automated workers

[laughingman12]

Is it a bad idea to automate workers?

How do I know what I need or not?

 

[Cam_H]

I'm assuming this is a legitimate thread, and not some taunt from laughingman ...

(1.) Awful idea - just don't. Automated Workers don't understand city specialisation. They don't understand your strategy and goals. They don't respond to the changing dynamics of the game. They don't anticipate your civic shifts. etc. etc.

One of the keys to Civ4 imho is to specialise your cities - if your city is clearly going to be used as a unit pump - don't let automated Workers go and build Windmills on your Hills and Cottages on your Grassland, where your emphasis for that city is and ... not - and otherwise for science centres and farms which have their own needs on and respectively.

Automated Workers aren't bad at building lots of hybrid cities, but no good at focusing your cities' purposes.

From time to time they may weaken your empire - such as building a Plantation over a Town on a resource where you've got multiples.

(2.) You need to consider the food needs of your city so it can grow appropriately (food count), its longer-term role as a specialist city in the broader empire, your immediate needs, and then direct your Workers to strengthen your empire by building appropriate improvements.

 

[laughingman12]

But I am a total noob at this game. I mean don't know how to build the resources for myself.

 

[Jtownsend]

Sisutil's beginners' strategy guide.

Basically, figuring out improvements is a big part of playing effectively; automation is a poor substitute and you can't learn from the AI's guesswork.

Although I strongly suggest you read the guide, a basic start for a good position with a river is to build cottages on tiles that start with with >2 food, starting with whatever ones are richest in food; strategic resources are also good to build as soon as you can. Depending on your starting tech you may want to prioritize a tech you need to perform certain worker actions -immediately-, before you finish building your worker, so that he can get to work right away.

 

[Cam_H]

Oh - OK then - legit' question.

Further to Jtownsend's good advice ...

The answer's still "no" - not a good idea - but I suppose when you first get the game there's an array of new concepts, that at least putting something on automatic might relieve you of one issue.

I'd say that once you master 'Settler' and 'Chieftain' level and are comfortable at 'Warlord' level, then you've probably got a better grasp and familiarity of Worker functions and how technology relates to what they can do (Masonry for Quarries, Calendar for Plantations, Replaceable Parts for Lumbermills, etc.). It's about this point that you can start looking at city specialisation as a concept - what makes a good unit pump versus a good commerce centre, etc.

For the meantime, perhaps putting them on auto' isn't such a bad move, but understand that at some point (as per above, perhaps around Warlord level) that you would be well served by building the improvements yourself.

Best of luck - I hope you enjoy the game!

 

[laughingman12]

if I want to build a lot of troops and keep my city expansive(roman)

SHould I build farms and mine?

 

[Jtownsend]

Army production requires hammers (production.) This can be gotten in some quantity from forests and hills, combinations of both, and mines, in the early game. You can also chop down trees with workers once you have bronze-working, but this is a one-time process that can eliminate some production bonuses from your city radius if you aren't careful.

Food only figures into military production by giving you more tile workers and new cities (through settlers). (Unless you whip using slavery, which requires bronze-working and a civics change. This exchanges population for rush building, also causing temporary unhappiness.)

Just growing as quickly as possible can quickly give you happiness problems; creating happiness can be more complicated than it was in previous civ games because temples are more complicated and there is no Elvis or Luxury rate.

 

[laughingman12]

Well I turn on Emphasize production but also do Farms need road?

I builded a farm and it said it was irrigated, but the road icon wasn't flashing.

 

[PimpyMicPimp]

If you have nothing urgent that needs to be developed it's ok to turn on the "Build Trade Networks" option. Make sure you have the options checked that prevents them from chopping forests and building over old improvements.

 

[lordrune]

Farms don't *need* road as a rule, unless there's a special resource like corn or rice that you need to connect.
However, I tend to eventually build roads everywhere in my empire. Never know when you'll want to move through there, and there's never any disadvantage in doing so, except that there are often more 'pressing' things for your workers to be doing.

 

[laughingman12]

Does building Farms affect all the cities?

 

[troytheface]

only the cities with automated workers

 

[laughingman12]

what do you mean?

 

[DaveMcW]

It's fine to automate workers when starting out.

Just be sure to build 1.5 workers per city.

 

[laughingman12]

No, I was asking if Farms affect all the cities you have.