The way repellent works isn’t super transparent - it doesn’t actually repel bugs directly, instead it increases the pathfinding cost for them to walk over it. What this means is bugs will prefer a longer path with no repellent platforms up to a point, and completely cutting off an area with platforms will just have them walk right over it, because all pathfinding distance costs to get across are modified by the same amount.
This makes repellent most effective in creating chokepoints and slowing down glyphids.
The numbers in this functionality generally work out such that bugs will go around a line of platforms 3 pancakes wide, but 4 or more will mean going over is less costly than going around for a bug approaching the center.
What i’ll often do for the salvage end events is make a pyramid of plats above the point, funneling bugs down to two points of approach. Then gunner and driller are Very well equipped to completely deny those chokes while occasionally moving to assist with grounded bugs.
One VERY important note is that if a bug is trying to approach a dwarf who is standing on a platform, repellant is disabled entirely for ALL platforms, and the bug is free to approach directly.
If you’re ever confused about whether a particular platform arrangement is going to work the way you expect, Molly has the same pathfinding as bugs, so you can call her to you and see how she moves around them.
One VERY important note is that if a bug is trying to approach a dwarf who is standing on a platform, repellant is disabled entirely for ALL platforms, and the bug is free to approach directly.
Now this, I didn’t know. Always can learn something new!
The way repellent works isn’t super transparent - it doesn’t actually repel bugs directly, instead it increases the pathfinding cost for them to walk over it. What this means is bugs will prefer a longer path with no repellent platforms up to a point, and completely cutting off an area with platforms will just have them walk right over it, because all pathfinding distance costs to get across are modified by the same amount.
This makes repellent most effective in creating chokepoints and slowing down glyphids.
The numbers in this functionality generally work out such that bugs will go around a line of platforms 3 pancakes wide, but 4 or more will mean going over is less costly than going around for a bug approaching the center.
What i’ll often do for the salvage end events is make a pyramid of plats above the point, funneling bugs down to two points of approach. Then gunner and driller are Very well equipped to completely deny those chokes while occasionally moving to assist with grounded bugs.
One VERY important note is that if a bug is trying to approach a dwarf who is standing on a platform, repellant is disabled entirely for ALL platforms, and the bug is free to approach directly.
If you’re ever confused about whether a particular platform arrangement is going to work the way you expect, Molly has the same pathfinding as bugs, so you can call her to you and see how she moves around them.
Now this, I didn’t know. Always can learn something new!
One thing I often do is set up my turrets on platforms and then stand near to reload… May be ruining the repellent 🤣
That makes sense, thanks. I would never have worked that out.