You start with one Wonder for free. What do you pick?

[MilesBeyond]

Imagine you could kick off the game in 4000 BC with any one wonder in the game pre-built in your capital.

United Nations and Apostolic Palace are on the table but their associated victory conditions are not.

Projects aren't on the table (no Internet, sadly. And no Manhattan Project, which would be the funniest option conceptually. "We did it! We figured out how to build nukes!" "Great! What's a nuke?" "No idea!").

Which wonder would you choose? (I'm thinking maybe the Kremlin?)

Also, which wonder would be the one that would have the least impact? We'll exclude Space Elevator and 3 Gorges from this one, because that's boring. (I'm thinking... Man, maybe the Statue of Zeus? I kinda want to say Versailles but even though it'd do nothing at first, you could at least e.g. move your Palace around and get some big maintenance reductions relatively early on).

Finally, which wonder would see the most dramatic change in how valuable it is? (Definitely thinking the Hagia Sophia for this one).

 

[AcaMetis]

Boring choices of what wonder to start with: Mids, Kremlin, maybe Christo if not SPI. Mids can be build early, but even assuming IND+Stone that's two Settlers worth of production in the early game, and two extra Rep cities in the BCs sounds like a decent choice at least. Kremlin is obvious, Christo is obvious.

Funny choices of what wonder to start with: The Great Wall on a map with raging barbs , The Eiffel Tower to get a free Broadcast Tower in every city (+50% , +2 Artist slots, +1 if CHA) or Sistine Chapel to do some serious culture shenaniganry.

Least impactful wonder to start with, barring specific situations like Colossus/Great Lighthouse on I.E. an Inland Sea map, would probably be Taj Mahal. Eight turns of golden age when you have a single citizen that is stuck working an unimproved tile, zero civics to swap (you might be able to get a religion fast enough to convert without anarchy?), zero specialist slots, removes the ability to build Taj Mahal later on when the golden age actually makes an impact, no other benefit beyond +10 and +2 GA which are probably the least useful early game great person to get. Versailles is dead weight early game as well, but at least it has a potential use later, and generates GM which are probably more useful than GA. Statue of Zeus likewise generates GA , but has a theoretical use if, say, you're a PRO leader and able to fend off suicide stacks outside a walled city or something. I guess. It's not a glowing recommendation by any means but it's better than Taj Mahal with one citizen .

Most dramatic change in value I feel would be Christo. It's not a bad wonder, but it's so late in the tech tree that most games are never going to see it. Assuming a lenghty game that gets to the end of the tech tree...probably Hagia Sophia, maybe Pentagon? +2 xp isn't that significant when you're at Assembly Line, whereas for an early rush starting with level 2 units and a Barracks upgrading them to level 3 right out the gate feels like a pretty big deal?

 

[Teneight]

Great Library with a philosophical leader seems insane. 6bpt and 16 GPP on turn 1. Academy on turn 7, 2nd GS on turn 19, 3rd on turn 38, 4th on turn 63 (think I did the math right). Philosophical might be overkill.

 

[MilesBeyond]

I thought about Taj Mahal, but I couldn't remember whether Golden Ages affect the central tile or not. If they do, then I think getting potentially +2 hammers to put towards your first Worker, as well as potentially +2 Commerce to put towards your first tech, could actually be pretty appealing. Only 8 turns, sure, but it's going to shave quite a few turns off of both and can give you a sizeable edge. Actually better than EXP for your first Worker, and combined with EXP is even better.

However, if the centre tile isn't buffed and it's just the one tile your citizen is working, then that's a very different story.

 

[AcaMetis]

I completely forgot about the central tile, and I think it is also buffed by golden ages?

 

[Nick723]

Yes Taj would actually be among the more useful ones. Hanging gardens or Oracle would also be there for small early boosts.

For the best wonder - I think either Great Library or Kremlin as suggested above.

 

[Teneight]

Another idea in the same vein as Great Library is Statue of Liberty on Suleiman. Imperialistic for earlier/more cities and Philosophical for the extra GPP. Not as strong early as Great Library but potentially has more ability to snowball?

 

[danjuno]

Just checked: Golden ages do add +1 and to the center tile:

Also interesting to note, the deer tile my citizen defaulted to working did not gain a +1 to commerce, presumably because it requires already having at least 1 of said yield. So, tiles need at least 1 production and 1 commerce to begin with to get the full benefits of a Golden Age. Taj is still a good pick, but be warned your mileage may vary depending on start.

 

[MilesBeyond]

That's good to know! Funny how in all these years of playing I never thought to actually check whether the central tile is impacted by GAs. I guess by the time GAs normally happen it's drowned out by the tiles you're working, to the point that you don't even think of it.

In that case, I think whether Taj Mahal would be any good would depend on whether you choose the free wonder then start, or start then choose the free wonder.

 

[MilesBeyond]

Another idea in the same vein as Great Library is Statue of Liberty on Suleiman. Imperialistic for earlier/more cities and Philosophical for the extra GPP. Not as strong early as Great Library but potentially has more ability to snowball?

Hard to say. The trick with Liberty is the slots. Mind you, early in the game even the free hammer from running a Citizen isn't too shabby, but it's not a lot. I might actually take Gandhi over Suleiman for it - the freedom to have my cake and eat it too by dancing between Slavery and Caste System seems too good to pass up. I guess you could also do Pericles for speedy Libraries.

The other factor with TGL (no, not TGL. TGL) is, Great People aside, +6 raw beakers is crazy strong in 4000 BC.

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

Notre Dame for cultural victory.

 

[Nick723]

One factor that needs to be considered is the passive GPP. Even apart from the great library, any wonder producing scientist points is a T50 great scientist.

Probably the most useful ones are scientist (academy), engineer (free wonder), merchant (trade mission) although I haven’t considered the wacky bulbing opportunities that might now be available.

For example, T0 hanging gardens could basically guarantee T50 pyramids. T0 pyramids, could also basically guarantee the great lighthouse…

 

[sylvanllewelyn]

We'll exclude Space Elevator and 3 Gorges from this one, because that's boring.

Space elevator is the best setting for some post-apocalyptic fantasy action RPG game. For thousands of years, there is a large object in the middle of the capital city that nobody understands how it works. The elevator shaft moves up and down periodically, powered by solar power panels above the breatheable atmosphere. Anyone that enters is carried up, and then comes back down, dead.

 

[danjuno]

Naturally, they start throwing virgins into it as a sacrifice!