A way to keep non-inventory bots from claiming jobs on a build when you really want your inventory bots to do it.

[Am0rphus]

I'm newer to this game, so please let me know if there is already a way to do this or if this has already been suggested.

We have the option to disable our inventory bots to protect them or allow logistic network bots to build a specific blueprint, so why can't we do the opposite. I'm so tired of those times when you really want to get your inventory bots to construct or deconstruct something right away but because it's within the green roboport area, logistic network bots start claiming pieces to place or remove. This can be slow and painstaking, especially if you need an instant defense or your power is running low and you want to make quick changes to save throughput.

I think that there should be an easy way to at least prioritize jobs to your inventory bots so that they can place what you have first and then the logistic network handles the rest when you run out of building materials in your inventory. One way could be to let your inventory bots override jobs that are taken by LN bots and place things down anyway.

[Deadlock989]

We have the option to disable our inventory bots to protect them or allow logistic network bots to build a specific blueprint, so why can't we do the opposite.

Because multiplayer. Why should any one player get to disable an entire logistic network, that might span square kilometers and have a double figures number of other players building stuff with it?

Because there may be many networks. You could have a button that toggled the one you were in. Then you go and make a cup of tea or run to repair something half a mile away and completely forget which one you switched off. Sure, you could add more visualisations and context menus and alt-info flashing lights for everything that crosses everyone's mind until literally everything is covered in indicators and arrows. Or not.

Because you do already have the option. Bear with me here: you could just not tell your bots to do it. Bots are like your PC. They do exactly what they are told to by humans. If they do something stupid, it's because a human set them up to do something stupid. That kind of issue - not setting things up sub-optimally - is literally the game.

Or maybe you could have a special key combination for placing blueprints, that marks all the ghosts as not buildable by logistic network bots. That's another 0.001% (made up number) of game performance dead, per ghost, per bot, per network.

Every time someone asks for psychic bots or trains that route themselves magically, a puppy dies. Just build smarter.

[stepcz]

+1
Easy solution would be a key combination, e.g. hold ctrl while placing blueprint and it will be marked as priority job for your roboport only. To be safe there should be a hidden timer which would change the job to normal build after some time, so it would get done eventually even if you had to move away or run out of materials.

[AngledLuffa]

Because multiplayer. Why should any one player get to disable an entire logistic network, that might span square kilometers and have a double figures number of other players building stuff with it?

This problem is easily avoided by something else you suggest later:

Or maybe you could have a special key combination for placing blueprints, that marks all the ghosts as not buildable by logistic network bots. That's another 0.001% (made up number) of game performance dead, per ghost, per bot, per network.

If there is a temporary performance hit from forcing only your own robots to build your local construction project, it won't last very long, since the new project will be finished pretty quickly anyway.

The most common reason this comes up for me is when building or rebuilding an outpost near the my outer defenses. Sometimes the bots from the wall come pick up assemblers and then just hover there with the assemblers I want back if there is no local storage. If there is local storage, then I have to go track down the assemblers which are now in a box somewhere.

Is that "stupid"? Did a puppy just die because I wanted to build something near the wall without having to first move the wall? Sheesh.

[Deadlock989]

If there is a temporary performance hit

Who said anything about it being temporary? More data on entities and more checks on that data = slower game for everyone.

Is that "stupid"? Did a puppy just die because I wanted to build something near the wall without having to first move the wall? Sheesh.

Who else built that monolithic network that tries to do everything and has everything available to it even when that makes no sense and isn't what you really wanted? The tooth fairy?

[AngledLuffa]

Who said anything about it being temporary? More data on entities and more checks on that data = slower game for everyone.

The ghosts aren't permanent, though. Why would any performance hit last longer than the time it takes to build a ghost? Anyway, I don't expect the performance hit from one additional boolean on a ghost to be significant, but I don't know for sure without knowing enough details about how bot tasks are assigned.

Who else built that monolithic network that tries to do everything and has everything available to it even when that makes no sense and isn't what you really wanted?

That's not what I said I did, is it?

Here's the situation: build large wall around base. Put construction networks around the wall, not connected to the main base's logistic network because that would be very wasteful, and separate the networks every once in a while so the bots don't have to go to far to make repairs. Does that seem reasonable, or are you going to tell me that's stupid, too?

Now suppose there's a resource near the wall that I want to exploit. Alternatively, maybe the manufacturing in the base I'm working on has grown to the point that it's nearing the wall. Either I have to move the wall first, or every once in a while I'm going to run into this issue where the local bots want to participate in the construction.

The tooth fairy?

Any time you feel like it, you can stop creating strawmen and then mocking people for them.

[Deadlock989]

Any time you feel like it, you can stop creating strawmen and then mocking people for them.

Sure thing, I'll get right to it on the day that people stop asking for the game to be dumbed down to match their own personal play style.

[AngledLuffa]

Nothing to say about the example I gave for how this would be useful, though?

[Impatient]

I like the idea.

key combo + bp placement = only personal robots build it until out of materials.