Helpful advice on using the workers in CivIV Warlords

[singletonmj]

Hello everyone,

I hope everybody is having a good day and is doing well. I would like some helpful advice from some of you veterans out there on how to better use the workers in CivIV Warlords.

singletonmj

 

[Mehmed II]

Well, don't switch workers to automate.

 

[martin031]

Also a good idea to group them together. I play on epic usually, so I usually have them working in teams of 3.

 

[singletonmj]

Thanks,

1. no automatic workers
2. groups of up to three on epic level.

Is it ok to have workers automated to build trade networks?

singletonmj

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Trade networks is good when you can't think of anything better for them to do. They have a habit of wandering into border squares and getiing captured though. In my last game I had so many workers I used them to fogbust (Oasis map so no surpries attacks from the edge of the map though).

 

[singletonmj]

The best thing for me to do I suppose then is to group 2 or 3 together and have that one group built the trade networks so I can keep an eye on them, because especially in the late game it gets very very busy building those roads manually, at least it is for me.

singletonmj

 

[mice]

Even though people say dont automate, I like to have one worker automated on N , network, because it can link up some cities that you wouldnt think of, AI cities, that can give better trade route income. If there are a few wars or barbs around, team the worker with a chariot, or whatever.

In the mid-late game, if you are micromanaging a lot of fighting, you can afford to let a team of three workers automate on A to get the forests lumbermilled IMO (just select "workers leave forests" option in the options menu).

Railroading the mines and lumbermills of the big prod cities should be done manually though.

Also the N , network worker will railroad the continent when railroads come in. It's good to have it all railroaded for fast defense.He can have a machine gun escort. If you want to micro all that railroading go ahead, but it's too much micro for me.

BTW, ctrl # adds that number to the worker, so when you want to find him you just press #. thay cant get lost.

 

[singletonmj]

Well,

Thanks for all your help. I think I can get the rest on my own from here. It all basicly comes down to a matter of preference.

singletonmj

 

[oyzar]

biggest trick with workers is to never waste a worker turn. If a reasource is 2 step away and you need to get it worked asap its just as fast to move 1 square towards it and build a road(or farm if you dont have wheel yet) for 1 turn then move onto the reasource and start working on that. This trick saves you so many worker turn through a game its not funny. Obviously you cant do this with automated workers... teams of 2 to build stuff on normal speed mostly.

 

[Cam_H]

(a.) Do not automate workers, and

(b.) Do not group workers.

____________

(Sorry mice )

(a.) Automated workers to not know how to specialise cities, and do not respond to the changing dynamics of the game. As ParadigmShifter quite rightly notes, they also have a habit of making themselves 'sitting ducks'. The computer can be reasonably good at making suggestions, but you wouldn't want to trust it completely to win you the game. You're just conceding your power to control your destiny to the computer by automating your Workers. When I was learning the game I also used the 'trade networks' option, but soon realised that even then I was better at making decisions than the automated Workers were.

(b.) Why waste Worker moves by grouping them? It may take only one Worker in a stack to finish a job, and you've just wasted movement opportunities for the other Workers in the group. I encourage having several Workers doing the same job on the same tile, but grouping them can frequently lead to wasted opportunity.

 

[TRJS]

I have also found that using N will eventually lead workers to completely Automate. eg. Once trade network built they start on other stuff.

I have not checked this too thoroughly but just appeared to happen once late game.

 

[singletonmj]

Well, I appreciate all of your suggestions,

I think what I will do is build one worker per city and not stack them. I will not automate them. I will use my workers to build the necessary improvements within the city's cultural radius as well as the roads connecting them to that particular city. I will also build roads extending from my capital to each of my other cities. Doesn't sound too difficult except for the fact of what,where, and when to build all of the necessary improvements. Any thoughts on this?

singletonmj

 

[mice]

Doesn't sound too difficult except for the fact of what,where, and when to build all of the necessary improvements. Any thoughts on this?

singletonmj

Generally get your special resources improved first, and then get your population up to the happy cap, possibly with a farm.

After that the question of which improvements to make leads you into a discussion about the best econ to pursue, and that's a big discussion, but mostly is to do with city specialisaton.

 

[LuckyAC]

For optimal play you obviously never automate or group them, but if time is a concern and you have to, then make sure you do it later in the game where each move is less crucial.

The actually worker control is pretty simple - improve your most powerful squares that you are going going to use first, first. If you are asking what improvement to build, well, that's more about city specialization. If you are doing a Specialist Economy, build farms, if you are doing a cottage economy, build cottages and enough farms so that you can use all you squares.

 

[amaterasu]

manage your workers yourself!

try build your main roads for important resources and between cities yourself, as you usually have a better idea of what a stright road is then the AI

welcome to CFC btw!

 

[ParadigmShifter]

I've noticed the AI is very bad at building roads which means you can park your elephants and not worry about being pillaged by horse archers/chariots.

 

[Elkad]

By the time I have my 4th worker out (4th city-ish), I'll generally have one on trade network. I may wake him up from time to time to assist another worker, but otherwise he happily builds roads by himself (and hooks up that extra coal I didn't notice when I discover it). Remember you can select a worker, and hit alt-cancel and it will wake up every worker in your empire next turn. Handy for war decs to get them moved away from the frontlines, or to rush-mine that aluminum that got sabotaged.

Lazy lategame management. Right before railroad pops, I'll preposition workers in my production cities. Then I'll just put them on "improve nearest city" and let them go for the first few turns after railroad. Once the production cities have their railroads up, I'll do "route to" orders to various corners of my empire to get a basic rail-net up, then put them back on automatic.

I ALWAYS have "leave forests" and "leave existing improvements" checked. If I farmed that dye, I did it for a reason, and I don't want my workers building a plantation there.

Grouping. I do it sometimes. Especially at war, group a couple workers with some old mounted units or whatever. Takes less troops to cover your workers. Better to waste a few worker turns than waste hammers replacing them (or building extra units to guard them)

 

[singletonmj]

I think I've got enough info on the workers right now. Now I want to concentrate on the city management screen - the governor and the specialist.
Anybody have any advice on this? Please feel free to post your comments, whether it be the workers or the city management. I'm welcome to any and all comments.

singletonmj

 

[singletonmj]

I will read some of the strategy guides listed on the forum. I've read one so far on city specialization and it helped me to get an idea as knowing what, when, and where to best build all the improvements.

singletonmj

 

[Hold The Onion]

Also a good idea to group them together. I play on epic usually, so I usually have them working in teams of 3.

I have them work together on tasks, but don't group- it wastes turns when one guy is finished but the other(s) aren't. Instead move the finished guy onto the next task. Coop of my workers was something that really stepped my game up when i stopped sending them out alone all of the time.