How to automate workers correctly? Late game. SO they don't mess things up.

Artifex · August 20, 2002, 15:44

What is best way to automate workers late game once most of your empire has railroads?

What are the commands to make sure workers don't screw up your terrain, etc?

I have a ton of workers and don't want to fool with them, but I think automation is screwed up and they start messing with already improved terrain.

What is the best way to deal with workers later industrial, modern era? I have some railroads that can be built I just don't know the different commands to best automate the workers.

One of the things I hatew the most is the tedium of endless workers and LOOOOOOONG boring late industrial.modern turns. It is a REAL downer. Please give me some suggestions..to make it more bearable.

Catt · August 20, 2002, 15:55

Workers given the "Shift-A" command are automated but won't alter existing tile improvements.

[Compare to the "A" command which is fully automated -- under the "A" command your workers will freely decide that "this particular mine would look so much better just to the left a little bit -- I think I'll irrigate over this mine and then build the mine to the left . . . on that irrigated tile."]

Always remember the caveat though that automated workers will be less efficient than manually controled workers unless the only thing they're doing is cleaning the occasional pollution.

Catt

Jawa Jocky · August 20, 2002, 15:57

shift+A is the key to your answer

Automate w/o changing current terrain upgrades. They also like cleaning pollution for you.

Hagbart · August 20, 2002, 15:58

Just set half of them to clean pollution, and the rest shift-A. I agree with Catt.

Thrawn05 · August 20, 2002, 15:58

I always automate, only because I'm a keyboard user (mouse <- suckers!)

Besides, when you 100s of workers, who cares anymore.

Hagbart · August 20, 2002, 15:59

I like the mouse.

Thrawn05 · August 20, 2002, 16:05

Originally posted by Hagbart
I like the mouse.

Only for FPS games.

Artifex · August 20, 2002, 16:13

Is there a command to specifically " build railroads"?

Also, Can you make worker armies, and group them together? It would be a good time saver mid game from having to manualy point and click each one to a spot that takes 10 mionutes to get them all thier. *SIGH* Talk about unbearable tedium.......

Yes the tedium of workers late game can be horrendous. I have an undeveloped Continent/colony that needs railroads. I was wondering if I can ship them over their and have them build railroads as a priority.

I am in late game I could have wiped every one out but I have never seen tanks or the modern age so I am dragging it along so I can just see how they look * lol*, I always win on Monarch at about the mid industrial age..before those beautiful tanks and planes.

dac · August 20, 2002, 16:23

"Shift-R" builds railroads on squares with roads. "Ctrl-Shift-R" builds a path of railroads to the endpoint you designate.

I never thought of putting workers in an Army. That could be pretty interesting.

Catt · August 20, 2002, 16:28

Go into the civilopedia and look at the "Hotkeys" section. There is a wide assortment of worker orders available (though I haven't used 90% of them). From memory, there is a "Build Trade Network" command that (I believe) orders your workers to build connecting roads to each of your cities (perhaps RRs in the industrial age?) but I don't know how efficient it is. There is also a "Build RR to X" command so that a worker will build a RR from its present location to a location you select.

I tend to keep my workers in little groups that will accomplish certain tasks in one turn -- for instance, playing in the industrial era in a Republic with a non-industrious civ, it takes my workers 6 turns to clean pollution from "flat lands" and 12 turns from hills (maybe 18 on mountains?). I keep stacks "6 equivalent" workers - 6 workers if they're all mine, up to 12 if they're all captured slaves and therefore work half as fast -- in any event, a stack that equates to 6 native-worker-turns. Pollution pops up? RIght click on the stack, select "Wake All." Use J command to move entire stack to polluted tile. Click "Shift-C" six times. Repeat if pollution occurs on a hill.

In your example of needing a RR net (but using my Republic, non-industrious values) I would likely keep several stacks of 5 workers - 2 turns to build a road and 3 turns to build a RR. The stacks lventure out to my new cities building the network.

If you do use the "Build Trade Network" or "Build RR to X" commands, I would appreciate hearing back from you on how efficient the commands are - do your workers behave efficiently or totally inefficiently (I would probably sacrafice some efficiency for the relief from some of the micro-management).

