I don't think you can queue up a remote cargo transfer/launch order that specifies quantity; for instance, if you tell a minelayer to remote-launch (which you have to do if you want to queue up orders and then hit 'repeat'), it'll launch its entire cargo.
For mines, it's not that much of a problem, since the only downside to overkill at one minefield (e.g. > 900 mines... been there, done that, when using the Minister) is that those mines aren't being useful elsewhere. For minefields, it'd be nice to let a Minister handle it, but perhaps pointing out warp points that deserve higher priority, and maybe a suggested minefield size (even global -- e.g. "don't, on automatic, put more than 150 mines in the same square unless all other points of interest have been mined"). Better yet, toggles as to what constitutes a point of interest ('external' warp point between a colonized system and one that's not, 'internal' warp point between two colonized systems, stars, colonized planets, and uncolonized planets. Right now, the minister only mines warp points, methinks.)
For pop, however, I wouldn't dare do an automatic load-pop, filling a transport's capacity. Even a small transport can hold a few hundred million people VERY early on (Seems people are *small*. Figure, what, a colony pod with a cargo I has something like 68kt storage, which holds 34M colonists. If that's ton as in US short ton (2,000 pounds), each colonist weights 4 pounds.
), and a few hundred million every few turns will depopulate many planets quite quickly.
If they add the ability to specify quantity for a remote load/drop/launch, then it'll be much more useful with lower risk...
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-- The thing that goes bump in the night