Construction Bot task assigning.

[zytukin]

It seems that construction/deconstruction tasks are assigned to construction bots randomly, resulting in items being built/unbuilt in a completely random method

decon1.jpg (94.34 KiB) Viewed 1555 times

decon2.jpg (91.35 KiB) Viewed 1555 times

decon3.jpg (82.87 KiB) Viewed 1555 times

This presents some minor annoyances. It might be more efficient (and faster) if the bots took jobs in a 'closest first' order.
1. For deconstruction with personal roboports, it means you have to stop and wait for the bots to clear the entire area before moving onto the next area. If they did the closest first, then you could just set a large area for deconstruction, and as you ran along the area, the bots would just pick up everything in front of you. One pass running by and it's all cleared instead of moving then waiting, moving then waiting.
2. For construction, if you end up being short some pieces, then the missing pieces will be scattered randomly throughout the construction. Closest first would result in all the missing pieces being at one area and easy to identify how many of each piece is missing and easier to just place by hand if it's only a few pieces. If the timer expires while you are fetching the missing pieces, then it will be easy to locate where the missing pieces are since they will be in one spot so you could place them by hand or use personal roboports to quickly finish. If you didn't know you were short a few pieces due to placing multiple different blue prints at once, then it would be easier to see that some stuff is missing because it will all be in one area.
3. For construction, if the blueprint is large, the bots flying all over the area randomly doing projects may result in less of the blueprint being completed before hitting the 5 min mark, then you have to place the blueprint again then wait for the bots to fly all over the entire thing to place all the random missing pieces. While it would still happen with a large blueprint with a closest first method, a higher percentage of the blueprint would be constructed before the timer is up due to traveling shorter distances. The missing pieces will all be in one area and one could just move a chest and bots to the closest roboport (or use personal roboports) to finish the blueprint faster then having to wait for the bots to fly to random areas scattered all over the entire blueprint.

[ssilk]

One minute I say: Yeah, you're right, why don't they work row by row?
Next minute: Nene, there is a reason, that it is that random. Maybe it take much less CPU like so?
A minute later: Yeah, it would cooler, if the bots work systematically.
Next minute: No... it looks cooler if the do it randomly.

Hmpf.

[Koub]

I totally agree bots should optimize their trajectory when building/deconstructing, to minimize the distance. It makes so much more sense.