My dream: promoted workers and "traveling" specialists

[Timshel]

What do you say about this idea: promotion of workers - veteran workers in civ? A promted worker could do his job faster, can move over more tiles than newborn workers. Maybe this type of worker can add some plus to the construction of economics related buildings while he is in a city's area, etc.
This feature may open a whole new dimension of the game...

Other question: what do you say about moving specialists from a city to an other? In such a way players could make fine tuning of cities. Furthermore player's reaction to chaning game conditions becomes much more flexible.

[Greizer85]

First idea I support in principle, although if badly balanced it could make the worker-always-first strategy even more of a no-brainer. Besides that, there is the problem of the method that workers gain their promotions by. If it's simply building improvements, then it's just a veneer that adds nothing to the game (well, you could specialize your workers... this one is good at cutting Tundra forest; this one builds pastures well, etc).

The second idea is simply a no-no, unless there are some sort of penalties. I mean, you just produce food in 10 cities and stack the specialists in one (with all the multiplier buildings). Unless I've understood your idea incorrectly, which has been known to happen from time to time.

[Danielos]

Originally Posted by Timshel

What do you say about this idea: promotion of workers - veteran workers in civ? A promted worker could do his job faster, can move over more tiles than newborn workers. Maybe this type of worker can add some plus to the construction of economics related buildings while he is in a city's area, etc.
This feature may open a whole new dimension of the game...

I think worker units should get rid of altogether. And how exactly is a worker getting promoted? By doing a good job??

[CivX]

Originally Posted by Danielos

I think worker units should get rid of altogether. And how exactly is a worker getting promoted? By doing a good job??

As per says he, ideal contribution would rather than not after such confusing delegation of relations see light.

[Magma]

I'd rather have what they got in Call to Power. Use a portion of your economy to build up your territory. I always found workers rather annoying. :<

[Tomice]

Promoted workers? I couldn't say it's a bad idea, it's just nothing that I missed, or something I would love to see. But the general concept of workers rather annoys me like many others.

Your second suggestion sounds better, however! What about beeing able to "unsettle" great persons? move your great engineers where you need them?

In civ4, you have little to no means to shift ressources from the central state to individual cities, e.g. to develop an one-tile oil island quickly. They should add something in this regard!

[weltraeumer]

Stachanow - Employee of the month

[snipperrabbit!!]

propelled workers and travelo specialists !!!!

[Tlalynet]

I dunno about moving specialists but it would be nice if workers gradually accrued XP. Cap them at level 6 and give them a movement promo and 5 efficiency promo levels that increase work rate by 20%, then scale base worker speed back so an efficiency 2 worker is about normal now and new workers are not so good. 1XP per improvement wouldn't be bad (if you made it so only the first worker got XP for said improvement)

It could make worker first less of a no-brainier in that you could build an army to steal an AI worker that already has XP.

[chongli]

I like workers because I can automate them. I hope they add even more options for automating workers.

It'd be really cool to set "plans" for each of your cities for the workers to follow. For example, one city could be set to "cottage spam" plan and the automated worker would build cottages there.

As far as moving specialists goes, I don't know. Specialists in Civ 4 are incredibly overpowered. I hope that Civ 5 will severely curtail them.

[MethanalCHO]

I believe that the idea of promoting workers is the best of the two that you provide. Here is how I believe it should work:

A worker gains its own kind of experience point by working terrain (particular buildings, like a "worker barracks" ;), along with some civics like Serfdom, can also provide some XP on creation.

If a worker gets a certain number of XP, they are eligible for a promotion, which would help with their job of improving. I few that I've come up with:

Fleetfoot I
+1 Movement
Subsequent Fleetfoots (Fleetfoots II, III, etc.) also provide +1 Movement

Farmer I
-1 Turn to Complete Farm
Subsequent Farmers also remove 1 Turn to Finish

Miner I
-1 Turn to Complete Mine
Subsequent Miners also remove 1 Turn to Finish

Architect I
-1 Turn to Complete Cottage
-1 Turn to Complete Workshop
-1 Turn to Complete Windmill
-1 Turn to Complete Watermill
Subsequent Architects also remove 1 Turn to Finish for all four

Lumberjack I
-1 Turn to Clear Forest/Jungle
-1 Turn to Complete Lumbermill
Subsequent Lumberjacks also remove 1 Turn to Finish for both

Pathfinder I
-1 Turn to Complete Road/Railroad
Subsequent Pathfinders also remove 1 Turn to Finish

Sorry they are all independent from each other, but this is all off the top of my head. But a good idea!

[Woodreaux]

Civ IV: Colonization had a cool model for workers. Rather than gaining XP by "working", workers could be upgraded through enhancement training or outfitted with superior tools. On top of that, rather than worker tasks being granted to all workers once a tech is unlocked... have each or some tasks require training to unlock it (e.g.: building a lumbermill or road or windmill). This would make worker stealing from a more advanced Civilization more powerful.

[Tlalynet]

Too many move buffs would be weird, but specialized promotions sounds like a good idea. Farmer should get a bonus on plantations and pastures as well, and perhaps lumberjack could be changed to woodsman and get a bonus for camps.

[Izmir Stinger]

We don't even know if a concept similar to promotions is present in Civ5. I don't even know what you mean by moving specialists in the context of Civ4 - and they are yet another concept that may not jump to Civ5 or very much resemble what we have now.

Worker promotions are already in several existing Civ4 mods. Just cause its neat doesn't mean it needs be in the base game. MOAR != better. As long as the interface and core mechanics are solid and it is modular as promised, the fan community will make every kind of game you you could ever want.