Would absolutely love a key that would draw/place blocks in straight lines. Very similar to how graphics programs have to make lines easy to draw. I can't tell you how many times I'd had to delete blocks because I moved up or down a smidge too much and placed blocks on the wrong row. This is especially helpful due to the fact you can run up 1x1 blocks, which in turn, if you happen to be placing blocks while moving, also makes your cursor move up or down. Not to mention if a knockback or something happens while you are trying to place blocks, you end up throwing blocks all over the place if you don't let go of the button fast enough. Really annoying. Anywho, seems like an easy feature to implement. Maybe hold down ALT locks you into a vertical or horizontal place and you can draw up or down? Terraria's TEdit program has this feature, and builders would use it constantly.
For building a space elevator at least, the technique I've found best is to keep the mouse stationary and jump with the button down. Much more precise than trying to move the mouse up repeatedly. For building horizontally, same technique while moving left or right. In short: anchor the cursor to the player, and change the player's position.
Yeah, that's how I manage. But it'd certainly be much easier if I could just hold down a key and "draw". Problem is sometimes things happen where you can't keep your character straight (bird poops on you with fire or other mobs). Also, what you suggest requires your character to be able to move left and right without any alteration in height. Which means you have to dig uneven ground to make it flat. Otherwise the anchor to your character will change when he walks up or down a block. Anywho, yeah, what you said is the best way so far, but not the most ideal.
You know, back a couple months ago when someone else suggested this, I was like "Nah, I don't need it." Then I actually got to play Starbound. I need it. +1
Didn't need it in Terraria, but things were less touchy there. Also the range in Terraria is significantly less than your reach in Starbound. And the "anchor to character" thing only works when digging really. Very rarely when I'm building am I able to move along the lines I am building. Sometimes I'm standing on a ledge and trying to build in open cavernous spaces.
Nice idea. Would appreciate the Ctrl-keybinding to lock the mouse arrow in octagon-directions like it is in GIMP or other tools. So you stay around and paint fixed lines of 2x2 blocks or 1x1 blocks in octagon directions. You could even dig in octagon-directions with that octagon-lock, but would guess it's best for placing blocks only Code: fixed octagon direction \|/ -+- /|\ You could hold Shift+Ctrl to manage single blocks in fixed octagon-directions. (At the moment I am holding left mouse button while moving on a flat ground to "draw" flat lines of blocks. This is a nice workaround.) Don't know the programming framework, but it should not be a hell-o-hylotl-work to implement, that if mouse position comparing to last mouse position hits an 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, etc angle and intercept the mouse position. But haven't done much in that scope so it may be more complicated then know imagine. Devs choice
