Suggestion: Auto-Diggers

[goboking]

Between debris piling up on the asteroid surface, volcanic output hardening, and magma cooling into rock I'm finding my dupes spend an inordinate amount of time keeping unwanted material from accumulating in places I don't want it to be.  More importantly, I find the need to dig this material out adds a layer of micromanagement that could easily be remedied via automation.

My proposal to ease this tedium is an auto-digger.  This could be a laser that functions much like the auto-sweeper: it could have a fixed location with a working radius and a list where we can check what we want it to dig out.  Alternatively, it could be a cruder machine made from steel and diamond (think steel rolling pin with diamond bits) that just grinds everything in its path as it rolls back and forth.

Either way we'd be able to keep areas clear with less player input and dupe work time at the expense of power.  That's a win for everybody, in my book.

[Bizzum22]

i was thinking about a auto digger last month, i was thinking if it could be auto assigned to dig some areas out or have a item like the shipping arm but instead of shipping it digs out areas.

 

[vovik]

How about simple auto-dig area?

[Xarian]

Both:

Auto-dig area command

Auto-digger similar to auto-sweeper

[he77789]

There is a cheaty though technically not abusing an exploit method: make 1 unconstructive dupe the only one to be able to access the auto dig area and fill the auto dig area with tile build order. The dupe will be able to do the construction dig but cannot build it.

[goboking]

On 7/7/2018 at 11:41 PM, vovik said:

How about simple auto-dig area?

I wouldn't oppose it, but given the choice between automated machinery and dupes I'd rather have utilize the former to keep my bunker doors and volcanoes clear of debris.

[vovik]

19 hours ago, he77789 said:

There is a cheaty though technically not abusing an exploit method: make 1 unconstructive dupe the only one to be able to access the auto dig area and fill the auto dig area with tile build order. The dupe will be able to do the construction dig but cannot build it.

So, unconstructive dupes are useful now, Yay!

[he77789]

But I usually hate unconstructive miners because I once got one dug the tile under himself and got stuck in the hole to oil so he suffocated in CO2 and be unable to build ladders for a bailout-Other dupes rushed there but they were too slow in suits.