- Joined
- May 14, 2019
This is a really weird topic and I wasn't sure where to put it or what to call it, but it directly relates to games. Could just as well be in the architecture thread.
In a lot of strategy games - Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, Civilization and its clones - there are Wonders of the World, buildings which can be constructed for major bonuses or, in their more pure AoE sense, to win the game as a representation of your civilization having achieved its glory before the others. Criteria for a wonder generally tend to be that it be some thing of great symbolism, usually not altogether practical, and monumental in architecture, like the Coliseum or Hagia Sophia. Essentially, wonder used in the same sense people mean it in real life.
We don't get a lot of contemporary RTS games - they never made a World War era Age of Empires - and sometimes I see things that I think would fit the bill perfectly. So this forum game is just to recommend a wonder, something that fits the theme perfectly.
Some of mine are:
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
Skyscrapers predated the 102-story, 1454 foot tall Empire State Building and have since surpassed it, but the Empire loomed over the early 1900s in a large way. The Chrysler Building was the previous tallest, but not near as culturally significant for it held the title only one year and was eclipsed by the Empire, 20% taller. The Empire then continued to hold its reign for forty years before the World Trace Center replaced it. As the most iconic (before 9/11) part of the New York skyline, the Empire State Building served as the American version of a massive cathedral or pyramid, a physical embodiment of the resources and mechanical ingenuity of the world's leading power of the 20th Century. Oftentimes strategy games like to use the boring-ass Statue of Liberty (a fucking statue) as a wonder for the US, but the Empire State Building is, I feel, a much truer representation of the might of the country as it entered into the period of its ascendance. It is also aesthetically pleasing, in an art deco style that encapsulated its era.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1930s
WORLD TRADE CENTER
Straight up, the World Trade Centers were ugly, hated, and no one would give a shit about them if not for 9/11. In hindsight, however, the World Trace Centers serve as the embodiment of Wall Street. Filling much the same role as the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center is an iconic image of the financial capital of the world, but the "world" aspect of it also much more clearly marks out America's place as global hegemon. At the same time, catastrophe in the form of a surprise kamikaze jet casts a darker tone on it, calls back images of barbarians at the gates ready to burn our wonders to the ground. Where the Empire represents the rise of America's empire, the WTC marks its beginning into decline.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1970s - 2001
CRYSTAL PALACE
The Crystal Palace, no longer extant, was built to commemorate the 1851 Grand Exhibition. As such, it plays a sort of role in being the physical representation of exhibitions, World Fairs, and other sorts of international cultural festivals that the British ushered in during their century, suggesting an age of progress and fraternity but also a vehicle for nationalist competition. It is regrettable that the thing was destroyed.
Civilization: British
Age: Victorian
SATURN-V ROCKET OR SPACE SHUTTLE
This one is represented in Rise of Nations as a space shuttle ready to launch, named "Space Program." I think it is a top-notch choice for a wonder, because for both the Soviets and Americans the existence of their space programs was (among its practical uses in espionage and telecommunications) a major prestige project, symbolizing control over the future. Of the two programs, though, the Americans - otherwise second place to everything - won by being the only nation to successfully land people on a foreign celestial body, the Moon Landing as high point of human expansion in both literal sense of altitude and in technical difficulty and significance. The Apollo capsules were delivered by Saturn-V rocket. Later on, the Space Shuttle would be used to construct the International Space Station (cooperation, and our finest work up there). The Soviets own shuttle was never launched due to their collapse shortly after its completion.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1960s+
NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE
There is nothing of historical significance or really anything much important about this. It is, simply, a very fancy "castle" (palace) that is as close to a Disney "castle" as has ever existed. Probably the most significant bit of Victorian German architecture.
