These guys have to be overpowering! They work faster than the people at Chick-Filet. They go staight on a hill and start to work immediately. They save so much time it is amazing. And, when you reposition them to a new area and the road movement rate is up to 3, well you dang near got workers with their own private railroad. My current civ is so advanced and developed it is amazing. Did I tell you how amazing these buggers are? Did this ubermensch arbeit unit get playtested? These guys work faster than a dentist who is late for his "t" time. Amazing!

India was the first civ I played in IV, specifically because I wanted fast workers like in my favorite Civ III nations. Yum.

"One Shining Steel RAIL!"
-- Firesign Theatre

I have to agree. I am playing India for the first time and at first was skeptical about a "fast worker" as it's only fast in that it has the extra movement. But having played it for a bit I am impressed. Not mention, discounted temple, courthouses and lighthouses, all with no anarchy.

India has all that going for it..... and I am STILL playing "catch the run-away AI" grrrr . I can't play a lick.lol

The "fast workers" are mighty fine.
BB

I think the Indian UU is one of the most under-rated in the game. Not only does it get that early movement bonus, but the fact that you START with it? This gives you: saved production time (don't have to build a worker right at the start); your city can grow faster (no halted growth in capital to build first worker); the bonus that you can immediately hook up food/resources with roads, and improvements soon after.

While there's no military use (unless as bait?), the fast worker is an excellent unit.

There is a good reason why India is the noobs civ of choice in MP, that and it's traits Industrious Spiritual/Organised spiritual make it a powerhouse of civs in most if not all mp scenarios. If I have india in mp atm I have to really balls up not to either win or at least come highly placed. India rules the civs. In SP the advantage India gives is also easily apparent.

your city can grow faster (no halted growth in capital to build first worker)

Really?? So you can found a city, have it build a fast worker and it will grow? Like, it doesn't cost food to build a worker? Hmm ... I'll have to try this. I'm so used to founding a city and building warrior>warrior>worker.

Better still -- IIRC, India starts the game with a free fast worker. :-)

Really?? So you can found a city, have it build a fast worker and it will grow? Like, it doesn't cost food to build a worker? Hmm ... I'll have to try this. I'm so used to founding a city and building warrior>warrior>worker.

He means that since you start the game with a free worker, you don't have to waste time building one in your capital at the start of the game. City growth still stops when you build workers.

He means that since you start the game with a free worker, you don't have to waste time building one in your capital at the start of the game. City growth still stops when you build workers.
I might be doing something wrong but I have never had a free worker in the begining.

There's also the fact that fast workers retain their usefulness throughout the entirety of the game, whereas other unique units only have so long before they become obselete (with the exception of certain modern-era units, of course).

I was wrong. No worker to start, even at the easiest level. Maybe that's been changed since an earlier version because it conferred too strong an advantage. Or maybe my always-suspect memory just failed again.

I might be doing something wrong but I have never had a free worker in the begining.

Harald, you're quite right. I just tried starting new games with both Asoka and Ghandi. Neither start with a free worker.

I swear I had one on a start in the past, in a game I played ages ago. Before the 1.52 patch, and perhaps even before the 1.09 patch. Anyone know if this was changed to replace a fast worker with the warrior that India now starts with? Do goody huts ever sprout workers -- perhaps I planted my first city with a hut in the small radius.
I suppose that I could have been thinking of an early trial to see what the WB could do.

At any rate, thanks for the correction, and you can ignore the goop I wrote that goes along with the worker-on-start.

EDIT -- @Meffy: I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that remembers this...

Maybe you started with your settler on a hut, and popped a worker? I've seen people die turn 1 by starting on a barb. But I think this got patched out.

I've been struggling so far at difficult level prince and spaceship race victory was all that i could go for. But things are much better now with Asoka in my current game, the leader i once considered weak. I never thought i could "kill 'em all" without a decent millitary UU, but it seems to be the case this time

@scienide: Yup, at levels below Noble (where one's most likely to play Gandhi, I imagine) goody huts do sprog workers -- sometimes even settlers. =@.@= It's possible that's what happened. But...

@Sidhe: I think you're right that it's been patched away. I suspect that's what happened to starting with a worker too, but don't really know.

I find in MP India usually makes a ripe target for my slavering hordes of samurai. Usually snag some nice wonders when you take Delhi and Bombay.

I love how public opinion changes. When Civ IV first came out, everyone completely put down India.

Don't like fast workers, industrious trait is overrated... now if you started the game with one and they actually BUILT things faster instead of just MOVING faster - that would be something. India is also very limited in victory type... going for anything other than a cultural victory (industrious helps with wonders, half-priced temples, etc.) is not playing to their strengths!