New Block Proposal megathread

[zodium]

This is the thread for suggesting new blocks. It's kind of dumb having only separate threads for every little block suggestion we get, so I'll try to compile them here. Please keep within-thread suggestions to the known scope of the game (e.g., no scalable blocks, no programmable/sensor blocks, etc.), and start separate threads for anything beyond that.

Since the thread is designed to give a very quick overview, all text will be kept to a minimum beyond what's needed to provide a thread/reply link, or to find the part on Google.

(Updated 04-Mar-15)

Blocks
Camera block.
Luminescent blocks.
Rails.
Ground nails/tent poles.
Ropes.
Bucket.
Player avatar (a little pilot-man mobile).

Mechanical
Rubber girder.
Small wheels.
Small/large cogs.
Gyroscope.
Worm gear.
Rack gear.
Pinion gear.
Planetary gear.
Bevel gear.
Tension/compression springs.
Flywheel.
Crank.
Ball and socket struts.
Spiked wheels.
Winch.
Cannon tube (essentially two contiguously joined half-pipes).

Weaponry
Crossbow
Explosive sheep
Sticky/grabbing bomb holder.
Scattershot ammo.
Mortar.
Drill.
Giant horn.
Directed explosive (1x1x1).

Flight
Rocket thrusters.

Armor
Rubber armor.

 

[revontisk]

Maybe it's actually a good idea to have a thread for every block, and save all the thread links in this thread and make it sticky? Because not all of these block names seem completely obvious to me and they might need some clarification in a thread made by the original inventor. Also, discussing the blocks will always be a lot easier in a separate thread.

 

[zodium]

Clarified. Links will be added when people move the threads over.

 

[Necro]

For the compression springs, what is the intention of those?

I would love a block that acts as a suspension but you can build it like springs, but it's rigid like braces. It would compress lengthwise but otherwise behave like a brace.

I'm assuming that's what that means but just wanted to ask.

 

[Prevenge]

I agree with most of the blocks suggested....however. 1- instead of small/large blocks for things like cogs and other types of gears they should be SCALABLE via a slider bar. 2- Love the idea of rope especially if it does not clip through other blocks and is instead tangible. But ....if we get rope then we should also get a Pulley block. 3- This one is not a block itself but I feel this game needs a way to map control of things like wheels, cogs, pistons and springs to analog input via a controller or joystick. Fine mechanical control would make many of our creations really shine! 4- also thought it would be kinda cool if either the grabber would attach itself to certain surfaces in the environment or add a type of suction cup block that would have a very strong stickiness unless "peeled" off at an angle from whatever it was attached to.

 

[JKPolk]

I would love to see a pressure plate to allow for automatization. I envision the plate sending a (programmable) signal similar to a keypress to the machine; drop a ball on the plate and it sends "L" to contract spings, for example. This would enable things like whisker sensors to snap shut jaws on front of the machine, automatic lowering of a gate to reload a catapault after it fires and other sorts of chain reactions.

 

[revontisk]

Also, a rope would make it possible to make so many cool things and better things, for siege engines and other contraptions. You could make a mechanical clock very interesting.

 

[Skyrising]

~Player Avatar Block and Seatbelt Block~

You can spawn in a person that you can set the controls to with key mapper. He or she will be the size of the current human npcs in the game. They'll also be able to fight, using the npc weapons that are currently already in the game (sword, shield, halberd, bow, etc). All game physics will apply to them of course, and they can die from trauma.

A seatbelt block to strap in the Player Avatar to another solid block (wood block for example). This way, you can build vehicles and have the Player Avatar be inside them, buckled in, so they don't get knocked around and die, when the vehicle is in motion.

 

[zodium]

Thanks for the input! I added the player block and some others, but not the programmable plate and scalable blocks. They are beyond the known scope of the game, and deserve their own threads. Will be adding links to threads shortly now that I'm back.

 

[Niph]

Control block with color ropes
one rope(black, for example) is input for the block, when something pull out rope from control block, it`s push keyboard button (setted in options), then wait some time(setted in options) then it`s release button and may be pull other rope(also colored). Colored ropes don`t create actual force. Sorry if I make some mistakes, english is not my native language.

Cardan joint - very usefull thing.
linear damper attachable like Spring block

Also, I think some requested components was not necessary actually, because it's can be replaced by other now existing or more useful requested blocks. I spoke about Planetary gear , Worm gear, Bevel gear.

 

[Niph]

Bigger/smaller propeller blades.

 

[minvertedm]

A suggestion to implement ropes and pulleys without over-taxing the CPU as ropes are wont to do:

1. implement ropes as non-collision objects, like braces.
2. create a combined pulley/winch block (or rework the current 'wheels') to which ropes can be attached tangentially. Rotation of the block, or rotation of the rope relative to the block, results in shortening or lengthening of the rope dependent on whether it comes away from the wheel clockwise or anticlockwise.

The resulting combination would act like an infinite-friction pulley system. A single rope attatched to the wheel would be like a winch, but one rope clockwise and one rope anti-clockwise would be more like a pulley. Ropes could still 'break' at the anchor points, but would not be cuttable with blades. However, I think the required CPU time would be many times less than that required for "chain" ropes as found in other physics-based programs.

