AI going after workers??

[huh?]

I saw mention of this in another thread as being sort of unfair towards the computer...

The AI sends out troops to attack workers. These attacks tend to be by a troop or two, but really not by a stack of troops. How do you prevent the AI from doing this? Can you just put any unit with the worker and the AI will no longer go after it? Is there a radius from the battle that this applies to?

I am currently attacking my neighbor and he keeps sending random archers that appear to bee-lining for my workers about 15-20 tiles away.

On a similar note, do empty cities have a similiar effect?

 

[Pook]

I've seen the same thing, and yes I've seen it with undefended cities too. I don't know the answer for certain, but from what I've seen a single military unit stacked with a worker/city will change the AI's behavior.
A previous thread I saw mentioned sacrificing a worker to save a weakly defended city. When the AI units arrive next to your weakly defended city, you can throw a worker next to the AI units and one of them will go after the worker rather than the city. Might just save your city for one more turn until you can bring reinforcements....

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Won't work in c3c, I'm pretty sure. Firaxis trimmed down the AI attraction to workers in each version. In c3c, it's pretty much balanced now (but it was completely sick in vanilla, where a lone Slave could easily distract as much as an undefended Wonder Metropolis....

 

[dgfred]

Won't work in c3c, I'm pretty sure. Firaxis trimmed down the AI attraction to workers in each version. In c3c, it's pretty much balanced now (but it was completely sick in vanilla, where a lone Slave could easily distract as much as an undefended Wonder Metropolis....

Doc, it will sometimes work. In my current game on Monarch as Vikings I
landed an swordsman on a coastal hex to capture 2 indian workers . As I landed I was able to see a enemy vet sword 2
hexes away . I decided to move one worker to ship and the other
away from my sword. On their turn the indian sword took the worker and
left my sword be . Oh well, just an example, it may not happen that
way everytime- it could have been my sword was on a hill and the AI did not
want to chance an attack .

 

[geishapunk]

Doc, it will sometimes work. In my current game on Monarch as Vikings I
landed an swordsman on a coastal hex to capture 2 indian workers . As I landed I was able to see a enemy vet sword 2
hexes away . I decided to move one worker to ship and the other
away from my sword. On their turn the indian sword took the worker and
left my sword be . Oh well, just an example, it may not happen that
way everytime- it could have been my sword was on a hill and the AI did not
want to chance an attack .

I am not sure if this decision from the AI was that bad in this case...

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

I mean, the AI will still attack the weakest unit in range - and that is obviously a Worker . However, and open/ ill defended city is much more tempting now...