Workers - automate, but DO NOT destroy...

[zonk84]

I've looked all over many a site to find this.... but no avail

Is there a way to automate workers, but PREVENT them from destroying improvements (i.e, change a mine into irrigation).

I prefer building - and generally employ many, many workers.

As a builder - wonders are key to my strategy. It continually drives me nuts when an automated worker destroys a mine to irrigate a sqaure. Even more ludicrous - I've seen one automated worker irrigate a square, then watch as one turn after it's complete -- another automated worker will destroy the irrigation and mine the square.....

There are points when it makes absolutely no sense to irrigate certain areas. Irrigating grasslands is a useless improvement until you advance governments, and even in more advanced governments - why change a mine to irrigation if everyone is being fed, but your city is at its pop limit?

I can't count the number of times I've been 2 or 3 turns short on wonder building SOLELY because an automated worker destroyed a mine and I didn't catch it in time.....

I know -- the easy answer is 'don't automate your workers', but the point is things like worker automation, city governors, etc were supposed to make certain mundane aspects of game play easier. There are so many problems like this - exactly why would a city governor EVER choose to place production on a non-river virgin 2 food/no shield square instead of a virgin 2 food/1 shield square? I've seen it!

The concept on many of these 'automated' features seems good - but I have to give the implemenation and follow-through an 'F' - unless I missed a patch or something somewhere....

Considering the fixes seem soooo easy.... why not force a confirmation pop-up before a worker overwrites a prior improvement, or at least allow it as a preference - I'm wondering why more attention wasn't paid to details like this?

Don't get me wrong -- I've love civ III, but frankly, it just seems like the ball was dropped somewhere between beta-testng and release.....

[steven8r]

I think one of the patches provides the
'Shift-A'
command. This will Automate the workers, but they will not change existing improvements.

Don't know exactly which patch added this feature, but it works w/ the latest patch.

--Edit--

I just RTFM. The Shift-A command was present before any patches. It's been there all along.

[alva]

Originally posted by steven8r
I think one of the patches provides the
'Shift-A'
command. This will Automate the workers, but they will not change existing improvements.

Don't know exactly which patch added this feature, but it works w/ the latest patch.

--Edit--

I just RTFM. The Shift-A command was present before any patches. It's been there all along.

But AFAIK it diddn't work correctly
doesn't matter, patch it anyway

don't use it too early though, it's still better to do
it manually

have fun

[zulu9812]

Shift-A does work - I've never had any problems with it

[Ethelred]

SHIFT-A has worked right since 1.17F. It was nearly right in 1.16f but the workers would get confused if they cleaned pollution. Now they even pile more than two workers on pollution. But ONLY on pollution. Everything else gets one or two workers on auto.

[Nicollo Rising]

Crtl-Shift-I sets workers to Improve nearest city without destroying stuff already there. However I they do not instantly stop and deal with pollution.

Ol' Nic