Best Wonders?

[Jon Shafer]

Pick 4 wonders which you think are the most powerful and say why.

For me...

Pyramids: This is a nasty one. Growth goes through the roof, making your empire much more flexible.

Hoover: Free production is always nice.

Sun Tzu/Leo's combo: I combined them because these two wonders work way too well together. Get them both and your military will be so flexible that it's not even close to fair to your opponents.

[Fosse]

I'm rarely able to bag pyramids (Just did today though!), so I bank on the Great Library to keep up. The Pyramids are my unfailing prebuild for it. Zero research and tech parity for an age are too good to pass up.

[Egbert]

I would say that the early wonders have a massive advantage over the later wonders. This is because an ancient wonder can put you in a winning position whereas by the time you get to the modern age the game is probably won or lost so even the most valuable modern wonders are unlikely to change the outcome.

I can not nominate "the big four" because that depends upon my situation, my strategy and difficulty level but I shall make an attempt anyway.

The value of the Great Library increases as the difficulty level increases. It is useless to me at Chieftain but VERY valuable at Emperor.

The Pyramids are useful at all levels for the growth boost but at the higher levels this is partly offset by increased unhappiness problems. Also offset by the fact that a city that has hit its' limits has no use for granary, need aqueducts pronto and sewers are in the very distant future.

Leo's shop of horrors is great for half price upgrades, saves a ton of gold. Leos value increases as the difficulty level rises. At lower levels you can often send obsolete units off to war. Sun Tze, with its free barracks, is good for warmongers but not particularly useful for a peaceful player because units can be moved to a city with a barracks for an upgrade.

Bach's and Sistine Chapel are both extremely valuable for the massive happiness boost and they come in the middle ages thus early enough to make a major contribution to the outcome of the game.

Collosus is very useful if you pile in the aqueduct and money and science improvements ASAP for a great boost to science and money. (Perhaps not one the "big four wonders" but comes close). Move heaven and earth to add Copernicus and Newton to this city.

The Hanging Gardens are very useful at the higher levels, an extra happy citizen in every city.

If I could be guaranteed my choice of wonders I would be inclined towards:
1. Great Library (indispensable to me at higher levels)
2. Hanging Gardens (Bach and Sistine are unquestionably much more valuable but they come so much later)
3. Collosus (great early boost which can be parlayed into enduring advantage)
4. Leo's cut price upgrades

Caveat: On an archipelago map the Great Lighthouse might be the most valuable wonder but that depends very much on the geography of a particular map. Useless on pangea though.

[Master Zen]

1) DEFINITELY the pyramids although not always attainable (lucky if your neighbor gets it, then you can steal it! )

2) Great Library also helps alot to hoard $$ on the higher difficulty levels.

3) Hoover Dam. Production surge

3) JS Bach. 2 happy people really help

4) Colossus/Copernicus/Newton's if you can get as many of those, and better yet if they are on the same city

[Egbert]

Umh, map size and configuration enters into valuation of wonders I think.

For example, on a tiny archipelago map Hoover Dam may not be worth building as it gives a boost to cities on the same continent whereas you are scattered over a number of little islands.

Pyramids are definitely more valuable on the larger maps because there are more cities to have a free granary. Pyramids are no big deal on a tiny 80% water world.

Some wonders give benefits to ALL cities and some only to cities on the same continent so it is relevant whether you are on a pangea or archipelago map.

The Collusus derives part of its value from the possibility that you may get Copernicus and Newton in that same city. That it is one awesome research monster. (If you can do this you could probably go up a level).

I think there is also a synergy between Leos and Sun Tze.

[Cruddy]

For me it has to be;

1) Hoover's (at least when it boosts enough cities to be cheaper than individual hydro dams).

2) Adam Smiths. This will save more gold than Leo's ever can.

3) Pyramids. Early boost to pop makes the Great Library pointless (unless I want to capture it to regain tech).

4) Toss up between Sistine and JS Bach's. The latter gives a bigger bonus but needs a cathedral in a city to work.

Mind you, I usually don't build them (except with GLs). Capture is so much cheaper, even if I don't get the culture.

[Don Giovanni]

I think most of us agree that without either The Great Library or The Pyramids, a considerable amount of luck (or skill) is required to prevail at higher difficulty levels.

This week-end I played a huge map, continents, 16 civs, Emperor game, and managed to build The Great Library without a leader, by just denying to trade literature until the wonder was nearing completion. The Pyramids however, as in most games I have played so far, were far beyond reach, and only attainable with a very early leader. To make a long story short, I consider The Great Library my top priority and The Pyramids are not in the top-4! - Sorry !! But in terms of power, The Pyramids are probably number one.

My top-4 POWER list:
1) The Pyramids
2) The Great Library
3) Forbidden Palace (you just said wonders!!)
4) The Hoover Dam

My top-4 PRIORITY list:

1) The Great Library (I can't live without it)
2) Forbidden Palace
3) The Hoover Dam (This marks the victory for me - any enemy will be overrun with artillery and tanks within a short while)
4) Theory of Evolution (This brings me in the lead of the tech race)

Actually, in most games I don't build any more great wonders, except in late game if I get a leader, and a great wonder is available (and it's just great if you know that other civs have been building this wonder for a long time ).

