Any way (including mods) to control where dupes idle?

[voidfoo]

As the title. Is there any stock or modded way to control where dupes go when they're idle? I don't mean idle in their scheduled downtime, but idle because there isn't any work atm.

It's always been annoying, but in my latest base their favorite place to idle is right on top of the the main atmo suit checkpoint. You constantly see (and hear) them put a suit on, immediatly take it off, immediatly put it back on, immediatly take it off, in an infinite loop until there's work for them. Really annoying.

If there aren't any good ways (or mods) to deal with this, perhaps there are tricks to keep idle dupes away from specific areas?

[Orzelek]

On trick I know is to make that area unfavorable for dupes.
AFAIK this means either cold/hot or thin atmosphere should also work.

[Deltic]

An endless man power generater task?

[Charletrom]

Full disclosure, I have not tested the mod below but it seems like it might help

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3080879491&searchtext=Idle

 

[Primalflower]

Try placing a drop of cold water on the atmosuit checkpoint

[mathmanican]

I build a room of manual generators (as @Deltic suggested), set to priority 1, and have an automation timer set to 29.8/0.2 (on/off) to make sure the task gets interrupted often enough. When someone doesn't have a task, this means they will run to the wheel, and be there for 29.8 seconds (or longer).  If no new jobs are created, then after the timer toggles off/on (0.2 seconds off), they get the next task of returning to a wheel.  

I place the wheels in a room with glass tiles, and decor bomb below and above. If I care to capture the power generated from this process, then I build a battery bank system. 

I have the wheel power lines connected to a light that is shut off by automation (stick an automation wire behind the light, and don't connect this particular automation wire to anything). That way the "needs power" signal to the generators is always present, and never satisfied.  If I do connect batteries, then I use a shutoff to disconnect the battery when the stored power gets too high.  I set the manual generator level at 100%, and the shutoff to the battery bank at something below that. You can get creative once you realize you can completely control where they will idle with such a system.

If you want them to strength train, instead of run on a generator, you can build a strength training gym (eternal mopping or disinfecting command).  Basically, I don't let my dupes idle until work time is over.  They always have a Priority level 1 task to complete that will not end. This is where they "idle" and get some kind of passive bonus (athletics/strength training is great) as a result. 

[Orzelek]

It seems that you are working your poor dupes to the bone?

[voidfoo]

I saw the manual generator solution in a few other threads, but I'm not sure how well that goes with dupes who have Operating at a higher priority. Any advice for that?

[ButterStuffed]

2 hours ago, voidfoo said:

I saw the manual generator solution in a few other threads, but I'm not sure how well that goes with dupes who have Operating at a higher priority. Any advice for that?

As long as the manual generator tasks are lower priority then your actual operating tasks it should work. You may have non-operating dupes attempting to do real operating work, but that can be solved by blocking those jobs off with doors.

[tuxii]

On 12/8/2023 at 3:38 PM, mathmanican said:

I build a room of manual generators (as @Deltic suggested), set to priority 1, and have an automation timer set to 29.8/0.2 (on/off) to make sure the task gets interrupted often enough. When someone doesn't have a task, this means they will run to the wheel, and be there for 29.8 seconds (or longer).  If no new jobs are created, then after the timer toggles off/on (0.2 seconds off), they get the next task of returning to a wheel.  

I place the wheels in a room with glass tiles, and decor bomb below and above. If I care to capture the power generated from this process, then I build a battery bank system. 

I have the wheel power lines connected to a light that is shut off by automation (stick an automation wire behind the light, and don't connect this particular automation wire to anything). That way the "needs power" signal to the generators is always present, and never satisfied.  If I do connect batteries, then I use a shutoff to disconnect the battery when the stored power gets too high.  I set the manual generator level at 100%, and the shutoff to the battery bank at something below that. You can get creative once you realize you can completely control where they will idle with such a system.

If you want them to strength train, instead of run on a generator, you can build a strength training gym (eternal mopping or disinfecting command).  Basically, I don't let my dupes idle until work time is over.  They always have a Priority level 1 task to complete that will not end. This is where they "idle" and get some kind of passive bonus (athletics/strength training is great) as a result. 

Another option is to build the wheels in a carbon dioxide pit and forgo the automation.  Them gasping for air acts as a task interrupter.  The oxygen savings is a bonus.

[mathmanican]

On 12/9/2023 at 7:54 AM, voidfoo said:

Any advice

Set up a mopping/disinfection strength training room for those dupes, and make sure they have low priority on whatever room you design.  Then use door permissions to control which idling station they go to. 

[bughouse26]

On 12/7/2023 at 4:03 PM, voidfoo said:

As the title. Is there any stock or modded way to control where dupes go when they're idle? I don't mean idle in their scheduled downtime, but idle because there isn't any work atm.

It's always been annoying, but in my latest base their favorite place to idle is right on top of the the main atmo suit checkpoint. You constantly see (and hear) them put a suit on, immediatly take it off, immediatly put it back on, immediatly take it off, in an infinite loop until there's work for them. Really annoying.

If there aren't any good ways (or mods) to deal with this, perhaps there are tricks to keep idle dupes away from specific areas?

I use the Idle Suits mod for this which lets dupes idle in their atmo suits rather than running back to the checkpoint to idle there.

 

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1748408711

[melquiades]

On 12/7/2023 at 2:00 PM, Orzelek said:

On trick I know is to make that area unfavorable for dupes.
AFAIK this means either cold/hot or thin atmosphere should also work.

They don't care:

[ChrisPBacon000]

I'll set up an area with dozens of temp shift plates queued up for construction but with priority 1.  Then any idle dupes will go and practice their building skills if there is down time between higher priority tasks. I mass deconstruct the area periodically (also priority 1) but I'm not sure if deconstruction gives skills.

This way everyone is working, no automation or heat generation from batteries or lights... Probably not the BEST but a very low difficulty setup that has served me well!