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Wonder Guide
Guide By Alex 14: Wonders
I wrote this thread to outline the scores I would give to the wonders in Civ 3 and added a comment for each one, hopefully beginners find this guide useful. It may apear that the marking system should be used as a measure of which wonders are better than others, or which wonders you should build, please read through the marking system carefully.
Its also a good idea to take note of the comment, as wonders have different effects depending on your overall civilization status. Also remember that no matter which wonder you build it will always add to your culture rating [see the manual(114) for a specific guide]. Don't forget that any wonder you let the AI build gives the AI that effect instead of you. I trust that this guide is helpful and interesting to read, please comment...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beginners Starting Guide: The Concept of Wonders (Page 99 of the manual)
Both types of Wonders are like extraordinary city improvments, in that they are structures (or achievments) that you can undertake. Unlike city improvments, each Great Wonder is unique, existing only in the city where it is constructed. Small wonders are not unique, but each civilization can build only one of each...
Points to Note:
- Any wonder can only be rushed by a leader and no other way
- Each wonder has a culture rating from 1 to 5
- Special events trigger wonders, instead of just technologies
- Wonders can only be destroyed if a city is captured, then razed immediatly
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Marking System:
5: Mandatory
4: Extremely Useful
3: Beneficial
2: Decent
1: Mediocre
Mandatory
____________________
1) Required to win the game in some sort of way.
2) Or/And influences one aspect of your civilization that cause the others to expand. (eg. happiness promotes growth, growth promotes production ect...)
3) Or/And it's effects are massive. (eg. Great Library giving you nearly 20 free techs, or Wall Street, giving you large money bonuses for free ect...)
Very Useful
____________________
1) Affects one aspect of your empire heavily.
2) Or affects many things in your empire equaling a reasonable effect. (eg. Heroic Epic, which gives your civ the ability to build better wonders faster)
Benificial
____________________
1) (eg. Great Wall, provieds you with significant military advantages for a short period of time) Nice effects for a short period of time.
2) Or improving the effects of a city improvment.
Decent
____________________
1) Giving you a bonus (eg. Money) for a short period of time .
2) Or given this mark because other better wonders are avalible at this time.
Mediocre
____________________
1) Affects one very small aspect (eg. Sea travel) that gives you a good effect, but doesn't really do anything for your empire as a civilization.
Please note, a wonder cannot be given a 1 because it's effect is different to another wonder's, expansionist players may not find some wonders as useful as militeristic players or scientific players. For further example, The Great Wall will not give any effect to a civilization without walls, or The Great Lighthouse wont be benificial without a navy. Nevertheless it can be used as a scoring meathod depending on the effects of a wonder. In other words, a wonder with a 4 or 5 score, means it's effects upon your civilization status are much greater than a 1 or 2 score.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Wonders:
The Colossus -- 2
The wonder gives you quite a bit of cash in the city you build it in, but many wonders like this one only affect one city instead of your entire civilization. After the ancient era you will most likely notice that your cash will be used up and so will the effects of this wonder, it's not really worth looking at.
The Great Library -- 5
Theoretically, with a good AI you could waste no money on science and still be up to date with the latest technology. One exception of this is that if one AI player is ahead of the world-standard science rate, the Great Library gives you a free advance whenever 2 other civilizations have discovered it. This wonder is perfect for harder difficulty levels, when you need to concentrate on other matters, on easier difficulties however, you may not find it as useful.
The problem with this wonder is that it is no longer obsolete by Electricity, but instead as soon as another civilization discovers Education it's effects are no longer usable. It is however possible to get every advance between Literacy and Education free, which is why this mark isn't compromised. Every wonder has been toned down in this game, but this one still stands out for players who can utilize it against the AI resourcefully.
The Great Lighthouse -- 1
Giving your sea units an extra move and allowing you to travel in sea squares is nice for naval players. But this wonder is too tough to build and other Great Wonders are available in this era, which are far more useful. In addition to this wonder only being able to be built in coastal cities, it’s really not worth the trouble to forge this great work. Unless a city is forced to change production to another wonder and this is the only one left on the list, don't build it.