Catt

Moonsinger · August 20, 2002, 16:30

In most of my game I have about 400 workers; and yes, I always move them manually. It's faster that way. When everything is railroaded, I put 32 of them in to auto-clean up pollution and the rest of them to sleep at the steps of my palace. That's it; there isn't anything left to do.

dunk · August 20, 2002, 16:32

I usually fortify my workers somewhere and unfortify them when I need them.

Moonsinger · August 20, 2002, 16:47

When I said "putting them to sleep at the steps of my palace", I do mean fortify them around my capital; that's way I don't forget them.

neonext · August 20, 2002, 18:15

i don't understand why people use so many different keys on different groups of workers. i use shift-a for all of them when it is time to automate. they take care of both railraods and pollution, so why the need for seperate keys? (i understand the difference between shift-A, and just A, and that is different than what i mean)

also, i noticed that when they are done working and there is nothing else to do, they will hide in a city where it is safe until there is more work to do. sorry if this is nothing new, but i don't recall seeing this behaivor before (i only recently started playing again, and haven't played before since the first or second patch). it would be nice, however; if the workers would divide themselves among the cities instead of all just going to one, that way when pollution pops up there will always be at least a couple workers nearby.

Ethelred · August 20, 2002, 18:25

also, i noticed that when they are done working and there is nothing else to do, they will hide in a city where it is safe until there is more work to do. sorry if this is nothing new, but i don't recall seeing this behaivor before

Its nothing new. I don't know if it would have worked that way in the original version of the game though. The SHIFT-A command wasn't working right till 1.17f.

I prefer to get those stacks out and fortify them where I can see them when I want to activate a stack.

Catt · August 20, 2002, 18:36

Originally posted by neonext
i don't understand why people use so many different keys on different groups of workers. i use shift-a for all of them when it is time to automate. they take care of both railraods and pollution, so why the need for seperate keys?

I often have a lot of workers on Shift-A but will usually keep several small stacks manually controlled, fortified inland, for specific purposes. Automated workers present many drawbacks to manually-controlled workers, some of which are: (1) cannot direct A-workers to cut down / plant forests at proper time (for maximum efficiency); (2) A-workers will try and cross another civ's territory to get to an isolated outpost, even without an RoP - resulting in much wasted time and attitude problems with one's neighbors; (3) when new tile improvements become possible (expanding cultural borders, for instance, or after a war in which tile improvements were bombarded) A-workers improve the land inefficiently (2 workers doing a 3-turn job, for instance, or 2 workers trying to road a mountain when 4.5 workers could do it in one turn and therefore be "unavailable" for only 2 turns).

Shift-A is a wonderful micromanagament reducer, but it comes with its own costs.

Catt

Level · August 20, 2002, 23:57

In the manual starting on page 196 is a list of keyboard shortcuts, also the readme has ones added in patches and on the Civ3 web site you can download a complet list of shortcuts (may also be in the files forum or at CivFanatics).

Jaybe · August 21, 2002, 00:10

Using SHIFT-P for pollution cleanup works well, until there is no pollution to clean. Then they stand around asking for orders. I would like for them to wait for more pollution so I wouldn't have to "fortify all" and then individually Shift-P them again when pollution strikes.

I have never been satisfied with the Shift-A.

vondrack · August 21, 2002, 03:17

Originally posted by Jaybe
Using SHIFT-P for pollution cleanup works well, until there is no pollution to clean. Then they stand around asking for orders. I would like for them to wait for more pollution so I wouldn't have to "fortify all" and then individually Shift-P them again when pollution strikes.

I second this request. If I set a worker on the anti-pollution duty, I want him to stay on it as long as I do not change his assignment. If there is no pollution to clean up, then let he simply idles for the whole turn... Firaxis?

Harovan · August 21, 2002, 04:05

I do the basic tile improvements myself, like the military and trade road net, cleaning jungle and forests, mining or irrigating, and roads everywhere. This is usually finished at the verge of the industrial age.

After Steam Power, I build a strategical RR network with groups of workers, completing a RR in 1 turn. After this, I separate a small work force of my native workers (4-8, depending on map size) and fortify them on a mountain (not in a city or I wouldn't find them). They are my task force, for changing basic tile improvements at need. The rest of my workers and all slaves I split in 2 equal groups, send one to my palace and the other to the FP and then I Shift-A both. They make the RR sleaze and later pollution cleaning automatically.

