A few small construction robot improvements
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 12:16 pm
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".
* 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".