To pass this Architecture test, you must build an obelisk which is at least 1/7 taller than any other of its type in the area. Naturally, the taller the obelisk, the more expensive it is to construct. Currently, four types of obelisks can be built -- Standard, Cut Stone, Hardwood, and Marble -- each with its own material requirements.
At the start of the Telling, the Standard Obelisk was the only type available. Time and technology advances have made three other types available as well. Possibly more varieties will be in store for us in the future.
As with all tests, you must first sign up for the Test of the Obelisk; this is done at any University of Architecture. Once you are signed up, you can use the "Meditate on Obelisks" option in your Special menu to see the height of the tallest obelisks in your area, as well as the minimum size needed in order to pass. The Obelisk areas are about 4096x4096 coords big. One border is on the 0-coordinate.
NOTE: The skill to build a Standard Obelisk is automatically learned upon registration for the test. In order to build a Cut Stone, Hardwood, or Marble Obelisk, you must learn the appropriate skill from a University of Architecture at which the technology has been unlocked.
All obelisks are built in a Small Construction Site (1 canvas, 4 rope).
Note that you can always find out the requirements of a particular obelisk by building a Small Construction Site and choosing the obelisk as the project. You can dismantle the site once you have learned the requirements.
For a Standard Obelisk of size N, you will need:
Bricks | 2N^2 + 20N |
Boards | floor((2N^2 + 20N)/10) |
Ash | floor(2*(N/10)^2) + floor(N/20) |
Beeswax | floor(5*(N/10)^2) + floor(2*(N/10)) |
Linen | floor((N/10)**2) + floor(2*(N/10)) |
Cactus Sap | 2*floor(100*(N/100)^2) + 2*N |
Small Sapphires | floor(20*(N/100)**2) + floor(N/10) |
Example: A 100-cubit Standard Obelisk requires 22000 bricks, 2200 boards, 205 ash, 520 beeswax, 120 linen, 400 cactus sap, and 30 small sapphires.
For a Cut Stone Obelisk of size N, you will need:
Cut Stones | 2*(N/10)**2 + 2*N |
Clay | floor((N/10)**2) + 6N |
Crushed Eggshells | floor((N/10)**2) + 4N |
Candles | N |
Medium Quartz | floor((N**2)/700) + (N/7) + 7 |
Example: A 100-cubit Cut Stone Obelisk requires 400 cut stones, 700 clay, 500 crushed eggshells, 100 candles, and 35 medium quartz.
For a Hardwood Obelisk of size N, you will need:
Blonde Termite-Resistant Boards | N**2 + 2*N |
Hard Fireproof Boards | N**2 + 2*N |
Nails | 5 * (N**2 + 2*N) |
Gold Wire | floor(N**2 / 80 + 2* N) |
Beeswax | floor(N**2 / 200 + 3 * N) |
Copper Straps | floor(N**2 / 50 + N) |
Candle | 3 * N |
Example: A 100-cubit Hardwood Obelisk requires 10200 Blonde Termite-Resistant boards, 10200 Hard Fireproof boards, 51000 nails, 325 gold wire, 350 beeswax, 300 copper straps, and 300 candles.
Rough coefficients for the Marble Obelisk follow. Amounts of materials required are rounded down. Somebody can play around with them in a spreadsheet to derive less ugly numbers than these:
Component | Starts At | A*x^2 | +B*x | +C |
Oyster Shell Marble | 10 cubits | 0.000811 | 0.1011666 | |
Yellow Alabaster | 21 cubits | 0.0004575 | 0.0435 | |
Mud Granite | 43 cubits | 0.0003125 | 0.0225 | |
White Travertine | 73 cubits | 0.00019083 | 0.005166666 | |
Canary Granite | 96 cubits | 1/9000 | 1/900 | |
Night Granite | 138 cubits | .000055 | -0.001 | |
Grey Star Marble | 188 cubits | .00003 | -0.001 | |
Small Diamonds | 12 cubits | 1/1400 | 1/12 | |
Cobra Skins | 10 cubits | 1/1000 | 1/10 | |
Dried Flax | 1 cubits | 1000 | ||
Gold Wire | 1 cubits | 100 | ||
Rabbit Pelt | 1 cubits | 100 |
There is an obelisk calculator using the above formulas here: http://atitd.centauri.org/tools/obelisk
(See also: Tests, Wood Treatment, Marble)