Bay 12 Games Forum

Dwarf Fortress => DF Suggestions => Topic started by: Harald387 on January 15, 2007, 08:34:00 am

Title: UI Improvement - Stone Types
Post by: Harald387 on January 15, 2007, 08:34:00 am

When building bridges, supports, etc, I generally want to build these out of plain old rock.

Unfortunately, by the time I get my roads built, I've got two or three screens of light and dark stone to work through before I can do this; it makes the whole process take significantly longer.

Would it be possible to add a second menu when designating building sites that lets you select submenus? 'r'ock, 'l'ight stone, 'd'ark stone,'b'locks, 'w'ood, 'm'etal, mi'x'ed materials? The final category would give you the full list as the game currently does, in case you want to build your bridge with alternating obsidian and limestone blocks, or something.

As another extension of this, could manager orders be improved so that 'craft light stone (foo)' and 'craft dark stone (foo)' can select *which* light and dark stone?

-K"H"S

Title: Re: UI Improvement - Stone Types
Post by: Casey on January 15, 2007, 10:12:00 am

While I think material menus is a great suggestion, to get around the pages and pages of stone: from the first screen press the page UP button ("/" I think).  Then you only have to page past a few screens of wood before you get to blocks.

Hope this helps...

Title: Re: UI Improvement - Stone Types
Post by: Ancient Whale on January 15, 2007, 12:58:00 pm

I think we need an option for the builder to just use the closest rocks. This could then be narrowed down even more(use the closest light rocks, closest Marble rocks or even use the closest Obsidian blocks or bronze bars/blocks). Right now, one usually ends up making bridges over the chasm with rocks lying by the entrance.

Title: Re: UI Improvement - Stone Types
Post by: Capntastic on January 15, 2007, 06:02:00 pm

I think a good way to handle it would be to list them like:

Granite x 12
Pumice x 4
Moonstone x 1
Limestone x 2

And so on.

Title: Re: UI Improvement - Stone Types
Post by: qwip on January 15, 2007, 06:17:00 pm

Although it's not ideal (yet!), there is a bit of method to the madness. The first rock listed is the oldest rock mined. The last rock listed is the most recently mined. So if you know that your earliest rock is in a pile outside, and your latest rock is sitting in a pile behind the Miner, you can decide which rock to choose based on where your building will occur.
This may help you in the meantime.

Title: Re: UI Improvement - Stone Types
Post by: Harald387 on January 18, 2007, 08:39:00 pm

quote:

---

While I think material menus is a great suggestion, to get around the pages and pages of stone: from the first screen press the page UP button ("/" I think). Then you only have to page past a few screens of wood before you get to blocks.

---

That's great in the early game, but I'm a stockpiler; by year 3 or so I have three or four screens of wood, seven or eight screens of metal bars, and maybe a screen full of stone blocks...

-K"H"S

Title: Re: UI Improvement - Stone Types
Post by: Retro42 on January 20, 2007, 07:30:00 pm

Could a UI improvement that changes the 3 screens of [Flint Blocks] into [Flint Blocks] x 26 work?  If the list still updated after each selection to show closest or most recent it would be similiar to what we have now.

Retro