Unusual plans for Wonders

[Theben]

Not just "x wonder does this so that's what I use it for. Duh!" I mean do you utilize them in any interesting ways or combinations of ways (w/ other wonders, units, etc.)

I try to lump together all the Engineering wonders in one city for a GE pump. But after reading the GP thread I might try settling them in my main GP city instead.

I haven't done this yet, but I was thinking of getting the Great Wall and then declaring war on my neighbors, but let them invade me and then destroy their armies "inside my cultural borders". x2 Great General points.

Obviously I try to put my Heroic Epic and West Point in the same city. It sucks that 2 is the max 'cuz I'd like to put Red Cross in there too, along with settled GGenerals + Military Academy.

Other ideas?

[Hauptman]

I've built the great wall with Ghengis khan and done JUST that... x4 great general points. Boy I had alot of them that game.

Usually wonders are very game specific for me, I do however build the great library pentagon and 3 gorges in every single game I am able.

stackable wonders are however... incredible. Artemise + great lighthouse, and you never need to make a cottage! Add in financial and the collosus and well.... you see the power there. 3 commerce even on an ocean square.

[The Priest]

Difficulty in answering the question shows the problem - wonders aren't strategic enough. They just do their stuff. In some games that stuff might be more valuable to you, so you build particular ones rather than others, but they don't really give rise to different strategic choices.

P.S. on wonders doubling up, the an obvious line is the pyramids and Sistine Chapel with great library, statue of liberty (and mercantilism) - library, statue and mer give extra specialists, pyramids and sistine gives extra benefit from those specialists.

[Seedle]

Originally posted by The Priest
Difficulty in answering the question shows the problem - wonders aren't strategic enough. They just do their stuff. In some games that stuff might be more valuable to you, so you build particular ones rather than others, but they don't really give rise to different strategic choices.

I agree.

Originally posted by The Priest
P.S. on wonders doubling up, the an obvious line is the pyramids and Sistine Chapel with great library, statue of liberty (and mercantilism) - library, statue and mer give extra specialists, pyramids and sistine gives extra benefit from those specialists.

Don't forget the Temple of Artemis gives a free priest. Temple+Great Library+whatever other wonders in one city makes a Great Person factory.

Originally posted by Theben
Obviously I try to put my Heroic Epic and West Point in the same city. It sucks that 2 is the max 'cuz I'd like to put Red Cross in there too, along with settled GGenerals + Military Academy.

I felt the same way at first, but I'm not sure not being able to include Red Cross is so bad. Basically, instead of one city producing twice boosted units, you have 2 cities producing once boosted units. What I do is have the West Point city produce planes and tanks, which don't get medic anyway, and the Red Cross City produce my other units.

The only other "combo" I can think of for wonders is U. of Sankore, Spiral Minaret, and Apstolic palace. Particularly if you are Spiritual for the cheap temples.

[johnmcd]

I don't mind that the wonders are not game changing. Before the Oracle to Civil Service route was nerfed it was so powerful that some folk just couldn't play the game unless they pulled it off. That's broken - not strategic.

I have wonders I favour, and techs I like to get early, but if circumstance should dictate otherwise then I have to think my way around it, not restart.

[-SafaN-]

is the CS slingshot nerfed? once in a while i'm able to do it even on monarch

[johnmcd]

Originally posted by -SafaN-
is the CS slingshot nerfed? once in a while i'm able to do it even on monarch

Yeah, it used to be easy, now you need dopey AI and a fast start to it yourself. I haven't managed it on Emperor - not that I've tried, but I don't think there has been an occasion when I could have.

The requirements are much tougher for Civil Service than they used to be.

[Yosho]

I don't get Great Library nearly as much anymore either in BTS. I used to almost always get it, but now there's an extra tech you need to get first , and it's a tech that dosn't really do anything for you (it lets you build other wonders, but if you're going for great library you're probably not going to have a chance to build them anyway). So now to get great library you have to go two techs out of your way on the tech tree, and if you try and you don't get it, it really hurts.

[playshogi]

Aesthetics is a valuable tech on emperor because you can trade it to the other AI, who generally don't research it right away. ...and I still get the Great Library.

[Solomwi]

Originally posted by Seedle

I felt the same way at first, but I'm not sure not being able to include Red Cross is so bad. Basically, instead of one city producing twice boosted units, you have 2 cities producing once boosted units. What I do is have the West Point city produce planes and tanks, which don't get medic anyway, and the Red Cross City produce my other units.

One other consideration is that I like to, when possible, put Red Cross in a coastal city so that I can seed my naval stacks with medic ships. If I'm setting up a draft city with Globe Theater, it's a pretty good candidate for Red Cross, coastal or not (though the ideal situation would be coastal with several seafood tiles), since units drafted from the Red Cross city get the medic promotion, too.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Theben
Obviously I try to put my Heroic Epic and West Point in the same city.

I tend to put West Point in with the Ironworks myself. I find it usually produces quicker than the bonus from Heroic. Especially now with the Military Academy.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Solomwi


One other consideration is that I like to, when possible, put Red Cross in a coastal city so that I can seed my naval stacks with medic ships.

Not a bad idea. It takes a long time for Destroyers and Battleships to heal themselves without that promotion. I usually stack in a Battleship with a Destroyer that has it, along with one that has extra visibility. I'll have to keep that in mind.

[DirtyMartini]

While I often don't build many wonders, if I am in a wonder heavy game, I will try to stack them like Theben.

GE cities are the best IMO they're sort of self sustaining as well -- you can burn the engineers on more engineer wonders. Stacking Oracle and Stonehenge is great for getting that early GP for a shrine -- plus you can usually overwhelm that city's GP points later to avoid getting too many prophests (seems that's always the way with prophets -- either too many or not enough).

In my current game, I managed to pull off Great lighthouse, Temple of Artemis, and Colossus in my capital as Hannibal (Monarch/Epic). With Cothons and financial it's coastal tile and trade route madness. I've used the great merchants to run constant deficit research and to mass upgrade my highly promoted army. It's nice. Now the pool is polluted though -- I've added a few more wonders in that city. Far more than I would usually build.

[Supr49er]

Originally posted by Solomwi


... put Red Cross in a coastal city so that I can seed my naval stacks with medic ships...

That's what I always do with the RC also.