Is a 4-point priority scale still enough?

Started by FMJ Penguin, August 21, 2015, 11:58:54 PM

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Are 4 points still enough for manual priority selections?

4 is plenty for my savy management skillz.
6, a bit more breathing room would be nice.
8, double or nothing!
99, <----- Obama made me do it!

FMJ Penguin

Although a 4-step priority scale may have been enough many alpha's ago, it seems as though the more jobs that are added the more limiting that number feels when trying to set up priorities in a reasonable manner. This holds especially true when first starting out with less than 5 or so colonists.  Anyways, just felt like seeing what other folks thought(poll is up).
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b0rsuk

#1
Not nearly enough!
I've seen many cases where I want to adjust priority more, but can't. For example a colonist who is mediocre grower, but has Green Thumb, so I want him to plant, but has Bad Back, so I put hauling and construction low on his priority.

I voted "twice", because I have an idea:

What do you think this slider would do ?

It would separate "at leisure" activities from "DROP EVERYTHING AND DO THEM RIGHT NOW". The activities in the latter group, on the left of my slider, would be performed as soon as an opportunity comes. So someone who's a doctor would interrupt stonecutting, sleeping, or even eating to go and treat someone. Maybe wardening is not as urgent, for some people it might... but the point is to have a slider so a person can customize.

Now with manual priorities this would be represented with "negative" numbers. To avoid the argument whether zero is negative or not, there would be no zero. "-4" activities would be performed before everything else and colonists would drop whatever they're doing that's not also -4 and run to perform it. "-3" would come later, but still much more important than all positive numbers. Then -2, -1, 1, 2, 3, 4.

Is anyone surprised Handling comes before Cooking by default ? Animals can currently starve for days without any reaction. But starving colonists will soon break. Cooking also produces beer, and butchering belongs there too, which is currently a more proven way to get secondary resources than handling.

Drahkon

Remember that the 4 point scale stacks with the left to right priorities.  You don't need separate numbers for tasks, except when you want a task to be lower priority than a task to it's right. The way it ends up working is all 1s left to right followed by all 2s left to right, etc.  I don't think I've found a need for more than 2 numbers for some time now.

I for one find the current system quite effective. I just wish there was a way to temporarily and globally prioritize/disable a task type. IE: Since colonists currently sometimes ignore area restrictions for the repair task, disabling that during an event I don't want them running around in would be nice. So would jacking up hauling after a trader visit to get items in out of the weather before they decay too much =/.

FMJ Penguin

Sorta on the fence about the whole thing honestly.

      On one hand I think it does work well enough for daily use.  On the other, I just run into instances where I'm sitting there staring at the chart thinking......., "you know..., this would be a much easier process if there was a larger scale to begin with".  Most of the time I spend the priorities 1 and 2 on fine tuning the high priority tasks on the leftmost part of the scale because I'm that anal about min maxing everything.
     Which leaves me with 2 points left to manage all the other skills they may have....., you can see how that may feel a bit limiting to say the least.

b0rsuk,
You had me at "sliders" lolz....... I wuuuuuuuuvvvvv those sliders. Not completely sure what you're getting at with your idea there but very interested to say the least :)  Can you explain your idea like your explaining it to a child? Seriously.... think you may have lost me about halfway through the explanation there.  :-\
Bits & bobs: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/buuxpswcu9rzh3o/AABlRN4f2E4UNfDY8a_RoA6Ea?dl=0 All open source so sell it to Adolf for a new pair of sneaks if you like.
"Curious.... How many credit hours does it take tell you can make a comment like that without laughing uncontrollably at yourself?"

akiceabear

4 points is fine for me (combined with the left to right priorities). Instead, I'd like to see a "Priortize Task" order than moves anything to the top of the list - there used to be a good version just for hauling a few alphas ago.

Traj

i would like to either get a 6 (or more) point scale for manual priorities or definately the ability to rearrange the non-manual ones. The other way to change this would be to have it manual priorities and an ability to prioritize WHAT they are doing. I.e. rocks over raw material... or metal first, food second, mining metal or mining rock. Too often I find my self excessively micromanaging my pawns to make then do what i need done now (i.e. need metal for crafting and they are off mining in Timbuktu. Or I need wood and they are hauling a carcass around.

Songleaves

Although a small change I would like it if I could click on the name of a skill and if:

not in manual: all people's boxes are checked(or if all boxes already checked than all boxes unchecked)

in manual: all people's boxes move up by 1 priority

This would help in the early game when I normally turn all the boxes on anyways, as well as help immediately disallow a certain activity for every colonist.