Captured workers on other continents I ship partially home with the invasion fleet, if I need slaves, and the rest I automate. Efficiency usually doesn't matter, as the cities are completely corrupt.

The Pioneer · August 21, 2002, 06:49

Originally posted by Moonsinger
In most of my game I have about 400 workers; and yes, I always move them manually. It's faster that way. When everything is railroaded, I put 32 of them in to auto-clean up pollution and the rest of them to sleep at the steps of my palace. That's it; there isn't anything left to do.

400!!??!

On topic, I always keep a small number of workers towards the end of the game that I control manually and the for the rest I use shift-A or shift-P. I also add workers to the cities later on especially in the forward area cities!

So long...

Panag · August 21, 2002, 06:57

hi ,

keep stacks of them at regular places , then order them to clean up pollution , 4 shall do it at democrazy , ones clean-up , fortify all , ...

have a nice day

Harovan · August 21, 2002, 07:44

In my opinion, Shift-P is ineffective. Just Shift-A the workers. Cleaning pollution is high on their priority list, so they won't run for other tile improvements if there is pollution to clean. And if not, they will do something useful. If you Shift-P them, they will just hang around and do nothing in that case.

Stuie · August 21, 2002, 08:41

If I take a city late in the game, I'll often use shift-I on some workers in the vicinity to quickly ramp up the improvements around that city (sometimes having destroyed them myself in the taking...). That way they focus on that city, and don't go wandering off to clean up pollution on the other side of my empire.

Moonsinger · August 21, 2002, 08:46

Originally posted by The Pioneer
400!!??!

All slave workers; they don't cost me anything.

Demerzel · August 21, 2002, 09:46

400? and you control them manually? that must be incredibly dull...

I must admit to being very lazy myself and just automate all workers from the very start and leaving them that way 'til the very end except if I want certain things to be done. I can't imagine myself coping with the tedium of having to deal with military units and workers.... yeuch.

Panag · August 22, 2002, 12:21

hi ,

its seems to go fine when you are on an island or so , just shift-p them , they cant get out and do a good job

BUT - Firaxis should program something in it , when you ask them to clean up , sometimes 100 workers move to one spot

, they should have a way of control lets say max 4 to a tile

they could also put something in that your workers dont leave your territory , both for the human and the AI !!!

have a nice day

Willem · August 22, 2002, 12:34

Originally posted by Catt
From memory, there is a "Build Trade Network" command that (I believe) orders your workers to build connecting roads to each of your cities (perhaps RRs in the industrial age?) but I don't know how efficient it is.

It's actually pretty good. It will even connect your resoures and establish trade routes to other civs, if the Worker gets close enough. I usually have several units with this command, and other than those "must have" roads, I never need to bother connecting my cities. And once Railroads are available, you won't have to worry about it, they'll have your empire covered in no time.

PS The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl N.

Moonsinger · August 22, 2002, 13:14

Originally posted by Demerzel
400? and you control them manually? that must be incredibly dull...

Not really! Just put them all in a couple big stack of 32 units or so and use the 'j' to move them. For example, I move them to the moutain and just hold down the 'r' key down a few times to tell the whole stack to build road and railroad, then 'm' to tell them to mine. Overall, it's alot faster to control them manually. Since I have too many of them, I don't really care if most of them don't really do anything useful.

neonext · August 22, 2002, 14:18

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
In my opinion, Shift-P is ineffective. Just Shift-A the workers. Cleaning pollution is high on their priority list, so they won't run for other tile improvements if there is pollution to clean. And if not, they will do something useful. If you Shift-P them, they will just hang around and do nothing in that case.

i agree with Ralph here. it is too annoying having to restart all the workers on SHIFT-P when they are done cleaning pollution and new pollution pops up. if you use SHIFT-A, they will still try hard to clean up pollution and after it is all cleared they will wait around until there is more pollution to clean up (assuming there is no other work to do)

i like being able to automate them just once, and not have to worry about them ever again. i'll keep maybe a few not automated to cut down trees etc, but the rest go to SHIFT-A