Queue Research Button

[sven]

The latest stable build (r12316) adds a "Queue Research" button in the research screen. This button becomes available if you you the info link system to navigate to a technology that is not currently researchable.

I'm hoping the presence of this button will make exploring the tech tree a bit easier. Let me know what you think of it.

[Arioch]

I suppose the button change to "Queue Research" when a queue-able item is selected makes some sense (though I don't see any need for it to be a different color), but I don't understand the change from a grayed out "Set Research" button when the selected item is already researched or currently being researched, to a non-grayed out "Research Set" button that does nothing when clicked. It's confusing and unnecessary.

The new text formatting breaks on the longer items, especially when in windowed mode.

I notice at least one problem with the queuing logic: if I choose Atmosphere Generation as a target, it queues Advanced Control Systems first, which does not appear to be a prerequisite for any of the other techs in the queue.

[sven]

I suppose the button change to "Queue Research" when a queue-able item is selected makes some sense (though I don't see any need for it to be a different color), but I don't understand the change from a grayed out "Set Research" button when the selected item is already researched or currently being researched, to a non-grayed out "Research Set" button that does nothing when clicked. It's confusing and unnecessary.

Yeah. Good point.

The new text formatting breaks on the longer items, especially when in windowed mode.

Yeah -- long tech names and/or windowed-mode both cause trouble. I think we want to display the turns until completion, along, perhaps, with the raw cost (and any applicable discount) of the tech currently being researched -- and putting that info somewhere near the "current research" button probably makes sense -- but, the current draft layout is certainly imperfect.

I notice at least one problem with the queuing logic: if I choose Atmosphere Generation as a target, it queues Advanced Control Systems first, which does not appear to be a prerequisite for any of the other techs in the queue.

Well, Fusion requires either Advanced Control Systems or Advanced Field theory. So, I think going through Advanced Control Systems is currently one valid path. There should be a second path that goes through physics, rather than construction, but, repeated clicks don't seem to be finding it. Maybe there's a dependency I'm not noticing here, or, maybe, there's a bug in the graph traversal algorithm...

[Arioch]

I notice at least one problem with the queuing logic: if I choose Atmosphere Generation as a target, it queues Advanced Control Systems first, which does not appear to be a prerequisite for any of the other techs in the queue.

Well, Fusion requires either Advanced Control Systems or Advanced Field theory. So, I think going through Advanced Control Systems is currently one valid path. There should be a second path that goes through physics, rather than construction, but, repeated clicks don't seem to be finding it. Maybe there's a dependency I'm not noticing here, or, maybe, there's a bug in the graph traversal algorithm...

I have already researched Fusion; the only prerequisite I should need for Atmosphere Generation is Habitat Domes. If I select Atmosphere Generation, it queues Advanced Control Systems, Habitat Domes, and Atmosphere Generation.

I'm getting a peculiar looping error when I click on the Heavy Coilgun tech, and a C stack overflow when I click on Ion Cannon or any of the other techs unlocked by Lasers.

[sven]

I have already researched Fusion; the only prerequisite I should need for Atmosphere Generation is Habitat Domes. If I select Atmosphere Generation, it queues Advanced Control Systems, Habitat Domes, and Atmosphere Generation.

I'm getting a peculiar looping error when I click on the Heavy Coilgun tech, and a C stack overflow when I click on Ion Cannon or any of the other techs unlocked by Lasers.

Hrm. Clearly, I should have tested this better before marking these changes as 'stable'. I believe everything is fixed as of r12333...