Mihsan

Quote from: FMJ Penguin on August 21, 2015, 11:58:54 PM
Although a 4-step priority scale may have been enough many alpha's ago, it seems as though the more jobs that are added the more limiting that number feels when trying to set up priorities in a reasonable manner. This holds especially true when first starting out with less than 5 or so colonists.  Anyways, just felt like seeing what other folks thought(poll is up).

This system is working fine. If you need more than 4 numbers, than you just do not understand how it is working.

The only problem I have with current system is too many mouse clicks to get what I want. I am not sure, that this whole system with numbers is optimal for it's task.
Pain, agony and mechanoids.

Endovior

Quote from: Mihsan on August 22, 2015, 11:19:29 PM
Quote from: FMJ Penguin on August 21, 2015, 11:58:54 PM
Although a 4-step priority scale may have been enough many alpha's ago, it seems as though the more jobs that are added the more limiting that number feels when trying to set up priorities in a reasonable manner. This holds especially true when first starting out with less than 5 or so colonists.  Anyways, just felt like seeing what other folks thought(poll is up).

This system is working fine. If you need more than 4 numbers, than you just do not understand how it is working.

The only problem I have with current system is too many mouse clicks to get what I want. I am not sure, that this whole system with numbers is optimal for it's task.

This, pretty much. I find that four numbers is plenty, and more than 4 seems like it'd just add extra clicking to little useful effect. It'd be nice if you could set priorities easier, though... maybe hotkeys, to set whatever box you're hovering over to the number you pushed?

Mikhail Reign

Quote from: Traj on August 22, 2015, 10:32:08 AM
i would like to either get a 6 (or more) point scale for manual priorities or definately the ability to rearrange the non-manual ones. The other way to change this would be to have it manual priorities and an ability to prioritize WHAT they are doing. I.e. rocks over raw material... or metal first, food second, mining metal or mining rock. Too often I find my self excessively micromanaging my pawns to make then do what i need done now (i.e. need metal for crafting and they are off mining in Timbuktu. Or I need wood and they are hauling a carcass around.

Ya know the hauling priority come from the stockpile zones right? A Critical corpse dumping zone will get filled before a normal steel one, given an infinite amount of steel and bodies.

FMJ Penguin

Quote from: Mihsan on August 22, 2015, 11:19:29 PM
Quote from: FMJ Penguin on August 21, 2015, 11:58:54 PM
Although a 4-step priority scale may have been enough many alpha's ago, it seems as though the more jobs that are added the more limiting that number feels when trying to set up priorities in a reasonable manner. This holds especially true when first starting out with less than 5 or so colonists.  Anyways, just felt like seeing what other folks thought(poll is up).

This system is working fine. If you need more than 4 numbers, than you just do not understand how it is working.

The only problem I have with current system is too many mouse clicks to get what I want. I am not sure, that this whole system with numbers is optimal for it's task.

Orly now.... why don't you explain to us tools just how things work so we can all get in line and manage things properly like eh?

Sarcasm aside..., you CAN left or right click to increase and decrease the numbers so even IF we had a 999 scale it's not forcing you to use any more than you need to ::)
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"Curious.... How many credit hours does it take tell you can make a comment like that without laughing uncontrollably at yourself?"

Shinzy

#11
Halloo!
If you take a look at Glasses the oaf here


He'll prioritize cooking first, when there's nothing to cook he'll go grow stuff
then he'll prioritize doctoring (I could even have left that one as 3 with same effect)
then he'll pick all the prio 3 jobs in order from left to right

He's never going to have the time to work on all the jobs I've assigned him
he'll never touch any of the 4 prio jobs unless I directly order him to
4 is plenty enough if you know how to make them work

Edit: But if it's easy to implement having it at 6 might help with some headaches, saves you from having to think about things when you slap the priorities on them ;D and LIke you said (Penguin) nobody's forced to use any more of them than they need!


FMJ Penguin

Just thought of something.

What if it allowed you to drag entire columns from left to right.... allowing YOU to decide the "default" priority order? Avoiding tons of clicky clicky if you decide say... growing is more important than cooking and want it to default to that state you could just slide it over into position? Donno, just a thought.
Bits & bobs: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/buuxpswcu9rzh3o/AABlRN4f2E4UNfDY8a_RoA6Ea?dl=0 All open source so sell it to Adolf for a new pair of sneaks if you like.
"Curious.... How many credit hours does it take tell you can make a comment like that without laughing uncontrollably at yourself?"