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Build Priority

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I use build priority. Other better players do not. Why?

Build priority allows for more efficient spending. Rather than slowly making a mex, solar, and unit simultaneously, priority will passively ensure that your production is sequential. This gives you the benefits of at least some of your produced units/structures earlier and therefore longer.

A simple quantification of the principle would be when building both a mex and solar. Assuming 10 BP each and 10 metal/sec income, without priority they will both finish at around the 15 second mark. With priority, you can finish the mex first at around 7-8 seconds, and then finish the solar at 15. This will yield 14-16 metal, and the times when a mex is competing with other projects for completion is basically every time you build one past the one minute mark. Likewise, having energy and BP prioritised will allow you to take advantage of it for longer, which is an easily quantifiable advantage.

I have my factory permanently on low priority. If I want units more than I want the mex/solar/lotus/defender/whatever, I just choose not to build that other thing and then it's as if my fac is on high priority.

So am I missing something? Is there any advantage to not using priority other than not having to learn a different style of management?
+2 / -0

8 years ago
Define "use priority". The feature itself, or the buttons on units?

Setting factory/nanos to low and mexes to high can be done automatically through Initial States but it's something you set once. In that way I don't use the priority buttons on units because they are already what I want most of the time.

I use the buttons in 2 main cases:
* sometimes I queue a giant line of solars in the back to make sure my energy smoothly increases over time. I set the con to Low so that the solar spam doesn't waste resources for more important stuff.
* crucial heavier stuff (Felon, Sniper, HLT) that I need ASAP gets High.

I don't use the buttons more because the main benefits lie in the above usage so bothering with it is probably a waste of time at my skill level.
+1 / -0

8 years ago
I mostly mean as in pregame settings - setting your factory to low priority or having mex or other structures set to always be high.

That low priority solar line is a good example of in-game use though. I also manually prioritise structures that will allow me to correct my economy more rapidly, like a caretaker or solar when I'm excessing. Setting priority on com morph is also a biggie so you can get out your riot cannon in time for the four radar blips conspicuously moving at the same speed as scorchers. Lotus and defenders that are being built under fire, and AA etc.

+0 / -0
8 years ago
Emergency-LLT or AA or similiar on 'high', when remember to click it.
My biggest fear is accidently forgeting some 'high' cons and then they use all resources, so I rarely change their settings. (Only the setting of the construction)

quote:
or having mex or other structures set to always be high.
You mean there is setting to default all mexes or things to 'high'? I never bothered with looking for that tbh.

quote:
A simple quantification of the principle would be when building both a mex and solar. Assuming 10 BP each and 10 metal/sec income, without priority they will both finish at around the 15 second mark. With priority, you can finish the mex first at around 7-8 seconds, and then finish the solar at 15.
I think in such situation I would not use priority. Cancel the solar, add it to queue of the mex-building con.
With priority toggle 2nd Con just stares at his project without doing anything.
Better if it sucks on trees or walks somewhere, like to the next mexspot. I think also more fun to manage buildpower by controlling units, not by switching switches.
But Commander I set to 'high' and use it for everything important. (Radar, defense, emergency-solars)
+1 / -0


8 years ago
quote:
I use build priority. Other better players do not. Why?

I use priority extensively. Low-prio on initial fac, high-prio on commander, high-prio on anything i need right now.

Sometimes to devastating effect, e.g. thunderbird sighted -> 10 swifts available in a minute.
+0 / -0
8 years ago
I use priority in early game and when I am in emergency such as: "I NEED THIS LLT NOE" or when I am estalling.
+0 / -0

8 years ago
quote:
You mean there is setting to default all mexes or things to 'high'? I never bothered with looking for that

In case more people don't know:

F10 -> Game -> New Unit States
+1 / -0

8 years ago
same as Orf.

btw, anyone else uses com/cons on repeat&priority when defender pushing?
+0 / -0
8 years ago
Repeat? Why would you use repeat? I sometimes use guard on one con with other cons if I want to have that one in control group. If I would have a couple of them then the urge to hit ctrl x is too strong and I select even more of them :P
+0 / -0
1) You put your comm on repeat.
2) Your order a defender in the range of an enemy defender.
3) The first, second and maybe third defenders are blown to bits, but your comm is on repeat and keeps on trying.
4) Your defender is up.
5) Enemy defender goes kablooey
+0 / -0

8 years ago
I use it mostly for builders or something on front. Or as EErankAdminAnarchid said would you need right now.
I go a bit further and set my metal reserve with ctrl and click on metal bar for high prio things to have it nearly instantly build.
+0 / -0

8 years ago
quote:

With priority toggle 2nd Con just stares at his project without doing anything.

