Priorities and sub-priorities improvement

[Kasuha]

Based on experience with the current priorities system, I would like to propose a change that I believe would mean an improvement of the system. It's not a complete overhaul, more of small changes that I believe might help.

1/ sub-priorities

Sub-priorities would get split into three parts:

1-4 - blue/idle - separate category in job priorities, so all tasks at sub-priority 4 and below come after tasks at sub-priority 5 and higher. Meaning a duplicant will do sub-priority 5 tasks where he has one down arrow before doing sub-priority 4 task where he has a double up arrow.

5-8 - standard - behave like now

9 - red/emergency - no job priorities apply here, this priority is above everything else (except life sustaining tasks) and it has an interrupt flag. Meaning, when a priority 9 task is set up, the closest duplicant will drop anything he's doing (except if it's already priority 9 task) and will go do this new task.

2/ priorities

Double up arrow in the priorities table will give these tasks an interrupt priority for this particular duplicant (only for tasks at sub-priorities 5-8, though). So e.g. if the player has some dedicated Farmers with double up arrow in Farming, and a new Harvest task appears, the closest Farmer that isn't working on anything related to farming will drop whatever he is doing at the moment and will go harvesting. This particular interrupt won't go through sub-priorities (so he will not stop doing a sub-priority 5 farming task for a new sub-priority 6 farming task) and won't go through task-type priorities (if he has a double up-arrow in digging too and is digging at the moment, he won't give up that digging).

The important part on these interrupts (both double up arrow and sub-priority 9) is that here the task picks the closest duplicant that can be interrupted.

I understand this system makes the current system even crazier and more complicated but I believe it may help running our colonies smoother than today.

[Oozinator]

40 minutes ago, Kasuha said:

I understand this system makes the current system even crazier and more complicated but I believe it may help running our colonies smoother than today.

For you, as an experienced ONI player it could work, but for a beginner?
Game is still complicated, when it comes to prios, based on jobs.

[asveron]

Intuitively, I originally thought at first that arrows just mean +1 to sub priority.

Like if you gave someone 1 arrow it just meant a priority 5 became a priority 6 for that dupe.

Honestly, I think that might be much easier than the 2 priority system they have.

That will make it easy to understand and give veterans ways to customize it however they want.

[Kasuha]

18 minutes ago, Oozinator said:

For you, as an experienced ONI player it could work, but for a beginner?
Game is still complicated, when it comes to prios, based on jobs.

I think most beginners wouldn't even notice a difference (compared to current state).

[Jigsawn]

I agree subpriorities could use a bit more functionality but that sounds way too complex to me, though I like some of the functionality you suggested.

Here's a slightly simpler proposal:

Have 3 modes for subpriorites each with their own colour. Toggle the modes in the sub-priority menu using a button. Info box describes the different behaviour as follows:

Normal Mode - as it works now

Urgent Priority - The "get this done now without killing me" option. Dupes ignore job roles aside from life support critical tasks to complete these. Supercedes normal priorities.

Red Alert Priority - The "get this done now, whatever the cost!". Activates Red alert and has the same effect, except you are assigning specific tasks to complete within it that dupes will do without fail until death. Ends automatically if red alert priorities are fufilled. If they can't be (for example if you set it on a working building), you can still disable red alert as normal at any time. Ending red alert yourself cancels all red alert priorities and reverts them to their previous state. Maybe this replaces Red Alert button altogether as this is what you usually use red alert for?

[DyingCrow]

I can see this working very nicely, but id also like a "I WANT THIS DONE RIGHT NOW NO MATTER WHO" context option for completely critical tasks. Such as deconstructing that tile where some stupid idiot dupe got entombed. Overriding any food, toilet, shower or whatever needs the closest dupe has. Because letting a fellow dupe die because taking a leak stuff is really not very nice.