A "Do first" priority option

[MeGrrrr]

Problem:
If you have a job that really needs to be done now (e.g. pending attack/event), you often have to cancel others or disallow items top get pawns to focus. It works but inhibits the flow of the game and can stuff up carefully planned out tasks.
Suggestion:
Just watched the latest release video for Prison Architect (here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL4NCrgMhYA at 6 minutes in) and they have introduced a prioritise task option. It just means that suitable workers stop doing what they were doing and start on that job. Looks like a very good solution as it does not disturb currently scheduled tasks.

[Jorlem]

You do know that for most jobs, you can right click on the blueprint/unset trap/unflipped switch/whatever while a single colonist is selected, and you can order them to do that job immediately.

[cultist]

Problem:
If you have a job that really needs to be done now (e.g. pending attack/event), you often have to cancel others or disallow items top get pawns to focus. It works but inhibits the flow of the game and can stuff up carefully planned out tasks.
Suggestion:
Just watched the latest release video for Prison Architect (here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL4NCrgMhYA at 6 minutes in) and they have introduced a prioritise task option. It just means that suitable workers stop doing what they were doing and start on that job. Looks like a very good solution as it does not disturb currently scheduled tasks.

You can set manual priorities in the work menu. It's not quite what you suggest, but it's easy and quick to change it back and forth as needed.

[Elimenator8970]

You do know that for most jobs, you can right click on the blueprint/unset trap/unflipped switch/whatever while a single colonist is selected, and you can order them to do that job immediately.

While that does work for a lot of tasks, multi-step tasks like building something (hauling multiple different components to it and then constructing) oftentimes don't get fully completed before they go back to the task that they were doing beforehand.

[MeGrrrr]

I understand the options for prioritisation and for selecting a pawn and assigning tasks but this is not what I feel we need. The objective is to have an area of activity given priority for all applicable pawns. For example, if you've laid out a bunch of things to build and then an event occurs that requires a new build priority (say a couple of turrets) then currently your choices include:
- kill all queued up tasks (a pain)
- forbid items (might work for haul jobs but you can't forbid build tasks)
- change pawn priorities (a big pain if you have things balanced already)
- select a pawn and ask them to priorities the task (requires micro managing as they often wont complete the task)

Have a look at the Prison Architect approach in the link provided above. It would be so useful in this game.

[rexx1888]

we legit just need a tool that say s "do this thing before you do any other things of the same type".. thats it.. an we DESPERATELY NEED ITT!!!

wanna know why. We need it because i can right now tell you exactly how pawns prioritise work... i can tell you this because i constantly have to interact with their work orders.. literal hours have been spent struggling with pawn work priorities.. for instance, did you know constructors prioritise completing tasks that were already started. So the best way to prioritise a construction is to have some random junk thrown onto it. Also, did you know pawns pick up the nearest task to them, wherever they are, and regardless of whats in the way. Damn it to hell if you need those crops dragged in because they are going moldy, instead the pawn will pick up that club, in the field on the other side of a mountain, because technically its closer.. even though they actually have to trek half way across the map to go round the mountain. dont matter, its "closer". An it doesnt have to be hauling. it could also be "patienting" where they choose to run miles to the nearest med bed that is in no way better than the bed they literally just got out of. Or it can be doctoring, choosing to flee into the hills to rescue some mad person when a different patient was just around the corner.

All we need is a simple "do this first" tool. Sure, if you constantly use it youll still have problems, but thats a user issue. i just want a tool that makes it so i dont have to micromanage 15 robots with 0 brains constantly when instead im trying to plan out their homes with attached amenities

[Shabazza]

As far as I underdtand, most tasks for pawns are not queued.
A pawn does one thing, one "chunk" of work, and then descides what to do next.
That's why he might build 5 pieces of a 20 piece wall and then do other stuff.
So this would have to be changed first, in order to be able to do a proper "do this thing now till it's done". ("e.g. Build that room and it's furniture").

In Prison Architect, many tasks are queued by design. So it's possible to have such a nifty "priorize" button that works better than RimWorlds "Priorize" order.
But yes, I'd also love such a feature in Rimworld. Spamming "priorize...priorize...priorize..." when you want something to be finished quickly is a pain.

