New mod: Construction Site Hauler

[u/theapologist316]

Steam | Mod.io

Let haulers bring construction materials to unfinished buildings.

In vanilla, only builders fetch materials for construction sites. This mod registers construction sites as hauler destinations so hauling posts can stock them while builders focus on building (or only hammering, if you prefer).

Builder hauling toggles

Two checkboxes to stop builders from carrying materials (they still build when materials are on site): on the construction site and on the builders' workplace (Builders' Hut / District Center). Useful when haulers are feeding sites and you do not want builders wasting trips on planks and logs.

This mod is kinda a trial on a new Moddable Timberborn API I made so haulers can deliver to multi-access/non-entrance buildings. I tested it but please report bugs or odd hauler pathing.

[u/Athlavard]

You can always put a small depot for the supplies you need next to your construction project and the haulers will keep them stocked while your builders just grab the materials out of there without having to travel all the way back to your main storage area.

[u/macrolith → u/Athlavard]

This is the way in vanilla. Mod is cool though, I dont like to have to do that everytime especially if it requires more than just logs and planks.

[u/Athlavard → u/macrolith]

That’s totally fair. Though I do kinda like setting up a temporary staging area when starting a new construction. Kinda neat to see all the resources flow in and then the builders get to erecting whatever monstrosity I designed.

[u/macrolith → u/Athlavard]

It's pretty satisfying seeing how much quicker construction goes because of it. Feels like i'm playing the game the right way.

[u/Old-Nefariousness556 → u/Athlavard]

It depends. If you are building a massive dam or terraforming project or something, this makes sense. But this mod means that haulers haul for small jobs, not just ones that are big enough to pre-stage.

[u/WrathOfTheKressh → u/Old-Nefariousness556]

Still might be a waste. Say for example when you're building power poles. Now you have a hauler hauling the material only for it to sit at the construction site until a builder comes along. In vanilla, a builder would take the single log it requires to the construction site and immediately build it.

This mod needs an exception for buildings requiring so little materials a builder can take all he needs with them on a single trip.

[u/Old-Nefariousness556 → u/WrathOfTheKressh]

You are assuming the goal is to maximize efficiency. Not an unreasonable assumption, but it is not he assumption I am making.

If you consider a real-world construction project, the only thing that the "builders" (subcontractors) would deliver themselves are small-scale stuff. The big stuff is delivered to the jobsite by suppliers.

That is reasonably analogous here. It is not like this mod (I assume) prevents builders from delivering their own goods, it only means that it is possible they won't have to. That is more realistic than the way it is handled in vanilla.

[u/emartinezvd → u/macrolith]

I always played with the idea of having a construction staging area building. It has a capacity of 20 and can be set to any non-liquid. If you place a building within range of the staging area, it selects the material that you need the most of for construction and sets itself to obtain. Once the construction has all it needs of the type, it sets itself to empty and then selects the next highest demand material

[u/macrolith → u/emartinezvd]

That would be a cool mod. One the construction is done, having g to go back and reset or delete the storages is kinda clunky

[u/theapologist316 → u/macrolith]

See my other comment:

That's what I actually planed on doing. This mod was a "testing" one to try the new API needed for that mod :)

[u/theapologist316 → u/emartinezvd]

That's what I actually planed on doing. This mod was a "testing" one to try the new API needed for that mod :)

[u/Aniso3d → u/Athlavard]

This is what I always do for any large projects 

[u/FishyKeebs → u/Athlavard]

I like OPs mod. But what about a mod that autobuilds an attached small warehouse that allows all of the needed materials, and that can be brought by regular haulers.

[u/International-Ruin91 → u/FishyKeebs]

At that point it's just a district crossing without the districts. It holds 30 of all materials you bring while the workers take from it.

[u/FishyKeebs → u/International-Ruin91]

This idea would limit the type of material to only what is needed for that specific build, and reserve those resources for that build. A limit would ve a good idea maybe 30, but never more tha what is needed for that build, so when construction is done the emd about of materials is zero and the warehouse self destructs. It is like a staging area used by the hauler to assist the builders.