The Great Wall -- 3
If you find time to construct walls in your cities, you will find this wonder very helpful against defence. Barbarian problems are also lowered with the effects of this wonder, you will find defence much smoother in general. The downside to this one is that it won't provided you with the city walls, even though they are cheap its too much trouble as they become obsolete when a city reaches 7. When you've just built a poorly defended city near an enemy opponent, this wonder will kick out any intruders to your civilization as long as it has some form of defence, build it only if you have the time and resources.
The Hanging Gardens -- 4
Happiness in this game is not very problematic on the easier playing levels, obviously when you progress to harder difficulties the wonder is much more useful. In an example where you have 20 (size 6) cities in your empire with all content citizens, this wonder would make 22 out of 120 your citizens happy. This will really improve your citizens opinion about you and trigger an overall happier empire.
This is one of those wonders that do not require any improvements; it affects your entire reputation instead of targeting individual cities. Consider it a wonder that is there to help you without any consequences. Even though The Pyramids are great for pumping up your civilization population with granaries, promoting happiness is a much more effective way in my opinion.
As I said before, this wonder is mandatory when you are playing on harder difficulty levels, but has a nice effect on your civilization on easier difficulties. As most of the effects in Civ 3 have been toned down, this one remains the same, just note - it's not the best wonder for happiness in the game. Although if you have an opportunity to build it, don't hesitate.
The Oracle -- 2
You usually don't find that you need to use this wonder after you construct the Hanging Gardens. Only on very hard difficulties this wonder is great for eliminating unhappiness by doubling the effect of every temple you possess. If you are playing on Monarch or higher you should build this.
The Pyramids -- 4
A free granary in all of your cities simply doubles each of your cities growth rate, which means you heavily boost the speed at which your empire progresses through the ages. Halting your growth at 12 is a hassle but once you uncap your growth rate, you'll find your cities will grow rapidly. Don't let the AI get away with this one.
Adam Smiths Trading Company -- 3
Pays for all your harbours, marketplaces & banks - a mild effect of Civ 2. However if you are planing on building a harbour, marketplace & bank in ever city this wonder is definantly should not be missed, you will also notice that the maintenance of your banks will no longer cross out their money output. If you are running out of cash because of maintenance (press F1 to check), build it.
Copernicus' Observatory & Newton's University -- 3
Both of these wonders are available in the same era, and have the same effect, so choose one, the other, or both
. They both double your research in the city built, so if you build both in the same city, you can imagine it will produce a lot of science. You will proberly have more important jobs to complete in the Middle Ages, but once you have, these wonders are a pretty nice advantage.
Newton's University appears later than Copernicus' Observatory, so if you know another civilization is building Copernicus' Observatory, you should switch your construction. As I have said for other wonders, build it if you can.
JS Bach’s Cathedral -- 3
When your empire is spread across many (2 or more) continents, the effects of this wonder are significantly minimized. On the other hand, if you have a large civilization on one generously proportioned island, this wonder is quite valuable.
For example purposes, let’s say you had 40 (size 12) cities with 6 happy citizens, 3 content citizens, and 3 unhappy citizens in each city on the same continent. This wonder would amend this to 6 happy citizens, 5 content citizens and 1 unhappy citizen in each of your cities. As you can see, this is pretty effective in terms of happiness. I would suggest you build it if you have an island with at least 70% of your population on it.
Leonardo's Workshop -- 2
The upshot of this wonder is drastically minimized from Civ 2, all it does now is reduce the cost price of upgrades by 50%. Upgrades tend to cost you about 2-4 gold per turn, if they are averaged out, Leonardo’s Workshop will simple diminish this to 1-2 gold per turn. It’s a money saver, but you usually have the cash in your pocket for a full upgrade anyway, so I suggest giving this one a miss unless you have nothing else to build.
Magellan's Voyage -- 1
Gives your seafaring units one extra movement point to reach their location about 10% faster. Naval players should choose this one as an alternative to Leonardo’s Workshop, when it comes to the case when there’s nothing else to build.
Sistine Chapel -- 3
Build this only on harder difficulties
Like the Oracle, this wonder doubles the effect of every cathedral you own. When playing on Monarch or tougher, this wonder should not be missed; it quells civil disorder, discontent and despair. Making your citizens happy is a good civer’s approach to forging an epic civilization to stand the test of time.
