Worker first in new cities?

[shyuhe]

Assuming you've just settled your second (or third) city, do you build a worker in that city or do you send up a worker from your capital and build a new worker in your capital? I generally keep a 1:1 city:worker ratio as a minimum so I end up building a worker in the new city but I'm starting to think this isn't the best build. Ideas?

Let's assume no food specials in the initial 9 tiles to simplify the analysis.

 

[Refar]

I usually send a worker from the capitol. Never did a numeric analysis on this however. The intuition tells me:

- Building Worker stops growth. Its a big problem.
- Its ok when you just settle, as You dont want to work uniproved tiles. So in capital there is basicly no other choice.
(Note that IF you have the choice - like Seafood - you would often rather Build WBoat first, so capital can grow, while building/improving)
- While Building the Worker in your new City will delay growth for 15 turns, your Capital probaly can do it much faster. Also your capital might actually be at the Happy cap already, so delaying growth there is not a big issue. Even if not at happy cap - the capital is working improved tiles, so it builds the worker more efficient, than the new city would.
- Also sending the Worker with the settler reduces the amount of time, the new city has to work unimproved tiles, those speeding up growth there.

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What i usually do is: use my first (or first two - if i plan to chop a lot) workers to improve a couple of tiles tiles near capital (maybe 6 - depends on whats there), then i send one worker away with the settler. The capital is working those "pre-improved" tiles, while i build a new worker in the the capital, who - again - improve a couple of tiles near capital and then goes off to the next new city.

 

[6K Man]

Depends on a lot of things. If I've hooked up the key resources around my capital, I'll send my first worker to my second city. If there aren't any really crucial resources around my 2nd/3rd city (which is rare) I might wait until said city grows before building a worker. If there are no defenders in my 2nd/3d city, I'll almost certainly go defender first.

I guess in summary, it's rare that I build a worker first in anything but my initial city. If there's copper to be hooked up, I'll usually drop whatever my existing worker is doing and head for the copper. Generally that's faster than building a worker in city #2 (or #3).

 

[DaveMcW]

I send a worker from the capital AND build a worker first. That way the new city can work an improved resource.

1.5 workers per city is a better ratio.