Building multiple buildings

Suggestions
#1

Hi,
I’ve been playing for some time now and no matter how far I get in the game houses are always a problem to build. There is always either a hard to reach place that scaffolding cant get to or just an object that won’t be placed for some unknown reason. As hard as it was to get the building aspect working I think it’s the wrong approach. Like most games personally, I’d prefer if the building site was just a closed of square and the hearthlings would simply look like they are constructing the building with a simple hammer action from just outside the perimeter.

It’s incredibly frustrating when you have several buildings going at once and making no progress. Or for example, you’d be building a house and it would have a few finishing touches required and think to yourself, how hard could that be and go onto build the next house. Little do you know that “how hard can it be” turns into mission impossible and you are left with an incomplete house and another house that for some reason your hearthlings only felt like completing it half way and then saying “that’ll do”.

Am I missing something here in the way of building?

#2

There is a simple solution to this, only build 1 building at a time.
The building AI just doesn’t like building multiple buildings at once.

In RTS where build time is a resource, building one building at a time is always the most efficient way to do things. When you consider all of the building mechanics stonehearth does fall into this category. Even if the benefits from having the building don’t seems that important.

So really you shouldn’t bother building more than one thing at once anyway :smile:

#3

well, if the game building mechanics is more reliable, and we consider “human interaction/attention” a resource, there are valid reasons for building multiple buildings at once, though at the cost of potential bugs. E.g. I just want to leave the game running for some time without having to constantly interact with it. (ok I’d admit it… I want to watch video uninterrupted on the other monitor…)

To be frank, I do it sometimes (ok. more often than somtimes) but I follow these guidelines:

  • DO NOT build touching buildings. if you have to build multiple, make them separate ones.
  • Use templates that were proven to be buildable successfully. Trying to build new buildings never built before includes the complications of problems/bugs caused by the design that would be avoided in template that has already been built many times before.
  • To reduce chances for residue scaffolding, I found this (unproven) workaround (at least it worked for me for buildings that consistently had this problem in some situations): manually place a ladder that reaches the roof level before building the building. (I think you have to temporarily place a furniture or slab(?) on the roof in building design to be able to place a ladder, then remove them. at least it was a couple of builds back). After the building is finished, remove the manual ladder (there should be a remove since it was manually placed). You may only want to do this if you know that a certain building template always leave residue scaffolding in a corner.
  • may want to limit the number. The most I have tried is around 3-5 (small) buildings. Mostly due to the amount of time it requires overall (matching the video I was watching… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: )

hope this is useful.

2 Likes
#4

But what if you’re building something that’s an expansion of something else. Currently, I’m building a large wall throughout my entire area. It goes up the mountain. I’m building it in sections. So I have to build touching buildings that are on a large scale. I’m only building one project at a time, but on the latest section of the wall, it was left about 99% complete and with the scaffolding standing around the entire structure. It’s a beautiful piece if work, but the invaders are just climbing over it.

There are definite issues that need to be resolved with the current system before more improvements toward building multiple buildings at once is even considered.

#5

I only meant : do not start construction on buildings that are touching each other. Those that are touching already constructed buildings are ok :wink:

i.e. if you need to build two things touching each other, build one first. After that one finished, then start the other.

EDIT: another thing I find useful, before starting actual construction, protect the whole area with temporary barriers. After you finish, you can get rid of the barrier. I use a single 2-high step “fence” because there is a good chance that it will reduce scaffolding required (depending on which side of the fence the game engine decides to build from).

EDIT: another useful tip: to do afk building in a non-peaceful game, lock in everybody with a barrier with enough materials. Then go for a meal, or break, or watch a show or something, and come back hoping there are no building bugs.

1 Like
#6

@sphr All you’re doing is giving workarounds for the actual problem. I know you’re trying to be helpful but saying things like “do it this way” or “do it that way” or especially “wait and it might eventually get built”, those kinds of solutions will never solve the core issue, which is the building mechanics itself.

#7

I totally agree. Those are nothing but workarounds. The problems still need to be solved at the game engine.

But I thought that as a player, he may be more interested in how to get things to work now, then to wait for a proper fix “later”. Probably because I was in the same shoes :wink: … forgot how long I waited for things to be fixed completely, until I have reduced my own expectations to : as long as there are workarounds, I can bear with them… oh yeah, and hope that things will become perfect some day…

2 Likes
#8

This is a purposeful design by the team, and they know and mention, ‘this is one of the most inefficient and expensive way to build a building’

it’s more of a aspect of theme and esthetic, the game isn’t a game of building a base, it’s more of a story of you and your hearthlings building their homes, and having a building be covered and build after a set amount of time with a progress bar will give less attachment for the building, it’ll feel more like a easy and cheap thing and replaceable, the current system proviced the player to be more attached to a building, and tne town that he/she builds block by block, and that’s a important feeling for this game In my opinion

And also, could we see the building you’re having problems with? I haven’t seen a incomplete building after A17 in my playes, even with multiple levels, balconies and ornate furniture inside and out

@applemason
That’s a thing that te game just does, the wall will have roofs, ad the game considers the roof as one big part of the building, so if the wall is 99% complete (not 100%) te scaffilding will stay there until it’s complete and will usually be successfully removed afterwards