Does anyone ever use Duplicant checkpoints?

[Cipupec2]

I wanted to add few duplicant check point at the entrance to my reactor, because it looked cool, and offered a nice visual cue **. But then I noticed it requires 10w of power and produce heat, and decided to go with boring simple locked door setup. 

Does anyone use Duplicant check point, and if so for what purpose?  

** btw I wish they add the basic lamp in red color, so I can use it with automation to indicate problems.

 

requirements 

[PhailRaptor]

1 hour ago, Cipupec2 said:

** btw I wish they add the basic lamp in red color, so I can use it with automation to indicate problems.

A variety of colored lights would be really nice for system warning signals for the player to send to themselves.

[tzionut]

I will use it for my steam generators to prevent dupe to enter and delivered bottled lava before the lava solidify and cool to igneous rock at 230 degrees, combined whit a water lock for maintaining the vacuum in then area for preventing heat loss. But first i am working to cover the top void area for preventing the flooding of regolith, and save in this way my processor power and game late lag. 

[Cipupec2]

Will or have done so? Because I can come up with ways to use them, but I just don't, since you can do exactly the same thing with doors, which available early on, take less space, no power, no heat. Also sweepers become available at the ~same time and they are much safer option.

[Sasza22]

I used it a few times to prevent dupes from going close to the steam vent when it was too hot. But that`s better done with 2 doors 1 outomated and second having only one way allowed.

Can be used to ensure only a few dupes go out to an area at a time, but you can use exosuits to control that as well.

One use i`m thinking of is putting it at the exit to the surface so that they don`t exit before air is pumped out of the room and you don`t lose any oxygen.

[Tobruk]

The problem is that it makes dupes wait at the checkpoint until the conditions are met for entrance. Sometimes it's better to make dupes pick another errand and try again later. So having the ability to flip between "try later" and "wait here" (like we can with exosuit checkpoints) would be preferrable.

[KittenIsAGeek]

Yeah, a checkpoint doesn't interrupt their pathing -- it simply makes them wait until the light turns green.  An automation locked door will eliminate that path as a possibility.

[Cipupec2]

38 minutes ago, KittenIsAGeek said:

Yeah, a checkpoint doesn't interrupt their pathing -- it simply makes them wait until the light turns green.  An automation locked door will eliminate that path as a possibility.

Wait for some seconds, and what is the application for that?  Because in @tzionut example, doors will work just fine. More over, unlike doors checkpoints are unreliable because if they loose power they change state.. so every little power hickup could end up with your dup in hot water, literally. 

[KittenIsAGeek]

9 minutes ago, Cipupec2 said:

Wait for some seconds, and what is the application for that?  Because in @tzionut example, doors will work just fine. More over, unlike doors checkpoints are unreliable because if they loose power they change state.. so every little power hickup could end up with your dup in hot water, literally. 

There are applications.  For example, with a traditional 3-door airlock, dupes will not chose any tasks that are on the other side because automation locks the doors.  However, with something like this the dupes will proceed:

Spoiler

Basically when there is air pressure above whatever you chose, then the dupes won't enter the room.   You could set it up in a more robust method, with additional checkpoints to make sure they don't open the next door until you're ready, or whatever.      

[Cipupec2]

Already test that one, its main benefit that in such airlock dups aren't going to get trapped in the middle. But again, it draws power and generates heat, takes more space than any other solution (you can't put the checkpoints by the doors), obviously not suited for high traffic area, and its behavior when power lost make it unreliable for critical roles. 

And again I am not asking if you can find a theoretical use for it but if you are using it in practice, when other methods like water locks are available. 

[KittenIsAGeek]

Yeah, if you want reliability, I'd put it on its own circuit with an emergency power source.  I personally haven't used checkpoints much, though I do have some ideas bouncing around in my head that I may try out later on in my current base.

[beowulf2010]

15 hours ago, PhailRaptor said:

A variety of colored lights would be really nice for system warning signals for the player to send to themselves.

