The Great Library

[Shiber]

It seems that several civs are competing with each other on the completion of The Great Pyramids. This is good news for us since all of them but one will lose all the shields they gathered when this wonder is completed. OTOH this could also prove to be bad for us since one of the civs might divert its efforts towards building The Great Library and will build it ahead of us.
I understand that many people here would like to see The Great Library built in Apolytonia. However, by the time The Great Pyramids will be completed, everyone will have Literature and then those civilizations that are building the pyramids will divert their efforts towards the colossus, the great lighthouse, the oracle... or the great library. If any one of those civs chooses the latter then we could kiss all those free techs goodbye.

The Great Library is a valuable wonder. It can save us a lot of money as well as improve our international rating (AFAIK AIs fear civilizations with wonders more than they fear civilizations w/o wonders). I really think we should build it, but only if we can come up with some plan that'll make sure we'll be the ones to complete it in the end.

Any thoughts on this?

[GodKing]

They will not, unfortunately, loose the shields. Once they loose the race for pyramids, they will switch over to the next wonder, keeping all of their shields. Then once they loos that one, they switch to the next, and so on. They do it the same way we do.

Ya, I think we all would love to have this wonder. However, I do not see it as possible (unless Paris builds it first, then as we will own paris soon....)

Good thought though.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Do we have any idea/estimate on how long the other civs hae been working on thier wonders, that is how many shields they may already have invested and how close they are?

[Spiffor]

We know the Persians will complete Pyramids in ca. 14 turns, ans the Greeks ca. 35 turns.

[Shiber]

I wish we could conquer Persepolis...

Anyway, this would prove to be an extra advantage to conquering Paris. If they're building a wonder, which is likely, we'll get all the shields they collected so far. Heck, maybe we'll even get the great library if the rest of the civs concentrate on the oracle, the great lighthouse or the colossus.

[Inverse Icarus]

great library? not possible.

[GhengisFarbâ„¢]

Why don't we let the Persians complete it, then take it from the Persians. Persia's just a future province of Apolytonia anyway....

[Shiber]

I'm afraid by the time we take Persepolis The Great Library will be obsolete.

Anyway, here's a point in favor of invading France rather than Persia as some suggested: we'll get Paris which is probably building a wonder from the early stages of the game (AIs usually do that from my experience), which means a wonder for roughly half the price or maybe even less than that.

P.S. There's a slight chance that we'll get a leader. Then we'll be able to get a wonder for free. But then again, we'll probably use it to build an army first and win a battle with it so we could build a heroic epic.

[adaMada]

Would it be possible to rush a few workers to 'poly, build a few mines in fertile places around it, and then add to the pop? Emphisize production at all cost within the city? If we delayed whatever war we decide is next and put all our resources into the Great Library, is there any chance we could get it? We could devote more money into entertainment and get WLTK day empire-wide (something that might be worth doing anyway)...

Just a thought... I'd love to have the Great Library next, but it doesn't look so good...

-- adaMada

[Spiffor]

I don't think it's possible to come back on the AI for this : they have production bonuses (emperor level) and they begun long before us. Plus, their capital cities are bigger, and (in Persepolis) they're producing about as much as our woodly capital.

[GodKing]

poly isn't on a river, so max size is 6 pop until we build an aquaduct. I think we would be better off devoting our resources to our overall infrastructure than to push on one city that probably wouldn't be able to accomplish what you want anyways.

[Shiber]

I wasn't actually suggesting we use poly. We have some cities that are near rivers. Perhaps we'll be able to use them as wonder factories in the future.
Anyway I rather prefer the idea of capturing enemy cities with wonders or capturing cities that are constructing a wonder and continuing their wonder.

[GePap]

Well, if the Persians are only 14 away, then Paris might very weell have the great lib by the time we get there:the french have a nicely built up capitol since they are industirous (how come we are industrious, and so are 3 of our neighbors:French, Americans, Persians?) they might be just a few steps behind Xerxes.

I say not to expect many wonders for Apolyton until the middle ages.

[UnOrthOdOx]

Originally posted by GePap
(how come we are industrious, and so are 3 of our neighbors:French, Americans, Persians?)

It's called culturally linked starting locations.

[GePap]

Actually

Not that I want to point out anything unOrthOdox but:

Industrious is a civ TRAIT which has nothing to do with a civ's culture: One knows culture groups by city graphics: we are of the mediterranean group (Roman looking cities), while the Persians are Islamic/Middle Eastern (Minarets), the French are European (mud huts right now) and the Americanss, well, American. Perhaps we have culturally linked start (no idea if this was an option picked), but that doesn't explain this (or why the Romans and Iroq are so far away from their fellow civs, or why Persians have no Islamic neighbors).