Firaxis, please fix the "steal-worker-exploit"!

[KrikkitTwo]

Personally, I think the whole discussion about whether it's an exploit or not is irrelevant (although the discussion about what actually makes an exploit and what doesn't is indeed interesting from a theoretical point of view, I think that should be decoupled from this thread). I think what we should discuss is what we think would make the best game - and neither what game the developers intended, nor whether the current game matches the developers' intentions (or is a result of oversights).

I agree. The part that feels the worst is the War-Peace-War.

It means that the only penalty is an abstract "warmonger" point.

I think the game would overall be better if war meant.. War that took some effort to stop or suffer through.

so anything that made peace with a city state harder would help (10 turns, cost gold, etc.)

 

[RealHuhn]

Well, I just look at the other ways you can get workers--you can spend a lot of hammers and a lot of time building one, or you can invest into culture and get one in liberty, pour resources into your economy and buy one, or I suppose you could go wonderbuilding and build the Pyramids. All of those methods require a bit of effort and investment. The developers obviously thought that getting a worker should require some decision-making and work.

Getting a worker from a CS is essentially free. It should require approximately as much effort with military as the other methods require with your culture or building. You should have to fight longer, take a harder diplo hit, etc..

Well said!

 

[Santa Maria]

To take a diplo-hit is not a solution. Sometimes you need to take a CS, and for taking just one you should be ok. And Mongols UA would be even more useles, now you can at least conquer one CS and be relatively ok (it's just a small diplo hit).

I would suggest you can make peace after at least x turns. Probably x = 5, 7, or 10 whatever.
But that is also not good because that early the CS doesn't have any units and therefore you would just make peace after the x turns.

So I don't no, but as it is, it's definitely damaging the early game. Something has to be done.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

To take a diplo-hit is not a solution. Sometimes you need to take a CS, and for taking just one you should be ok. And Mongols UA would be even more useles, now you can at least conquer one CS and be relatively ok (it's just a small diplo hit).

I would suggest you can make peace after at least x turns. Probably x = 5, 7, or 10 whatever.
But that is also not good because that early the CS doesn't have any units and therefore you would just make peace after the x turns.

So I don't no, but as it is, it's definitely damaging the early game. Something has to be done.

That's why I think the "Reparations/Bully" is necessary.. ie once at war the CS Stays at war with you until
1. you pay money
2. you intimidate it

So if you steal a worker
1. your warrior/scout will take some damage as it runs away (slowing/risking exploration v. barbs)
2. you will always have that CS posing a threat to you in that neighborhood
3. the CS will encourage other players to declare war on/denounce you (and being at war they won't produce another worker until they have a military defender for it.)