I'd go a step further. I'd like an automation tool to output a short message to the UI. Item entombed warnings are all well and good, but I'd love to be able to have a "Meltdown on reactor 3 imminent" message. 

[Flydo]

20 hours ago, Cipupec2 said:

I wanted to add few duplicant check point at the entrance to my reactor, because it looked cool, and offered a nice visual cue **. But then I noticed it requires 10w of power and produce heat, and decided to go with boring simple locked door setup. 

Does anyone use Duplicant check point, and if so for what purpose?  

** btw I wish they add the basic lamp in red color, so I can use it with automation to indicate problems.

 

requirements 

Using it to prevent dupe entering in my high pressure hydrogen room if the vaccum airlock is not in vacuum (but notice when the check point  run out of power dupe can pass trough it)

[BlueLance]

I only use the checkpoint now for airlocks. but thats about it

[ShadowOfALegend]

i was thinking since i had issues with oxygen coming to my base due to it being supplied to my exosuits, i was thinking i could implement a checkpoint tied to an atmo senser

[Xadhoom]

i very rarely use the checkpoints. this is only one i used recently:

as there is much more toilets then sinks, i don't want dupes to leave without having washed their hands. it usually don't happen even without it, but i feel a bit safer with it.

[BeeClops]

No, useless.

I find this post above with the bathroom quite satisfiyng tho, nice use.

[RonEmpire]

Check points aren't as useless as you think.

Because its not a door, it doesn't create a 'room'  

For example,  in a stable,  if you put a door there to control access to something you eat into 2 tiles.
Since check point is not a door,  the 2 tiles are then available to the stable tile count.

Let's say you wanted to block access to the sheering station in the stable  wired up to a smart storage- that basically says, don't sheer any more fiber or plastic because you don't want to store anymore.   

[Cipupec2]

Generally, space is not a rare commodity. Also why wouldn't I just use the smart storage automation to disable the sheering station? but for the sake of the argument difference between these two solutions is that:

One consumes power, generates heat. and unreliable, while the other gives an option for specif access list. For me, the single most reason to use checkpoint is that they look cool.

 

[PhailRaptor]

5 hours ago, RonEmpire said:

Let's say you wanted to block access to the sheering station in the stable  wired up to a smart storage- that basically says, don't sheer any more fiber or plastic because you don't want to store anymore.  

Wouldn't the Dupe get stuck like that, though?  Since the Checkpoint halts all traffic without clearing the task, where as a locked door would drop the task and allow the Dupe to do other things.

[RonEmpire]

11 minutes ago, Cipupec2 said:

Generally, space is not a rare commodity. Also why wouldn't I just use the smart storage automation to disable the sheering station? but for the sake of the argument difference between these two solutions is that:

One consumes power, generates heat. and unreliable, while the other gives an option for specif access list. For me, the single most reason to use checkpoint is that they look cool.

 

I was just giving a generic example.   im sure others could find a more specific use for check point though.

[Sasza22]

The checkpoint is not for blocking access. That`s the misconception people have. It`s for delaying access. It`s a buffer that holds the dupe(s) until the conditions are met.

A proper usage would be for your critter butchery. You want them to have access to it but not to open the door when the room is submerged. So you put a checkpoint. Once the liquid goes back to it`s place the chepoint opens and lets the dupe in.

[Cipupec2]

There is no misconception just lack of time critical task where it would be useful, and there isn't already a much better way of doing this.

[DerFux]

Perhaps it is useful in combination with a request signal? I mean the "weight switch", I don't remember the correct name, but I think you know which one I mean.

For example, you've got a room filled with hot water, so the water has to be cleared before the dupe walks in. So at first the dupe walks in front of the checkpoint, hits the button on the floor, then the room empties itself (maybe a door beneath the water opens) and after the room is empty, the dupe can enter it safely.

[KittenIsAGeek]

11 hours ago, PhailRaptor said:

Wouldn't the Dupe get stuck like that, though?  Since the Checkpoint halts all traffic without clearing the task, where as a locked door would drop the task and allow the Dupe to do other things.

Checkpoints only stop traffic in the direction the arrow points.