To destroy the Ruins of Babylon or not..

[Irish]

I'm playing as the Hai and I have been raiding the Seleucids and just took Babylon. I just got about 20k mnai, and I was wondering whether I should destroy the ruins of babylon or not. On the one hand it would get me 8k mnai and I'm just going abandon it right away. I don't want the Seleucids getting the bonus... but on the other hand I will take it for keeps some day and will want that bonus when I do.

What do you guys think?

[Novellus]

I'm not really sure what I'd do if I were you. Normally I leave wonders and special buildings intact (though I was seriously considering looting the Royal Makedonian Tombs when playing as KH). It depends on your approach. So far, your approach seems to be raiding, so getting in and out quickly is key. Since it sounds as though you wish to return and retake the city with a larger force, I would leave the ruins intact (though I'd destroy any recruitment centers and governments they have before withdrawing). But if you're going to focus on other regions of the Seleucid Empire and are going for an aggressive approach, by all means, destroy it.

By the way, does anyone know how much the special wonders/structures really benefit?

[Aemilius Paulus]

I am ashamed to admit this, but I always destroy a historical building/object if it gives me only a small trade bonus. However, the Ruins of Babylon will do more for you, and generally I regret having destroyed so many historical buildings for cash. My current roman empire, with ~130 territories lacks about 80% of the original unique buildings/places. I will do better next time though.

Just don't destroy it. You'll appreciate leaving it alone later on in the game. I mean, its EB, not vanilla. In vanilla it would be logical to destroy a building that does not give you any significant bonuses (such as only giving you a small trade bonus - 5% happiness is enough to prevent me from destroying a building) but this is EB, where historical accuracy triumphs over gameplay. It is up to you of course, but I suggest you don't do it.

P.S. Did anyone notice how high the trade bonus from the Herculean Pillars is (aka Gibraltar)? It simply massive. Gader is a Large City by now, and its is paying gargantuan upkeep as I have more than twenty full armies composed of mainly the best troops I can get, but it is still making 9,000 mnai per turn, with my 10 management & influence (8 command) governor. He is actually a Dull, Pessimistic, Drunkard (damn those Augury buildings!!!) Mercenary Italic General who rose to the position of first a Consul and then a Censor.

[Aemilius Paulus]

By the way, does anyone know how much the special wonders/structures really benefit?

Darn, you beat me to the first post. Anyway, the bonuses are wholly dependent on the faction. The reason why 80% of the unique buildings/places in my empire are gone is because they did not provide with any bonuses, or only gave me a morale/small trade bonus. However, the nation whom that building/place originally belonged gets a significant amount of bonuses. Similar cultures also get nice bonuses, and absolutely different cultures (such as the roman and nomad cultures) get none or almost no bonuses when conquering the opposite faction's building/place.

P.S. Heh, another question. Why does the Sweboz Thengoz (Thing) building provide a +1 troop experience bonus to nomadic cultures? I noticed it some time ago and it was pretty weird.

[Irish]

Alright, I probably will leave it, even though right now I'm trying to fund building projects in my cities (cmon reforms...) I'm going to raid Seleukia next (the only person in there is their faction leader... smart) and then move north back into friendly territory of Phaarpsa (sp?)

Also, were the Hanging Gardens a wonder in older versions of EB, or was that just in RTW? I see mention of them in a few posts, but they dont appear in my game.

[Cullhwch]

You can actually fight among the Hanging Gardens on the campaign map. You have to be attacked while besieging Babylon. They REALLY screw with the AI's pathfinding, but not as bad as the what the pyramids do to Memphis.

[Dayve]

You can actually fight among the Hanging Gardens on the campaign map. You have to be attacked while besieging Babylon. They REALLY screw with the AI's pathfinding, but not as bad as the what the pyramids do to Memphis.

NOT AS BAD AS WHAT THE TREES DO WHEN YOU'RE LAYING SIEGE TO KYRENE AND BUILD A RAM!

