Multislots Extrapolated: Simpler Crafting and Fewer IDs

[Valiant70]

I. Simpler Crafting
Multislots are great for keeping several colors of armor or several different decorations in my inventory. This function could be further improved, however. This has been suggested before in several forms, but I'd like to compile it here in what I believe to be the best solution so far.

1. Consolidate all shapes of hulls, armor, etc. into one. In the case of hulls or armor, call it a hull plate or armor plate. Different colors should probably remain separate items because it makes sense that you have to paint them.
2. Rather than crafting different shapes, just select a shape in the multislot. There is one quantity (plates) instead of five quantities (cube, wedge, etc.). Think of this as welding plates on in different configurations.
3. Instead of displaying all five shape icons, display only the active one. We all know the others are there.

This can be used for the decoration panels/monitors as well. Just turn all the screens into a "decorative screen" and select the color, and turn the others into a "decorative panel" and select type.

II. Saving Block IDs
Some blocks have more rotation states than others do. The unused states should be used to consolidate different shapes/colors/types into fewer IDs. For example, corners use the maximum number of rotations the engine allows. They have to! Wedges, however are symmetrical across one axis and use half as many rotations, so they can be merged with cubes, which are symmetrical across all three axes.

• Decorative screens have no rotaion so all forms become one, including Personal Computer.
• Decorative panels, conduit, charts all become one ID.
• Doors+door wedges merge into one ID. If there's enough space in there, merge different types of doors as well (I can't recall the max # of rotations so I'm not sure)
• All force fields merge into one ID.

This would be a bit of a nuisance to code, but should be feasible. In fact, I'm not entirely sure this isn't done with some blocks already.

 

[Kaamio]

*lights up five black candles in a circle* rise from your grave and be reborn, for this seems like a pretty good idea! Stumbled upon this in similar threads and it annoyed me that nobody has even seemed to notice it. I'm sure it's nothing that hasn't been suggested before, but seriously, get rid of the separate items for block shapes, it's annoying and doesn't really offer anything to the game.

 

[HolyCookie]

I. Simpler Crafting
Multislots are great for keeping several colors of armor or several different decorations in my inventory. This function could be further improved, however. This has been suggested before in several forms, but I'd like to compile it here in what I believe to be the best solution so far.

1. Consolidate all shapes of hulls, armor, etc. into one. In the case of hulls or armor, call it a hull plate or armor plate. Different colors should probably remain separate items because it makes sense that you have to paint them.
2. Rather than crafting different shapes, just select a shape in the multislot. There is one quantity (plates) instead of five quantities (cube, wedge, etc.). Think of this as welding plates on in different configurations.
3. Instead of displaying all five shape icons, display only the active one. We all know the others are there.

This can be used for the decoration panels/monitors as well. Just turn all the screens into a "decorative screen" and select the color, and turn the others into a "decorative panel" and select type.

okey, it sounds pretty good but.....
if you are just using 1 sort of block its okay but once you need to use a blue wedge there, a black block there, a yellow corner there, it will take more time if i understand you the right way. i dont think the crafting... better called building is faster in this way if you need to switch a lot.

 

[Kaamio]

I rather understood that when in toolbar, there wouldn't be any real change to a current multislot. Of course, you wouldn't have the option to JUST take the wedges so you'd have to deal with the multislot stack when selecting it.

...personally, I think making a mosaic patterns where you have to change active block and color all the time isn't really the common scenario you have to design the game for. Accommodate, sure, but having it as the standard mode of operation is a bit off.