Constructing several or more specific furniture is a pain.

[Vortecus]

So as the title suggests, constructing more than a few (for example) hazelnut bookcases, is a total pain when you have other types of wooden bookcases and can't use the "use closest material" trick to spam bookcases without mixing the types.

A fix to this issue could be another smaller sub-tick below the "use closest material" box labelled "use same material type" or something like that, so once you click to place your bookcase, it gives you a prompt to pick which kind of bookcase, and then repeats the same bookcase like the other option.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.

[McFuzz]

Is a good idea, can't wait for it to be implemented in 2034

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Vortecus:

..
Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.

You need the choice for such items since many of them could be of varying quality. Do you want to install a Masterwork Chest in a peasant's room, or the King's?

(Though, as long as the King's room is nice enough, I'd be happy to put it in a peasant's room.)

Some of those could even be Artifact Quality. An Artifact is indestructible and Artifact Doors are indestructible doors... You don't want them mixed in with your everyday Ikea furniture.

[Seekay]

A way around that is to specify the material when you make work orders, then you can use closest material to your hearts content, as long as you only have buildings of that material. Unfortunately that means limiting yourself to just that one material for the time being, which might also waste some time if you want to switch to another one..

Maybe you could try making some stockpiles near where you're building, and only allow the materials you're working with. Closest material should then almost always go for those... maybe. Though all of that seems like way too much of a hassle. Probably just easier to manually choose each time.

Tarn pls

[Morkonan]

You can always specific a Material for Bookcases in the Order, then put in a Storage area full of that material close by and have it Feed to the Workshop. Or, one can put limits on a nearby Storage zone and have the Workshop draw only from that Storage area for materials.

Making a specific material type in the Orders is probably easier and achieves what it desired. The only thing is that I don't think a "demand based" construction/furniture placement system would ever get approved. "Inventory Management" and production-chain stuffs is core gameplay. /shrug

[AlP]

Simply forbid all non-hazelnut bookcases in the stocks menu, and they will not show up in the options to build.

[Mr. Shaggnificent]

Originally posted by Seekay:

[...]
Maybe you could try making some stockpiles near where you're building, and only allow the materials you're working with. Closest material should then almost always go for those...[...]

This is what I do, but mostly based on quality rather than materials.

[Vortecus]

Originally posted by AlP:

Simply forbid all non-hazelnut bookcases in the stocks menu, and they will not show up in the options to build.

That sounds like the easiest alternative

[Vortecus]

Although you guys are giving great work-arounds for the issue I'm having, but simply ignoring the feature I suggested, wouldn't it just be easier if they implemented that tick for us haha

[ostlandr]

Probably doesn't help, but I like to coordinate furniture when I can. Hey, lots of (wood type) let's make furniture with it. Or if I carve a room out of (stone type) I manufacture furniture from that stone type (except for the bed of course.)

[Morkonan]

Originally posted by Vortecus:

Although you guys are giving great work-arounds for the issue I'm having, but simply ignoring the feature I suggested, wouldn't it just be easier if they implemented that tick for us haha

You have to weigh the need versus the desired ability.

There is already a way to accomplish what you wish - Click the item you want, made of the material you wish, that you've already produced. It's there in the menu, organized by material and you can expand the list to find specific quality items in those subheadings.

So, what you are asking for is an additional control.

That's not a terribly big deal, but it is duplicating a control that's already in the game and one that is mirrored in all the similar mechanics.

So, would your request also be in all the other menus of this type, so consistency is maintained and the player isn't confused? Maybe... maybe not. In some menus it would probably never be used.

If it was added, and it's only duplicating a feature that is already right there, it's going to have to be maintained. Every time an item is present, that little feature has to be able to figure out which ones of all the cabinets in the list is "Walnut" for example. And, it may not be as simple as "telling it to look at the list of items under the Walnut material" either. This is Dwarf Fortress after all... :)

And, even if it did that, it would still just be duplicating exactly what you can already do by hand with an additional click.

Keep in mind, some players would never use it. Even some that liked to use it may never use it in certain maps. I know, for instance, I never had enough of one type of wood to justify the existence of such a control for Beds in my latest playthrough. So, the value-added there for my play experience and the developer's work to put in that control, if it was in the game, would have been very close to "zero."

I understand why you want it, but it's redundant and may not be as useful or as frequently used as you think. It's not an intrinsically bad idea, it's just something that would be really, really, low on the list of needed improvements.

It'd be a good suggestion for a UI "mod" though.

[Kenzie_SFT]

Originally posted by Vortecus:

So as the title suggests, constructing more than a few (for example) hazelnut bookcases, is a total pain when you have other types of wooden bookcases and can't use the "use closest material" trick to spam bookcases without mixing the types.

A fix to this issue could be another smaller sub-tick below the "use closest material" box labelled "use same material type" or something like that, so once you click to place your bookcase, it gives you a prompt to pick which kind of bookcase, and then repeats the same bookcase like the other option.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.

I have a slightly different approach that would lessen the annoyance, which would be to have a command that is "repeat last selection" for building. It's not quite the feature you've suggested, but would assist with the speed of doing so, among other things.

So for example to put down a door, you'd either click or use the hotkeys "B, P, R". Then use a key, and it repeats the last selection. This is *similar* to a macro that just goes "B, P, R" but not quite the same thing.

You'd still have to select the material etc, but then at least you could fire off the placement very quickly.

If this or another solution already exists, let me know, haha. I've been playing DF for years using the Meph Graphics version, but there's always more to learn in DF! =D