workers on automatic go back to city ?

[little12]

should i manually force workers to develop squares outside my city radius ? when i put them i automatic, they go back to the city: does this mean my city is fully developed ? (maxed out);

 

[The Omega]

Yes, automated workers will return to your city after all available tiles have been improved. Tiles outside your city radius can't be used, so the AI doesn't improve them.

Now, it's generally advisable to not automate workers. The AI doesn't handle them very effectively, and you can get much better results by controlling them directly. (I'm not sure if I'm the best person to be saying that, though, as I still tend to automate my workers whenever I get bored of moving them individually....)

 

[CKS]

Automated workers will also go back to a city if unimproved tiles have two workers on them already.

 

[Raliuven]

should i manually force workers to develop squares outside my city radius ? when i put them i automatic, they go back to the city: does this mean my city is fully developed ? (maxed out);

If you are serious about improving your game, this should be avoided. The higher game settings (AI bonuses and cost reductions) exist because the AI is pretty bad at managing its worker turns. So even at Regent where you are 'equal' to the AI, you are actually much further ahead. Why would you want to give up your greatest advantage against the AI?

IMO, the single greatest investment to early game improvement is worker management. I actually prefer to move my workers, but I am a buildaholic. I love to improve tiles. I never, NEVER automate my workers. The way I think of it is that I wouldn't automate my armies because the AI is so bad at fighting wars. Why would I trust the AI to build my industrial base any more?

Same goes for Governors. You can win while using the Govenors. But they don't micromanage so you get the same, poor AI results.

 

[Ataxerxes]

If you are serious about improving your game, this should be avoided. The higher game settings (AI bonuses and cost reductions) exist because the AI is pretty bad at managing its worker turns. So even at Regent where you are 'equal' to the AI, you are actually much further ahead. Why would you want to give up your greatest advantage against the AI?

IMO, the single greatest investment to early game improvement is worker management. I actually prefer to move my workers, but I am a buildaholic. I love to improve tiles. I never, NEVER automate my workers. The way I think of it is that I wouldn't automate my armies because the AI is so bad at fighting wars. Why would I trust the AI to build my industrial base any more?

Same goes for Governors. You can win while using the Govenors. But they don't micromanage so you get the same, poor AI results.

I usually find the governors pretty competent, although it's true, micromanagement will definitely help. The other comments are absolutely true - the AI is horrible at handling workers. The only automation I do is "clear damage" automatic button. They can usually find the pollution faster than I can. Although even here, they don't differentiate between clearing pollution on mountains and flat land.

 

[DWetzel]

The right solution to this "problem" is, of course, to acquire more land for your workers to improve.

 

[Turner]

Yes, empty spaces in your borders mean wasted tiles that you could be producing something with.

I seem to recall in one of my early games when I automated my workers that once they got all the tiles in the cities done, they started roading/railroading the tiles inbwetween cities. But this was way back in the day, and I believe it was in Vanilla.

 

[kirie]

it also applies to conquest I think, but i dont really know since i stop using it

or I just use shift - a, they will automatically building railroad and preventing them to replace my improvement

 

[darski]

Ok this is really annoying... How do I stop this stupid return to city thingy. What button do I check or uncheck. I can't clear pollution without a whole lotta fussing!!

 

[Nergal]

The only way I know of, with conquests, is to automate this city only. (ctrl-shift-I) When a city has been improved the workers wait for new orders. Its only really useful if you just want to railroad an already improved city, the workers will also deal with any pollution that appears there. There are a few drawbacks in that the 2 workers per tile rule applies because thats the way the AI is setup afaik and its still more efficient to manage the workers yourself. Automated workers always go and stand on the borders chanting anti-AI slogans and stuff.

 

[Turner]

You can over come the 2 workers per square by having more than twice the number of workers trying to clear damaged squares or improve tiles.

Lately I don't even ctrl-shift-i, I just do it manually. PITB, as it's a lot of worker orders late in the game. Also trying to remember exactly how many half-turns it takes to do something so that I can 'more efficiently' use my slaves and workers to maximize the usage of them. I'm pretty sure that 'more efficiently' is ancient latin for 'continuously bang head against wall'.....

 

[darski]

I have never had to deal with this in any other game of C3C.

I always keep my workers in stacks to deal with pollution and they just go and do it.