[Mountain Sage]

Much depends on the map size, the land configuration and the difficulty level.

On archipelago and small continents/big islands at Monarch and Emperor level I would say:

1. Great Library: you can cash in gold for later short-turn research.
2. Great Lighthouse: forget about playing on archipelago if you don't have it
3. Adam Smith: no upkeep costs for harbors, airports, commercial docks, marketplaces, banks etc. (about 15 gold saved per turn/per city)
4. Hoover Dam: you can forget all the coal, nuclear, solar, wind, biomasse and other x-plants

Just behind:
5. Theory of Evolution: gives you the tech lead if you need it.
6. The UN: yes, go for the space race and lose the game diplomatically, will you?

[Arrian]

Totally depends. The Pyramids are almost always powerful, but I almost never am willing to invest in building them. I tend to be very generous when trading masonry to my neighbors, though

The Lighthouse can be a lifesaver, but only on certain maps.

The Library can also be huge, but the last time I built it, I didn't get a single tech from it.

Sun Tzu is nice, but I think it's more of a convenience thing than anything else. Come on, admit it, most of us like it because you can just hit shift+U and *presto* your upgrading is done.

Leo's is big, but much more so for the warmonger than the builder. Since I'm a warmonger, I love it.

Sistine is awesome, especially if you're religious. 6 content in each city with a cathedral. Nice.

Bach is also awesome, and is particularly great if you're not religious & most or all of your empire is on one continent.

Smith is a must-have. Free harbors, markets, banks, stock exchanges, commercial docks, and airports.

Hoover... I can't imagine not having it. Then again, I honestly can't imagine not getting ToE either. That would be awful.

The UN, though I never intend to use it, is necessary for me so to prevent being voted down by the AI civs I've been smacking around.

Not that it really matters that late in the game, but the Internet is pretty powerful.

But if I had to list 4?

Pyramids, Sistine, Smith, Hoover.

-Arrian

[FrustratedPoet]

Top four? Hmmm....

Pyramids is a lock.
Leo's because I like to wage war.
ToE because if the game is still going this late on I must need some help.
Sistine because it means I can build Cathedrals and almost forget about happiness problems.

[Nor Me]

UN: I often either need it to win or not to lose.
Pyramids.
ToE: if you're behind, this is normally enough to catch up. Even if you're ahead, this is often victory 8 turns sooner.
Colossus: This doesn't really hold up a swordsman or horseman rush but is still good for science in the Industrial age.

Runners up:

5. Great Lighthouse
6. J. S. Bachs
7. Hoover Dam
8. Great Library: sometimes nice but you only really need it if you're on an island and even then the Lighthouse is often more important.

[Nakar Gabab]

As Arrian said, PTW has made Adam Smith's absolutely essential. It may well be the best wonder. I mean, come on, you don't always build a cathedral in every city, right? And Hydro Plants don't do much to help those tiny corrupt border towns, do they? But marketplaces? Banks? Harbors? You build those EVERYWHERE, man.

[MoonWolf]

Hard one... It depends on a lot of factors. Like, if I'm playing an earth map and start in Europe, Africa or Asia, the Pyramids and GL is a must. The GL not only cause of the techs, but the culture as well. But ok, here it is

1.Pyramids or The Great Library
If I don't get both, I'll get one of them
2.Leo's good ol' workshop
I missed it by a few turns in my current game to my neighbour Greece and I really feel the difference! They've been too powerful to launch an attack uppon, but soon I'll have Panzers!
3.Sistine
Happiness, give me happiness!
4.Hoovers
A real boost to my production

By having these, I gain quite easily the others. I'll go for ToE as well to get an early start on Hoovers. Oh, and I've moved Longevity to Sanition, meaning this one is important as well, no matter if you go warmongering or not

[Fosse]

Okay... that's what I get for not reading the first post carefully. If I pick four...

G. LIbrary, Pyramids, Theory of Evolution, Sistine

[vulture]

Best four wonders, for my money:

1. Pyramids. Since learning how to use the luxury slider, I'm convinced there isn't a better wonder for the human in the game (well, unless you are playing on a tiny map, 80% water, islands, as previously mentioned). But for standard continents and up, this is the best.

2. Great Library. As long as you have contact with a reasonable number of civs. Basically works as an early substitue for Leo's, allowing you to hoard cash for upgrading to knights, primarily. Very good for warmongers.

3. Sistine Chapel. Or possible Bach's.. Whichever, I'd like to get at least one of them, preferably both if at all possible. But usually I'm too busy researching good trading techs to keep up in the tech race to be able to spend time researching music theory before the AI does.

4a. Adam Smith's. The money saved here counts for the upkeep of a lot of units. Plus, im the industrial era it is common to run at 100% science, and I just hate knowing that I'm spending 2 gpt for each bank and getting no benefit. Much easier to live with if they are free.

4b. Theory of Evolution, aka Hoover Dam. When I get the ToE I always take atomic theory and electronics as the free techs, which pretty much guarantees getting Hoover, so it is essentially a wonder which gets you two nice expensive techs and a free hydro dam in every city. Must have.