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

[Catt]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Originally posted by The Pioneer
400!!??!

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

[Demerzel]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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