cultivating wonders

[shan24]

I was wondering if anyone has found an effective way of managing the cultivation of wonders in rival civs (and then of course taking over their cities).

Example...
(early game)
I'm playing the Chinese in regent level... my neighbours are the Americans to the north, germans to the southE and the Babylonians to the SouthW on my continent. I can easily build an army and kill of all these guys - taking 3-4 turns (each) to capture the 10-15 cities that each one has. However my preference is to let their cities grow (and hopefully build some wonders) and then wipe them out....thereby bagging some free wonders. Of course this needs to be managed carefully else they'll be too powerful for me to overcome.

What AI Civs have the greatest tendency to build early wonders? Is it better to kill off the militaristic or expansionist ones first?

Any ideas..... or experiences with this kind of thing?

Cheers,
Shan

[Mazarin]

When there are some nice Wonders to build (eg. Pyramids/GL), I often attack a neighbour civ which has a UU in this time, take over some smaller cities, and let them build these Wonders with their GA's help. It has often proved to be an effective way of getting Wonders pretty cheap.

[DaveMcW]

Any time you get a good wonder tech (Masonry, Monarchy), trade or gift it to all your neighbors. This improves the odds they will build one.

[joncnunn]

Basically:

Every AI seems to want to build the Pyraimds. Civs with grow often may especally value it.

Civs with build culture often generally want to build as many wonders as possible.

Civs with build happiness often generally want to build as many happiness improving wonders as possible.

It's actually more interesting which wonders are lower in the AI list for builders.

In the Ancient Era, the wonders a human are most likely to succeed in building on Emperor (without storing shields via palace) are Collosus & the Great Light House.
The main reason for this is that only coastal cities can build either one.

[Arrian]

Give the Babs masonry and then pick a fight (archer rush). Make sure you lose to a bowman right before you're ready for peace. Hopefully you can get tech & gold out of them, and then they will build the Pyramids with their pumped-up GA production.

-Arrian

[joncnunn]

The same tactic would work better against the Greeks. (3 defensive unit. so you'll lose quicker.)

[DaveMcW]

I think the reason Arrian chose the Babylonians is because their UU sucks. You don't want to mess with a good UU like the hoplite.

[Catt]

And you want to trigger their GA towards the end of the war so they focus on building the wonder (and not more units).

Catt

[Konquest02]

It is a good strategy. But be aware that captured wonders do not generate culture. For a war against the Babs, make sure you can end the war, then trigger their GA, not the opposite.

--Kon--

[Arrian]

I chose the Babs because I didn't see the Greeks listed, actually.

I'm playing the Chinese in regent level... my neighbours are the Americans to the north, germans to the southE and the Babylonians to the SouthW on my continent.

They are the only neighbor listed with an ancient UU, and are therefore the only option. Plus, bowmen aren't overwhelming (though they can be a real pain). Fight, do some damage, get them ready to make peace, and then lose to a bowman (easier said than done, of course). Make peace, and hope for the Pyramids.

-Arrian

[Brinoch]

Exactly. It's when you want to lose that your Warrior or Spearman stomps on his Bowman.

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Captured wonders do generate culture but only from the date you take them with regard to the cumulative cultural effect throughout a game. In short it starts from zero again.

[Catt]

Originally posted by ChrisiusMaximus
Captured wonders do generate culture but only from the date you take them with regard to the cumulative cultural effect throughout a game. In short it starts from zero again.

No, they won't ever generate culture for any but the civ that builds them (but I'm a bit lost on why the issue of culture from captured wonders ever creeped into this thread in the first place).

Catt

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Sorry Catt but I think your wrong, I was sure when I posted earlier but as a safeguard Ive checked the manual and civilopedia and there is no mention of you not getting culture from captured wonders. There is no specific mention that you do get culture either but it clearly states in the manual that if you capture a GW then you get its benefits and the main benefits of wonders is there cultural value per turn.

Now then in my current game I'm getting culture per turn from captured wonders, but nowhere near the value it was giving to its original owners. In the concepts section of civilopedia under culture it says that cuture generating structures value doubles after youve had them built for a thousand years.

I cannot find any reference in the manual or pedia that would back up your posistion and I'm playing 1.29 civ 3 so unless PTW has changed this I would say I was right in the first place.

[punkbass2000]

Sorry, but Catt is right. This is old.