Let us command where duplicants gather water

[OxygenLover]

Hi Everybody, I think it would be cool be able to tell the duplicants where we want them to collect water from. I would rather them gather water from the small and inconveniently located puddle than the large pool that is located further away

[LeadfootSlim]

Agree 100%. It'd help as a way to clean up certain messes without wasting precious water, like if you've got someone crying themselves to sleep next to your water-hungry Microbe Mushers...

[Kasuha]

Duplicants currently always gather water from the closest spot to where they stand when they pick the water delivery job. It's not 100% optimum approach as it doesn't guarantee minimum travel time with the delivery but it's a decent compromise between effectiveness and complexity of the pathfinding algorithm. It works the same way with all deliveries.

If you want duplicants to stop wasting time delivering water from some places, restrict their access to these places, e.g. using locked airlocks, or just by managing the access path so it's never close enough for a dupe to go there.

[Tombas]

It needs more than that. If you get a stream of tearful Dupes laying water all over your base and you have your microbe mushers and algae terraria all gasping for water it soon slows the whole thing to a halt because they keep running back and forth with 1000g of water at a time instead of picking up 150kg from the bunch of puddles over your base. 

I know what you'll say next... mop up the puddles... but I've been in too many situations where mopping up puddles is like cleaning the Forth bridge and by the time you finish you have to start at the beginning. 

Much better would be to designate specific water collection points, or designate a minimum collection amount. Better yet let them pick up 1000g 150 times before dropping off, instead of picking up and returning 150 times. 

[vonVile]

The easiest solution is to add sinks. We can block off certain section of Water and they'll be forced to go to the tap.

[Woollyhats]

Actually came into this forum topic to post this exact idea! I think the idea of zoning would be super useful, in regards to what water source the dups use. Currently they waste a lot of time powering machines with their tears.

6 minutes ago, vonVile said:

The easiest solution is to add sinks. We can block off certain section of Water and they'll be forced to go to the tap.

Also, actually a good idea. Probably better than zoning tbh, it combines the best of both worlds.

[Kasuha]

5 hours ago, vonVile said:

The easiest solution is to add sinks. We can block off certain section of Water and they'll be forced to go to the tap.

You can easily make a sink using three wall tiles and one liquid vent.