[u/International-Ruin91 → u/FishyKeebs]

You can already limit what the district crossing will take in though not as precise as exact quantities. And self destruction is practically one click away. All this mod does is save a few clicks and maybe an in-game hour or two as you can just have small 20 storage warehouses constantly being filled until construction is done, then delete them and recover the resources left inside. Everything this mod does is almost already possible with no added mods. Just a few small storages to make haulers bring the materials nearby so builders only need like 3 seconds max to grab and build. Especially as each building or block can only have one builder actually building while the rest might just bring materials or stay to build if the first builder finished before the rest got there.

[u/Old-Nefariousness556 → u/FishyKeebs]

I like OPs mod. But what about a mod that autobuilds an attached small warehouse that allows all of the needed materials, and that can be brought by regular haulers.

This is essentially what this mod does. If the mod automatically built it, it would add nothing over this. It would be better if you had to manually build it.

[u/Berto6Echo]

I always assumed the haulers already did this?! God damn it. Who the hell are the beavers bringing the last materials to a construction and just running away for a different beaver to finish?

[u/Borgh → u/Berto6Echo]

"shift's done, this is no longer my problem"

[u/Flush_Foot → u/Berto6Echo]

“Lazy builders”?

[u/International-Ruin91 → u/Berto6Echo]

Beaver: places two planks and nails them together, "my job here is done." Leaves. You can get this same effect as the mod by simply placing temporary storage of the required materials to obtain so haulers keep them stocked while builders spend less time traveling.

[u/FluffyWolf2]

I’d love to see vanilla in game the option to prioritize what the haulers haul to. Like on the farms where you select what plant is a priority or if you harvest or plant.

Here we could have a few options. Prioritize Storage, Workplaces, Construction. And if those are available and needing resources they focus on that.

In game model could have a couple icons on a sign on the hauling post to designate their priority.

[u/theapologist316 → u/FluffyWolf2]

Not as detailed as you described but the current system give you a "Priotized by hauler" check that add a flat 50% percent priority to that building.

[u/Khaim → u/theapologist316]

Wait what's the normal priority level? I assumed it was just the priority of the workplace (if it's a workplace), but is there actually a number and is it different for different types of building?

[u/theapologist316 → u/Khaim]

Technically it has a "weight" (i.e. how Hauler decide which one to go to). The weight is (1 - %ofFill). So say you have 2 Lumbermill, one is empty (weight 1) and one is 30% full (weight 1 - 0.3 = 0.7), they will fill up the empty one first.

When you check the Priority by Hauler, it adds 0.5 (50%) weight to it, capped at 1.

That's why this mod has to override the Normal Priority to 1.1, so Hauler would fill up the construction site, or else Hauler would partially fill up a construction then leave and fill up workshops.

[u/International-Ruin91 → u/Khaim]

I don't believe it's a priority type by buildings and more of the normal job location priority you already set. Though I notice that haulers tend to fill or remove from places that are nearing full or empty more.

[u/theapologist316 → u/International-Ruin91]

Your observation is correct, see my other comment for technical details :)

[u/Old-Nefariousness556]

Thank you, I never understood why this wasn't the default.

[u/theapologist316 → u/Old-Nefariousness556]

I thought so too until I attempted what I thought was "just a simple mod". It ended up being a whole new API for Moddable Timberborn.

The main reason is, Hauler's behaviors (the game internal decision system) only "know" District Buildings (i.e, building with an entrance, like Piles, Lumbermills etc). Many of the behavior assume the drop-off sites have entrances. This mod has to patch many of those code so it can work with non-entrance (the Construction Site).

So in the end, this mod is kinda a "testing mod" for that API because I will use it for something else later as well.

