Great Bell Spire/Crystal Lighthouse Effect on Culture

[Genefer]

That is a very good point - thank you for thinking of that. I have a difficult time collecting my 9hr productions, because the supply value has been ranging from 2,700,000 to 3,100,000 each factory. This is not an issue right after the wholesaler reset, but if I am close to the reset and my purchasing cost exceeds the value of 1 collection than if I collect 2 productions I'll lose quite a bit, so I have to collect, purchase, collect - set troop training - collect purchase - troops, collect - troops, goods.... it takes a little more time than a sweep lol


So, with my Culture Bonus bouncing from 670 to 740 or above that excavation collection will probably exceed my supply cap. At 680 my prosperity collection is over 1.2 million

Oh well - another example of finding the balance!

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

The endless also? I asked a member of my Fellowship his Culture Bonus was applying to his EE, and he said no - hmmm maybe he does not carry a culture bonus.

Yes, the change was a couple of months ago now, or maybe longer. Abyss gets bonus coins from culture, excavation and prosperity both get bonus supplies from culture. Not sure about other Wonders.

 

[Genefer]

I need to do some math

 

[Genefer]

I love love my Abyss - yesterday one of my collections was over 18 million coins

 

[Henroo]

Why do you think it has no value to a player who caters exclusively?


I think the census is the Watchtower is without question essential.

I wasn't talking about Watchtower. I was talking about Martial Monastery/Sanctuary. And I stand by my opinion that they are not good wonders for cater exclusive players. They do not benefit at all from the toughness bonus to troops. And there are better options for culture.

 

[Genefer]

And there are better options for culture.

Yes, you said so above, however you still have not shared the better options, which is why I commented on the other 3 Culture Ancient Wonders, so please share with details so I can evaluate the better option for my city. I would love a better option


Something to consider.

My city's required culture- 380,134

Level 17 Sanctuary - 95,034
Level 22 Watchtower Ruins - 117,000
Ascending Street - Culture - 145,600
Total Culture: 357,634 - Total cost - 49 tiles

To cover the cost of my required culture I need another 22,500 points.

1 chapter 16 - (6 tile) lazy snow man when polished has a culture value of over 23,000 points.

Total space required for 380,134 culture points - 55 tiles - 2.2 expansion.

I could remove every other culture building and with 55 tiles cover the cost of culture required for every single building in my city, but I have to have the Sanctuary.

 

[Iyapo]

@Genefer

???
You run a hybrid. The Martial Monastery/ Sanctuary is all around goodness for you.

 

[Genefer]

Yes, as a hybrid I enjoy the full benefits of all 25 of my Wonders, but I would have the Sanctury if I catered exclusively, fought exclusively, and of course as a hybrid city.


The 8 wonders that I call hybrids - all carry have very high value for all 3 play strategies.


Are you asking why I have to have the Sanctuary?

If so, neither the thrones or thermal can match the culture value of the Sanctuary - I would have to have both and would cost 20 more tiles than the sanctuary.

With the streets, sanctuary, watchtower, and the lazy snowman - every other culture building's value is applied to my Available Culture.


You know, I have spent an enormous amount of effort studying the role, purpose, and interaction of Ancient Wonders, and have realized that Ancient Wonders are essentially pieces of a building set - the more connections the greater the value. They are individually cogs, when sub-grouping them they become gears, driving a massive machine with the function of increasing the production throughout the entire city - with the ultimate purpose of decreasing the number of buildings a city needs to meet the demands of research, upgrades, Spire, & tournament.


I guess it is a matter of perspective, because it appears most players cannot see the potential of the sanctuary outside of troop health.


There is no single way to play

 

[iamthouth]

Golden Abyss and Endless Excavation both carry the culture bonus. EE and GA below, I can post GA once finished upgrading in 14 hrs.

I'm reading all this with interest, I'll be deciding on my next wonder soon.

 

[Iyapo]

Are you asking why I have to have the Sanctuary?

No, I was responding to this:

please share with details so I can evaluate the better option for my city.

You have a hybrid city, I don't think there is a better option for you.

 

[Genefer]

One other factor that will come up for you in later game is that the trader calculates unurium production based on working population (base production) and required culture (collection bonus). So, if you get most of your goods from wholesaler trades (fewer manufacturies) and your population from event buildings (versus residences), you are going to generate less unurium. Of course, there are A LOT of chapters before that becomes an issue, and it is not impossible to overcome, just something for which to plan.

I could never purchase enough goods to cover my weekly catering costs - and I have a hybrid city - without factories, because the amount of goods that can be purchased from the wholesaler is capped by supply capacity. I think the maximum number of purchases possible is 114 for supplies & 114 for Coins. However, 14 purchases would cost me 450,420,000 supplies, and I could not meet the demand without adding many more Magic Workshops and if I had standard workshops, and no matter how high my culture bonus - I do not think it is possible to house the number of Workshops, the residences for the pop, and the culture for both - within my city.

