Merging Construction and Repair work types - should I do it?

[Darkhymn]

Since initially voting and posting, I've played around with priorities a bit more and read the other opinions here, and I find myself thinking that merging these work types would be a mistake. There are a lot of more elegant (if more complex, difficult to implement) solutions to problems this might address being discussed here than a simple merge.

[harpo99999]

I VOTE 'HELL NO' as in every game I play I set most of my colonists with building atleast ONE level below repair, and all my colonists that CAN repair ARE set to repair 1( to fix all the damage as quickly as possible, the ONLY colonists that I set to build 1 ARE those with the passion for building (and I use the MANUAL settings not the blood sucking(automatic) ticks)

[b0rsuk]

By the way, making doctors feed patients is a bad idea.

I want my operations and treatments done by the most skilled doctor I have. A botched treatment can mean a scar, a lost limb or death. On the other hand, I don't think feeding patients has any skill requirement, and I don't think it's affected by any skill. My doctor is a careful shooter, but got his leg chopped off early on, so he fights in base defence only now. He is a skilled researcher and has a burning passion for art.

Having this peg leg veteran run around and feed patients is a waste of his time, especially when two of my soldiers come back from fighting off siegers injured. I have to manually order him to treat both, while someone else is feeding them.

So I'm tempted to assign more doctors, to help with feeding patients. Then they go and botch treatments and operations, I have to manually drag them from hospitals.

Proposal: make feeding patients fall under Wardening. It won't be perfect either, but the worst that can happen is you recruit someone later.

[mrofa]

I would stick with no, its fine when you got a small colony of up 10 colonists since many of them share jobs, but getting higher in colonist cout i think its more efficient to have more diffrent jobs for colonist to preform than sharing them.
Also i think it would mess up manual priorites play.
But then again you have us to guinea pig it out in next alpha even if its just for one alpha to test it

[DNK]

By the way, making doctors feed patients is a bad idea.

Definitely.

[BetaSpectre]

By the way, making doctors feed patients is a bad idea.

Definitely.

If I can hold and eat food, why can't I haul or feed others?

[Vaperius]

I'm thinking of merging these two work types.

Pros: One less column to manage in the work overview.

Cons: You can no longer set these to separate priorities, or set them on/off differently for one pawn.

What do y'all think?

Instead (someone else suggested this first though but just boosting it up)

You should merge it but certain factors of a job should have separate priorities..

So let say..Plant cutting for example...or Crafting...

Crafting Clothes for winter should be able to have a separate higher priority then crafting gold plated statues...

Plant cutting trees should have a bigger priority then shrubs or grass etc...

Being able to manually set the tasks associated with a job's prority....so basically let us micromanage stuff more XD

[chaotix14]

Crafting Clothes for winter should be able to have a separate higher priority then crafting gold plated statues...

Uhm, you do know those two are separate already. Crafting clothing is a crafting task and making the gold plated statues is an art job. In fact they even have entirely different skills attached to them.



Back to the topic. Repairing takes little time, and I don't see it becoming a problem if merged with the construction task. At least if one thing remains true, repairing keeps a higher priority than construction. This may be personal preference, but I always make sure via manual priorities that repairing is higher priority than construction.

[rexx1888]

my opinion on the OP would be no, dont merge.

However, i think the things that made you think about doing it are pretty valid. The priority cue is not the most natural feeling of ui elements and it probably doesnt have as much nuance as veteran players really want. on the flip side though, its probably a bit too complicated for someone just picking the game up. The problem probably stems from trying to be a jack of all trades and therefore mastering none. The difference between manual and auto though seems like a step in the right direction. Different priority menus for different strokes. Hell, even different kinds of priority menu's would be rad(i would love a clean as you go option personally). still, it seems to me its a big chunk of design work you would have to do, maybe not worth the time yet

[Listy]

I'm of two minds, yes I can see what the mere will do in benefits. But skimming through this thread one thing is clear:
People have different priorities on how they want the thing to be implemented, with some preferring repairs first others Build first.

I fall into the repairs first camp.

But on balance I think this is one of those ones were you can leave it separate, so people can opt in to the system they like, and thus I'll vote no.

[Tynan]

Based on this I think I have to leave more work types separate and instead work on improving the overview interface to allow collapsing and expanding groups of work types (collapsed groups being manipulable as one).

And/or hiding work types that aren't 'discovered' yet. E.g. no need to show Smithing if you have no smithing equipment.

[daft73]

Based on this I think I have to leave more work types separate and instead work on improving the overview interface to allow collapsing and expanding groups of work types, collapsed groups being manipulable as one.

That sounds fantastic Tynan!

[Vexare]

Based on this I think I have to leave more work types separate and instead work on improving the overview interface to allow collapsing and expanding groups of work types (collapsed groups being manipulable as one).

And/or hiding work types that aren't 'discovered' yet. E.g. no need to show Smithing if you have no smithing equipment.

I agree, sounds like a good plan. That way those who want to merge jobs will have the option, while those who want to separate them out can do so with expanded view / choices. Choice is always the best route.

[TSO]

I'm thinking of merging these two work types.

Pros: One less column to manage in the work overview.

Cons: You can no longer set these to separate priorities, or set them on/off differently for one pawn.

What do y'all think?

Repairs and fires are automatically a top priority for my colonists always... long as they still fix stuff before building more Idc about merging them... unless that isn't possible... I have wondered if things dmged have a high risk... like damaged batteries in rain explode more often?

[Benny the Icepick]

Tynan, man, you're amazing.

Not only do you pose a question to your users, you don't even flinch when the discussion veers wildly off-topic, and you even work to incorporate suggestions that would entail no small amount of overhaul to a core component of both game mechanics and user interface.

Rimworld has come so far since I started playing a year ago.  Thanks for your willingness to let your fans help shape the game.