Ran out of use for workers

[mortalmadman]

I've actully got to the point where I have nothing to change about the land. I roaded every roadable square, and the same with mining and irragrating every square I could. It's rediculous. I got 20 workers, working on a road to a city. Luckylu, I'm about to discover steam power, but has this ever happen to you? How did you handle it?

 

[punkbass2000]

It should happen every game, IMO. Add them to cities that can use them. Most such cities will only take one turn to spit them back out later and you will save 1gpt/Worker plus the gains of extra citizens. Keep a few around, of course, though.

 

[IbnSina]

Yes, I worry if that doesn't happen - it means I don't have enough workers.

If your workers need something to do, go conquer some AIs territory. After that, there will be plenty of new work.

 

[Pook]

It should happen every game, IMO. Add them to cities that can use them. Most such cities will only take one turn to spit them back out later and you will save 1gpt/Worker plus the gains of extra citizens. Keep a few around, of course, though.

Agreed, you can never have too many workers.
With steam power, you can now start rail-roading everything to get production bonuses and double irrigation bonuses. Double irrigation is not listed in the manual, but it works- an irrigated square with a railroad gets an additional food per turn above the irrigated value.
If you have a border with a potentially hostile neighbor, you may want to start putting down rows of barricades (the improvement after fortress) with railroads and stationing troops in them. This will stop the AI troops from pouring across your border, and give you a bit of time to react.

 

[Dell19]

And then later on you will need the workers so that you can clean pollution on the same turn that it appears...

 

[punkbass2000]

Double irrigation is not listed in the manual, but it works- an irrigated square with a railroad gets an additional food per turn above the irrigated value.

An easier way is just to remember that a railroad gies a +1 to whatever improvement is already on the tile (Mine vs. Irrigation).

 

[Vegasgustan]

It is too bad that workers can no longer convert hills like in Civ2. That always took extra time. I usually do exactly what Punkbass does, it really helps boost the economy.

 

[Zandrew]

... Luckylu, I'm about to discover steam power,...

When I have idle workers and am close to getting steam power I like to position them where I know I'll want my first railroads. I fortify them there, then wake them up when the rails arrive.

 

[viper275]

It's usually after Steam Power that this happens to me. Fortify some, double-check to make sure you got every square, then join a few into cities and use the rest to clean up whatever pollution may result.

For you in this situation, just move around your workers and get ready for steam power.

 

[WackenOpenAir]

Yes, always. Time to rejoin them in cities. I always have that WAY before i get rairoads, moreso in the ealry middle ages.

 

[Quilty]

Once in a while I use some of my surplus workers as a Peace Corps -- I send some of them to a friendly civ with whom I have a right of passage agreement, and build roads and clear jungle and marshes.

I once built a transcontinental railroad conencting all the capitals of a rival on another continent... I had a city on one edge of the continent, with a harbor connecting it to my home continent with its abundant iron and coal. (The railroad came in handly later in the game, when I got into a war with one of that continent's civs -- I was able to move units to the front lines almost instantaneously!)

 

[Desertsnow]

Fold them into any cities that have room to grow but keep enough on hand to build railroads when you can. Also, put the latter near the cities you want to join first with those first railroads.

 

[mortalmadman]

Ironicly, I did take over a civ. I took over spain but they already had EVERYTHING worked. I'm attaking the celtics now, there boarder and ours has floodplains and jungles there so it's not very favorble territory.

 

[rysingsun]

railroads improve prosperity so much that i would say keep the workers around until you get steam power and then railroad up everything quickly. then you will have nothing for them to do again and you can combine most of them back into your cities. combining by the way is THE way to make coastal cities grow up big and strong.

 

[Charles 22]

Supposing you're through with railroading though, and you don't think you'll ned more than half od them for coming expansions, then there's always putting them in the capitol and trading them off, though I don't think during gametime I've ever thought of doing that.

There is one more consideration assuming somebody didn't touch on it, and that is to use them to fill out conquered cities, or at least to get the pop to be dominated by your people.

 

[JoeBas]

I've actully got to the point where I have nothing to change about the land. I roaded every roadable square, and the same with mining and irragrating every square I could.

Congratulations... you may FINALLY be building enough workers...

 

[nullspace]

Whenever my workers have some time to waste, I make them plant and chop forests for 10 shields. I certainly wouldn't join them to cities if I'm going to need them for railroads soon.

 

[Shinatoo]

I like to keep them around. If they are idle get them to building fortresses along your coast to ward off those pesky amphibious landings. Not a top priority but good work for idle hands.

Has anyone written an article in the +/- of building fortresses?

 

[fishpimp]

There is one more consideration assuming somebody didn't touch on it, and that is to use them to fill out conquered cities, or at least to get the pop to be dominated by your people.

I have used this strategy quite effectivly, especially when the conquored city is significantly closer to the enemy's capital than mine.

 

[Charles 22]

Whenever my workers have some time to waste, I make them plant and chop forests for 10 shields. I certainly wouldn't join them to cities if I'm going to need them for railroads soon.

For abrief span of time one thing I will do when they have nothing to do is to actually 'plant' forests. I llok for all the hexes that aren't city hexes, the gap ones, and plant forects there, hoping they will make up greenhouse-wise for so many that I chopped before.