Automated/Manual workers?

[dar]

The only roads you will ever REALLY need, in order of priority:

1. Roads for trade network. Make use of rivers! A resource near a river can be connected by just building a road to the river. For resources right beside the river, you only have to build a road on the resource itself to connect it.

2. Roads to connect cities.

3. Roads to speed movement of units to the front.

That should be all you need, although there are a few exceptions. For example I often build roads on every tile in my border cities so that the city garrison can respond quickly to any pillagers the ai sends.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Well having roads/railroads on every tile is useful in that every tile can be accessed (again the key point is the 'nothing better to do' phrase) they can be a very low priority.

In Civ 3 I foulnd that past the early period, I would normally automate my workers, with the do not replace improvements, and then have a few 'non-automated workers' that I assigned to various tasks. (optimizing cities mines<->irrigation as needed... since the initial would already be there)

 

[Elerion]

I micromanage everything up to around 500AD, then I slowly put more and more workers on automation. I take control of a few when new resources are discovered to link them up asap.

Worker micromanagement past 1000-1500AD is such a pain in the ass that I'm not likely to do it anytime soon despite the small efficiency drops.

 

[adz102]

Later in the game the workers always road every square. Mine are now busy RR'ing every square as well. I thought we weren't going to see this again? While strategically it's nice that if the enemy pillages one square they won't be denying you resources, I'm dreading trying to fight Navy Seals in the modern era.

 

[JaniSpetke]

I used to automate my workes in Civ III, since there were nice features like "No Altering" and such.

At first I MM'ed my workers in Civ IV, got bored and automated them. As a result, stupid workers removed my strategically placed Forts and replaced them with mines.
I didn't notice that until I was attacked by evil Spanish. Conquistadors just wiped my first defenders since they were standing on a bare ground!
So I just need to MM my citizens to protect them from their own stupidity!

 

[Snackwell]

I used to automate my workes in Civ III, since there were nice features like "No Altering" and such.

You can still do this: there's a setting in Options for "Keep original improvements." Definitely worth turning on to avoid the situation you describe.

 

[JaniSpetke]

You can still do this: there's a setting in Options for "Keep original improvements." Definitely worth turning on to avoid the situation you describe.

Thanks!
I really should RTFM before the next game.