A few small construction robot improvements

[ZorbaTHut]

Here's a list of minor gripes I have with the blueprint system, all of which should be rather simple to fix.

* Shift-To-Clear for single items

When using a blueprint, you can hold the "shift" key to force placement, which automatically marks trees for removal. It's pretty handy!

When you're holding a single object, you can hold the "shift" key to place it as a blueprint ghost, even out of your player range. This is also pretty handy!

But annoyingly, the single-object shift doesn't mark trees for removal. This has resulted in me making several blueprints consisting of a single object, specifically so I can get the tree-removal behavior. This is sorta weird. Can shift-with-single-object also mark trees for removal automatically?

* Blue Blueprint Removal

When placing objects, left-click places it, and right-click removes it.

When placing blueprints, left-click places it, and right-click does nothing.

Could right-click remove blueprints? Match up any objects that are in the blueprint you're holding and placed, and if there's a match, mark that object for removal.

This would be extremely handy for removing weirdly-shaped blueprints and accidentally misplaced blueprints.

* Bot destruction priority

Drop a roboport in a forest with a small number of bots (ten or so). Shift-click to place a large blueprint in that forest. Watch as all the bots swarm out to place objects . . . except they can't place objects, because nothing's cleared yet. This will almost always deadlock.

A bot shouldn't attempt to place an object unless its footprint is already clear, or unless there are bots already dispatched to remove everything that would obstruct it. This would make it a lot easier to drop blueprints in forests from outposts - as is, I have to clear the area first, just so I can be sure it'll be placed right. An easy solution to this might just be "deconstruction orders take priority over construction".

[TuckJohn]

I like all of these. Devs, please spend the few hours required to add these to the game.

[exstreamrider]

I believe personally that this is a needed feature as is that of blue print auto placing.
Now you probably wonder what i mean by auto placing.
i believe a system in which all items in an area (AKA trees and water and bases.) can be removed and then have a blueprint placed there automatically using a system.
there is already a mod for placing the blueprint but the issue lies in the fact that it only places things and as a result a majority of its usefulness is lost. think of it like this, if i were to want a system that expands on a large scale, that's say it keeps replicating upwards in a direction using blueprints. this would be useful a person could make a blueprint auto place higher in the using robots to move it upwards constantly building. but that's say it runs into an enemy base. at this point(it is my firm belief that their needs to be combat robots and not just capsules available, perhaps a system generated around the use of ammo in the repair slots as a way to clear out enemies in the way.) the base will not be removed at all. so auto placing wouldn't work, same for water. although a mod for filling water, in-game there is no such thing (although it is dearly needed for the poor people who wish to maintain a vanilla experience who are forced to work in space limited by water.) so in general the idea of auto deployment would be a great extension of the idea, just for those who want to expand large scale quickly and let it do it on its own while you work on something else...

[ssilk]

I added this to viewtopic.php?f=80&t=4682 Planing (Signs, Cloning, Ghosts, Blueprinting and further...

It's difficult to discuss the subjects, it would be better to put them all into separate threads.

[exstreamrider]

I added this to viewtopic.php?f=80&t=4682 Planing (Signs, Cloning, Ghosts, Blueprinting and further...

It's difficult to discuss the subjects, it would be better to put them all into separate threads.

thanks i believe this needs all the attention possible.