To automate the worker or not, that is the question.

[wholagun]

I was gleening over a few tips and what not and I am really enjoying this site thus far it has lots great advice.

I noticed a few ppl write not to autonmate workers. Personally i alway automate them because i have around 60 workers by modern age and I would go crazy (not to mention waste time trying to give every single one of them orders). So what is the problem and disadvantage of not automaking?

 

[The_Unforgiven]

they tend to do stupid things. Remember, it's a form of CPU-intelligence, so they are as stupis ad the AI...
When you micromanage, they're horrible. Micromanagement is not your style, I think, since it takes even more time, but it is effective as hell!

 

[wholagun]

what do you mean stupid things. I think its me that does stupid things, when Im fighting a war i will just send off the worker to do something only to get make him busy and keep him out of my way during war or other stressful times.

 

[zurichuk]

it's a personal preference, people will insist here to never automate them, but it's your game, however automating a worker and knowing what to with them would probably allow the player to play a couple of levels higher

personally since visiting this site i manually control them until railroads have connected each city then i automate them, leaving a few to mine ai captured cities irrigated grassland

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

I never automate my workers until I have railroaded my civ. If I don't then the automated workers don't follow my irrigation/mining plan.

 

[JMK]

Originally posted by wholagun
what do you mean stupid things. I think its me that does stupid things, when Im fighting a war i will just send off the worker to do something only to get make him busy and keep him out of my way during war or other stressful times.

Just take the time to read this attachment from Cracker, then you will understand what people means by 'stupid things'.
http://www.civfanatics.com/doc/civ3/cracker/civ3_starts/

Also, Workers should be part of your war, here another article from Crackers.
http://www.civfanatics.com/doc/civ3/cracker/japan_campaign/
and from Fret
http://www.civfanatics.com/civ3acad_railroad_intrusion.shtml

 

[kb2tvl]

Yea, I remember when people told me that the workers did stupid things... and I thought the AI was pretty good! heh, then I started to manually move workers and develop a strategy. Workers take a while to master but you can increase your shield production by 50% which gives more units per turn.

I do automate after I have my cities connected via railroad and then I will only shift automate.

 

[akhenaten]

Well, micromanaging will improve your game, as people above said. Will it improve it enough for you to be worth the micromanaging you hate? Only you can answer that. I would have said "no" myself, until I really tried it for a game and saw what a difference it makes. It doesn't actually take as much time as you think, either. I'd just suggest doing it for a game, then reviewing how much it helped vs. how much it annoyed you to be doing it.
Either way, have fun.

 

[Woody]

I usually micromanage until railroad, by then I have my core productive cities built up how I like and if the automated workers do stupid things around my 90% corruption cities it doesnt really matter. I will keep of few under manual control for spot changes but will automate most of them.

 

[benben]

I learnt to micro manage the workers only recently, and you bet, it's so much more effective, and gave me a huge boost in my last couple of games.

The problem with worker automation is the workers don't usually improve the tiles that are being "worked on" by citizens. Micro managing it will ensure you get additional gold/shield/food withe the same number of citizens. I used to fall quite far behind in my regent games start, but now, I can out produce my neighbours and thrash them easily in ancient era.

Think I can move another level up... I hope.

 

[smackster]

The trick is to learn when to automate them. When I know the game is won, or rather when I think it is won, I just automate them all, thinking it will make no difference, and my time is more important than a few Firaxis points.

The trick is to know when that time is. That time is as soon as you are sure you have it won, you are leader, in tech, score, power, etc.

When I'm playing the aggressive civ I will know sooner, but split my workers into home and front line workers. The home workers, I will automate. But the front line workers, I will keep building those roads that I really need. All captured workers join that team, bless them.

Smackster