This was when they were built in a23 (back when they were still useful). Usually to break a stalemate in a 3 (plus one very useless player) v 4 situation. The 3 would be outplaying the 4 in basically every way but couldn’t win because of pop cap limits. 

Great job reducing the polies! Right, I'd make the ivory brighter like the original, but your gold is better than the original.  Mind if I create some different sizes, slap together some actors and templates, and then make a pull request for the base game? I'd make some different sizes, including "monumental" versions for possible Capture the Wonder game mode.

Nah. Adopt DE's straggler trees/groves. You'll never lack space for anything then.    Seeing them once every 200 games seems a bit too novel, don't you think? Better to make them super expensive, but useful in a standard match. Make them super expensive and they unlock a 4th phase with super techs. You can win a match in phase III, but in a team stalemate situation or who knows, a strategy could develop where one boosts to phase IV with the Wonder to help overwhelm their opponent. Maybe see them every other game or every 3rd game. Make a dramatic show of it by having the UI notify the other players when a Wonder has started construction (maybe even flare its position on the minimap). 

I also liked the idea you posted awhile ago about it housing super strong techs like eco super boost, military super boost, and pop boost     everyone did but some random person no one had heard of before or since. It didn’t matter, @Nescio was just awful and forced his awful vision for the game forward and lost many players in the process. I honestly don’t think the game has recovered since, which is a real shame because the game had just expanded a bunch during covid 

Boo. In a23 there was a real decision between going for WTF, wonder (for extra pop), or champs. That’s is an objectively better setup that what exists now, which is only a choice between champs and WTF  Novelty is also silly. You could say that about any unit, building, and/or tech