The mystery of dissappearing workers

[Jeff Yu]

I've noticed, when the AI kidnaps my workers, they seem to mysteriously dissappear into thin air. I was playing a game when the Zulu and French kept on raiding my territory with Cavalry, kidnapping my minions and retreating.

[Side note: Why is the Automated worker AI so damn stupid? It doesn't seem to like connecting cities with railorads, it just builds them around the cities in a big clump. Also, they the AI kept on stealing my guys becuase they kept trying to build railroads past my borders, so I move my border guys away into the safety of my cities. The AI then moves a huge clump of free workers to the border to place I just moved my guys away from! One cavalry ended up kidnapping 15+ workers.]

Whenever the enemy kidnaps my workers, the computer moves my guys away from me. But whenever I destroy the enemy units and look around, THEY AREN'T THERE ANYMORE. This has happened in places where there aren't any roads or rails, so I know that they couldn't possibly have gone to the enemy. Whatever happens to these guys? Does the AI cheat and make them miraculously appear in their own territory? Disband them? Is it a bug?

 

[plomeros]

I think the AI disbands them. I've hade large cities razed by enemies, and the AI doesn't get a single worker...bloodthirsty b#¤&"#(d...

 

[Lt. 'Killer' M.]

if the AI sees no chance to get them to safety - it disbands them

as for the funny way workers work - play an entire game shift-aing them and using the governors - then you`ll see why the AI does such nonsensical things!