On Regent and easier difficulties, don’t worry about constructing this wonder, unless your finding yourself tangled in happiness problems. Just don’t forget that unlike JS Bach’s Cathedral, you first need a cathedral in any city you want to be affected.
Shakespeare’s Theatre -- 1
Makes 8 unhappy citizens content throughout your entire civilization. If you use the example for JS Bach’s Cathedral, you would have 80 total new content citizens, this wonder will only give you 8. As you can see this is a large difference, so you really should build JS Bach’s Cathedral instead.
Sun Tzu's Art Of War -- 4
You need a barracks in your cities to upgrade your units, this is expensive and can waste time - building this wonder makes it much easier to accomplish preparing your civilization for war, fast. I try to build this wonder in ever game, because without it time is wasted on building a barracks that could be a better city improvement.
Hoover Dam -- 4
This wonder seems to work against pollution quite well, with the benefit of a hydro plant in every city, it can save you a lot of cash and time. I try building this one in most games.
UN -- 5
Making victory possible for some civilizations and ensuring high possibility of winning for yours makes this wonder mandatory, and therefore it earns a 5. If you are winning using military or science, you may not need this wonder, but if you feel you need an extra push in the direction of victory build it.
The UN gives you the nice sense that you have a permanent position of being triumphant over opposing civilizations. The wonder is not like many others in the game and consequently should be ranked in your own way. Building it just in case is not a bad idea.
Theory Of Evolution -- 1
Gives you two free secondary advances free, this is not too benificial towards your civilization, the wonder is much like a very small version of the Great Library. Boosts your scientific level up the science tree if you have already discovered all of the secondary advances.
Note: Secondary advances are those that don't require to be discovered in each era, see page 95 of your manual.
Universal Suffrage -- 4
In Civ 3 you are almost always likely to go to war more than 5 times in a game. Some governments have extreme war weariness concerns, building this wonder will dint them, but you will still have some war weariness issues. I suggest you build it, because it actually appears to work nicely on small wars.
Cure For Cancer -- 3
Vast cultural escalation is what makes this wonder useful to create. It’s actual effect is often overlooked, it may appear that it only has ½ effect of JS Bach’s Cathedral, but it actually affects every continent in your civilization.
Lets put another example into place, give the same situation as for JS Bach’s Cathedral, with the exception of having an empire spread across 3 continents. JS Bach’s Cathedral would give your total population 27(80/3) new content citizens, however Cure For Cancer would give you 40 new content citizens.
If you do have more than 3 continents in your empire, don’t build JS Bach’s Cathedral, but wait for this one as a substitute. Some wonders like this one are based around situations, so be cautious.
Longevity -- 1
By the time this wonder becomes available, your empire should have already grown enough. In my last game I had a size 2 town with the same production as a size 9 city, as a result growth isn’t as important as it may seem. If you didn’t build the Pyramids you might want to get this one, otherwise I wouldn’t bother.
SETI Program -- 2
Disapointingly, this wonder has the same effect as Newton's University and Copernicus' Observatory. Increases your science rate in the city by 100%, I don't usually find it to useful unless you have built Newton's University and Copernicus' Observatory, then your science will increase quite a bit.
Manhattan Project -- 2
The only project that lets you build a unit, the question is, do you want to build this unit? If so then you should build it, but otherwise, there is no point. If the AI is getting it then sometimes its best to let them get it without wasting your time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small Wonders:
Forbidden Palace -- 4
You can re-build your palace in any city, but it disappears from your capital - this wonder changes all that by giving you an extra palace in the city of your choice (except your capital). Only build it initially if you have a massive empire, it should be constructed at the opposite end of your capital to quell corruption and boost happiness. The wonder is very useful, if you can find the resources to build it.
Heroic Epic -- 4
Increases the likelihood of leaders appearing by about 50%. If you fight a lot of wars then this wonder will become available, and you should get it. More leaders allow you to get more projects faster, that is why it merits such a high mark.
Iron Works -- 2
Just like King Richard’s Crusade (Civ 2) it boosts the production in the city built. Resembling Heroic Epic it also makes more projects build faster, it’s quite beneficial towards your empire, but not enough to win any awards.
