[glob2-devel] more on priorities instead of requested worker numbers (was: additional feedback on Globulation 2 (long, with many topics))

[Joe Wells]

Here are some additional points I forgot to make in my earlier
message.

Joe Wells <address@hidden> writes:

> I think a big decrease in the amount of micromanagement could be
> achieved by replacing the maximum number of requested workers for each
> building/flag by a priority number.  The idea would be that glob2
> would calculate the number of available and eligible globules for each
> kind of service and would divide them among the buildings/flags in
> proportions according to the priority.  For example, if every building
> and clearing flag had priority 10, then this would be equivalent to
> giving them all the same number of assigned workers in the current
> system, except that the precise number would automatically be adjusted
> up and down as globules are born, killed, halt work to get fed/healed,
> etc.  Based on my experience, I think this would dramatically reduce
> the number of adjustments the player needs to make during play and
> would give them more time to think about strategy.

Also, priorities done correctly would also tend to automatically
handle the changing number of workers appropriate to different levels
of a building.  For example, a level 3 school construction site of
average priority would summon a lot more workers than a level 1
hospital construction site of average priority.

> In battles, I
> think this would make an enormous improvement in the effectiveness of
> war flags, because it would allow more easily shifting warriors from
> one part of the battle to another and you wouldn't have to spend
> precious time trying to calculate how many warriors you have of each
> level in order to set the number of requested warriors correctly.
> This would automatically adapt to the changing number of available
> warriors as the battle rages and new warriors come and go to and from
> hospitals and inns and new warriors come out of the hive.  Changing
> from maximum assigned workers to priorities would also make it
> possible to add some global controls over strategy.  For example, if
> you noticed too many of your globules starving, you could adjust a
> control that gave more priority to supplying inns, and this would have
> the same effect as individually visiting each inn and increasing its
> priority.  These global controls could work similarly to the way the
> priority controls on a hive currently determine the proportion of
> production devoted to each kind of globule.

Also, different kinds of globules could get global priority controls
on their activities:

  For workers: relative priority of clearing flags, clearing areas,
  supplying inns, supplying hives, constructing buildings (separately
  for each type of building?), training (separately for each type of
  training?).

  For explorers: relative priority of exploration flags, other
  exploration, training.

  For warriors: relative priority of war flags,
  guard areas, military training, swimming training, etc.

It might be interesting to allow setting (global) priority controls
for buildings which would influence which kind of globules the
buildings would accept when there are more applicants than spaces.
For example, for hospitals one might want to give priority to warriors
in times of war.  If one set the priorities for all kinds of
applicants to zero then this would request the current behavior.
However, this would be a new game play feature, rather than making it
easier to control what can already be micromanaged in the current
game, so I think it is only an idea for the distant future.

-- 
Joe