 

[Quaero]

My idea is to make the default grabber able to latch unto the terrain or, if you want to keep that functionality separate, making it a completely new of block that can grab to the ground. This would allow for a lot more stability in certain machines and it would open other ways to move machines around.

 

[daevaesma]

-Detonator-

Drop/throw your bomb, wait enemy to get close, clank....BBOOMMM!

-Hydraulic-

Eemm...i wanna build a "Giant Excavator Machine of Chaos Hell and Death"

-Gattling Gun-

Needed for "Giant Excavator Machine of Chaos Hell and Death" *lol

 

[ITR]

-Detonator-
Drop/throw your bomb, wait enemy to get close, clank....BBOOMMM!

Check out the Remote Bomb Mod :3 (still 0.04, wait for it to be updated)

 

[zodium]

Large wheels removed from list, since they were implemented.

-Detonator-

Drop/throw your bomb, wait enemy to get close, clank....BBOOMMM!

-Hydraulic-

Eemm...i wanna build a "Giant Excavator Machine of Chaos Hell and Death"

-Gattling Gun-

Needed for "Giant Excavator Machine of Chaos Hell and Death" *lol

I'm not totally sure what you mean by a "hydraulic" block. Can you elaborate? Ideally, the block's function and shape/look should be self-evident from googling the text.

 

[Kyo Bladezen]

I have a number of suggestions for both new blocks and changes to existing ones.

"Blocks"

-Iron Block + Iron Double-Block
Much heavier than their wooden counterparts, but durable and fireproof. This will be a work-arounds for those of us who build our creations mostly out of hinges, decouplers and the like in an attempt to make them fireproof.

-Pipe
Same as the halfpipe, but open on the top. Physics for this and the original should be modified so that objects will not get stuck in gaps between consecutive parts, preventing bombs from exploding within the cannons, and bolts from jamming inside of ballistas.

-Hinge
Change to be more sturdy, preventing it from bending itself out of heavier builds and allowing for more creative steering designs.

-Swivel Joint
Change to allow the top and bottom halves to move separately, allowing players to build down just as easily as up.

-Canvas
Dragable cover-up, able to change the way it is facing with "r". Useful for closing holes and making warmachines look a bit nicer.

"Mechanical"

-Iron Tread
A large set of tank treads, fireproof and maneuverable. Can also be used to launch items or create a coveyor belt with a little ingenuity.

-Small Cog + Small Powered Cog
Half-size variants of their larger brethren.

-Slider
Able to be set either at full or minimum length.

-Steering Hinge
Add a maximum or minimum turning radius, Rename to "Powered Hinge"

-Steering Block
Increase Maximum Speed to 4.0x, Rename to "Powered Swivel Hinge"

"Weapons"

-Crossbow
Low-damage, repeating crossbow. Infinite ammo, takes up a lot of space, two shots to kill your average soldier. If a Torch is placed in front of it, Arrows ignite.

-Sawblade
Able to have speed set to 0%, May be launched with aforementioned Treads.

-Small Bomb
Just like the normal bomb, but a quarter of the size with a quarter of the output. 3 may be placed in a single bomb holder. Low-friction, so no to cause an explosion when this is done.

-Bomb
Able to set explosive resistance. Current resist=0.20x(Min), new maximum=1.00x

-Boiling Oil
Bucket on a hinge, filled with oil. Activate with "O". Tips in direction indicated by arrow, leaving a trail of oil, igniting anything that touches it.

-Chainsaw
Combination of the Blade and Buzzsaw. Yay!

"Flight"

-Large Balloon
Looks like a blimp!

"Armor"

-Platform
A set of steel rails, low-friction, perfect for holding bombs without fear of them exploding, or for placing smaller vehicles safely.

-Big Circular Armor Plate
A circular plate, sized up to match the big wheels.

Just for clarity, I have no problem with your naming, I just thought that they would fit the theme you had going a bit better. I'm loving the Big Wheels, by the way! Makes it much easier to make piston-based steering and build a car that operates like a real one.

 

[daevaesma]

Large wheels removed from list, since they were implemented.



I'm not totally sure what you mean by a "hydraulic" block. Can you elaborate? Ideally, the block's function and shape/look should be self-evident from googling the text.

I'm sorry to make you confuse..
i'm lack in explanation of what i mean.

In my mind, Hydraulic Block just like Piston Block but with more adjustment and toggle.
Like stabilizer leg on crane, And can be triggered by gear to adjust it's length.

Thank you.

 

[OttoNL]

Just 1 block suggestion:

Axe head-block

Basically... an Axe Head. So you can make the err... long wooden part from blocks and add an axe-head-block to it to turn it into an axe. Doesn't have to be extremely large.

 

[stellHex]

I can't believe this hasn't been suggested yet: half-unit-length wooden block. It's rather annoying to do the whole "putting a wheel down, then putting two single wood blocks down, then deleting the first single block and the wheel, then putting in a double block" thing every time, and it won't even work with a large fraction of non-Block parts.

Edit: It could be called a "spacing plate"