Trait filters explained

[SkiRich]

For the newly initiated and the veterans confused over the new exclamation point option in filters, this post is for you.

First off, rule of thumb, use as few trait filters as possible, always. This is the number one reason people shoot themselves in the foot.
Trait filters are not a hard yes or no.
They are a filter formula that is used during various calculations like determining where to live or where to work.
Filter can and will be ignored if the alternatives of enforcement are worse than current evaluations of current situation.
What do I mean? If a colonist is in a dome that prohibits them in that dome but no better dome is available or there is no living space in the new dome selected they will stay put.

Thumbs up adds 1 to the formula.
Thumbs down adds a -1000 to the formula.
Exclamation adds 100000 to the formula.

All the colonists traits and the domes filters get combined in the formula answer and the result is acted upon if possible.

So in the case of say a colonist calculating a move to a new dome and several domes are candidates, the one that evaluates to a higher number is chosen.

My suggestion --- Never use the exclamation unless you know exactly what you are doing. The numbers are exaggerated when that is in play.
Use Thumbs down more than thumbs up.
Stick with one or the other as much as possible.

Good luck.

[Bored Peon]

Thanks I was wondering what the Exclamation thingy did.

So basically the ! is a thumbs up that kinda forces everyone with that trait to come first.

Where as the thumbs up gives prioritization to colonists with multiple traits selected to be thumbs up.

The best use of this would be when selecting applicants.

I will use a Botanist for this example.
For perks you chose thumbs up for Sexy, Composed, Religious

Then you thumbs up Botanists and Medics.
So a Medic with two thumbs up perks will take priority over a botanist with just one. This is because that applicant earned three points and the medic earned two points.

Exclamation is everyone that is a botanist first, no medics would be selected.

Exclamation on a perk may be undesired because it could draw specialties you do not currently want.

Originally posted by SkiRich:

Never use the exclamation unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Honestly I think never works better for exclamation and thumbs up. One exception being a treatment dome to remove a bad trait.

First example:
The most common usage would be child and elder domes. However the issue is because you used the exclamation you could fill the dome with that age and then have no room for people to man the services in the dome.

So you are best off going to all domes you do not want elders or children in and giving them a thumbs down filter. That way it can have normal colonists.

A second example:
Say you create a farming dome. If you thumbs up or exclamation botanists then the whole dome fills with botanists. Which means you will not be able to employ medics, security guards, or unspecialized colonists in the dome.

Now you may not think that is a big deal but keep in mind the you are screwing yourself on profession educations. The game is going to waste time training specialist that are not doing their job.

[meyer2150]

Thanks friends.

[Bored Peon]

No problem. The thumbs up was always kind of bad because there is no "off switch" and well hopefully you only make the mistake of using it once. It would be different if it had an auto off switch to recruit X amount to that dome and stop.

For example of an off switch if you have a farm dome and you need 24 botanists in that dome and want to prioritize that dome then it would stop once there is 24 filling those jobs.

There is sort of an off switch by enforcing specialization. However that is not going guarantee a botanist moves to that dome. Nor will it force that jobless person you removed enforcing the profession to leave the dome.

That is where the force job or force home comes into use. You use those to force the colonist to move to another dome.

[Mizi]

Wondering if there is even a point to the "!" filter? It seems like it would just cause problems in every scenario....except maybe an idiot and child dome? I always have trouble keeping idiots in their own dome

[Bored Peon]

Originally posted by Mizi:

Wondering if there is even a point to the "!" filter? It seems like it would just cause problems in every scenario....except maybe an idiot and child dome? I always have trouble keeping idiots in their own dome

Yeah an idiot dome would be a good use.
The child, not so much, unless you have a passage to a service dome.

[Tremualin]

The exclamation mark filter is:

1. Useful to select Genius and Celebrity regardless of their age or flaws. when choosing Applicants. You can then lock them to the Rocket or Ignore them if they're too flawed.

2. Somewhat useful during the Wildfire mystery to move all Infected into a single Dome and help contain the infection.

3. Useful for those who like to move colonists to murder/earthsick domes based on their traits.

4. Somewhat useful for traits that can be cured, since the colonist will leave the dome after being cured. Although I would use thumbs up in that case for most traits, some modded traits might be worth prioritizing over others.

2, 3 and 4 can be done to some extent with the thumbs up/thumb down options. I believe number 1 is the reason why the exclamation mark was added.