Not sure if this has been discussed, but it's something as a builder that I'm dying to have. So I'm throwing it out here to see how likely it is I'd ever get a mod like this if it doesn't end up making it into the main game. Anyhow, most of us builders are artistic by nature and have had some experience with a graphic program of some sort. Said graphics always have a key you can hold down to move in straight vert/horz lines. How difficult would a mod like that be to make for Starbound? Or is anyone already working on it? I can't tell you how many times I've accidentally placed blocks above or below the straight line I'm trying to dig. Either because my character auto-steps up or down a block level, leaving me to place or dig out one row above or below where I wanted. Or how many times I've been placing blocks only to be knocked back by a mob and end up throwing blocks all over the place. Side Note I'd love to see a mod like this incorporated in a "Drill Bits" mod that allows you to toggle different grid shapes for digging and placing. Instead of being limited to a 1x1 or a 3x3, have a toggle through various grid shapes(1x2, 1x4, 2x2, 4x4, 3x2, etc etc). Just think of it as changing drill bits. Would be a huge mod for builders.
I laughed when i saw the title , but after reading this, this is actually really good and could be useful..
This should be possible. I don't know if its possible now. But it should be later on if it isnt. You might even be able to do curved lines, with a beam showing you where the line is.
I'm not a modder and I'm pretty code retarded, but I do know the code is obviously in the game to attach different sized block grids to items. Matter-Thingy-Ma-Bob is 2x2? The pickaxe had a 3x3? And at one point the drill had a 2x3 if I'm not mistaken. Then there is a 1x1 by holding shift (should be easy to mod that a toggle instead of a hold). So I imagine it'd be as simple as editing those lines in that code to specify a different block grid size, then multiplying it, and making a button that changes the flag/block grid each time you hit it. Of course, as I said, I'm not a coder, so that "sounds simple" to me could be crazy difficult. In my mind I'm seeing the code/flag for the grid size for the matter manipulator and the drill added to the pickaxe, and adding a line of code that toggles between said lines with the press of a key. In my mind I could also be horribly wrong as far as how coding works lol.
At the moment I think that changing it to a toggle requires editing the actual game code, something that is beyond normal mods. And the only setting for the shape / size of the placement area is a single number (the radius) so it just becomes a bigger square.