Military Academy -- 4
I usually find that I don’t use this wonder in the middle ages too much, but later on it’s great for pumping out armies and conquering your enemies. You should build it, especially if your opponent has used the same tactic.
Wall Street -- 5
This wonder gives your treasury interest every turn, I'm not sure how it works exactly, but the cash pouring in is definantly noticeable. You usually find on average you get noticeable bonus amounts of gold every turn. This is one of the best wonders in the game without doubt, don't spend all your resources trying to be the first to build it, since it's a small wonder, everyone can anyway.
Battlefield Medicine -- 3
In Civ 3, when you fight a war, your units do not heal in an opponent’s territory, unless you have this wonder. The score of this wonder really depends on the rate of war your getting yourself into, if its just a border war or quick suicidal ambush, you might not need this wonder. If you are constantly in war, build it to prevent having to send your troops back to base, to heal, but for absolutely peaceful civilizations, it is useless. I would recommend you build this wonder if you can.
Intelligence Agency -- 3
Allows you to undertake espionage missions, you wouldn't be able to without it. But only build it if you want to, because that’s all it does besides up your culture.
The Pentagon -- 3
Raises the capacity of your armies by 25%, this is one of those wonders you should build in a city that has nothing of higher importance. The Pentagon is a nice military advantage, but if you have the Military Academy, it’s not that great.
Apollo Program -- 5
Like the UN, this is compulsory to win, except without this, space victory becomes unachievable. Only build it if you’re aiming for a scientific victory.
SMD -- 4
If you’re in a dangerous world, where nations possess nuclear weapons, then this wonder without question is necessary. It could mean the difference between the destruction and survival of a city; you might not need this until nukes are obtainable though.
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Thank you for your comments and I hope you found this guide enjoyable and interesting to read. With any luck I have made this article informative and helpful for novice players. Please post replies on how I can improve this guide with better information. I would also appreciate on support, with how I can make this guide lighter to read for beginners.
Thank you for reading my guide, please feel free to request support for the information provided.
Alex
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I'd finally like to thank these people for support, this guide has been improved greatly because of their comments.
Sevorak
Arrian
Dissident
& Others
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Version 1.2(Updated 11/30)
I wrote this thread to outline the scores I would give to the wonders in Civ 3 and added a comment for each one, hopefully beginners find this guide useful. It may apear that the marking system should be used as a measure of which wonders are better than others, or which wonders you should build, please read through the marking system carefully.
Its also a good idea to take note of the comment, as wonders have different effects depending on your overall civilization status. Also remember that no matter which wonder you build it will always add to your culture rating [see the manual(114) for a specific guide]. Don't forget that any wonder you let the AI build gives the AI that effect instead of you. I trust that this guide is helpful and interesting to read, please comment...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beginners Starting Guide: The Concept of Wonders (Page 99 of the manual)
Both types of Wonders are like extraordinary city improvments, in that they are structures (or achievments) that you can undertake. Unlike city improvments, each Great Wonder is unique, existing only in the city where it is constructed. Small wonders are not unique, but each civilization can build only one of each...
Points to Note:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marking System:
5: Mandatory
4: Extremely Useful
3: Beneficial
2: Decent
1: Mediocre
Mandatory
____________________
1) Required to win the game in some sort of way.
2) Or/And influences one aspect of your civilization that cause the others to expand. (eg. happiness promotes growth, growth promotes production ect...)
3) Or/And it's effects are massive. (eg. Great Library giving you nearly 20 free techs, or Wall Street, giving you large money bonuses for free ect...)
Very Useful
____________________
1) Affects one aspect of your empire heavily.
2) Or affects many things in your empire equaling a reasonable effect. (eg. Heroic Epic, which gives your civ the ability to build better wonders faster)
Benificial
____________________
1) (eg. Great Wall, provieds you with significant military advantages for a short period of time) Nice effects for a short period of time.
2) Or improving the effects of a city improvment.
Decent
____________________
1) Giving you a bonus (eg. Money) for a short period of time .
2) Or given this mark because other better wonders are avalible at this time.
