Making Area Commands Even More Useful

All group members going separately - not sure about it. I prefer to build extractors (especially t2) with groups of constructors. Best if there was some limit based on build power. E.g. when building structure worth X metal assign engineers that have together build power below 7.5% X and other engineers to the next building in the queue (also making sure not to exceed 7.5% X).
T1 extractor - 150 metal, t1 constructor - 10metal/sec. This would assign 2 constructors per each extractor, only one per wall, but 5 to vehicle factory. If you wanted to build 10 walls with 5 constructors, each constructor would build just 2 walls and they would do it very fast.
Advanced extractor would get 2 advanced bot constructors, or 1 adv constructor and 7 t1 ones.
Same goes for reclaiming and making mines.

Of course it could be something else than 7.5%.


Anyway, the other simple change I'd like to see is to reevaluate build goals after current structure is completed. When multiple constructor groups are ordered to do whole-planet area build of extractors after short time they start to visit already built ones. It's stupid. After they build current one they should check if the next on the list can be built and if not -ignore it. Currently they will just go to it, notice the spot is taken, go to the next one, notice the spot is taken, etc.

edit: i made some stupid mistake with values. fixed.

You could also potentially divide it by time spent, so that each fabber calculates how long it would take to build the target and if it would take less than the threshold (eg, 1 second) for all assigned fabbers to that project, then the fabber would move on to the next project in the list.

the patroling has a much smaller effect but having a lot of units on one planet is the other side of the main issue

This would be really helpful.

Sounds nice, but if you are low on resources building 10 seperate mexes instead of focuing on one only gets you more in trouble. So the command is pretty harmfull for less expirienced players.

I prefer to get my mex up as fast a spossible with a big assisted group, colonizing a new planet for me means get up an airfactory and get 10 engineers, build a T2 air factory and assist the 1st t2 engineer build, then move the T1 air engi's out to build planet wide mexes.
Set the T2 engineer to do the same for T2 mexes an set an assist command from the T2 factory to thet t2 engi.
Then the planet is covered before you know it.

So I think the golden middle way would be that when you set an area build, for more then 12 fabbers, they would split up into 3 groups. And below that it assumes you want to focus on one building at a time.

Modifier keys. I don't want this to replace anything.

Agreed. Personally I'd almost always use this for building mex, but for almost everything else I wouldn't use it. Might use it for getting up some static defenses early on, but if we just have a modifier key we can just decide the behaviour each time we build something, rather than having obscure rules that split groups of fabbers automatically.

Being able to hold down a key and have 20 fabbers all separate out to build a wall around your base (100 x faster) would be nice, or don't hold it down and build some power plants one at a time.

I like the idea of having a modifier key for it. Ctrl-Shift dragging sounds like the best method. As it is I'll tend to send off groups of 2-3 fabbers on different paths and then setting them all to global building. Takes a few seconds longer, but it gets the job done.

Shift-Click/Drag = Queue orders. Cntrl-Click/Drag = Smart/Separate Build Order, Shift+Cntrl-Click/Drag = Queue Smart Orders.

Easy. Five mins to implement. Tops. After writing the code and bug testing for months on end.