Building early wonders

[NotLikeTea]

I have played about a half dozen games at Regent level, and have never built a wonder before the modern era. As a result, my civs are usually in last place for culture, production, and science.

I have tried a number of techniques, but all have failed for various reasons:

1) Get capital building first wonder as soon as possible
As soon as a wonder is available, and at least one other city has been founded, I get my capital to build whatever it can, hoping that the head start will be enough. However, since the capital will produce nothing else for many turns, my civilization stagnates, and the wonder is built by someone else. I then must switch production to something small, usually loosing many shields in the process.

2) Build head start wonder
If I know that a wonder is going to be constructed by someone else before I will complete it, I will start it anyways. Hopefully, I will discover a new tech allowing a new wonder, allowing me to switch production. Unfortunately, The enemy usually ends up building the wonder a few turns before I'd get the new tech, leaving the half built wonder useless.

3) Use leaders
Leaders can rush build any wonders. However, early wars are risky. Is the oracle really worth annoying a civilization who may become a superpower? Unsuccesful war + succesful wonder = failure, all too often.

4) Technology
If I devote everything to research, I will occasionally discover a technology beofre anyone else, giving my a headstart on a wonder. However, even when the AI has the delayed start, their production usually wins the day.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Saint Marcus]

I haven't encountered your problem on regent level. Sure I lose some, or many, wonder races, but in every game I play on that level I manage to build at least one, and usually 2 or 3 ancient wonders.

Usually the trick, that I try to use on higher levels, is getting techs that lets you build wonders. Start on one in a city, and if the AI gets it first switch to the next one.

[Gholam]

I'm thinking a strong militaristic civ doing despot rush and wiping out several neighbors early on to stock up on great leaders can do the trick...

[pg]

i usually have 3 or so very high production cities(lots of hills/mountains all mined/irrigated) that i use to try and build wonders. when there are no current wonders to build just put them on palace/forbidden palace until you get new tech, then you can switch to the new wonders and build them in a few turns. i usually get 2-3 wonders on reagent in the ancient era, and many more in the next ages. what works best for me is having a good production base in a few cities like i said above. of course if you can never build wonders, you could just go all out military production and steal them!

[NotLikeTea]

Immediately after posting this message, I started a new game, still at Regent level.

As the Egyptians, I've managed to snag the Great Wall, the Pyramids, Sun Tzu, and Copernicus' Observatory. I'm very close to getting Leonardo's Workshop and Magellans Voyage. I also built my Forbidden Palace in record time.

I think that the industriousness of the egyptians is the key. I usually focus my early game on building settlers, and tend to neglect workers. In this game, every city built one or more workers before building a settler. I have fewer cities in total, but those that I do have are comeptitive enough to get the wonders built in time.

This is going to be a great game!

[DK36]

#1. Do a tech run.
#2. You should know your plans for wonders ahead of time. So start building a palace WAY before the wonder and then switch over.
Those 2 strategies ussually let me get a lot of them out.

[Out4Blood]

Get great leaders. Concentrate on building your tactical military skills so you don't lose wars. The AI is horrible at fighting and loses easily, even at Deity level. In addition to cities, this nets you 1) great leaders, 2) wonders in captured cities.

Wasting early shields on ancient wonders is just that... a waste.

[Ray K]

Originally posted by DK36
#1. Do a tech run.
#2. You should know your plans for wonders ahead of time. So start building a palace WAY before the wonder and then switch over.
Those 2 strategies ussually let me get a lot of them out.

Disclaimer: strategy for crowded maps. I play tiny/16 for maximum fun.

1. Rush build a temple in your capital as soon as it only costs one citizen. This will allow your capital to grow somewhat without units.
2. Build 4-5 archers and start the war machine.
3. Have capital begin building its first wonder. Make sure you go with low-food/high-shield production once it's at about size 4-5. You don't want to grow into unhappiness. If you do, ship a defensive unit in from another city.
4. Use the cities captured by the archers to build defensive units for your capital and to replenish archers for later conquests.
5. Once your capital completes its first wonder, rapidly build a library, colosseum and an aqueduct.
6. Grow the capital to about size 8 using captured workers and start the next wonder.

This strategy usually nets me 8-10 new cities and 2-3 wonders in the ancient era. The nice thing is that the conquest often disrupts civs competing to build the same wonder as you.

[Kaesar]

Hmm, that's actually quite odd, cause I never have trouble building wonders. I played monarch the last game and I was able to build half of the ancient wonders and all of the wonders from medieval on.

Few things:

Instead of putting 100% science, put 100% gold and buy techs instead. Mine all terrain except desert and plains, otherwise all your cities will reach population caps with tons of extra food. Pre-build wonders by building palaces.

Otherwise, I really don't know how I can help you.

[Libertarian]

You definitely have to make wonder building a major part of your strategy if you're going to get them built. As the French, you'll get a fairly early golden age if you can get the Colossus built (a relatively cheap wonder). Use that golden age to build a couple more. Leapfrog from one success to another.