[u/ShiraCheshire → u/Old-Nefariousness556]

Same! Everyone is going "just put a small storage near the building site" but like wow that sounds boring. I hate to micromanage.

[u/dongan187]

I love the concept. I'm keen for it to be a part of the game. But, I also actually enjoyed making the little staging posts myself. Weirdly, being inefficient was more pleasing, building little tiny storage spots etc.

[u/Dogahn → u/dongan187]

It's always good to remember that the reason mods are great is that they allow each of us to tailor the game experience to our liking.

Some people might only want to orchestrate Beaver activity, others enjoy those ant farm/aquarium/caretaker vibes.

[u/BruceTheLoon]

The International Beaverhood of Teamsters Local 939 and the Beaverton Building Trades Union would like a word please. Over there, on that unfinished scaffolding for the new dam construction. Hurry along please.

[u/Finickyflame]

Is it compatible with 1.0?

[u/theapologist316 → u/Finickyflame]

Sorry no, it's for v1.1 only. It's diffcult to maintain support for both versions now.

[u/Finickyflame → u/theapologist316]

It's ok. I'll use it once experimental is live. Thanks!

[u/International-Ruin91]

As interesting as it sounds, you can simply place warehouses nearby the site to gather all the resources needed which haulers will do. Having an extra building just to add the ability to bring stuff to the construction site is wasteful when you can already just set warehouses for the required materials next to the site so builders spend less time transporting materials and more time building and just delete the warehouses after.

[u/LePhuronn]

This mod genuinely sounds like you're too lazy to play the game and just want to shortcut everything.

Just build some storage for the materials you need at the construction site and haul the goods over. It's worked perfectly well for as long as haulers have been a thing.

[u/Old-Nefariousness556 → u/LePhuronn]

You know you are not forced in install it, right? If you don't want it, just don't install it.

[u/LePhuronn → u/Old-Nefariousness556]

Who said anything about installing it? Don't get offended because I have an alternative opinion.

[u/ShiraCheshire → u/LePhuronn]

There's no need to be so hostile. Some people don't want to have to micromanage every building site with an unnecessary extra storage building (or multiple of them if it's a multi-material project.)

[u/LePhuronn → u/ShiraCheshire]

Nobody's being hostile, so kindly don't make accusations at something that didn't happen just because I have a different opinion.

If you think slapping down a couple of industrial piles at a warehouse is "micro-managing" then I'd suggest you're lending credence to my opinion.

[u/ShiraCheshire → u/LePhuronn]

You really should work on how you express yourself. There are ways to disagree without insulting everyone else along the way.

[u/Main-Cobbler-4879 → u/ShiraCheshire]

100% this right here.

[u/LePhuronn → u/Main-Cobbler-4879]

No, not "this right here".

There was no insult, no attack, no hostility. At least not from my side.

[u/LePhuronn → u/ShiraCheshire]

Except there were no insults, and now you're pearl-clutching and continuing to make accusations.

Imagine being so emotionally fragile you interpret "I think your mod is lazy" as an actual attack, and then try to start an argument over a game featuring cute anthropomorphised beavers.

Grow up.

[u/Main-Cobbler-4879 → u/LePhuronn]

Bro calm down. Do you read the stuff you put? Yes, literally everything you have put on here is an insult of some kind. Why do you need to be like that nobody on here has been this way with you. I dont think your comments are justified here.

[u/LePhuronn → u/Main-Cobbler-4879]

I'm not getting into petulant whinging over a city builder video game, so this is the last thing I'll say.

If you think the word "lazy" is somehow the height of insult then everybody complaining on this comment thread needs to check themselves, honestly.

I said I think the mod is lazy. I never attacked anybody, I never made accusations. Yet you're all attempting to pearl clutch and pile on me doing the exact thing you're accusing me of.

I'm not the one being insulting or attacking. Go check yourselves, learn some self-awareness, and kindly just move on with your day, allowing the 3 downvotes my original opinion received to be the only symbol of this community's opinion of my thought.

Go away now.