This order allows you to dismiss a unit from active duty. The unit disappears completely and irrevocably, so be careful when invoking this option. If you disband a unit in a city square, a fraction of the unit's construction cost is immediately added to the Production Box in that city. This represents the redistribution of support and materials and retraining of soldiers.
Explore
E
This order tells a unit to explore the world. The unit will move around the map and uncover all black areas of the map it can reach safely (for instance, an exploring ship will not end its turn in a water square in which it might sink). The unit will continue to explore until there are no more unexplored spaces within its reach.
Select this order to have a military unit dig in and fortify itself in the square in which it stands or garrison itself in a city. This enhances the defensive capabilities of the unit for as long as it remains fortified—which is until you activate it. The exception is a damaged unit, which will reactivate itself when it reaches full strength. You can "fortify" defenseless units (such as Settlers and Workers) to have them stay in one place, but they gain no defensive benefit.
GoTo
G
This order allows you to send a unit directly to a selected square. After you click the order, move your mouse cursor to the destination. The number of turns it will take to reach the highlighted square is shown. Click on a square, and the unit will go there without further orders.
Hold
Spacebar
Use this order to pass over a unit for a turn and have it hold its current position. The unit takes no action, but will repair itself somewhat if it has been damaged.
Load
L
Give this order to a ship to activate all its passenger units, allowing them to move ashore or onto another ship. The ship must be adjacent to a land square, a city square, or another friendly ship. You can also click on the ship to bring up a box showing all the shipboard units.
Unload
Pillage
Shift+P
This order tells a military unit to wreak havoc on the square it occupies, destroying terrain improvements. That can mean collapsing a mine, destroying irrigation, ripping up roads, or other destruction.
Sentry
Y
This order tells a unit to remain in place until a barbarian unit or a unit of an other nationality moves adjacent to the unit, at which point the unit will reactivate itself to request new orders.
Sentry (Enemy only)
Shift+Y
Rename
Shift+N
Upgrade
U
Upgrade All
Shift+U
Wait
W or Tab
Use this to order the current active unit to wait for orders until you have given every other active unit something to do. Note that if you give another unit the Wait order, that unit will get in line behind the first unit you ordered to wait, and so forth.
This movement order is available only to airdrop-capable units (i.e., Paratroopers and Helicopters) that are currently located in a city with an Airport. Choose any unoccupied square within range of the unit's current location. The unit will move immediately to that square. This order uses all of the unit's movement points for that turn.
Use this order to move a unit that has not yet moved this turn from any of your cities served by an Airport to any of your other cities with an Airport. This travel uses all of the unit's movement points for that turn. Only one unit can be airlifted from or into each city per turn.
This tells a Settler to create a new town where it stands. Note that you cannot build cities in terrain squares directly adjacent to an existing city. You also cannot build on Mountains.
Join city
B
If a Settler or Worker stands in an existing city, pressing [B] orders that unit to add itself to this city. Workers add one and Settlers add two population points.
Use this to order a Worker to build a colony in the square it occupies. Colonies collect strategic resources and luxuries from squares outside your borders and transfer them via road to the city. Enemy units can't take over an undefended colony, but can easily destroy it.
This orders a Worker to build defensive fortifications in the square it occupies. Once it is built, your units can occupy the Fortress to enhance their defensive capabilities. This order is not available until you have discovered Construction.
Click this order to have a Worker clear the Forest square in which it
stands. This results in a change in the square's terrain type, generally for the better. Clearing a Forest also provides a few shields for the nearest
friendly city.
If you would rather not give a Worker specific commands every time it finishes a job, you can automate it. Automated Workers will not add themselves to cities, but will work to improve terrain around existing ones. In some situations, control of the Worker reverts to you.
Colony to
Ctrl+B
Road to
Ctrl+R
Automate: Build Trade
Ctrl+N
Automate: Irrigate to Nearest City
Ctrl+I
Automate: Clear Forest
Shift+F
Automate: Clear Wetlands
Shift+W
Automate: Clear Damage
Shift+D
Automate: This City Only
Shift+I
Automate: No Altering
Shift+A
Automate: No Altering/This City Only
Ctrl+Shift+A
Air unit actions[]
Icon
Name
Shortcut
Notes
Bombing mission
B
Drop bombs on the selected terrain square or enemy city. Air bombardment affects city improvements and city populations.
Automate: Bombing
Shift+B
Recon mission
R
Investigate the selected square and its surrounding squares.
Re-base mission
Shift+R
Relocate the unit's base of operations to another city or an aircraft carrier.
Air superiority mission
S
Scout the unit's defensive range (half of its operational range). This is similar to the Fortify order in that it remains the unit's assignment until you reactivate the unit in order to give it other orders. Only fighters (including the F-15) are capable of flying air superiority missions.
Carry a single ground unit to a specified location, land, and drop the unit off, leaving it there. Only Helicopters can airdrop ground units, and then only within their operational range. This "vertical insertion" cannot place a unit into a square that contains an enemy unit.
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