So now we know the origin of this!
http://commanderlookingatthings.tumblr.com/
+1 / -0
8 years ago
High priority com building solars is the best remedy to e-stall. I haven't e-stalled since I started doing this.
About defender pushing: I place nanoframes first in order not to waste metal. Also there's this attack ground trick (which I hate, but not too much to use it myself).
+0 / -0
8 years ago
I usually put my expanding cons on high priority. Expanding cons "waste" a lot of build power when moving so it is best that they get high priority when they actually are building stuff.
I usually put 1 or 2 cons on high priority making E on maps with a lot of metal. That ensures a steady increase in energy production.
Then I also micromanage priorities when I need some units to be built quickly. I always put nuke production as high priority because stalling as expensive buildpower as from a Silencer(nuke silo) really is a waste.
Shield morph, or area cloaker morph also gets high priority because such cheap morphs shouldn't really be slowed down by a stalling economy.
+2 / -0

8 years ago
I have my mexes default at high priority because I always want more metal income first. If I'm rushing out a unit from a factory, like a Grizzly, I will often select the grizzly and set it to high priority, so no cons or factories get priority changes. I use low priority only in my caretakers by default, so if I ever transition to striders or am building new defenses on the front line mid game I never have to worry about stalling that production. I never want my factories on low priority because I'm probably going to get myself into a situation where I've run myself out of an army(thought hat happens already cause I don't use repeat).
+0 / -0

8 years ago
USrankAdminSteel_Blue
Low priority on your factory doesn't stop you building army unless you choose to make a lot of something else. It's almost always more efficient to either complete army first, or complete other project first.
+0 / -0

8 years ago
I'm on the brink of recommending low priority on factories to a bunch of people (repeat as well probably, with use of alt for modifying compositions).

Can anyone think of a compelling reason for why this is not a good idea?
+1 / -0
8 years ago
The downside of putting your factory on repeat is that you will be less inclined to and slower at changing your unit composition. But that's better than excessing.
Low priority on fac is good on macro maps, on low metal maps you should be a bit more careful: only go for low prio if you know you don't need more units asap.
+1 / -0

8 years ago
Same as Godde I put my expanding cons on high priority, I want to expand across the map as fast as possible. I usually put my com on high priority if I'm expanding with him. I always use priorities and wait command when I run into an energy snafu or just before I run into one, same with other emergencies like needing quick turrets, I use priorities or wait command.
+1 / -0

8 years ago
BErankFlipstip
Low priority:
On small maps you just don't queue up as much non-unit stuff. Regardless of the priority on your fac, you can't afford it. Say we're on icyrun. It's as low eco as it gets, and every single non-unit decision is of utmost importance. When you make a mex you want it faster (since that's strictly more efficient than simultaneous unit+mex). If you want defenses you need it asap. If you need units you just don't make anything else. While intuitively it sounds sort of rigid to place units permanently on low priority, it's actually more flexible in this scenario (and all others I can think of). Low prio allows for more efficient production of everything else, while disallowing nothing default priority can do. It's a different way of thinking but I'm yet to see anything default priority can do better.

Repeat:
Repeat is more of a mixed bag. It makes it so that you never excess unless you forget infrastructure, which is great. But it disallows you from saving up metal 'lumps' for rapid construction of other things, like turrets or fac switches. I'd argue that your composition is equally malleable (though lazy players can use repeat as a substitute for composition). You set up your one default unit (for early game I choose a raider, for mid-game I choose an assault or skirm), then come back to individually make anything that isn't that unit. I make every worker, riot, aa, artillery, and scout this way, and most assaults and skirms this way. Essentially, worst case scenario you're having to manually select unit counts like you'd do otherwise.
+0 / -0
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