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Trebor Daehdoow
Dirt Nap Squad
Dirt Nap Squad.
1637
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Posted - 2012.02.17 12:42:00 -
[1] - Quote
Having just had the "pleasure" of setting up a 5 planet PI network, I have been reflecting upon what simple changes could be made to make this process less onerous.
While I'm sure ideas like this have been suggested before (let me know so I can properly credit them), I thought I'd write them down and see what support they generated; if it's sufficient, I'll write up a CSM proposal and start bri... er, lobbying the devs. Your CSM tax ISK at work, etc., etc.
Semi-Automatic Route Specification
A major headache with setting up PI networks is all the manual routing that players must contend with, in particular when dealing with complex systems with multiple warehouses, spaceports, and processors. The current system results in a massive, repetitive clickfest.
A simple solution would be to introduce semi-automatic route specification that automates the routing of the most common (container->processor->container) setups.
This would involve adding the following command buttons and menu options:
On containers (spaceports, command centers, and storage facilities):
* A "Flag/Unflag as Source" button. This would flag the unit as a place where source materials can be expected to be found. More than one unit can be flagged as a Source.
* A "Flag/Unflag as Destination" button. This would flag the unit as the destination for manufactured products. Only one storage unit can be flagged as the destination.
On processors:
* An "Auto-Route" button. This would clear all current routes, then set the destination to the current Destination and create routes for all currently needed source materials from the current Sources. So if you were producing Polyamarids, and had 3 spaceports set as Sources and one of them set as the Destination, it would route the Polyamarids to the destination and create routes from all 3 spaceports to the unit for both Oxidizing Compounds and Industrial Fibers.
On the planet right-click menu, in a Routing submenu:
* Clear all Sources
* Clear Destination
* Auto-Route All Processors - performs the auto routing on all the processors.
Note that all of this work gets done in the client -- no changes to how PI works on the server; it just mindlessly automates the current mindless clickfest. If it runs out of link bandwidth, it'll just stop and complain.
This will not be the solution to all PI setup issues (in particular the tricky unbuffered ones) but I think it'll help with the common cases. Instead of dozens of clicks and mouse moves, you just have one.
Special Bonus Timesaver
Add a "Set default schematic" option to the planet right-click menu (maybe with sub-menus for basic, advanced, high-tech schematics). Then when new processors are created, they automatically get set to that schematic.
Re-Elect Trebor to the CSM - because I have not yet plumbed the depths of my inherent masochism!
My CSM Blog |
Trebor Daehdoow
Dirt Nap Squad
Dirt Nap Squad.
1639
|
Posted - 2012.02.17 13:35:00 -
[2] - Quote
Kata Amentis wrote:... can you add a "routing summary" panel to that idea. Something that looks like visio or whatever. Then you could see the whole network and tweak things, rather than having to go to each pin in turn.
That would be useful, indeed.
The tradeoff is that I was deliberately trying to prune down the proposal to the absolute minimum needed to get the job done, in particular visible changes to the UI. I'd be happy with being able to do this with right-click menus if that was easier than new buttons. The cheaper the cost, the more likely it'll get picked up and implemented.
If other people really support it, I'll add it as an option.
Re-Elect Trebor to the CSM - because I have not yet plumbed the depths of my inherent masochism!
My CSM Blog |
Trebor Daehdoow
Dirt Nap Squad
Dirt Nap Squad.
1643
|
Posted - 2012.02.17 16:58:00 -
[3] - Quote
Celgar Thurn wrote:As you are on the CSM I suggest you direct CCPs attention to something like the Corporation interface/roles and the way they interact with running POSes. That is a subject that needs a serious amount of tender loving care.
Corp interfaces certainly need some love, but that's a big project and it would almost certainly get addressed either in conjunction with a POS revamp or subsequent to that. I suspect that POS revamps are high on the priority list for the Winter 2012 expansion, so that's the most likely timeframe.
My point with the initial proposal was to suggest a fix to a PI usability issue that was simple, easy to implement, and would require the minimum amount of "touching" of the existing code -- because that is the kind of proposal that can get picked up and wedged into some spare time in the development process.
Re-Elect Trebor to the CSM - because I have not yet plumbed the depths of my inherent masochism!
My CSM Blog |
Trebor Daehdoow
Dirt Nap Squad
Dirt Nap Squad.
1670
|
Posted - 2012.02.21 12:46:00 -
[4] - Quote
The ideas for reducing clickfest have merit; the ideas for new pins are a bit out of scope.
Keep them coming, there is enough here for a tight PI proposal.
Re-Elect Trebor to the CSM - because I have not yet plumbed the depths of my inherent masochism!
My CSM Blog |
Trebor Daehdoow
Dirt Nap Squad
Dirt Nap Squad.
1709
|
Posted - 2012.02.23 16:14:00 -
[5] - Quote
Lots of interesting papercuts-level suggestions. Keep them coming!
Re-Elect Trebor to the CSM - because I have not yet plumbed the depths of my inherent masochism!
My CSM Blog |
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