Civilization: Germans (Bavarians)
Age: Victorian
STONEHENGE
Stonehenge looks like a big piece of shit until you understand that these rocks were laid out perfectly to serve as a sort of astronomical observatory and computer, the rocks aligned so as to match up with the stars/Sun and be used to predict eclipses and such. For a preliterate people as the savages of Brittania it was an incredibly sophisticated work, especially given it tends to be lumped in with caveman days in the public mind. For that reason, if ever there was a Stone Age "wonder of the world," it would be Stonehenge.
Civilization: Celts/Britons
Age: Stone Age
PETRA
A wonderland like something from the pages of a fantasy novel, the Nabateans of the Sinai Desert were a most remarkable people carving a city in the caves. Rather than merely be cavemen, their merchant civilization carved facades of buildings into the mountains, making it appear as though they were buried beneath the rock, and were fabulously wealthy from the trade passing through. These sand-dwarves would come to disappear from the history books and their city became a lost city (except to ignorant Arab tribesmen) until Victorian explorers came across it again. Such a place of stunning (manmade) beauty has few other rivals in this world (to me, them being places like Venice).
Civilization: Nabateans
Age: Iron Age
THE HIPPODROME OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Unremarkable, but is a symbol of Constantinople of Byzantine times up there with the Hagia Sophia, when the chariot racers still raced and crowds still rioted for their favorite color.
Civilization: Byzantines
Age: Medieval
HOUSTON ASTRODOME
Hesitant to include this, because it's just, at the end of the day, a big stadium. But this was the FIRST big stadium, first domed mega stadium such as you see in many cities nowadays. As first of its kind it marks a big change from the days when something like the Coliseum was impressive.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1960s+
EDO CASTLE
Seat of the world's oldest monarchy and only remaining divine monarchy, Edo Castle is the physical incarnation of the Yamato dynasty. The castle is nothing super fancy compared to other castles of Japan, but it is as much a symbol of Japanese nationhood as St. Basil's has become to the Russians or various government buildings to the Americans.
Civilization: Japanese
Age: Sengoku Jidai
THE BAMIYAN BUDDHAS
Fuck you Taliban, burn in Hell.
Civilization: Afghans
Age: Long ago (don't feel like looking it up)
In a lot of strategy games - Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, Civilization and its clones - there are Wonders of the World, buildings which can be constructed for major bonuses or, in their more pure AoE sense, to win the game as a representation of your civilization having achieved its glory before the others. Criteria for a wonder generally tend to be that it be some thing of great symbolism, usually not altogether practical, and monumental in architecture, like the Coliseum or Hagia Sophia. Essentially, wonder used in the same sense people mean it in real life.
We don't get a lot of contemporary RTS games - they never made a World War era Age of Empires - and sometimes I see things that I think would fit the bill perfectly. So this forum game is just to recommend a wonder, something that fits the theme perfectly.
Some of mine are:
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
Skyscrapers predated the 102-story, 1454 foot tall Empire State Building and have since surpassed it, but the Empire loomed over the early 1900s in a large way. The Chrysler Building was the previous tallest, but not near as culturally significant for it held the title only one year and was eclipsed by the Empire, 20% taller. The Empire then continued to hold its reign for forty years before the World Trace Center replaced it. As the most iconic (before 9/11) part of the New York skyline, the Empire State Building served as the American version of a massive cathedral or pyramid, a physical embodiment of the resources and mechanical ingenuity of the world's leading power of the 20th Century. Oftentimes strategy games like to use the boring-ass Statue of Liberty (a fucking statue) as a wonder for the US, but the Empire State Building is, I feel, a much truer representation of the might of the country as it entered into the period of its ascendance. It is also aesthetically pleasing, in an art deco style that encapsulated its era.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1930s
WORLD TRADE CENTER
Straight up, the World Trade Centers were ugly, hated, and no one would give a shit about them if not for 9/11. In hindsight, however, the World Trace Centers serve as the embodiment of Wall Street. Filling much the same role as the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center is an iconic image of the financial capital of the world, but the "world" aspect of it also much more clearly marks out America's place as global hegemon. At the same time, catastrophe in the form of a surprise kamikaze jet casts a darker tone on it, calls back images of barbarians at the gates ready to burn our wonders to the ground. Where the Empire represents the rise of America's empire, the WTC marks its beginning into decline.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1970s - 2001
CRYSTAL PALACE
The Crystal Palace, no longer extant, was built to commemorate the 1851 Grand Exhibition. As such, it plays a sort of role in being the physical representation of exhibitions, World Fairs, and other sorts of international cultural festivals that the British ushered in during their century, suggesting an age of progress and fraternity but also a vehicle for nationalist competition. It is regrettable that the thing was destroyed.