[firescythe]

I thiunk it is not good idea to compare Prison Archi task management with Rimworld.
In PA, you have different staff for different jobs, they do not sleep and not needing food, only rest, and tasks are pretty much straight-forward with priorization. It is facility running but more away from real life than Rimworld.
In RW, you have same people to grow/get food, process it, consume it, sleep, get sick, treat sickness, manage danger - and these get often prioritized above other tasks. However can turn into struggle when mentioned ones hits at same time. Should I make food instead of healing the only shooter on my colony to more effectively repell raiders, or have a colonist not sleeping for hours and get exhausted with obvious debuffs to finish the wall which can keep off raiders? And then? Do I risk the sickness, starvation, tamed animal damages, uncared fire spreading,... so priorization is not that easy in RimWorld as environment can easily reorder desirable queue, for this manual priorization is a big help, but you can't seriously expect to keep 1 order from start to end game.

[Listen1]

On the off topic:

My wife started playing the game and since it's too much too learn, I suggested her to not use manual priorities yet, until she handles the game well.

Dude, her colony is working so smoothly, everything get's hauled, it gets clean, built and etc. I started thinking that all her furniture would be crap. Not really, many Good and excelent beds, tables and etc. All the jobs for all the colonists are enabled, and everything gets done.

On the same topic:
The best way for this to be implemented, would be checking a box on the top of the priority list, and all the colonist would first check that task before working on another thing.

[Zombra]

You do know that for most jobs, you can right click on the blueprint/unset trap/unflipped switch/whatever while a single colonist is selected, and you can order them to do that job immediately.

It would really be nice if this worked a little better.  When I tell a guy we need a new generator built now, he hauls one load of steel and then goes off to play horseshoes.

I actually like that characters are constantly checking and rechecking their priorities, but the "force build" option needs more teeth.  Something more like the singlemindedness of the drafting system.

[Chibiabos]

As far as I underdtand, most tasks for pawns are not queued.
A pawn does one thing, one "chunk" of work, and then descides what to do next.
That's why he might build 5 pieces of a 20 piece wall and then do other stuff.
So this would have to be changed first, in order to be able to do a proper "do this thing now till it's done". ("e.g. Build that room and it's furniture").

In Prison Architect, many tasks are queued by design. So it's possible to have such a nifty "priorize" button that works better than RimWorlds "Priorize" order.
But yes, I'd also love such a feature in Rimworld. Spamming "priorize...priorize...priorize..." when you want something to be finished quickly is a pain.

Not only that but in Construction, 'deconstruct' for some reason comes before absolutely anything else.

[Divinion]

I understand the options for prioritisation and for selecting a pawn and assigning tasks but this is not what I feel we need. The objective is to have an area of activity given priority for all applicable pawns. For example, if you've laid out a bunch of things to build and then an event occurs that requires a new build priority (say a couple of turrets) then currently your choices include:
- kill all queued up tasks (a pain)
- forbid items (might work for haul jobs but you can't forbid build tasks)
- change pawn priorities (a big pain if you have things balanced already)
- select a pawn and ask them to priorities the task (requires micro managing as they often wont complete the task)

Have a look at the Prison Architect approach in the link provided above. It would be so useful in this game.

The kill all queue, I'm guessing you mean for hunting.  Simple, just dont select so much to kill, double click the type of animal you want to kill and then select hunt, or vice versa to deselect that type of animal.  Alternatively, you could just decrease the hunting priority to switch the person back to other tasks.  This is not a problem the devs needs to address, there are many options for you to control.

Forbid build tasks does work, just select the object and press "F".  I do it all the time.  I set up a lot of build projects and then forbid the ones of lower priority to get the other stuff done first.  If this still causes you problems that just means you are assigning too many build tasks and need to ease up and wait for things to get done first before setting up new ones.  Also, not a problem the devs need to address.

Changing a colonist's priorities (colonists have feelings, dont call them pawns or they will have social fights) is very simple to do.  Now if you have a lot of colonists it can get a little hectic, but at the same time you should have no issues with build projects if you have a lot of colonists.  Failing to see the issue here.

Following the above suggestions should prevent you needing to micromanage your colonists (again, you trying to get Frank to go berserk by calling him a pawn.)

[MisterVertigo]

Another thing not mentioned here is restricting areas. After a raid I want my killbox cleaned up ASAP. All the loot picked up, bodies carried away, structures repaired, etc. I set up a zone with just my food stores, bedrooms, storage areas, and the kill box. I then assign most of my colonists to that area and everything gets cleaned up. When it's all done, I put them back on Unrestricted and they go about their business. This way you don't have to muck with your carefully balanced jobs that you have set up for everyone.

This method can be used for other things too. If you really need to get your fields harvested, for example, you could restrict a few colonists to haul in just your fields and your food storage.

[Zombra]

Some great advice in the last couple posts, thank you Divinion and MisterVertigo.