(or alternatively, a new "craftsperson" NPC with the same function as a workbench, which could add a lot of further variety to the types of NPCs one could populate a town with. They could even be added as yet another service one could find in pregenerated villages) Basically, a new category of workbenches(perhaps only sold in larger factions towns found when exploring) that allows the player to personally make (perhaps even tiered, later) the furniture AND blocks of that faction using the same materials than those used in the "faction agnostic" versions of these workbenches. I find this could be interesting as though there are now plenty of means to get "faction specific" furniture(stealing it, 3D printing it or even just purchasing it from merchants), there is currently no means that I know of to actually get or crafts the "faction specifc" -blocks-. This is most notable with the temple blocks and those white/pale bricks that are used in most avian settlements or temples alone, to not even mention dungeons. This could easily be post-release content, but it would make me one very happy bird if this was ever added into the game.
It's the one feature that colonies are kind of missing. We have all of that furniture fitting for your towns, but when it comes to blocks...
Yeah. I feel it might be a nice addition. Another good reason to hunt for existing NPC settlement too, to find the store that might sell the appropriate benches and tool. Plus in the long run(likely after 1.0... in fact I'm certainly not expecting this kind of stuff for 1.0 with what's already on the developers' plate) it may even open the possibility for "tiered" racial furniture. So you could not only have, say, tier ones wooden racial beds... but also stuff like "durasteel avian bed" and the like. But that's why I don't expect this anytime soon because I can only but try to imagine all the design and sprite work this would require. But by their existence alone, racial workbenches at least make that a "possibility" for the future. Otherwise, I see a lot of potential in mods going alongside those lines. Being really more of a cosmetic matter of which there are multiple ways around to a degree, it might even be better to keep this to the field of modding than standard gameplay. But then again we never know what the future holds.
The idea of racial tiered furniture already sounds like quite a tricky-to-perform idea to me, since most of the tiered furniture has a very particular theme of it's own (namely rubium (evil spikes and big eyes) and impervium (super-sleek and futuristic)). Mixing those things with a racial theme is not easy. Altrough there's also the alternative of simply being racial furniture being made of said materials. In this case the problem might be keeping it all from becoming samey.
I was thinking the latter but admittedly that is the risk of it too. Hence why it might be best tried it through mods really.
Actually, I've just started to notices they seem to be going all out in terms of craftable blocks now. Portable pixels printer seem to have been removed but... Tungsten blocks are craftable which not unlock smooth plated blocks which itself lead to another type. Tech blocks are craftable too.... and even become a component of "Avian tech block". Gathering a piece of "ornate" wood just not, I also just unlocked the recipes for "Ornate Wood" and "Ornate Wood Flooring". Looking at how the nightly are going, I believe we might be finally getting there.
