I've been using some game development engine editors, and areas it's always something I've used a lot. On those, you'll usually use a basic geometric shape (f.e. a cube) that will detect when something passes through them.
In starmade nowadays we have the trigger area block, but it's very hard to use when we're talking about detecting presence in a zone, specially if this zone is open or full of things.
Thats why I want to suggest a new area design method. Imagine a "Area trigger corner" block. You place some of them, and linked they'll form an area where every block it's a vertex. You'll be able to link to the other logic blocks as we do now.
1. For those confused, I think he's talking about a trigger brush that is "activated" when a point (typically the point that represents the core of the player character) is found within its boundaries. Some games use other shapes for activation brushes. I'm familiar with Quake 2 that could use any convex shape (wedges, pyramids (aka tetras), dodecahedrons, etc.) for brushes.
2. This is why I recommend a change to the basic signal generated from an area activation block. Instead of a switch between On/Off, I recommend that the area activation block be "On" as long as someone or something is touching an area block. Then when that player or thing leaves the area, the area activation block automatically turns "Off". Currently, to turn it off, you have to leave the area and come back into it to switch the state to "Off", which strikes me as bizarre. Plus, it wouldn't take many logic blocks to simulate the current behavior, so you wouldn't really lose anything with such a change.
3. It's an interesting idea, and I like the way that you can quickly create a giant area effect without needing a freight-load of area blocks (only 8 needed, one for each corner of a cubic area), but you'll still need single-block areas for detailed sensor work. I wonder if you could link 'em up with C and V to create individual lines of area detection with two blocks (one at each end of the line, as long as they line up on one of the axes), and then three ore four corners to create a 1-block thick area wall, and then all 8 corners for any arbitrary cuboid volume. (I'd kind of like to see this done with plexdoors too! I have a plan for a giant cubioid hanger door that must contain hundreds of plexdoor blocks.)
