What's this worker up to? (Brick wall building animation)

[MrSweetchuck]

I caught this worker inside my territory on top of a salt peter, building what looks like a brick wall. I tried to figure out what he could be building, but I've literally never seen this type of animation before. It's not a fortress. What else could it be? Anyone seen something like this before?

 

[tjs282]

That is indeed the Fortress-building Worker-animation (I think it's also used for building Barricades?).

The AI does like to build Fortresses on Strategic Resources (and chokepoints), when it can't think of anything "better" to do with its Workers. You might as well let Cathy (or Hannibal?) get on with it, then boot the Worker when he's done.

 

[MrSweetchuck]

That is indeed the Fortress-building Worker-animation

I tried building a fortress with one of my own workers and the animation was completely different. (EDIT: never mind.. I tried this initially with a captured worker, and the animation was the "build mine" animation. When I tried it with a native worker, I could then see the "bricklaying" animation, so indeed it was building a fortress.. Funny, it seems BreakAway games didn't even bother with creating this animation with the captured worker sprite for Conquests.)

The AI does like to build Fortresses on Strategic Resources

But in someone else's territory??

You might as well let Cathy (or Hannibal?) get on with it, then boot the Worker when he's done.

I actually just captured the worker as I was getting ready to invade them anyway.

 

[Fergei]

• Workers seem to go a bit haywire later in the game. When I automate mine they are desperate to buikd railroad and remove pollution in other Civs territories? Why not reload the turn with the photo and curb your aggression? Maybe he had a premonition and was building his own crypt

 

[tjs282]

I tried building a fortress with one of my own workers and the animation was completely different

Also using an Industrial Worker?

Because there are at least 3 complete sets of Worker-animations in the base game: Pre-Industrial (technically "Era 1+2") native, Industrial ("Era 3+4") native, and Foreign(Slave).

The Roman Legionary and the Crusader units also have some associated tile-improvement animations (the Legionary wields a spade, and IIRC the Crusader also builds brick walls = Fortresses)

But in someone else's territory??

As @Fergei notes, the AI is no respecter of borders, and if it has Workers spare, it will happily wander them into your territory to do [stuff], regardless of your wishes.

 

[Arexander]

Also sometimes happen when the AI tells the worker to build said fortress while the resource is in neutral or their territory, but before the worker arrives or finishes, the territory gets claimed by another civ.

 

[Spoonwood]

As @Fergei notes, the AI is no respecter of borders, and if it has Workers spare, it will happily wander them into your territory to do [stuff], regardless of your wishes.

This reminded me of an AI's unexpected worker trying to road up tiles around my capital from last year.

 

[Civinator]

This strange behaviour of workers seems to be triggered by the setting of routes for foreign trade from capital to capital. In my eyes it is much better to give the palace the air trade flag as it is done in CCM, as here the creation of roads from capital to capital (or via harbours) is not needed any longer and the trade of resources can be started more early. In CCM these "crazy" workers are nice victims to become enslaved.

 

[MrSweetchuck]

Also sometimes happen when the AI tells the worker to build said fortress while the resource is in neutral or their territory, but before the worker arrives or finishes, the territory gets claimed by another civ.

That's probably what happened.