help with wonders

[zorbop]

ok- i play on emperor, and i still can't manage to get any wonders before universal sufferage. i mean, aside from the occasional leader. i've tried prebuilding, conquering whoever seems to be building the wonder i want, beelineing for the wonder. but the ai always seems to get it about 4 turns before i do. any tips?

[vmxa1]

If you have good start you should be able to get one big ancient wonder and maybe one like colosseus.
After that you could get several in the middle ages and pretty much all after that.
Colosseus requires a city be coastal and near the palace, so that means the #2 - 4 city founded. After that it you would be in trouble if any AI had coastal cities.
Early wonder like GL requires some commitment. After that it is a function of your game.
If you are on a large land mass with others and go to kick butt mode you can do some very good things.
If you are isolated or have poor start locations, it gets rougher to get any thing much before industrial ages.

[Mountain Sage]

To get an ancient wonder (possibly the GLibrary or the GLighthouse, depending on your map) you have to 'sacrifice' your second city, meaning that after the usual warrior-warrior-worker-(temple) you build your palace as a pre-built for your wonder. This is why your second city should be on a river/lake and be able to grow beyond size 6 early on.

[Arrian]

Prebuilds are also key.

Start a different build prior to discovering the tech needed for the wonder. The best prebuild is a "palace." This is typically several hundred shields, or more if your empire is large, and can be built anywhere but your capitol. Start on it, and when you get the tech for the wonder, switch production to the wonder.

If you want to use your capitol (good production city probably), then you have to either use a wonder you don't want (danger here, though, because if another civ builds that wonder prior to the switchover, you lose all those shields) or something like a coloseum.

I apologize if this was obvious stuff. You play on Emperor, so clearly you know how to play the game.

-Arrian

[zorbop]

tnx. I tried these tactics, and although i could not get colossus, i was able to get the lighthouse. at the expense of 2 settlers and about 8 swordsman it didn't seem worth it, but it payed off i guess with the extra islands i got.

[Theseus]

zorbop, also trying joining Workers to your GW-building city (on a river with good land), having a couple of lux connected, and using MPs for happiness. Result: a shield-producing behemoth.

[joncnunn]

Re: help with wonders

First, it depends a lot upon which early game wonder your trying to build on weather or not your going to get it.

You can usally forget about trying to build the Pyramids on Emperor level.

The Collosus on the other hand is usally easy to build if your starting city (or second one) is coastal.

If your Religious and reserach Mystism first, you have a good shot at The Oracle using Palace as a prebuild.

Great Libary is attinable (especally if commercial) if you use the Palace as a pre build and acquire Literature before the Palace completes.

Late ancient era and Early middle era wonders are also a matter of getting those techs. Yes, you'll need to use pre builds as well.

Generally thoughout the game the wonder city should be the highest shield producing city you have; this generally means lots of population working productive tiles and sufficent happiness structures and units for marital law.

This often means that a city that's been used for pumping out settlers and workers is not a good wonder site for centuries after rex is complete. (But a good rex is more important than building the wonders) In addition, cities without natural aquaducts are often poor late ancient era early midevil wonder sites.

Yes, often by the time industrial age comes around, the palace as a prebuild becomes unneccessary, with Factories and a Hospital being more important.

Originally posted by zorbop
ok- i play on emperor, and i still can't manage to get any wonders before universal sufferage. i mean, aside from the occasional leader. i've tried prebuilding, conquering whoever seems to be building the wonder i want, beelineing for the wonder. but the ai always seems to get it about 4 turns before i do. any tips?