Mediocre
____________________
1) Affects one very small aspect (eg. Sea travel) that gives you a good effect, but doesn't really do anything for your empire as a civilization.
Please note, a wonder cannot be given a 1 because it's effect is different to another wonder's, expansionist players may not find some wonders as useful as militeristic players or scientific players. For further example, The Great Wall will not give any effect to a civilization without walls, or The Great Lighthouse wont be benificial without a navy. Nevertheless it can be used as a scoring meathod depending on the effects of a wonder. In other words, a wonder with a 4 or 5 score, means it's effects upon your civilization status are much greater than a 1 or 2 score.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Wonders:
The Colossus -- 2
The wonder gives you quite a bit of cash in the city you build it in, but many wonders like this one only affect one city instead of your entire civilization. After the ancient era you will most likely notice that your cash will be used up and so will the effects of this wonder, it's not really worth looking at.
The Great Library -- 5
Theoretically, with a good AI you could waste no money on science and still be up to date with the latest technology. One exception of this is that if one AI player is ahead of the world-standard science rate, the Great Library gives you a free advance whenever 2 other civilizations have discovered it. This wonder is perfect for harder difficulty levels, when you need to concentrate on other matters, on easier difficulties however, you may not find it as useful.
The problem with this wonder is that it is no longer obsolete by Electricity, but instead as soon as another civilization discovers Education it's effects are no longer usable. It is however possible to get every advance between Literacy and Education free, which is why this mark isn't compromised. Every wonder has been toned down in this game, but this one still stands out for players who can utilize it against the AI resourcefully.
The Great Lighthouse -- 1
Giving your sea units an extra move and allowing you to travel in sea squares is nice for naval players. But this wonder is too tough to build and other Great Wonders are available in this era, which are far more useful. In addition to this wonder only being able to be built in coastal cities, it’s really not worth the trouble to forge this great work. Unless a city is forced to change production to another wonder and this is the only one left on the list, don't build it.
The Great Wall -- 3
If you find time to construct walls in your cities, you will find this wonder very helpful against defence. Barbarian problems are also lowered with the effects of this wonder, you will find defence much smoother in general. The downside to this one is that it won't provided you with the city walls, even though they are cheap its too much trouble as they become obsolete when a city reaches 7. When you've just built a poorly defended city near an enemy opponent, this wonder will kick out any intruders to your civilization as long as it has some form of defence, build it only if you have the time and resources.
The Hanging Gardens -- 4
Happiness in this game is not very problematic on the easier playing levels, obviously when you progress to harder difficulties the wonder is much more useful. In an example where you have 20 (size 6) cities in your empire with all content citizens, this wonder would make 22 out of 120 your citizens happy. This will really improve your citizens opinion about you and trigger an overall happier empire.
This is one of those wonders that do not require any improvements; it affects your entire reputation instead of targeting individual cities. Consider it a wonder that is there to help you without any consequences. Even though The Pyramids are great for pumping up your civilization population with granaries, promoting happiness is a much more effective way in my opinion.
As I said before, this wonder is mandatory when you are playing on harder difficulty levels, but has a nice effect on your civilization on easier difficulties. As most of the effects in Civ 3 have been toned down, this one remains the same, just note - it's not the best wonder for happiness in the game. Although if you have an opportunity to build it, don't hesitate.
The Oracle -- 2
You usually don't find that you need to use this wonder after you construct the Hanging Gardens. Only on very hard difficulties this wonder is great for eliminating unhappiness by doubling the effect of every temple you possess. If you are playing on Monarch or higher you should build this.
The Pyramids -- 4
A free granary in all of your cities simply doubles each of your cities growth rate, which means you heavily boost the speed at which your empire progresses through the ages. Halting your growth at 12 is a hassle but once you uncap your growth rate, you'll find your cities will grow rapidly. Don't let the AI get away with this one.
Adam Smiths Trading Company -- 3
Pays for all your harbours, marketplaces & banks - a mild effect of Civ 2. However if you are planing on building a harbour, marketplace & bank in ever city this wonder is definantly should not be missed, you will also notice that the maintenance of your banks will no longer cross out their money output. If you are running out of cash because of maintenance (press F1 to check), build it.
