What if we had more options than building with 1x1 and 2x2 shapes? Imagine that a box like this pops up letting you chose from a wide arrangement of block shapes at the press of a button: Another useful thing would be a list of up to five 'favorite' shapes that would show up next to the hotbar whenever holding blocks. These could be switched between with either the cursor, or by using the scroll wheel while holding the shift key (a single press of the shift key would revert back to its 1x1 and 2x2 function). I think this would add a lot to the building aspect. It'd make it a lot easier to experiment as well. One of the reasons people don't build that many bases is that it takes too much time to be worth it considering they'll leave the planet behind soon enough. I imagine the palettes would work just like the dungeon and micro-dungeons work where each part is constructed from a single .PNG file. Players would be able to edit their own preferred shapes into the palette tool easily. Thoughts?
Honestly I don't see this being remotely useful since you can just use 1x1 to build it all. I don't build many bases, and I can't see myself building any because of this feature, in fact I can just see it being annoying by accidentally hitting the scroll wheel.
The scroll wheel is primarily used for the hotbar. I've never even touched the scroll wheel when holding Shift before. Also, if you're only building simple back walls of one block type, you wouldn't find this useful at all, but advanced builders will find it useful when building wall patterns of several different blocks. You simply need to find (or make) the shape with the blocks arrangements you need to make your design and get building.
Don't make assumptions, when I build, I build "advanced" structures, and I'm telling you that I wouldn't use it. The one block system is fine in my eyes, this just seems overly complicated for no real reason. It would shave maybe 10-20 seconds off building, which would be taken up making the actual patterns for it. I would prefer to see something like base in a box, where we can package up building blueprints, that way we could make modular bases of our own design quickly.
Huh. Maybe cut out the more advanced shapes from the system and only have more basic ones? (people could still add more on their own) I know I'd love to have a block brush that placed down a line of blocks. I was building a hallway with support beams and wall panels earlier, and I found it really annoying to make the support beams, as I was moving the cursor upwards I often misplaced one or several blocks on the way due to my artistic hand being a jittery bastard. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of something small. After all, hindsight revealed to me I could just have held the cursor in place and jumped in order to make those support beams. However it's a bit more difficult if your build requires a diagonal line of blocks in which none of those methods can be used but the old fashion way. Still, good for you that you manage perfectly as it is now. However I'm certain this system would please a lot of people. And if I'm wrong, then this suggestion topic dies. On a side note, I might not have been so determined to push this suggestion if my favorite building materials didn't take so darn long to break when I misplace them.
I dig it.,.. but I think limiting to 3x3 is rough... Like you said about support beams... If I made a complex support beam it would have to be at least 6 (I think is the height of a door) x 4 and likely larger... I think this idea would work better as a Mod than as a built in feature though. Something along this vein that may work well as a built in feature would be Alt to lock x plane, ctrl to lock y plane alt-ctrl to lock diagonal... as it stands building diagonals is slow and painful.
