Micromanagement

[Hawke]

So I was really interested in this game for the last year or so since it showed up on steam as wishlist.

Now after watching some playthroughs, I'm not so sure because of the micromanagement. Here I was hoping we could hire staff, set their priorities, and let them do their thing, except of course when you have to megaphone an area to make pax move along, that is fine.

But the level of MM involved in watering plants, removing garbage, refill generators, and they are too stupid to go rest when tired or eat when hungry unless you tell them to. That is a little too much MM for me.

I was hoping for a little more intelligent staff.

EDIT: I just saw the "autorest" slider. So that removes a little MM.

[Parcival]

There is also a staff scheduling system where you can tell them times to go off shift or on breaks.
For the tasks they do have an area of perception and provided they have the relevant tool they will automatically carry out the relevant tasks within that area.

Staff can have a higher perception skill meaning that they can see farther and also staff with higher strength can carry up to four tools at once.

[Hawke]

I saw that too. You really need to hire staff with high STR and PER. Anyway, I will probably try it since I've been waiting so long. :)

What I was hoping for with staff was something like a theme park style where you set their zone of patrol, give them stuff and let them do what they do within that zone. Even a 1 STR person can use a litter pick, set zone 1 and let them pick bins in that zone, but you would have to have another person in zone 1 to water plants etc, depending on their STR.

Was hoping for zone control, not really based on PER.

EDIT: Maybe add a quality of life addition where you can see their zone of PER when you are about to give them a spot to stand? So you don't have to guess how far they can travel?

[pH_101]

While you can deploy them, they will automate up to 4 tasks depending on the number of tools you equip them and you can prioritise that. They automatically do all their tasks within perception radius. You level strength to carry more tools, and level perception to increase perception radius. We might look at changing the threshold they act at ie to refuel generators when at 50% not 5% like it is now. On top of that you can schedule breaks and toggle an auto rest option (when they go to rest automatically if any need is too high).

Arguably we could take automation further (ie they would equip different tools themselves) but that's not a certainty, possibly it could be an unlock like you say, or an IQ boost, or increasing the minimum perception radius.

As you unlock more staff they can each carry a set of tools and you strategically deploy them in areas such that with good play the station begins to look after itself. In that way there is a progression from more hands on to more automation.

So they will do many things (refuel, water plants, empty bins), but they have to actually be empty/full (or very near to that) to trigger that. But because of player "OCD" or really just getting ahead of the game you have the option can tell them to do it manually early and many streamers seem to do that.

Generators, if you have the fuel can (jerry can we call them!) equipped and choose to do it manually (ie it's not yet needed) then you click on the generators and they will take care of going to the barrel and returning and fuleing it automatically. Same with concourse bins, to empty (if you choose to do so before full, when its automatic) you click on that bin (they need the litter tool) and if you have a wheelie bin, they will take it to the nearest one automatically.

I think there is stuff to be done on staff automation potentially but scheduling specific tasks - maybe? But tbh I dont think its needed. Just give them the litter tool, and they will do it when its full and in their radius. Then its about setting the priority of the tools (do you want them to do bins more than refuel? You can set that).

I had more in mind, that you could potentially set patrol routes and they will perform tasks as needed on the route, which fits the zone control idea above. Though even then if you level up their perception enough tbh thats not necessary, they can sense for miles, and will empty any bin that needs it. Its something to be considered though.

I get that at the start it looks like you have to control stuff directly at the start, because staff spawn with lower levels and also you only have one with one tools slot, but as you progress (and you take your staff and tech tree across the whole campaign btw), it becomes about hiring, equipping and deploying them in the right areas where they can then operate.

Hope it makes sense, I'll be listening to ideas through early access! Thanks for following the game till now.

[Hawke]

Very cool, I will give it a go tomorrow and keep chucking ideas at you. :) I see there is a lot to unlock in the tech tree and I want to wait and see what happens with management from there.

Also I know it is still EA, so there may be changes down the line too.

[⎛⎝Tiùwilo⎠⎞]

My only issue right now lies with the plants, as they all seem to die as soon as I skip the night. I wish we just had a slider to set for when the staff will do a job automatically. If I want my peeps to water plants or refuel generators around the 60% mark, let me set it to that value and have me suffer the consequences of needing more manpower or speed levels to handle it all.

[Zevras]

Yeah, I'm really disliking the competely lobotomized staff. They either end up eternally in the staff room while I satisfy their needs (and do me no good) or end up intensely detressed and tired. Staff should satisfy needs while off-shift, full stop.

[AlexMBrennan]

they will automatically carry out the relevant tasks within that area.

Unfortunately your definition of "relevant task" isn't very useful - e.g. the litter picker will stand around next to a dozen 9/10 trash cans all night so if you want things to be done efficiently you need to micromanage.

Maybe considering adding low priority "preventative maintenance" tasks? For example:

1) Empty full trash bins

2) Satisfy staff needs

3) Empty any trash cans that can be emptied

[Parcival]

Yeah the thresholds for automatically doing the tasks could do with some tweaking say 75% rather than 100%

[Zipon]

I would like to see a threshold slider so we can decide at what level the staff do there tasks

[pH_101]

I like the idea of a threshold slider. Maybe that could go in the suggestions forum?

[Hawke]

Yes, absolutely add that to the suggestions forum, Zipon.

[Aaron]

I LOVE MICROMANAGEMENT more the better

[Aaron]

if its not for you dont buy it

[AlexMBrennan]

I LOVE MICROMANAGEMENT more the better

It's described as a puzzle game. Pausing the game every 5s to issue orders to staff isn't a puzzle.

[Lisa2900]

I love it the way that it is and I love that you can schedule the staff and only let them do certain things. When the plants die...let only one staff do the watering all the time that would help :)