Copernicus' Observatory & Newton's University -- 3
Both of these wonders are available in the same era, and have the same effect, so choose one, the other, or both
. They both double your research in the city built, so if you build both in the same city, you can imagine it will produce a lot of science. You will proberly have more important jobs to complete in the Middle Ages, but once you have, these wonders are a pretty nice advantage.Newton's University appears later than Copernicus' Observatory, so if you know another civilization is building Copernicus' Observatory, you should switch your construction. As I have said for other wonders, build it if you can.
JS Bach’s Cathedral -- 3
When your empire is spread across many (2 or more) continents, the effects of this wonder are significantly minimized. On the other hand, if you have a large civilization on one generously proportioned island, this wonder is quite valuable.
For example purposes, let’s say you had 40 (size 12) cities with 6 happy citizens, 3 content citizens, and 3 unhappy citizens in each city on the same continent. This wonder would amend this to 6 happy citizens, 5 content citizens and 1 unhappy citizen in each of your cities. As you can see, this is pretty effective in terms of happiness. I would suggest you build it if you have an island with at least 70% of your population on it.
Leonardo's Workshop -- 2
The upshot of this wonder is drastically minimized from Civ 2, all it does now is reduce the cost price of upgrades by 50%. Upgrades tend to cost you about 2-4 gold per turn, if they are averaged out, Leonardo’s Workshop will simple diminish this to 1-2 gold per turn. It’s a money saver, but you usually have the cash in your pocket for a full upgrade anyway, so I suggest giving this one a miss unless you have nothing else to build.
Magellan's Voyage -- 1
Gives your seafaring units one extra movement point to reach their location about 10% faster. Naval players should choose this one as an alternative to Leonardo’s Workshop, when it comes to the case when there’s nothing else to build.
Sistine Chapel -- 3
Build this only on harder difficulties
Like the Oracle, this wonder doubles the effect of every cathedral you own. When playing on Monarch or tougher, this wonder should not be missed; it quells civil disorder, discontent and despair. Making your citizens happy is a good civer’s approach to forging an epic civilization to stand the test of time.
On Regent and easier difficulties, don’t worry about constructing this wonder, unless your finding yourself tangled in happiness problems. Just don’t forget that unlike JS Bach’s Cathedral, you first need a cathedral in any city you want to be affected.
Shakespeare’s Theatre -- 1
Makes 8 unhappy citizens content throughout your entire civilization. If you use the example for JS Bach’s Cathedral, you would have 80 total new content citizens, this wonder will only give you 8. As you can see this is a large difference, so you really should build JS Bach’s Cathedral instead.
Sun Tzu's Art Of War -- 4
You need a barracks in your cities to upgrade your units, this is expensive and can waste time - building this wonder makes it much easier to accomplish preparing your civilization for war, fast. I try to build this wonder in ever game, because without it time is wasted on building a barracks that could be a better city improvement.
Hoover Dam -- 4
This wonder seems to work against pollution quite well, with the benefit of a hydro plant in every city, it can save you a lot of cash and time. I try building this one in most games.
UN -- 5
Making victory possible for some civilizations and ensuring high possibility of winning for yours makes this wonder mandatory, and therefore it earns a 5. If you are winning using military or science, you may not need this wonder, but if you feel you need an extra push in the direction of victory build it.
The UN gives you the nice sense that you have a permanent position of being triumphant over opposing civilizations. The wonder is not like many others in the game and consequently should be ranked in your own way. Building it just in case is not a bad idea.
Theory Of Evolution -- 1
Gives you two free secondary advances free, this is not too benificial towards your civilization, the wonder is much like a very small version of the Great Library. Boosts your scientific level up the science tree if you have already discovered all of the secondary advances.
Note: Secondary advances are those that don't require to be discovered in each era, see page 95 of your manual.
Universal Suffrage -- 4
In Civ 3 you are almost always likely to go to war more than 5 times in a game. Some governments have extreme war weariness concerns, building this wonder will dint them, but you will still have some war weariness issues. I suggest you build it, because it actually appears to work nicely on small wars.
Cure For Cancer -- 3
Vast cultural escalation is what makes this wonder useful to create. It’s actual effect is often overlooked, it may appear that it only has ½ effect of JS Bach’s Cathedral, but it actually affects every continent in your civilization.
