Pheromone Trails, not just markers

[b0nedaddy]

It would be cool to set pheromone trails rather than markers, like maybe you can right click just to set a yellow marker that acts like the existing kind of rally point, or if you want to avoid dangers or obstacles using a specific path you could shift+right click to set a series of markers the ants will attempt to follow in order, like Y1, Y2, Y3 etc. The ants would follow all markers in order, and upon reaching the last Yellow marker placed would either return to nest if they havn't interacted with anything or return to the first marker depending on how you'd like the behavior to work.

This would be a little more realistic, and it would allow you to add more content, like having to navigate ants around dangers or some such. Like maybe mud or something your ants would get stuck in and die unless you set a path around the mud to objective.

 

[MikeSlugDisco]

Technically it is already a trail (the ants do a pathfinding calculation and travel back and forth between the trail end and the queen) but there may be room for some more complex trail mechanics in the future.

 

[liquidkitten]

It is not technically a trail, no. Just cause a path is walked on doesn't mean it is a road. What we mean is you should be able to decide the ant's pathing. Real ants follow a trail not just go towards a single, distant sent.

 

[Serafine]

The effective difference is pretty neglectible. And I don't think you want ants to still follow trails for several minutes after all food at it's end is gone (because that's exactly what happens in nature).

 

[MikeSlugDisco]

Just cause a path is walked on doesn't mean it is a road. What we mean is you should be able to decide the ant's pathing

Yes I got that, thanks.

 

[Serafine]

Well, I wouldn't say no to waypoints. They could help the ants to navigate cliffs and complex environments. Still not exactly a trail but very close to it (and probably the most technically feasable).

It would also be nice if we could set up patrol routes (basically an A and B point between which the ants walk back and forth, maybe with a few waypoints in between) like Atta soldiers do.

 

[Xénoar]

Second one pheromones by group, placed as trapped which soaks(fills) quite target passing above by a marker(scorer) of pheromone or other.
Marker(Scorer) which for added by the surcharges or the bonuses of attack.

 

[blueakomoon]

maybe a way to disperse the trail at the end? Make the search or objects or enemies larger? I find I constantly have to micromanage my ants in 2.2 to keep my aphids safe since threats come from two different directions.