Queuing a ship to return to automation

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

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aprezto
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Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by aprezto »

I have looked through the manual and used my (granted minimal) intuition. But I can't see a queued option to return to an automated state.

I think this would be useful especially with construction ships. I'd like to queue it to repair a ship here, thencreate a base here, then a mine here, but then I'd like to return it to computer control, rather than forget about it and find it later, having had it sitting doing nothing for X years.

Is this functionality there and I just need a 'mother's look', or is it missing?
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Sithuk
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Sithuk »

Queue your order(s) and then press the a key. Or click the automate button in the bot left. The ship/fleet will carry out the manual orders then return to automated function.
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aprezto
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by aprezto »

Ahhh - capeche - cheers. I just assumed it would countermand my orders when I returned it to Automation - thanks
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Cauldyth
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Cauldyth »

Awesome, I didn't know that worked either! Thanks!
Harry2
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Harry2 »

You can que orders manually?

How is this done? It was a feature (manual queing) that I thought was missing. Hopefully I've been mistaken.

Thanks
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Gelatinous Cube
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Gelatinous Cube »

Control+Rightclick while you have a ship selected. You will notice at the bottom of the menu: Queue next order.

This is awesome, because:

1.) Select ship.
2.) Queue up a long string of orders.
3.) Hit the automate button.
3.) After completing the queue, fleet or ship will resume auto duties!

If paired with posture, this means you can take any fleet from your defensive network, send them out to do something, and then know that they will resume their post afterwards. Very important!
Harry2
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Harry2 »

Ah yes. I had seen that right-click item when I first started playing DW but it didn't seem to do much so I sort of forgot about it. I just tried it out now and, by golly, it works!

Thanks for the info.

The lack of detailed information in the manual can be frustrating but it does allow nice surprises such as this from time to time. And promptes me to fire up the game again to try out the "new" features.
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Gelatinous Cube
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Gelatinous Cube »

ORIGINAL: Harry2

Ah yes. I had seen that right-click item when I first started playing DW but it didn't seem to do much so I sort of forgot about it. I just tried it out now and, by golly, it works!

Thanks for the info.

The lack of detailed information in the manual can be frustrating but it does allow nice surprises such as this from time to time. And promptes me to fire up the game again to try out the "new" features.

Every time I think I have this game figured out (which is frequently) I find out something new. Usually by reading these forums! This game has more staying power than Chuck Norris jokes.

Whats inside Chuck Norris' Beard? Another fist.
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Data
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Data »

This game has more staying power than Chuck Norris jokes.

LOL, good one....though I think you just made Chuck Norris mad. And that helmet of yours won't protect you much either [:)]
...Igniting stellar cores....Recharging reactors...Recalibrating hyperdrives....
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Gelatinous Cube
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Gelatinous Cube »

ORIGINAL: Data
This game has more staying power than Chuck Norris jokes.

LOL, good one....though I think you just made Chuck Norris mad. And that helmet of yours won't protect you much either [:)]

I can only hope that my very, very large repertoire of Chuck Norris jokes will stay his wrath?

...

Jesus may have walked on water, but Chuck Norris swam through land.
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Keston
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RE: Queuing a ship to return to automation

Post by Keston »

ORIGINAL: Gelatinous Cube

Control+Rightclick while you have a ship selected. You will notice at the bottom of the menu: Queue next order.

This is awesome, because:

1.) Select ship.
2.) Queue up a long string of orders.
3.) Hit the automate button.
3.) After completing the queue, fleet or ship will resume auto duties!

If paired with posture, this means you can take any fleet from your defensive network, send them out to do something, and then know that they will resume their post afterwards. Very important!

Yes, it is great in theory. But (2) would be even more awesome in practice if a hotkey used when the ship was selected could be used as a substitute for the right click when the latter is just a pain. I use this queuing much less often than I would like because of the need to right-click ON the ship ON the map, then scroll or jump way across the galaxy to wherever it is to click on the target for whatever I want it to do, then move all the way back to the ship and right click on it, then scroll back to where I was before to give an order. A hotkey would mean just find the target objects, select the ship using the last object button rather than moving the map back to the ship to right click on it, hit the hotkey, and give the order.

This assumes the ship is not at a starport in a cluster of ships where it is obscured by icons of other ships, bases, etc. and one can easily give orders to the wrong ship if not attentive.

Plus, the choices for queued items are too limited. "_________ at nearest" is particularly limiting. If I wanted the ship to do that, I'd just click the appropraite Selection box bottom button. Often I'd like the important ships to tank up nearby and the small fry to go to more distant ports.

Things I would like to do is be able to queue a move and repair at a specific starport, refuel at a specific location, load troops from a specific system, and then move to an assembly area, all by using a hotkey in place of repeatedly moving back to right click on the ship (except maybe the first time). Which is I think pretty much what the AI gets to queue when you order it to prepare an invasion. As it is I do what I can and cycle through No Mission ships periodically to order them on the next stage of their journey.

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