Building and Using Workers

[FuryJack]

Been browsing the boards here for a couple weeks, and I have improved my game from Warlord/Cheiftain to just today beating Emperor (Diplo in 1792), and gearing up for a new game in Demi-god difficulty. However, before I start in on my new difficulty, I have a question regarding the use of workers.

I never seem to build enough workers early enough in the game, as my roads/mines/irrigation seem to be lightyears behind the AI's when I get to the late middle-ages. I never seem to have enough workers, and I was wondering how I should go about making them early in the game. Normally, I like expansionist civs, but I'll play any of the civs if I can use them better in different difficulties. In summation, when should I be building workers?

 

[smackster]

You can rarely have too many workers, here are ways that I go about getting more in the early game

1) Build one or two from your core cities, generally chose one that grows quickly. I never however build workers from my settler factory.

2) Buy them from the AI. Check every turn to see if they have them available and buy them

3) Go to war and capture some.

4) Build a few from your outlying corrupt cities (10 turns is all you need and a size 2 corrupt city is not worth much more than a size 1)

Periodically check your core cities, are they working tiles without improvements, then you are losing out.

 

[FuryJack]

I've been trying to build more workers (I think its about 2500 BC and I have just a little under 1/city), but its slowing expansion down a little bit. Might be the placement of my settler factories (started on the bottom of a pennisula, so they have a long way to travel). I'm about 1-2 cities behind the computer, but fortunately I can cut off a large section of a continent to their settlers. Here's to hoping

 

[smackster]

Well that is a lot more than I usually have.

Current game at 1000BC, I had 13 cities and 5 workers, one of which was bought.

 

[Tomoyo]

Try to make a one turn worker factory. (Patented by T-hawk) 8spt and 10fpt will work. A four turn settler factory can be converted to a two turn worker factory.

 

[Svar]

I try to build a 4-turn settler factory in the first city and when the first of many settlers is turned out it settles near first city to build another warrior then a worker. I keep up that pattern until a good core is built (about 30 cities). As I continue to build out into more and more corrupt areas the majority of cities just build workers and settlers. The core cities build the military units. My current game is a try for the HOF at the warlord level and I have over 500 native workers and probably about 100 slaves at 960 AD. Like smackster said you can rarely have too many workers but I have stopped making them because it takes too long to move them now.

 

[JMK]

You have enough worker when:
- all citizen inside your cities are assigned to a worked tile
- all your cities are connected
- you have workers to help your military move.

 

[mbrown]

I generally have about 1 worker per city for non-industrious civilizations and about one worker per 2 cities for industrious civilizations

Early on, I concentrate on building roads to all my cities .
I also try to have one or two squares irrigated so that my cities can grow. I generally do not build wonders early on so don't focus too much on production. My emphasis early on is grabbing and keeping as much territitory as possible.

Later on, after I have a good base establsihed and I have switched to a higher form of government, I concentrate on production.

 

[DJMGator13]

Workers are one of the most important units in the game. As others have said here you can almost never have to many. Captured workers do not complete their tasks as quickly but they do not cost you unit support.

My game play on emporer level improved dramatically when I started focusing an early worker production. I have seen ratios of 2:1 or even higher worker to city ratios.

Proper micromanagement and workers are the keys for winning at any level and a must at emporer and above.

 

[DS_Legionary]

I will generally try to have 2 workers per city if Industrial, 4 if non-industrial. This for me is not ever attainable until I have finished my expansion. While having my corrupt cities produce a worker every ten turns it is not enough. So, once my settler factory(ies) are done expanding with settlers I switch them to workers until I see fit. For a stadard empire of about 40 cities, I have close to 100 native workers.

 

[orcutt989]

Well that is a lot more than I usually have.

Current game at 1000BC, I had 13 cities and 5 workers, one of which was bought.

Hot damn, your a fast *****!