The worker automation AI ticks me off.

[Odin2006]

When I automate workers to hook up my resources and build roads they spam forts on resource tiles that are within my borders but not in a city's fat cross instead of connecting them. WTF??? :mad

 

[Merovech]

Forts will connect the resource.

Also, don't automate your workers. It's pretty much the worst thing you can do if you plan on improving.

 

[Odin2006]

Forts will connect the resource.

They do? OMG, I've had Civ4 since it came out and I never knew that!

Also, don't automate your workers. It's pretty much the worst thing you can do if you plan on improving.

I only automate hooking up my resources, and only after my empire has gotten large.

 

[Manco Capac]

Although it seems silly to make far more time consuming fort over the regular improvement, the automation is using the same script as the AI workers and that was implemented so some AI units can guard a little those strategic resources to prevent cheap pillaging.

Only two cases where it's not silly is when the resource is out of reach like an island. A fort+road will connect the resource. And oil. It's discovered early, but you can make a preemptive tackle on the resource before combustion is in with a fort.

 

[Merovech]

They do? OMG, I've had Civ4 since it came out and I never knew that!

I believe it was introduced in BTS (maybe Warlords).

 

[GKey]

Spy mission to destroy fort rather then mine is more expensive.

 

[Qgqqqqq]

Its also annoying if you then found a city nearby, and all the more so if you have "leaves old improvements" on.

 

[alex15]

Forts will connect the resource.

Also, don't automate your workers. It's pretty much the worst thing you can do if you plan on improving.

I disagree, automating workers is good thing in single player especially on huge maps with hundreds of citys.

They are not effective as player controlled workers but automating workers in single players makes game ALOT faster.

If some one playing tournament or multiplayer he obviusly not going to automate workers, but if some one playing single player for fun automating workers is really awesome thing.

Not saying that all workers should be automated cas u need to do some things manually like forest choping, but automating 80-90% workers wont make u lose vs AI, at least on easy difficultys like Noble and Monarch

 

[damerell]

I disagree, automating workers is good thing in single player especially on huge maps with hundreds of citys.

You disagree because you're not paying attention to what's actually being said. Merovech says automating workers damages your empire; that's true. There's nothing in there about play time.

 

[gps]

You disagree because you're not paying attention to what's actually being said. Merovech says automating workers damages your empire; that's true.

Well, the OP did not even know the fact that forts connect ressources - so obvioulsy we are discussing a situation here where the automated worker actually does a better job than the player...

 

[TheMeInTeam]

You disagree because you're not paying attention to what's actually being said. Merovech says automating workers damages your empire; that's true. There's nothing in there about play time.

Specifically, it doesn't hurt your current empire but rather its development. So often, it does in fact hurt your empire but it will not always do so.

Depending on when you do so, it might not hurt it whatsoever, though. If you have a lot of workers and cities will not grow onto unimproved tiles at a faster rate than automated workers will fill the land with improvements, you lose out little-to-nothing with automating them, especially if you know how their improvement logic works based on governor emphasis settings.

As an example, in IU 89 I used auto workers for much of the new world development (was a terra map). I lost some time because I used them so early, but they still workshopped everything just like I wanted (caste/guilds/chem shops in SP, emphasize hammers). Had I manually built around half of the improvements, however, I'm pretty sure I'd have lost no in-game turns at all. It's just a matter of when you do it.

Perhaps the best example of worker automation not hurting is when you have all improvements built, however. If the AI spy-bombs (or actually bombs) a resource or tile improvement, the workers will rebuild it nigh-instantly without input.

Although not relevant to the point you're making, the time saved in automation is indeed a real incentive to use it, especially as the opportunity cost of using it declines. The line "you should *never* automate workers" is potentially damaging to a player's experience, particularly those who want to play without focusing on fine micro details in large empires.

 

[Merovech]

I was perhaps a bit too harsh, there are times when one can get away with automating workers. However, in order to do so, you need to be either very lucky, or know exactly what you are doing anyways, like TMIT in his example, so I stand by my statement that if one plans on improving one's game, automating workers will make that process much slower.

Of course, if you're only doing it late game or to save time during a relaxing game, then that's a little bit of a different story.

 

[Orion071]

Another benefit of a fort over say, a plantation is that the fort will keep any forest or jungle intact for extra defense while still giving you the resource.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I do agree that learning to micro workers early is pretty crucial, even if to understand the limitations of automating them. Early game worker micro makes a world of difference!

 

[kochman]

When I automate workers to hook up my resources and build roads they spam forts on resource tiles that are within my borders but not in a city's fat cross instead of connecting them. WTF??? :mad

Problem solver:
Don't use AI to do your worker actions.
Second issue: Forts give you access, with roads, to resources outside of BFC. Also, forts on the water act at ports.