I’m talking about previous AOE-styled wonders. That is to say in Age 5, every civ can spend say 5000 of each resources to build a “Wonder” building, that triggers a victory countdown (EDIT: maybe remove this because we already have trade monopoly, or give an option to disable it). To make things more interesting they can have a few unique abilities, like in Rise of Nations or Civilizations. As the word “Wonder” has been used exclusively for Asian civs, maybe we should use a new word such as “Monument”.
Here is my very incomplete list. If people like this idea please provide your suggestions:
Aztecs: The Great Temple of Tenochititlan
\Templo Mayor - Wikipedia
Provide unique military upgrades. Train noble’s hut units and Skull Knights.
British: The Crystal Palace
\The Crystal Palace - Wikipedia
Provide unique factory upgrades.
Dutch: The Stock Exchange of Amsterdam
\Euronext Amsterdam - Wikipedia
(Use the older building as in the paintings)
Function as a bank. Boost the work rate of banks.
French: Arc de Triomphe
\Arc de Triomphe - Wikipedia
Effects TBD.
Germans: The Imperial Diet
\Reichstag building - Wikipedia
(As there was not a specific “Imperial Diet building”, maybe use the Reichstag)
Train German mercenaries. Provide mercenary upgrades.
Incas: Macchu Picchu
\Machu Picchu - Wikipedia
Function as a Stronghold. Boost the hp of defensive building.
Lakota: Crazy Horse Monument
\Crazy Horse Memorial - Wikipedia
(I know this is too late for the period of the game but I cannot come up with a better one)
Effects TBD.
Russians: Moscow Kremlin
\Moscow Kremlin - Wikipedia
Function as a Fort. Slow down nearby enemy units.
Ottomans: Hagia Sophia
\Hagia Sophia - Wikipedia
Effects TBD.
Spanish: El Escorial
\El Escorial - Wikipedia
Function as a church. Provide additional exp trickles. Boost the aura range of all missionaries.
Asian civs are a little more difficult because many of their famous buildings have been used.
Then new modes can be designed around these “wonders”.
5 Likes
I think whatever “wonder” you could think of for the Lakota or Iroquois would come off as patronizing and insulting (to some people). The greatest architectural feat of the Iroquois was the Age 4 longhouse.
Good Idea. Even if it only provides a bonus instead of also starting a victory countdown.
Nice idea. I’d choose the fortress of Sacsayhuaman instead of machu picchu, if we are going for a defensive building: Sacsayhuamán - Wikipedia
I think the lakota could have something like The Black Hills, a “Sacred Land” of sorts that can act as a monument.
no, terrible idea.
trade monopoly is a far Superior system.
2 Likes
very bad idea.
currently, one of the only ways to beat a heavy turtle play like Ports on water is to take control of the map and research trade monopoly. If ports also had a version of a victory timer countdown that they could build inside their turtle base, that would just totally negate the trade monopoly counter and make turtling way too strong.
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Alright I see how people dislike the countdown. Maybe it’s better not to include that (or make it an option that can be disabled just like the trade victory?) but keep the bonus part.
2 Likes
Unfortunately, miracles are already reserved as an Age Up mechanic for Asian civs (Far East). Still, I miss a few such buildings for other civs - why should Asian civs have the exclusive luxury of building wonders and not the rest of the civs ???
Maybe add default buildings for each civ at Age Up like:
the choice of one of the politicians of a given Age = a wonder intended for the civ for that age.
For example:
British:
Age 2 - Edinburgh Castle
Age 3 - York Minster
Age 4 - Kylemore Abbey (must be built next to the water)
Age 5 - Palace of Westminster
The choice of Politician does not affect the choice of a wonder. Any other civ would have found 4 such wonders without any problems.
Hesapa - the Black Hills - is exactly what I was going to suggest. We saw no value in massive buildings - rather, the value was in the land that was already there, as undisturbed as possible where we did our best to ensure it remained undisturbed and had as little impact as possible.
I think, rather than a normal “monument” where you build it, it would be more interesting to visually have it where the Villagers are planting trees all over an area, and then the monument could function as a powerful factory in the late game to help assist the pitiful Lakota economy.
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The thing about naming it a “Monument” instead of a “Wonder” would actually work into this - you have to remember that the mindsets of the North American Natives is vastly different than what you’re used to - to us, the creation of a giant building isn’t an achievement, it’s an act of hubris and greed and nothing more than humans thinking themselves better than the world we already live in. The acts of violence against the natural world required to make such a large and largely-useless building are what prevents NatAms from focusing on creating such huge monuments.
The Haudenosaunee Monument would likely be a forest - a huge forest, but with spots on it that Villagers can be tasked onto to infinitely create resources. Creating forests of food by pruning out plants they didn’t want and planting ones they did want was one of the main methods of agriculture of the Eastern Seaboard NatAms. This monument would probably act as a massive “farm”, where the Villagers tasked on it can choose to produce Wood, Food, or Gold at an increased rate from their normal farms and estates.
3 Likes
This idea is nice, but the “wonders” are there in the home city. Makes no sense to build a wonder building away from your HC where your wonders already are. After all AoE3 is about fighting away from home, hence the shipment system.
Instead let it not be an already existing famous building but simply a structure that costs 5000 of each and when built grants some sort of powerful aura.
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No.
Many Asian people oppose “Wonders” from beginning, because is typical stereotypes with Asian.
Since US has Federal State and African has Ally Age up system, Asian should follow one of them.
Japanese:
Age up by choose strong Samurai faction like Aizu Domain, Chōshū Domain, Satsuma Domain or upgrade the current consulate system and pick few of them as Age up option.
Chinese:
Tributary system of China, Age up by ally with Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Indian, Vietnamese, Siamese, Burmese Turks, Persian and also pick few consulate system as Age up option.
Indian:
Choose Persian, Afghan, Maratha, Arabian, Gurkha, Bengal, Sikh, Chinese, Burmese and improve consulate system as allies like above, will be tremendous IMPROVEMENT~
And the Indian military units need to REWORK!
Just put the elephant into Cards, replace them with Mughal cavalry and move the Range infantries to Fortress Age like Japanese and Chinese, also add more melee units before Fortress Age, everything will be PERFECT!
That is true for the base game or TWC, but the “colonialism” or “American colonialism” concept has been very much undermined since TAD. Many Asian wonders are also in their capitals or other major cities, but you end up building them every time.
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Wonders feel out of place for Europeans, who have colonial architecture.
2 Likes
Well, but what prevents them from having their miracles? It would always be cooler and prettier on the map 
I have always thought that pre-Hispanic civilizations need a flagship building.
I like the idea,but we would have to look for other wonders/monuments for Asian and African civs,they also took out of the game the mention of crazy horse,so they could not put their memorial (in addition to leaving the chronology of the game) and for more inri would be the controversy about the Hagia Sophia,which could generate criticism in the European Union…
1 Like