Make so only 2 workers can work at a mineral patch?

[Kabel]

This is a tricky thing I cant get to work properly.

Lets say that a base has 8 mineral patches. I try to make so each mineral patch can only support 2 workers. Adding a third worker is not giving you more money.

The way I tried to solve this is to make a worker have a long harvest time. This means that when the second worker comes to the mineral, it will have to wait a couple of seconds before the first worker is finished.

The problem is that the second worker wont wait nicely in line. It will start moving back and forth, up and down searching for a new mineral patch. This makes the worker line look really messy. It looks like a base is over saturated since all workers moves around looking for an empty mineral patch.

There is an aqusation radius (cant remeber the name) that determines the value of how far the worker will seach for an empty mineral patch. I set it at a low number but they still move up and down, but in smaller steps.

Is there any way to make a mineral line look smooth and nice?

 

[water_Knight]

Form what i have found when i was trying to do this is that your best bet on making this work is what you are doing. You can't limit how many units can go onto a mine at all.

 

[Kabel]

Hmm.. but can´t some sort of simple buff be added to the workers.. If they move to a mineral patch and it is already in use, they will wait 1-2 seconds before searching for a new patch. Cause in that time, the first worker mining will be done and the second worker can start mining.

Caue right now they start to search for another patch immediately. This makes the workers look so messy : /

 

[Dr Super Good]

The solution is to adjust harvest timing. You need to fine tune the value so that it barely does not support 3 but easilly supports 2.

The optimum timing is that the second worker arrives back at the mineral patch just as the first worker has finished harvesting. This way there is no need for them to jump around as they will always be moving or harvesting.

 

[Kabel]

The solution is to adjust harvest timing. You need to fine tune the value so that it barely does not support 3 but easilly supports 2.

The optimum timing is that the second worker arrives back at the mineral patch just as the first worker has finished harvesting. This way there is no need for them to jump around as they will always be moving or harvesting.

Yea Ive tried that. Like tuning an instrument. Spent 2 hours yesterday, increasing the value by 0.1 second up and down to find the optimal timing. I thought I had it.

I added 16 workers to 8 minerals. They gave XXX minerals per minute.

I added 36 workers to work on the same 8 minerals. They gave even more per minute!

Then I noticed that different mineral patches can have different distances from the command center.. (of course!)

What is the optimal timing for 2 workers at 1 mineral patch is different depening on small variations in the positions.

And if I flood an expansion with workers, the income rate will increase since they fill the holes at millieseconds.. :/



There must be some simple way

 

[Dr Super Good]

The idea is not to stop you earning more, it is to stop it being worthwhile to earn more. Yes you could add an extra worker so that each mineral field has 3 workers but it is not worth it as that extra worker could instead work on an unused mineral patch and earn more.

The maximum minerals per unit time is minerals per load divided by harvest time.

Minerals per trip / harvest time

This value is obtained when all mineral patches are 100% loaded (imagine infinite workers) and is what you balance for. It is impossible for this value to be exceeded unless the workers have a harvest bonus.

The idea is you are after 2 workers per mineral patch obtaining a value as close to that as possible for the average mineral patch. You might think that 3 harvests a lot faster but the difference then is minimal and probably less than 10% of the maximum.

It is usually not worth wasting a worker on that extra 10% minerals when you could instead send him to another base where he could get an extra 45% minerals (faster payback).