Lets put another example into place, give the same situation as for JS Bach’s Cathedral, with the exception of having an empire spread across 3 continents. JS Bach’s Cathedral would give your total population 27(80/3) new content citizens, however Cure For Cancer would give you 40 new content citizens.
If you do have more than 3 continents in your empire, don’t build JS Bach’s Cathedral, but wait for this one as a substitute. Some wonders like this one are based around situations, so be cautious.
Longevity -- 1
By the time this wonder becomes available, your empire should have already grown enough. In my last game I had a size 2 town with the same production as a size 9 city, as a result growth isn’t as important as it may seem. If you didn’t build the Pyramids you might want to get this one, otherwise I wouldn’t bother.
SETI Program -- 2
Disapointingly, this wonder has the same effect as Newton's University and Copernicus' Observatory. Increases your science rate in the city by 100%, I don't usually find it to useful unless you have built Newton's University and Copernicus' Observatory, then your science will increase quite a bit.
Manhattan Project -- 2
The only project that lets you build a unit, the question is, do you want to build this unit? If so then you should build it, but otherwise, there is no point. If the AI is getting it then sometimes its best to let them get it without wasting your time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small Wonders:
Forbidden Palace -- 4
You can re-build your palace in any city, but it disappears from your capital - this wonder changes all that by giving you an extra palace in the city of your choice (except your capital). Only build it initially if you have a massive empire, it should be constructed at the opposite end of your capital to quell corruption and boost happiness. The wonder is very useful, if you can find the resources to build it.
Heroic Epic -- 4
Increases the likelihood of leaders appearing by about 50%. If you fight a lot of wars then this wonder will become available, and you should get it. More leaders allow you to get more projects faster, that is why it merits such a high mark.
Iron Works -- 2
Just like King Richard’s Crusade (Civ 2) it boosts the production in the city built. Resembling Heroic Epic it also makes more projects build faster, it’s quite beneficial towards your empire, but not enough to win any awards.
Military Academy -- 4
I usually find that I don’t use this wonder in the middle ages too much, but later on it’s great for pumping out armies and conquering your enemies. You should build it, especially if your opponent has used the same tactic.
Wall Street -- 5
This wonder gives your treasury interest every turn, I'm not sure how it works exactly, but the cash pouring in is definantly noticeable. You usually find on average you get noticeable bonus amounts of gold every turn. This is one of the best wonders in the game without doubt, don't spend all your resources trying to be the first to build it, since it's a small wonder, everyone can anyway.
Battlefield Medicine -- 3
In Civ 3, when you fight a war, your units do not heal in an opponent’s territory, unless you have this wonder. The score of this wonder really depends on the rate of war your getting yourself into, if its just a border war or quick suicidal ambush, you might not need this wonder. If you are constantly in war, build it to prevent having to send your troops back to base, to heal, but for absolutely peaceful civilizations, it is useless. I would recommend you build this wonder if you can.
Intelligence Agency -- 3
Allows you to undertake espionage missions, you wouldn't be able to without it. But only build it if you want to, because that’s all it does besides up your culture.
The Pentagon -- 3
Raises the capacity of your armies by 25%, this is one of those wonders you should build in a city that has nothing of higher importance. The Pentagon is a nice military advantage, but if you have the Military Academy, it’s not that great.
Apollo Program -- 5
Like the UN, this is compulsory to win, except without this, space victory becomes unachievable. Only build it if you’re aiming for a scientific victory.
SMD -- 4
If you’re in a dangerous world, where nations possess nuclear weapons, then this wonder without question is necessary. It could mean the difference between the destruction and survival of a city; you might not need this until nukes are obtainable though.
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Thank you for your comments and I hope you found this guide enjoyable and interesting to read. With any luck I have made this article informative and helpful for novice players. Please post replies on how I can improve this guide with better information. I would also appreciate on support, with how I can make this guide lighter to read for beginners.
Thank you for reading my guide, please feel free to request support for the information provided.
Alex
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I'd finally like to thank these people for support, this guide has been improved greatly because of their comments.
Sevorak
Arrian
Dissident
& Others
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Version 1.2(Updated 11/30)
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