I searched some threads about stockpiles, but haven't found the exact same idea.
(1)Ok so basically the main idea is to be able to assign several filters to one stockpile. By filter I mean the stockpile settings we currently have, where you can select item types, materials, qualities etc that you want to be accepted by this stockpile.
Several filters for each stockpile will allow possibilities we don't currently have. You would be able to make stockpile for lets say Iron Crossbows and Steel Warhammers. But excluding Steel Crossbows or Iron Warhammers. You can't currently do that with one stockpile.
You would be able to create and edit the specific filters in stockpile menu, then name them for easier usage, and assign any number of them to some stockpile. You can even add the same filter to many stockpiles, which would also save a lot of micromanagement with stockpile settings.
To save some the simplicity of current behaviour the newly created stockpiles will automatically create one new, default for this stockpile filter.
So you create a stone stockpile, it automatically receives a filter accepting all stone, that you can eventually edit to accept only specific stones, or accept something else, the same way as you can edit current stockpiles.
But the new system will allow for simpler setting of many similar stockpiles (you just create one filter and reuse it), and for more than one setting for a specific stockpile, which allow options like the one with crossbows above.
Another idea would be to allow a stockpile to exclude some filters, so that it won't accept any object from that filter. This would also require filters to be in specific order in a stockpile.
Time for practical example:
1. You create armor stockpile the same way as you currently do, it creates default armor filter for it, you change it to also accept weapons and rename it appropriately.
2. You create a new filter, which accepts only shields and only made from copper or iron, give it a name, like "weak shields", then select your stockpile, go to its filters and add the "weak shields" filter as excluded.
3. You create another filter which only accepts masterful iron shields, give it some name, then go to your stockpile and add it (normally not as excluded).
What you get is a stockpile that accepts all weapons and armor, EXCEPT copper and iron shields, unless they are masterful iron shields. In this case the order of filters matter, if you would add masterful iron shields before the excluding filter, then they will be excluded by that filter.
Your stockpile has 3 filters now, the list may look like that:
Filters:
+ ARMOR AND WEAPONS <- this one was default, we changed and renamed it
- WEAK SHIELDS
+ MASTERFUL IRON SHIELDS
Another things I would want is more specific options for stockpiles, things like:
- separate category for clothing, now clothing is in 'Finished goods', and has only 5 general categories, you can't make a stockpile for socks for example
- more specific material selection, there are only options like 'leather' or 'silk', you can't make a stockpile for Giant Cave Spider Silk, which as we are know differs from others in value very much
- option to allow only stacks of specific size, for example I prefer to brew Whip Vine[3] or smaller, while Whip Vine[4] or bigger get milled into flour and cooked. Another example would be stockpile for stacks of single bolts, close to your smelter, but in next version marksdwarves will use single bolts without the risk of running into battle with only that bolt, so this no longer apply
- other additional options like: dyed/undyed cloth, damaged/undamaged items, items marked for melting etc. (all of these suggested in other threads already)
(3)The last idea I got is assigning specific items to specific stockpiles, basically you select some stockpile then mark some items to be stockpiled, the same way as you mark them for dumping, this could work from stocks screen too, and with an area order, so you can mark an items from specific area to go into selected stockpile. The stockpile shouldn't allow other items if it sees the items specifically assigned to this stockpile will fill it to full, so these items basically get a priority.
The items marked for stockpiling, then hauled will remain marked to prevent them from being hauled to other stockpiles, so you can make a stockpile that accepts nothing, then assign some items to it, and they would be hauled and stay there. You can eventually unmark them later.
Ok, I think this is all I got, tell me what you think!
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Topic: Stockpiles improvements, filters etc. (Read 945 times)