires too fast, but if it never expired, it might be worth building. Now that I think of it, I should go edit that in the rules.txt.....

 

[Insert]

I don't recall ever having built the lighthouse or the oracle, they are just a waste of 200(?) sheilds, that, at the point where they would be any real use, would be better spent on settlers. Unless you are doing OCC, when their value is probably worthless anyway.

Then again, I only play at prince, so what do I know?

 

[thatluckydog]

In regards to Crimso's response - Copernicus' is actually an amazing wonder. Why?

Well, everytime I play, I pick one city to be my science city. I get all the science wonders, then city improvements (Library, University, etc). It ads up, and then just add a view scientists in there and you've got a city that's producing as much science as half the continent.

 

[Titi]

this poll is seriously flawed because it doesn't have Manhattan Project(dangerous) or Eiffel Tower(useless) as options. Those two would probably run neck-and-neck for my second choice.

This is why I didn't vote, because the worst wonder ever in my opinion is Manhattan Project.
OK, it gives you 20 more points to your score, but how many will you lose due to nuclear wars? (10 for each "skull"!) And whatever you do, the AI will find a way to launch a nuclear missile on your only city without an SDI (which you didn't build since that city could be in no way close enough...) Well, YOUR missiles are limited to 16 squares, but the AI's aren't... Who said the AI cheat?

 

[dylandlr]

This was discussed extensively a while back. The correct answer is of course the Great Library because the increased research time due to the carrrying cost of unwanted techs will kill your ability to focus and direct your research on desired techs.

However, this poll is seriously flawed because it doesn't have Manhattan Project(dangerous) or Eiffel Tower(useless) as options. Those two would probably run neck-and-neck for my second choice.

Well......the worst is how this looks in my old Netscape 4.7.
Otherwise, for the very first time, I must disagree with the rabbit-fearing Scot......

GL is good because it slows down the AI civs; someI build it so that they don't get all my wonderful techs....very useful in a pinch, laddie, even if they are dead......especially they the AI cheats at the Deity level.

i forget my old vote, but i still never build the GW, LH or ET

 

[Peaster]

I think the answer depends A LOT on what kind of game you play. For early conquest, you mostly need Marco's and LH (depending on the map) and HG (at higher levels). SunTzu is OK. I voted for KRC because it takes so long to get your shield investment back - in fact, you never get it back if you assume an "interest rate" of about 5 per cent per turn, and a wonder-city of size 10 or less.

I am playing a PBEM (basically, a very slow MP game) and am interested in Old n Slow's comments about the GL. It pays off better against humans, huh? Because humans research faster?

 

[Colonel Fox]

I have to agree about The Great Library however I would place my vote on the Oracle. The only thing I like about that wonder is the icon, it's ability is just not useful enough to justify the shield cost. I just can't seem to place it into any strategy I use, and now that I am focusing more on EC games it is totally pointless.

 

[Joeb WK]

The Lighthouse is probably the worse or though there is the odd occasion when it is useful.

 

[The Last Conformist]

Alot of people have remarked that the usefulness of Wonders depend on your style of play. So, someone tell me what style of play makes the Eifel Tower worthwhile.

 

[Peaster]

The Lighthouse is probably the worse or though there is the odd occasion when it is useful.

Apparently, many people agree with you. But it is pretty important in many (most?) early conquest games, because the fastest way to get attacking units from point A to point B is usually by trireme across open seas. Researching navigation/caravels is slower.

 

[Joeb WK]

Yer thats what I meabt when I said there is the odd occasion when it is useful. As I rarley go for early conquest.

 

[Conrino]

Deffinitely Oracle, which you failed to include on your list. It expires to early to be very useful (ussually even when it's expired my cities are not big enough to need it).

 

[ElephantU]

Conrino: Re: your tag line...

"At the general election of 1895 it was clear that there were divisions as to what issue the Liberals were fighting for, and the effect of Sir William Harcourt's abortive Local Veto Bill on the election was seen not only in his defeat at Derby, which gave the signal for the Liberal rout, but in the set-back it gave to temperance legislation." (from 1911 E.B.)

 

[Theben]

Eiffel Tower and Manhattan the worst. Great Wall on the list.

As for the usefulness of Eiffel, I can only say that if ou valued your reputation, or felt the need to have the AI on good terms with you late in a game where you had to betray them early on would it be useful.

 

[Apex Reborne]

I thought this would be a no brainer... COME ON PEOPLE the U.N. is the worst wonder.
How many times have you needed to declare war on someone but your U.N. friends go against your better judgement to sign a peace treaty, only to have you NUKED 3 ROUNDS LATER???? All its advantages pale compared to its disadvantage. Its as bad as DEMOCRACY! Ill take the anti-U.Nu fundamentalism any day!!!

 

[Apex Reborne]

This is why I didn't vote, because the worst wonder ever in my opinion is Manhattan Project.
OK, it gives you 20 more points to your score, but how many will you lose due to nuclear wars? (10 for each "skull"!) And whatever you do, the AI will find a way to launch a nuclear missile on your only city without an SDI (which you didn't build since that city could be in no way close enough...) Well, YOUR missiles are limited to 16 squares, but the AI's aren't... Who said the AI cheat?

This is in reply to Titi's conscern over there nukes always reaching his citys, SUBS CARRY NUKES. I know this because half the time my navy is spent intersepting rocket loaded subs from coming to close to my citys. DAM THOSE THINGS!

 

[Titi]

SUBS CARRY NUKES.

Granted. But when the city is far inland, even a nuke launched from a nuke SHOULD be limited to the 16 squares radius, don't you agree?

 

[Stegyre]

I thought this would be a no brainer... COME ON PEOPLE the U.N. is the worst wonder.
How many times have you needed to declare war on someone but your U.N. friends go against your better judgement to sign a peace treaty, only to have you NUKED 3 ROUNDS LATER???? All its advantages pale compared to its disadvantage. Its as bad as DEMOCRACY! Ill take the anti-U.Nu fundamentalism any day!!!

Are you sure? In all of my games, the effect you are describing is a result of your government type - republic or democracy - not the UN. Held by the AI, the UN will prevent you from declaring war against that civ. Held by you, the UN forces the AI to at least offer peace (although they may still sneak attack, and you can still provoke them into declaring war), and it is supposed to give republics or democracies a 50% chance of continuing a war without senate interference.

 

[Prof. Garfield]

An important thing is that democracy gives extra trade. Thus this increases "standard" income and also trade route income. What does extra cash allow you to do? BUY SDI INSTALATIONS! As long as you don't miss a city, the AI can nuke you all they want, and eventualy even a democracy senate will notice you are being stabbed in the back continualy and continue the war. The main reason for the UN is so that you don't get stuck in cease fires. If the senate wants peace, you get a peace treaty, not a cease fire.

 

[ElephantU]

Actually, Democracy eliminates corruption, which seems like extra trade but is actually just trade you lost under Republic due to corruption. This is really most useful when your civ has started to sprawl out from a dozen cities concentrated on one island. My favorite part of Democracy is the ability to set a Tax/Lux/Sci slider at 100%. I am often micromanaging the sliders to get just enough Science to hit the next tech, putting the rest into Taxes (I play a lot of One City Challenges).

Regarding the Nuke issues above, one trick is to build a very small city within 3 tiles of two or more large ones, then put an SDI in the little city. The SDI will protect the large cities, but the AI does not realize that and will continue trying to nuke the big ones with no success. It is sort of like having a fortified Musket on a Mountain at a choke point - a way to get the AI to waste most of their production battering their heads against a wall they cannot break. Just make sure you have enough defense in the city that a paratrooper or two cannot walk right in.