So, there is the built in cap relative to city supply & coin capacity and a cap relative to the cities coin & supply production. However, a catering city that limits themselves to 15 to 20 tournament provinces - weekly - might be able to purchase enough goods to cover the catering costs with wholesale purchases - eliminating the need for factories. A city that only plays enough to earn 1600 points to cover their portion of a ten-chest fellowship - only requires 6 rounds of 6 provinces - the cost to cater or use troops is so low it is a wonder that any player with 6 available provinces does not earn the 1600 points.


For me and my hybrid - I typically complete - Rounds 1 & 2 (40 to 45) - Rounds 3 & 4 (35 to 40) Rounds 5 & 6 (25 to 30)

So, demand is basically the amount of Spire & Tournament a player participates - the more you play the more you pay


I was thinking this morning and it occurred to me a hybrid city that plays a lot of tournament & spire - will have a higher catering expense catering 20 provinces of all 6 rounds than a catering city, because - at least for me - my catering begins when troop effectiveness & availability ends - so to negotiate 20 provinces beginning at number 20 is far more expensive than the 1st 20 provinces. So, considering both when the catering begins & the number of rounds the difference in resource cost is substantially higher.

However, to negotiate 40 provinces of 6 rounds the resource cost is obscene, and I know this because a while back I completed the same amount as my typical through negotiation and my standard goods alone cost over 23,000,000.

I could not afford to play the amount of tournament I do through catering alone.

This is the amount of standard goods my city produces in 7 days with
28 wholesale purchases per tier daily
4 - level 31 Marble, 8 Level 27 Silk, & 4 level 27 Gem
My Bell, Building Sets, & Evolves

7 Day Total - T1: 9,741,872
7 Day Total - T2: 7,167,538
7 Day Total - T3: 4,956,980



I could also never play my typical with my troops alone - not even with my fire & troop boost temps


These are all of my Ancient Wonders - I keep this list to anticipate research cost and track my swaps - so ignore the kp


1 - Golden Abyss - Level 26 - 780 kp

2 - Needles of Tempest - Level 21 - 835 kp

3 - Sanctuary - Level 17 - 980 kp

4 - The Great Bell Spire - Level 24 - 1160 kp

5 - Watchtower Ruins - Level 22 - 1010 kp

6 - Dwarven Bulwark - Level 15 - Rune Stage

7 - Mountain Halls - Level 16 - 920 kp

8 - Prosperity Towers - Level 23 - 1040 kp

9 - Blooming Trader Guild - Level 21 - 930 kp

10 - Heroes' Forge - Level 16 - 940 kp

11 - Shrine of Shrewdy - Level 16 - 830 kp

12 - Enar's Embassy - Level 13 - 174 kp

13 - Flying Academy - Level 21 - 870 kp

14 - Maze of Dark Matter - Level 16 - 1060 kp

15 - Dragon Abbey - Level 17 - 860 kp

16 - Temple of Toads - Level 17 - 810 kp

17 - Elvenar Trade Center - level 17 - 980 kp

18 - Sunset Towers - Level 17 - 880 kp

19 - Victory Springs - level 16 - 920 kp

20 - Pyramid of Purification - Level 16 - 920 kp

21 - Lighthouse of Good Neighborhood - Level 23 - 1160 kp

22 - Time Warp - Level 17 - 810 kp

23 - Simia Sapins - Level 16 - 1060 kp

24 - Vortex of Storage - Level 8 - 700 kp

25 - Thermal Spring of Youth - Level 8 -700 kp


This is my Current Resource & Troop availability - after the 1st round of the Tournament & negotiating the gateway & high Halls.

My Standard Goods production & my current inventory - tells the tale of my catering costs.

.

My city

8 - Chapter 16 Magic Workshops
18 - Chapter 16 Magic Residences
4 - level 31 Marble Factories
8 - Level 27 Silk Factories
4 - Level 27 Gem Factories
3 - Level 35 Armories
Level 37 Barracks
Level 24 Training Grounds
Level 20 Mercenary
Level 35 Main Hall



And all of these buildings benefit from my 25 Ancient Wonders.

This is what my expenses demand of my city - and what I have built to pay the cost.


My goal is to increase my tournament participation to 6 rounds of 40 weekly, and I don't know if I could achieve my goal without a hybrid city taking full advantage of the Ancient Wonder Machine. Troops have a built-in strength cap - so unless I win armorers weekly and the academy blesses me with multiple opportunities to craft boost buildings - every single week I cannot see my troops completing 6 rounds of 40 weekly - the troop strength can only take you so far - regardless of troop availability.



So, it occurred to me that a hybrid city, that plays a lot of tournaments, and builds all the Ancient Wonders - will earn more seeds & unurium from the Trader, because of the increased need of the city's required culture & working population, and they will have more Ancient Wonders therefore in the end more Ancient Wonder levels.


LOL a little off topic