Now, I'm currently not using worker automation because I don't like how it's done. I almost always follow a set of rules to improve the land:

Build a farm on not forested plain tiles. This way, they feed the workers working on the tiles and add production.
Build a farm on all riverside and likeside tiles (chopping forest if necessary). This way, they feed the workers and benefits from early Civil Service bonus.
Build a mine on not forested hill tiles (except riverside and lakeside ones). Production is scarce in Civ 5.
Build a Lumbermill on forested tiles (except riverside and lakeside ones). This way you obtain 1 food and production.
Build a Trade post on grassland not forested or riverside/lakeside tiles. Economics is earlier than Fertilizer and you need some gold income anyway. Also, during golden ages you receive and extra gold for them.


I think it would be a great add on to the game and a big time saver to let us to establish a predefined set of rules for worker automation. Don't you agree?.

Having tags in some file for terrain types and conditions you could specify for automated workers sure would be great. Typically the workers just follow the focus of the city they are improving. Since worker actions take a long time and cities change focus from time to time its a huge waste of worker turns tearing up old improvements and replacing them. Even worse you loose the previous benefit from the old improvement when replacing it.

But I never automate my workers, since they are typically very poor at developing the land how I would like it. If these tags could be integrated into the game I might give it a try someday though.

But I never automate my workers, since they are typically very poor at developing the land how I would like it. If these tags could be integrated into the game I might give it a try someday though.

...and, frankly, it's not that bothersome to just manually coordinate your workers early on in the game (since you likely won't have a ton of them). In late or end game, I really don't care much what my workers are doing.

I agree completely with the above. Also would LOVE to be able to tell my workers to just build railroads when it comes available. Automation is a nice to have because it frees you from doing some of the more mundane tasks in the game, but it's not worth it unless you can program some specific commands.