Wonders - Rise of Nations
Build one, or more, of 14 Wonders of the World. If you're the first to construct it you'll gain unique advantages. Some Wonders are not available until later in the game, and some are far more expensive than others. It is possible to win the game merely by building more Wonders than your opponents. Players looking for an alternative to mere conquest often choose to attempt to build more Wonders than the other players.
The Colossus of Rhodes
Citizens of the ancient city of Rhodes called their incredible 110-foot statue The lovely torch of Freedom. The Colossus stood near the city’s harbor entrance for just 56 years, from 282 B.C. to 226 B.C.
Build this Wonder and you wil increase the rate at which you gather Wealth in the game. You'll multiple the unit rate of Wealth accumulation, and be able to build more Caravans and multiply the channels of Wealth accumulation as well. The Colossus also allows you to have a larger population.
The Taj Mahal
Not just a mere building, but a teardrop on the cheek of time, to quote one great Indian writer. The incredible Taj Mahal was built in 1631 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, as an everlasting memorial to his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Once you construct the Taj Mahal, the hit points of all of your buildings are increased, making them much more difficult to destroy. At the same time, your income from Wealth (which usually means trade by your Caravans) is increased and your Commerce limit for Wealth is greatly increased.
The Porcelain Tower
The beautiful Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, in China, was known to its Buddhist builders as Bao'ensi -- the "Temple of Gratitude." A French visitor in the 19th century described it as “the best contrived and noblest structure of all the East.
Once you successfully construct the Porcelain Tower, the construction rate for your ships is greatly increased, seriously bolstering any naval strategy. This Wonder also offers bonuses for rare resources in your territory, or which your Merchants aquire.
Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat, in the jungles of Cambodia, is a massive complex of temples and other structures erected by King Suryavarman II sometime around 1150 A.D. The temples at Angkor Wat, still in use by Buddhist monks today, are said to be the largest place of worship in the world.
Constructing the Wonder of Angkor Wat increases the speed at which your research progresses, and it also results in a radical increase to the rate at which your Citizens gather Metal, which becomes a critical resource as the game progresses. You also receive a reduction in the price of ships.
The Pyramids of Egypt
Man fears Time, yet Time fears the Pyramids. So goes an ancient Arab saying. The Pyramids of Egypt notably the Great Pyramid, after which this art is modeled – were reputedly built almost 5,000 years ago as a monument to the power of the Pharoah.Successfully constructing the Pyramids helps you improve your overall speed of resource accumulation, as well as speeding up the rates at which Food and Timber can be harvested. In addition, they permit you to build one city more than the normal game limit.
The Super Collider
The Supercon-ducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) was to be comprised of two rings of metal pipes, 54 miles in circumference, through which narrow beams of protons race at almost the speed of light, in opposite directions. It would have been, in size and expense, the largest science project in history, and its purpose would have been to study the nature of matter itself. Its development was cancelled in 1993, by the U.S. Congress.
Fortunately, your budget in Rise of Nations is not subject to Congressional scrutiny. Building the Super Collider means that your cost to buy and sell goods at the Market is always 100 Wealth. A major defensive plus is that once you have completed this Wonder, your enemies pay double the normal costs to create missile units. Your Super Collider is also immune to attacks from aircraft and missiles. Finally, if you should misbehave and use nuclear weapons, you will be immune to the effects of a Nuclear Embargo.
The Kremlin
The word "Kremlin" is a derivation of the work "Kremnik," which means "fortress." The first mention of the Russian Kremlin, Moscow's most famous series of buildings, came in 1156, when a fortified compound was built to help protect the city. More than once in history, its sturdy buildings helped the city's inhabitants repel an invasion. For centuries, the Kremlin has been the seat of the government of Russia, and its striking architecture has been known around the world.
The Kremlin Wonder raises your Commerce level for Food, Timber, and Metal by +200. It also increases the number of farms per city (normally five) by two, as well as the number of workers per Woodcutter and Mine, by the same number. The Kremlin also doubles the damage enemy units who are not supplied suffer, while in your territory. And, finally, if you build the Kremlin, you gain the use of an extra Spy who is not counted against your population limit. If this Spy is killed, he is automatically rebuilt at no cost.
The Palace of Versailles
A structure capable of holding 20,000 people in surroundings of unparalleled opulence, the Versailles Palace was built by King Louis XIV of France in 1668 on the outskirts of Paris. Immense in size and overwhelming in its grandeur, Versailles was copied by many other kings across Europe.
Building the Palace of Versailles improves the rate of construction of all subsequent buildings. It also reduces the costs of researching technologies for every resource except Knowledge, and permits ground units to move more quickly as well.
The Statue of Liberty
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... These words begin the poem engraved upon the tablet held by the Statue of Liberty, which was the very first sight seen by millions of immigrants sailing into New York Harbor.
Building the Statue of Liberty gives you a number of military advantages. Build ground units twice as quickly as before. Siege (including artillery) units see and shoot further, and attrition damage to your troops in enemy territory is greatly reduced.
The Roman Colosseum
For over 300 years, until 404 A.D., the citizens of Rome were able to visit the 50,000-seat Colosseum daily and view a wide variety of deadly gladiatorial combats and sporting events. Most modern stadiums draw their inspiration from this true Wonder of the ancient world.
The Colosseum is of great defensive value. It increases your national borders, and also increases attrition among enemy invaders. It also upgrades all forts under your control, and gives you several useful military upgrades at no cost.
The Eiffel Tower
Few modern landmarks are better-known than the Eiffel Tower of Paris, France. For more than 100 years La Tour Eiffel has defined the Paris skyline.
The Eiffel Tower doubles your income from Oil and also raises your Commerce limits for Oil, as well as increasing the reach of your national borders by a considerable distance.
The Temple of Tikal
"The imagination reels everything palpitates, breathes, exhausting itself in green above the vast roof of Peten." - Miguel Angel Asturias (1967)
More than 3,000 buildings, many of which have never been exacavated, lie in the ruins of the Mayan city of Tika. Rise of Nations models the Temple of the Giant Jaguar, a soaring 145-foot masterpiece once buried in the rain forest of northern Guatemala.
The Temple of Tikal reduces the cost of all of your Temples. It also accelerates the rate at which you gather Timber, and you receive upgrades at the Temple at no cost.
Terra Cotta Army
In 1974, a group of peasants digging a well in Xi'an, China, found more than 7,000 life-size terra cotta figures of ancient Chinese soldiers. This inadvertent unearthing has been described as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the Twentieth Century.
The Terra Cotta Army is very useful if you are pursuing an aggressive military strategy. Its construction reduces the cost of Barracks and Stable units. Even more impressive, having a Terra Cotta Army on the map results in your receiving a free foot unit every thirty seconds.
The Space Program
It was probably sometime around the 11th century that the Chinese launched the first rocket. The U.S. space program, which began in 1958, got its first great boost when President John F. Kennedy, in a speech he made in 1961, declared, I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. On July 20, 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the Moon.The Space Program, once researched, permits you to see all units, buildings, and terrain on the map. It also means that you can build aircraft and missiles 100% faster, and at half the price, of those players who do not have it. In addition, all aircraft and missiles have their ranges increased by 100 percent.