Duplicants Prioritize Placing Resources Into Dispensers Instead of Storage Bins

The automatic dispenser is not a storage bin.

A way to think about how it works is by comparing it to any other production building in that it will need to be supplied with materials to complete its duty. Like a metal refinery or a gas grill, for example.

That being said, the automatic dispenser's function is to dispense the materials it has stored based on its automation state (while powered, of course)...

Unpowered dispensers will always dispense (default to "on") when first built. The only way to toggle this is when supplying power to them.

Edited August 23, 2023 by JRup
Minor fix.

I get your point and where you're coming from, but this seems more like a bug. For example dupes will take material out of a priority 9 storage and put it into a priority 1 Metal Refinery. But I think the difference is that Metal Refinery building consumes the material, where the Automatic Dispenser simply stops storing it based on some condition (power, automation).

Storage Bin description: *Stores* the Solid Materials of your choosing.
Automatic Dispenser description: *Stores* any Solid Materials delivered to it by Duplicants
Smart Storage Bin description: *Stores* the Solid Materials of your choosing.
Conveyor Loader description: Loads Solid Materials onto Conveyor Rail for transport

Description wise, they're both buildings that *store* materials. Looking at other similar buildings that store (including Conveyor Loader), they all seem to do the right thing and store based on priority. Automatic Dispenser does not seem to do the right thing.

On 8/31/2023 at 3:35 PM, MrMeeseeks said:

Automatic Dispenser does not seem to do the right thing.

I will risk sounding as a terrible person, but: "It's in the name."

That said, I can agree that the first hand impression that is gleaned from the description is to "store".  I would go as far as saying that the quick description is missing something and should read "Stores and dispenses any Solid materials delivered to it...". Such verbiage could go into a separate, more specific bug report to get a better stance on that.

The building's operation mode and functionality is still accurate, this is because it's not incomplete. The full description must be read to verify it, though:

Do note that the default state is "on/green". The manual "turn off" option (not pictured) does nothing as far as I know, sadly.

So the automatic dispenser stores and dispenses... To forcefully request that it lack the dispensing function would leave you with a storage bin (or a smart storage bin, if you're into that).