View Issue Details

IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0001801AI War 1 / ClassicSuggestion - Interface Ideas - Resource Management and ConstructionDec 8, 2010 11:52 am
ReporterSuzera Assigned ToChris_McElligottPark  
Status resolvedResolutionfixed 
Product Version4.045 
Summary0001801: Add control for automatically building powerplants
DescriptionIt is a huge hassle in games where the AI gets cutlasses, vampires and other things that like to fire through force fields and blow up only your power planets before moving on and blowing up more power plants on other planets. It's also a busywork non-decision.
TagsNo tags attached.
Internal Weight

Activities

shugyosha

Dec 5, 2010 9:43 pm

reporter   ~0005337

How about crtl-click on any power plant build all three - minus existing ones next to the command station. If this is not possible due to space issues it could also select all plants you don't have for building. You will see the outlines of the plants in a row. Click once and it places them all.

If you have none all three are build if you have plant I and crtl-click on plant I it builds plant II and III only.

Suzera

Dec 6, 2010 1:41 am

reporter   ~0005344

Last edited: Dec 6, 2010 1:41 am

It's more that having to locate which planets in a 20-30 planet empire do not have all three is the problem, rather than an initial build. It's mostly a problem in games with cutlasses. The list at the bottom is pretty small and doesn't lend itself to easily seeing where plants are missing when there are 30 things in the list.

shugyosha

Dec 6, 2010 1:51 am

reporter   ~0005347

Last edited: Dec 6, 2010 1:51 am

There could be an indicator like "(3)" next to the power display like when you don't have build all harvesters possible. But there has to be a filter to find the planets without generators.

PineappleSam

Dec 6, 2010 5:31 am

reporter   ~0005353

I would love to see this implemented, ideally in the same way as the engineers so you can set planets to build multiples of the same power station if need be.

ShdNx

Dec 6, 2010 10:00 am

reporter   ~0005357

Last edited: Dec 6, 2010 10:01 am

I like this idea, but I'm not quite sure we actually need it. We should be careful not to over-minimize micro-management, making the game too simple.

You'll likely notice when you don't have enough energy and will go and check where you don't have one. It's not that huge effort I think.

Also this can potentially cause a lot of unused energy, thus wasting your resources. We'd also need automatic management of energy plants then...

Again, I'm inclined in favor of this suggestion, but keep my notes above in mind.

Edit: I really like the shugyosha's suggestion above (http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=1801#c5347). That has my complete support!

Suzera

Dec 6, 2010 12:22 pm

reporter   ~0005368

Last edited: Dec 6, 2010 12:31 pm

The depth should be in decisions, not busywork. Rebuilding necessary powerplants is not a decision, it's busywork, it's simple, it's completely thoughtless, and it's really really annoying.

Again, it's not too bad unless there are AI cutlasses in the game. I also suggested changing power plants from neutron to command grade, which would cut out a lot of the rebuilding as then cutlasses would not be so explosive to all your power plants. That would work pretty much just as well. As is, in cutlass games, I have to rebuild the power plants now and then and then turn them off right now ANYWAY, a control to automatically manage power or not.

I have turned off mk 3, and sometimes a second mk 1, power plants on every planet, except those that are turned on. It would be foolish not to because if you lose enough power your force fields and most turrets go down, and power is already fairly precious. Anytime a planet's plants explode, I just pause and go turn on others then go back to what I was doing and unpause. It's automatic, decisionless, thoughtless, simple busywork.

If you really want it to be a non-trivial decision, disable turning on or off powerplants and make them be only on, that way any built powerplant is a choice of A) power safety or B) economic efficiency. This would make games with cutlasses radically different than any other game though unless power plants are changed to command grade or some other thing not blown up by FF ignorers, by random unchooseable chance (and thus the "simplest" thing), so be careful if you do that and leave them neutron.

Random uncontrolled change is simple, they just happen, that's it. Necessary things are simple, you just have to do them, that's it. Optional choices are where there isn't a straight-up best answer are where things get complex. Power plants are not that right now. If I REALLY was serious with how the game is right now, I'd have a dozen power plants on every planet, with most of them turned off, just in case.

Suzera

Dec 6, 2010 12:31 pm

reporter   ~0005369

Last edited: Dec 6, 2010 12:46 pm

Seriously though, powerplants as always on sounds like a cool enough idea to merit it's own suggestion here, so I'm going to do that.

keith.lamothe

Dec 8, 2010 11:52 am

administrator   ~0005627

Ok, since this had a vote score of 32 (second place only had 21), I guess this is what you people want ;) For 4.047:

* Added Galaxy-Wide and Planet-Specific versions of three new toggle controls: Auto Build MkI Energy Reactor, Auto Build MkII Energy Reactor, Auto Build MkIII Energy Reactor.
** Thanks to Suzera for the suggestion.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Dec 4, 2010 1:27 pm Suzera New Issue
Dec 5, 2010 9:43 pm shugyosha Note Added: 0005337
Dec 6, 2010 1:41 am Suzera Note Added: 0005344
Dec 6, 2010 1:41 am Suzera Note Edited: 0005344
Dec 6, 2010 1:51 am shugyosha Note Added: 0005347
Dec 6, 2010 1:51 am shugyosha Note Edited: 0005347
Dec 6, 2010 5:31 am PineappleSam Note Added: 0005353
Dec 6, 2010 10:00 am ShdNx Note Added: 0005357
Dec 6, 2010 10:01 am ShdNx Note Edited: 0005357
Dec 6, 2010 10:55 am Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Dec 6, 2010 10:55 am Chris_McElligottPark Status new => considering
Dec 6, 2010 12:22 pm Suzera Note Added: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:23 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:23 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:24 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:24 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:25 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:25 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:26 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:26 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:27 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:28 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:29 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:30 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:30 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:31 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005368
Dec 6, 2010 12:31 pm Suzera Note Added: 0005369
Dec 6, 2010 12:46 pm Suzera Note Edited: 0005369
Dec 8, 2010 11:52 am keith.lamothe Note Added: 0005627
Dec 8, 2010 11:52 am keith.lamothe Status considering => resolved
Dec 8, 2010 11:52 am keith.lamothe Resolution open => fixed