QoL suggestions and some random ones

[Numar]

Not my first suggestion thread, but to skip a long introduction, I'll start with a TL;DR about my opinion of the current state Rimworld is in:
Content wise great (though some features don't look finished or competely thought through), but the QoL is still missing a lot!

Especially if you're like me and start a lot of new colonies, certain tasks can become so repetitive that you even stop to play at all solely because of the 'task grind'. Following suggestions are based on that thought.

Global templates for stockpiles

There are some stockpiles with specific setups I use every game. Setting them up every game takes a lot of time though. I'd love to have a function that saves a certain setup as a template so I can use it in my next game to! It would makes sense to be able to access and edit them from the main menu (no idea how this'll work with mods...).
Interface-wise you can use the stuff system for stockpiles, regarding which template the stockpile should use.

Interface

Either the detail page from a bill becomes a less intrusive, more flexible and non-pausing element, or move some elements to the bill overview. Especially the ingredient radius bar can be moved to the overview. Accessing the detail page interrupts the game flow more that it should imho.

Why is copy&paste for bills from one workstation to another still not a thing?

IF/THEN system

Raids happen frequently and can become quite a repetitive task to manage, because almost every time you do the same stuff to handle raids. Having an IF/THEN system would make life so much easier. Let's take the raids for example:
If 'human enemies on map | animal enemies on map | enemies (general) on map | etc.', then 'restrict colonists to zone XY | etc.'.
With an automatic reversal when the condition is no more.
Such a system can start small and be expanded over time, like other big features in Rimworld.

Random suggestions, not QoL related:

• Stockpiles: We have two bars, one for percentage, one for quality. Now if I'd like to set up a stockpile for burning clothes, I'd like to burn ALL clothes from awful to normal, but from good to legendary only those clothes with <50%. Currently I have to set up two bills or two stockpiles, but for the sake of overview, I'd like to be able to do that with only one stockpile and one bill (ingredient radius limited). May we have a checkbox next to each bar that emphasizes the chosen bar? E.g. when I mark the quality bar, every chosen quality will be handled, regardless which percentage. Every non chosen quality will be handled with percentage in mind. Apply to above mentioned clothing example.
• It's annoying that mechanoids don't die 'naturally' after being downed. I'm sure to operate they need some form of liquids too, so if we damage them heavily and they get downed, can't they simply bleed out after awhile, pretty please?
• "Smooth stone wall" should be vanilla and not a mod. After all, cave bases are a huge game element.
• Stockpile option that forbids every item that lands on this specific stockpile. Useful for e.g. piling up survival meals for the next caravan.
• Slightly different build up for caravans: mark a spot where the caravan will gather and collect the stuff they'll take with them -> set up caravan. You can choose more items than you have, but will have to wait for them to be produced. Useful for food. -> after every item is gathered and on the caravan spot, you'll get the option to either start or either cancel the caravan.

Thanks for reading.

[AngleWyrm]

RE: if/then system
I've poked fun at the awful outcome of Minecraft's trader system, so I'd like to also give them credit for advances in NPC AI. This is an over-simplification that only touches on some of its details:

• A manager loop visits each of the collection of thinking characters, and examines their list of concerns.
• The list of concerns that provoke interest for a given character is dynamic and can be updated at any moment as a result of their actions or the environment.
• The concerns have two parts
  • A quick nope() test to see if conditions are not met, so the manager can skip along
  • An ongoing processing function that gets a time slice if the nope() fails and the concern is therefore active

There's also a bit-field that allows for several parallel processes to be running for a single character without interference with each other, and a couple forms of priority queue that sort task importance.

Yeppers, they advanced the science.

[Numar]

Few things I forgot:

Shelves and racks - I don't really like the idea of all your stuff laying on the floor, especially when it becomes a large area. One idea would be to separate stockpiles into "storage area" and "dumping area". The dumping area are stockpiles as they are currently. Storage areas would do nothing by themselves, but you can build shelves/racks in them which then will be used as storage*, several stacks on top of each other (...I may be dreaming here ). To balance things out, stuff in dumping areas should have negative beauty and stuff in shelves minor positive beauty.
*Why not only shelves, without stockpiles? Stockpiles would still decide what to store, setting up several shelves and configure each of them would be a hassle, as it is with the currect equipment racks. And you can visually hide stockpiles.

Priority marker - Need a specific task to be done asap? Mark it with priority! Be it steel to haul because right now, you really need some steel or you need that turret build up now to greet the upcoming raid accordingly. No need for sleep, dear colonists (althouhg I don't care if someone gets to sleep and another one is taking over instantly). Can be used for every task (mark that iron to get it hauled asap, mark that construction site to build it asap etc.), but use it with caution and care. You really need some more direct influence from time to time, especially when there's danger incoming.

[Numar]

More:

• Within bills: possibility to set up from which stockpile(s) ingredients can be used [all | only specific stockpiles]
  Usage example: separate stockpiles for cocking ingredients, one for actually cocking and one for trading (factions love berries)
• Work tab: possibility to drag tasks left <-> right. Faster to set up than manual priorities, easier to reset
• Work tab: reset button which resets task priorities for pawns to default/how it was in the beginning

[SpaceDorf]

I just wanted to open a new Stockpile Suggestion Thread, but I think I have the solution for your Stockpile Management System.

I want a Menu to manage Stockpiles and Growing Zones, just like the one used for Zones.

There I can select and rename them, just like Zones, customize when setup, switch planting on and off ..
( my main Idea .. a menu where I could just select which grow zone should be planted )
and adding your Idea .. activate Templates like the Outfits or Drug Policies. 

All of those templates should be exportable or saved seperately from the colony/world/current game

[Numar]

Another QoL:

As it's sadly still not possible to copy&paste bills between workstations, another approach may be the ability to link two or more workstations of the same type. When linked, they will act as one, so create one bill for all linked work stations.

[falconne]

As it's sadly still not possible to copy&paste bills between workstations, another approach may be the ability to link two or more workstations of the same type. When linked, they will act as one, so create one bill for all linked work stations.

For now I have a mod that does that: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=33083.0

[Numar]

As it's sadly still not possible to copy&paste bills between workstations, another approach may be the ability to link two or more workstations of the same type. When linked, they will act as one, so create one bill for all linked work stations.

For now I have a mod that does that: https://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=33083.0

Oh god, my dreams come true. Thank you so much for your work. Let's see if I can replace Enhanced Crafting with your mod in my current game.