tile improvements

[numbersix]

should I be improving every tile? I have noticed that when it is building on a tile if it wasnt suggested then every turn it stops and I have to tell it to resume building. I also noticed that the number of citizens equals the number of tiles improvements worked.
sometimes the workers say stuff too like

" My ankle hurts"
" I don't want to work anymore"
" Pass that kind over here"
" Let's build over here instead"
" Are you sure?"
" Yes sir!"
" I am hungry"

just to name a few. so based on what they say I either continue working or change them.

do you ever autoimprove?

 

[Tinker]

Did not expect a giant picture of a bird coming into this thread

 

[Southlord]

Auto improve is usually a really bad idea. You want to micro-manage your workers (and, for that matter - in fact probably more importantly, which tiles your citizens are actually working). Very often, you would want to chop a forest early in the game for a massive hammer boost, or you might think clearing a marsh and building a farm is a better use for a tile than simply having a marsh with a TP (which is what the computer often suggests... The computer does not seem to share that view.

The worker stopping every turn sounds like a bug to me. I never have that problem.

Perhaps you can switch off suggestions as to improvements in your Options menu?

 

[Southlord]

Bear in mind it's a really long time since I played vanilla, so I cannot remember whether the worker stopping thing may have been a feature of vanilla that was fixed in subsequent expansions.

 

[krc]

Workers stop if they think there is an enemy unit (especially barbarians) hat is too close for comfort. Even if you destroy the enemy unit at the beginning of the turn, they still stop working because it used to be too close for comfort.

 

[numbersix]

thanks for your responses. sorry I guess the tapatalk avata picture didnt scale down. it doesntvshow up on my galaxy s4. they are not smartphones!

how do I take the picture off?

 

[JeSuisNapoleon]

I remember that problem with my workers always stopping. It drove me b'nanners.

As others have already said, automated workers = bad.

you should only improve tiles if:
-its is worked or will be in a couple of turns. Make sure worked tiles get the correct improvement for your goals (usually food or production)
-Lux or strategic resource
-Roads for city connections : this can be a whole separate subject
-Occasional forts outside of your own territory (although very rare)

There is not a lot of value in improved tiles that never get worked, unless its a lux or strat.Resource.

Sometimes, if you have a medium to large sized city you will want to have some extra improved tiles not currently worked because you tend to switch between food and hammer production. Or Trade posts for gold. Usually this would only be a few tiles since the best ones are often locked down by a careful micro managing player.

Remember to build special buildings that can boost tile yield (granary, stables etc) and that tends to make things much better.