[Novellus]

Originally Posted by Dayve

NOT AS BAD AS WHAT THE TREES DO WHEN YOU'RE LAYING SIEGE TO KYRENE AND BUILD A RAM!

Ah, the ram in the forest! AI pathfinding at it's finest.

Dayve:
Me:

On topic again, I've let the wonders stand in spite of their values. Once, I was playing as KH and wanted to melt down the Colossus of Rhodes and sell off the Acropolis to compensate for their lousy starting position. But I decided against it. But I did wonder if I really was recieving any bonuses. Too bad it's hard to find how much you really get from them.

[Irish]

Ok, another question:

The city of Babylon just revolted (to eleutheroi, hahahah) and the ruins were damaged in the revolt. If I took the city back, would I be able to repair it to get the full benefits?

[Aemilius Paulus]

Ok, another question:

The city of Babylon just revolted (to eleutheroi, hahahah) and the ruins were damaged in the revolt. If I took the city back, would I be able to repair it to get the full benefits?

Of course, but be prepared to pour a bunch of cash down the drain. The more expensive the building is, the more money it will bring when you tear it down, and consequently the more money it will take to repair it. Pretty much all of the unique buildings/places bring in quite a bit of cash when torn down, so their original cost was even larger.

[Cbvani]

Of course, but be prepared to pour a bunch of cash down the drain. The more expensive the building is, the more money it will bring when you tear it down, and consequently the more money it will take to repair it. Pretty much all of the unique buildings/places bring in quite a bit of cash when torn down, so their original cost was even larger.

I have found trade bonuses to be worth quite a bit in the long run. At least 100 mnai per turn, probably more, and for big trade cities like Carthage or other coastal metropolises, they add a serious bonus.

[Indomenos]

i try to play somewhat historically, or at least rationally. meaning that i only destroy the wonders that it would make sense for my faction to destroy. for instance, if i'm playing as makedonia and i take rhodos i would demolish the colossos, if i took judaea and it revolted i might demolish the temple, etc etc. if i'm playing as a barbarian faction and making a raid into enemy territory i tend to deal out more destruction than i would as a hellenistic faction, but again i try to keep it within certain bounds.

generally i like having them around regardless of what benefits they may bring, simply because they add variation to my cities and are an interesting little addition to my faction's domains. if i do destroy them it's normally for quite a good reason (most recently i drained the lakes near tolosa to help my beleaguered aedui finances, although i felt bad about it afterwards...)

[Chris1959]

A lot will depend on which faction you play, if you're a cash starved Nomad then destroying wonders is an option, If, like me, you play the Romani or other "wealthy" faction you probably don't need the money. By the time I get to move out of the Italian peninsular I don't need the extra cash and from a personal point of view I like to read the descriptions at leisure not in the heat of battle after taking a settlement

Do any wonders have a negative impact for an occupying faction?

Do all factions get the bonuses when they occupy a settlement?

[MerlinusCDXX]

I've gotten Public Order penalties from the Delphic Oracle as Pontos. That's the only example I know of.

[Maion Maroneios]

I never destriy historical buildings, with one exceptions of a temple of Ivlivs in Roma when I played as Makedonia sometime long ago

Maion

[antisocialmunky]

Well, as the Maks you can melt down the Colossus.

[Tyrfingr]

I never destroy the wonders, except one time in EB 1.0 when I destroyed the Palace of Something-Something in Ekbatana...or was it Phraaspa? Anyway, I was playing the AS and were desperatly short on cash. Back in EB1.0 there were no bonuses given in the description for the palace and I got 10k from destroying it so it was kind of a deal for me.

Edit: I have considered to destroy Kaba, purely out of IRL political reasons, but then my arab girlfriend stopped me.

[Moros]

Edit: I have considered to destroy Kaba, purely out of IRL political reasons, but then my arab girlfriend stopped me.

hehe exactly the same happened here.