Automation Blues

[Bigfoot3814]

I automate almost all of my workers, just for the sake of convenience, but since bts i've had some small problems.

Automated workers will build forts along my borders (not bad in itself), but sometimes they put them on top of resources instead of building a mine, pasture, farm, ect. Workers will usually replace improvements in other situations, but they leave forts alone unless specifically ordered.

They also sometimes will build an improvement and then immediatley build another one on the same tile.

None of these things ever happened in warlords. It's probably just the way things work out, but if you have any tips i'd like to hear them!

 

[DMOC]

Don't automate workers

 

[lordqarlyn]

I automate almost all of my workers, just for the sake of convenience, but since bts i've had some small problems.

Automated workers will build forts along my borders (not bad in itself), but sometimes they put them on top of resources instead of building a mine, pasture, farm, ect. Workers will usually replace improvements in other situations, but they leave forts alone unless specifically ordered.

They also sometimes will build an improvement and then immediatley build another one on the same tile.

None of these things ever happened in warlords. It's probably just the way things work out, but if you have any tips i'd like to hear them!

Not sure when it happened, but a fortress on top of resources now allows you to gain that resource. But if its within a city square, you do not get the bonuses.

 

[Bigfoot3814]

Wow, really? I don't know If my version has this feature, but I will investigate. I appreciate it.

If I have excess workers, is there a way to "add to city" like there was in civIII?

 

[ejfree]

If I have excess workers, is there a way to "add to city" like there was in civIII?

nope..does not work anymore.

 

[Supr49er]

I also would not automate workers.

 

[Bigfoot3814]

nope..does not work anymore.

Darn. So I guess it doesnt pay to have a gigantic army of workers. When everything is improved you just leave them in cities?

 

[Supr49er]

Darn. So I guess it doesnt pay to have a gigantic army of workers. When everything is improved you just leave them in cities?

Save a small stack in a central city to help rebuild after negative events. You'll also want some to accompany your attack force to build roads/improvements.

 

[Willem]

They also sometimes will build an improvement and then immediatley build another one on the same tile.

You probably don't have the option set that doesn't allow them to replace existing improvements.

 

[Shirastro]

I think this has been suggested before but....DON'T AUTOMATE YOUR WORKERS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

 

[MarkJohnson]

yeah, I've learned to not automate workers early on.

I notice if you switch civics the workers will change there building habits and may change tiles for you. I also noticed too that if you change your sliders, it will cause then to change their building habits.

I usually will move the research/commerce slider to try and optimize my points. I read on here in a post if you have less than 100% on any slider, then it will round down your base amounts before the multipliers are added and it can start adding up quickly. So I start 100% research and as soon as it hits 90% from over expanding, then I move the commerce to 100% until I get about a 10 turn or so buildup, then switch back to keep my research as high as I can.

I will usually use automated workers when getting railroad. I make sure I prepare for it and spread them out. If it is wartime, or I'm going to start war, then I usually manually run a single route to each city. Once that is accomplished, then I automate the road building.

By the time it finishes with the railroad, I'll have most of my cities the way I want them, then I'll automate the workers to build as I'm usually starting war by now and they'll build as I move and not stay behind and modify a main city unless I get too much war weariness and cities start revolting.

The biggest thing I hate is when at war the stupid workers keep getting up next to the front then get killed by an enemy. If I notice they are up front and war is going slowly, then I just manually run them to the rear and re-automate them, usually with no trouble.

There's just so much to this game and during war you just have too many micromanaging things to do, so I just accept the loss of a few workers and a little less efficient building to speed things up.

-=Mark=-

 

[Willem]

yeah, I've learned to not automate workers early on.

It doesn't hurt to have one or two using the Build Trade Network command, they'll do a reasonably good job on that one. They'll just go around hooking up resources and cities. If they run out of those routes they'll just build Roads everywhere, even to some of your neighbours to establish trade routes. And they'll get right on building Railroads when that comes along. I always have at least one doing that type of automation and the rest I do manually. And if I capture a Worker in war, I usually turn him into a Trade Network Worker as well. So I usually have a fair number of them by the end of the game.

 

[Unthinking Pain]

I automate almost all of my workers, just for the sake of convenience, but since bts i've had some small problems.

Automated workers will build forts along my borders (not bad in itself), but sometimes they put them on top of resources instead of building a mine, pasture, farm, ect. Workers will usually replace improvements in other situations, but they leave forts alone unless specifically ordered.

The workers will fort any resource outside the fat cross of your cities but inside the cultural borders. This adds the resource to your trade network. This is actually intelligent behaviour . Inside the fat cross of a city, the workers will improve the resource as normal.

They also sometimes will build an improvement and then immediatley build another one on the same tile.

Go to Options, click Automated Workers leave old improvements.


Once it's later game and I'm doing things like adding in captured cities, I just have workers automated to run around improving any tiles I missed. I always click Leave old Improvements and Leave Forests.

Early game it's all manual workers, of course.