Blueprint/Planning Overlay

[Currot]

Not sure if I'm beating a dead horse here, but I've yet to see anyone say anything about this, in the way I think about it.

A new overlay for planning out a base would be a nice addition. You simply open the overlay, and plan out the base as if you wanted to build everything (within research) with no limits, along with a tool in the overlay that will let you select plans to put into action.

Now, I HAVE looked into what people have said about something like this being implemented, but either I haven't looked far enough or broadened my search enough, or there's nothing similar as a suggestion that I've seen. What I've seen suggested is a 'priority 0' being implemented for planning. I'm not particularly a fan of this idea, as it keeps it in your face that it's there, and if you want to prioritize things near them, you have to be careful, or cancel them entirely or else you run this risk of the ideas being implemented before you think they're ready.

Anyone have anything to add or some post to direct me towards that just happens to be exactly what I'm talking about?

[mr_anderson]

A blueprint menu(like in prison architect?). If you can specify how it would work in this game it might just fit in. And what type of things could be blueprinted, for example, walls only or machines and pipes as well?

[Luponius]

Would be very useful to have this feature.  Currently I plan things away from their reach.  Then I either dig out to them and make it accessible or simply reconstruct the whole thing closer to where I want it while it's paused - but it's gimmicky.  A proper overlay would be awesome.

[Currot]

I haven't played prison architect, so I had to go look it up to see what it even was. Seems like a fun game, I might try it out sometime.

Anyway, I suppose it would be like that. You open up the overlay/menu/whatever, and you can select from anything you have researched that can be built. Walls, pipes, machines, decor, everything. When you close it, everything is gone from sight, until you open it again.

To implement something, I guess click an icon (an idea place in my opinion would be to put it under the overlay icon in the top right) then just drag over what you want done, like how everything else that is done in bulk is done (digging, prioritizing, etc).

[Masterpintsman]

forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/75215-priority-level-0-planning-tool/

 

[PunkyFickle]

Though I think it is quite a good idea, I think that the priority tool is way more powerful. Your dupes are rarely idle, in general, so they'll do anything with a higher priority than 1 before getting to your planned stuff. So using P1 (why 0? Does anyone ever use P1-3 other than in very exceptional cases?) is handy enough. Plus, you can preplan anything, unlike in Prison Architect, where you just have a couple of icons. Furthermore, it has the benefit of letting you very simply raise preplanned work to a higher priority at any time in the future, instead of having to order building over again (like in Prison Architect...).

All in all, I really think that the priority tool is more precise and lets you do more stuff, even though it would seem more clear to have a dedicated planning tool. The only thing we now need are proper hotkeys for priorities...

(Check Prison Architect, btw, it's a really pleasant game!)

[Currot]

12 hours ago, Masterpintsman said:

forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/75215-priority-level-0-planning-tool/

 

Did you even read through the first post?

5 hours ago, PunkyFickle said:

Though I think it is quite a good idea, I think that the priority tool is way more powerful. Your dupes are rarely idle, in general, so they'll do anything with a higher priority than 1 before getting to your planned stuff. So using P1 (why 0? Does anyone ever use P1-3 other than in very exceptional cases?) is handy enough. Plus, you can preplan anything, unlike in Prison Architect, where you just have a couple of icons. Furthermore, it has the benefit of letting you very simply raise preplanned work to a higher priority at any time in the future, instead of having to order building over again (like in Prison Architect...).

All in all, I really think that the priority tool is more precise and lets you do more stuff, even though it would seem more clear to have a dedicated planning tool. The only thing we now need are proper hotkeys for priorities...

(Check Prison Architect, btw, it's a really pleasant game!)

I don't really see how it's more powerful. It essentially is a priority 0, but it keeps it out of your face. And while it's true that you have dupes rarely doing anything, if you are someone who micromanages down to the job level, you would probably end up have dupes ending up going to one of the low priority tasks. And I did add in tool suggestion that would essentially implement your plans. There wouldn't be any redoing the planning you've already done.

[PunkyFickle]

10 hours ago, Currot said:

And while it's true that you have dupes rarely doing anything, if you are someone who micromanages down to the job level, you would probably end up have dupes ending up going to one of the low priority tasks.

That's the issue, it's true, though I personally do that and have never been interrupted by my dupes with building enabled while planning stuff. Then if you plan, you generally pause the game, I guess. And if you have something planned and your building dupes are idle, it means anything else is done, so why not get to that planned stuff? Then it sure might be better for mind comfort to have the planning out of the priority ladder...
 

10 hours ago, Currot said:

I don't really see how it's more powerful. It essentially is a priority 0, but it keeps it out of your face. [...] There wouldn't be any redoing the planning you've already done.

I was comparing with Prison Architect, in which you basically can only "draw" walls and objects, that you later need to place if you want to realize your plans.