Civilization: British
Age: Victorian
SATURN-V ROCKET OR SPACE SHUTTLE
This one is represented in Rise of Nations as a space shuttle ready to launch, named "Space Program." I think it is a top-notch choice for a wonder, because for both the Soviets and Americans the existence of their space programs was (among its practical uses in espionage and telecommunications) a major prestige project, symbolizing control over the future. Of the two programs, though, the Americans - otherwise second place to everything - won by being the only nation to successfully land people on a foreign celestial body, the Moon Landing as high point of human expansion in both literal sense of altitude and in technical difficulty and significance. The Apollo capsules were delivered by Saturn-V rocket. Later on, the Space Shuttle would be used to construct the International Space Station (cooperation, and our finest work up there). The Soviets own shuttle was never launched due to their collapse shortly after its completion.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1960s+
NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE
There is nothing of historical significance or really anything much important about this. It is, simply, a very fancy "castle" (palace) that is as close to a Disney "castle" as has ever existed. Probably the most significant bit of Victorian German architecture.
Civilization: Germans (Bavarians)
Age: Victorian
STONEHENGE
Stonehenge looks like a big piece of shit until you understand that these rocks were laid out perfectly to serve as a sort of astronomical observatory and computer, the rocks aligned so as to match up with the stars/Sun and be used to predict eclipses and such. For a preliterate people as the savages of Brittania it was an incredibly sophisticated work, especially given it tends to be lumped in with caveman days in the public mind. For that reason, if ever there was a Stone Age "wonder of the world," it would be Stonehenge.
Civilization: Celts/Britons
Age: Stone Age
PETRA
A wonderland like something from the pages of a fantasy novel, the Nabateans of the Sinai Desert were a most remarkable people carving a city in the caves. Rather than merely be cavemen, their merchant civilization carved facades of buildings into the mountains, making it appear as though they were buried beneath the rock, and were fabulously wealthy from the trade passing through. These sand-dwarves would come to disappear from the history books and their city became a lost city (except to ignorant Arab tribesmen) until Victorian explorers came across it again. Such a place of stunning (manmade) beauty has few other rivals in this world (to me, them being places like Venice).
Civilization: Nabateans
Age: Iron Age
THE HIPPODROME OF CONSTANTINOPLE
Unremarkable, but is a symbol of Constantinople of Byzantine times up there with the Hagia Sophia, when the chariot racers still raced and crowds still rioted for their favorite color.
Civilization: Byzantines
Age: Medieval
HOUSTON ASTRODOME
Hesitant to include this, because it's just, at the end of the day, a big stadium. But this was the FIRST big stadium, first domed mega stadium such as you see in many cities nowadays. As first of its kind it marks a big change from the days when something like the Coliseum was impressive.
Civilization: Americans
Age: 1960s+
EDO CASTLE
Seat of the world's oldest monarchy and only remaining divine monarchy, Edo Castle is the physical incarnation of the Yamato dynasty. The castle is nothing super fancy compared to other castles of Japan, but it is as much a symbol of Japanese nationhood as St. Basil's has become to the Russians or various government buildings to the Americans.
Civilization: Japanese
Age: Sengoku Jidai
THE BAMIYAN BUDDHAS
Fuck you Taliban, burn in Hell.
Civilization: Afghans
Age: Long ago (don't feel like looking it up)
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