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Author Topic: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default  (Read 1954 times)

Astro_Marcus

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QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« on: May 18, 2021, 08:19:54 AM »

I think a quality of life improvement would be stockpiles being used during shortages should be ON by default.
Honestly, I think it's odd that you would ever want to turn it off.
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bob888w

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2021, 09:19:45 AM »

THIS NEEDS TO BE A THING FOR COLONIES. once I have a colony going I never need to buy ships, and selling ships is never worth it. The pointless second click at the top right of the screen is a little annoying. Alternatively, I would love a store button on the sell screen that's bound to something that isnt S.
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Sutopia

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2021, 09:42:15 AM »

In UX that’s usually a big red hard stop if the default setting is going to drain user’s resource without prior notification. It’s only one click per colony per campaign anyways.
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Wyvern

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2021, 09:50:33 AM »

In UX that’s usually a big red hard stop if the default setting is going to drain user’s resource without prior notification. It’s only one click per colony per campaign anyways.
If those were actually my resources, I might care more about this. But I have to pay to take stuff out of the colony's resources unless I put it there in the first place - and the only reason to put it there instead of storage is to make it be used.

Now if only there were a structure that would stockpile resources the colony has demand for - a Strategic Reserve you could build to automatically mitigate trade shortages...
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Wyvern is 100% correct about the math.

Sutopia

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2021, 10:15:35 AM »

In UX that’s usually a big red hard stop if the default setting is going to drain user’s resource without prior notification. It’s only one click per colony per campaign anyways.
If those were actually my resources, I might care more about this. But I have to pay to take stuff out of the colony's resources unless I put it there in the first place - and the only reason to put it there instead of storage is to make it be used.

Now if only there were a structure that would stockpile resources the colony has demand for - a Strategic Reserve you could build to automatically mitigate trade shortages...

There are bunch if examples already. For example, way station.
It also apply to a colony having a supply while not meeting local demand.
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Nick XR

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2021, 10:45:45 AM »

In UX that’s usually a big red hard stop if the default setting is going to drain user’s resource without prior notification. It’s only one click per colony per campaign anyways.
If those were actually my resources, I might care more about this. But I have to pay to take stuff out of the colony's resources unless I put it there in the first place - and the only reason to put it there instead of storage is to make it be used.

Now if only there were a structure that would stockpile resources the colony has demand for - a Strategic Reserve you could build to automatically mitigate trade shortages...

Very much this.  Because the resources aren't actually yours anyway, the only reason I put them in there is so they can be used to avoid a shortfall. 

Histidine

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2021, 06:03:13 PM »

Does using stockpiles actually have desirable effects most of the time?

Even in 0.9.1, stockpile use could easily be a net credit loss depending on circumstances (e.g. if you have a food shortage and organics shortage causing instability, fixing only the food shortage doesn't do anything). In 0.95, now that stability >5 doesn't do anything for your income, gross income not increasing by fixing shortages from stockpiles even more common.
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Nick XR

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2021, 10:33:17 AM »

Does using stockpiles actually have desirable effects most of the time?

Even in 0.9.1, stockpile use could easily be a net credit loss depending on circumstances (e.g. if you have a food shortage and organics shortage causing instability, fixing only the food shortage doesn't do anything). In 0.95, now that stability >5 doesn't do anything for your income, gross income not increasing by fixing shortages from stockpiles even more common.

Oh, I had no idea it cost credits to cover a shortage with materials you already have.  It's clear to me I actually have no idea how it works and I'm probably not the only one :/  I get why from a gameplay perspective you can't just *give* all of the resources there to the player, but how you can put stuff in there for free, but then it costs $ to take feels weird. Maybe if instead there was a "way station market" that you could only buy from and was filled by the waystation per usual. Then there was also a storage area for commodities that the colony would draw on for free (like you put the stuff there, so it's free).  But that sounds like a fair bit of micro, but it make it a bit more clear what will cost money and what you've already paid for.

AcaMetis

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2021, 10:35:34 AM »

Quote
I get why from a gameplay perspective you can't just *give* all of the resources there to the player, but how you can put stuff in there for free, but then it costs $ to take feels weird.
If you put stuff into a colony's resource stockpile it won't charge you to take those same resources out again later, same with a colony's personal storage.
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Nick XR

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2021, 02:22:44 PM »

Quote
I get why from a gameplay perspective you can't just *give* all of the resources there to the player, but how you can put stuff in there for free, but then it costs $ to take feels weird.
If you put stuff into a colony's resource stockpile it won't charge you to take those same resources out again later, same with a colony's personal storage.

So sometimes later when you take stuff out it could be free or not free?  I think that's even more confusing honestly.

AcaMetis

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2021, 02:28:34 PM »

To my knowledge here's no indicator that you left something in a colony stockpile and that you can retrieve for free other than you not getting charged for taking stuff out, so yes, it's not the clearest of mechanics. I'm not sure if those stockpiles getting used to cover for a shortage means you have to pay for the items later or whether you can still retrieve the equivalent of what you put in for free later, either. Never tried that. I personally only dump excess crew into a colony stockpile to make it easier to grab enough out for colonies later. No need to switch screens and do math if I don't have enough in stock.
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ubuntufreakdragon

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Re: QOL: Use Stockpiles During Shortages ON by default
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2021, 02:36:28 PM »

How about a toggle for a colony to stockpile resources, at a cost?
Rules:
while increasing stockpile income is reduced
stockpile can only increased if demand is fully met
maybe require an upgraded orbital storage building.
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