Skill Matrix and Priority Presets/Saving

[_alphaBeta_]

I did some searching, but didn't see anything very related. The following are UI suggestions:

I'd like to have a dedicated skill matrix screen where the player can see all the colonists listed in rows, with all their skills levels in subsequent columns. Ideally the skill numbers in each matrix position would also include the flame icons and any other pertinent information that the player can get from querying individual colonists. This would allow the player to quickly find the best colonist for the job.

A skill matrix sort of exists already on the priority screen, though the information is not the same one-for-one (i.e. there's no guns or melee skill on the priority screen). The boxes on the priority screen are different shades to indicate the strengths of the colonists as of Alpha-4f. The player must hover their mouse over the box for the exact number which is a rollup of several skills. I'd see this expanded further to include a UI control to show the actual numbers and introduce a colored shading scale so it's even more obvious where strengths are.

We also need presets or crisis configurations on the priority screen as well. There's been a few times already where I have all the priorities set nicely but a situation comes up where I need every colonist to drop what they're doing and plant or build etc. I can click the various boxes and make that happen, but it's tedious and slow. I know the game is paused on this screen, but it still takes the player a good amount of real-time to click lots of boxes. It would be nice to have some select all/deselect all controls by column and row.

In addition, after I have this temporary configuration set up, and the necessary work completed, now I have to put all the priorities back how I had it, assuming I remember. It would be nice to save and recall configurations of priority. Personally I would also have a default configuration saved, and I'd be much more inclined to make temporary changes if I could always quickly go back to a saved configuration.

[Opie]

I'd like to see all the values also.

Saving & reloading the settings for the entire colony gets trickier because the list isn't static.

I'm sure it can be done though.

[_alphaBeta_]

Saving & reloading the settings for the entire colony gets trickier because the list isn't static.

Yes, this occurred to me as well. If there's been a new colonist added since the last save of the preset, their settings could remain unaffected when it's applied. I think an easy / initial way to implement this whole system would be to designate (highlighted rows and/or another column indicator of some sort) which colonists' settings are currently dictated by / match the current preset. This would allow the player to easily recognize that some newer colonists' settings are not part of this preset. Re-saving the preset would then include the new colonist's current settings, and update everyone's current settings in the preset (assuming they changed).

Along the lines of the above, it's probably best to allow the player the ability to include certain colonists in certain presets. Whenever a preset is loaded, it only alters the colonists associated with that preset. With the matching designation described above, it'll be easy to understand how the priorities are changing when presets are applied.

[milon]

I would also love the ability to store/recall certain configurations. I'm picturing something like a Bills screen, with Bills (the configs) as buttons on the left and the rest of the screen dedicated to the matrix. You can add/remove colonists for a given config, you can alter settings, and you can save/load different ones.  I'd likely have some labeled Normal, Attack, Panic, and maybe something else.

[_alphaBeta_]

I agree, and was also picturing something like that. During battle I essentially want most everyone to just be in repair mode if they're not drafted. With a larger colony, that can be a lot of clicking. Plus, the configuration you had everyone in before the battle is gone. In the interim, I'll probably take a screenshot to remind me.

[delraith]

Revival Bump +1

A crisis setting for tasks could be implemented via a simple click box right near the manual priorities click box. When toggled on it would show every colonists priorities and allow you to modify them like normal for such occasions. Afterwards you simply click it off.

Saving a task configuration isn't as necessary imo.

Then again, why stop at only 2 lists for task prioritization (normal and crisis)? You could have any number of task lists, even ones that have soft defaults for say, harvesting or hauling.