Build Blocks, They Be OP

[ReadeDraconis]

So, not 100% sure where to put this. Seems suggestions is the most fitting, though since it's a game-breaker (And killer for me.) it could just as easily be considered a bug, perhaps. I'm also unsure if this has been posted elsewhere, so, apologies if this is something well known and obvious and what have you. (AKA, pleasedonthurtmeimfragile. q-q)

Anywho. Build blocks. Those ones you can use to enter build mode wherever. Broken to all hell, quite frankly. I can place one on a planet, enter build mode, set symmetry for all three planes, and set a remove block to 10x10x10. That's 6 10x10x10 squares being removed each click. That's up to 6000 blocks. Each click.

In the end, it makes almost any form of mining completely obsolete and pointless. What's the point of setting up some massive lasers for dismantling a planet if a single block in your inventory can do the job a hundred times more efficiently? I mean, you could set up some massive planet-devouring beast of a ship that rips everything apart in ten seconds flat, maybe, but... Y'know... That's probably about a billion more blocks than that single build block... XD

This could probably be changed very easily, though, by making build blocks unplacable, and instead summoned, like ship cores, with a hotkey. Heck, perhaps even shift+x would work, or somesuch. I'd imagine this is entirely possible for this to be done with build blocks, along with any other blocks that function and could be abused in such a manner.

 

[MichaelSeph]

You are wrong on the math part, 3 symmetry planes, double each time, 2x2x2 is 8, so that\'s 8 times 10x10x10 squares at once, 8k blocks ^^

It is also a very known thing, that\'s why some hardcore servers have that block removed (it sucks though), and there is a solution to it already planned (nothing related with summoning...), but it wasn\'t up for the last update, maybe for the next one :D

 

[ReadeDraconis]

Ah, 8k, yeah. Whoops. XD Way crazy, either way. Good to know, though, that a solution is in the works.

 

[Riftmaster]

Make it so the only way to spawn a build block is if you want to build a station - instead of the gray hull block or whatever that currently spawns.

That way, you could no longer place the build block on something, but would instead have to spawn it, creating a station core.

Basically, make it work like a ship core, except for stations.

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The downside being...you could no longer place a base on a planet and use build mode.

Or take over a space station and customize it.

 

[z1967]

Invite your friends to co-op build a ship. But that one is minor.

 

[Matt40k]

How about you can only place a build block on something your faction owns (with a faction block) and add costs to claiming a station or planet e.g. the base price of all the blocks.

 

[joyfullyDeadly]

While it is OP, it\'s only really OP because it\'s so accessable. It\'s extremely cheap to buy it, and they\'re everywhere. I imagine this is because he wants us to build things as easily as possible so that a large variety of builds can be tested.

Simply increasing this cost to a large amount would be a great way to balance it out, and that can be done on the user-end right now. However, on the dev-end I think a \"Build Block Enhancer\" might be a good idea. The build block by itself could only place things, and the price would stay as it is now. The Enhancer could be placed and \"connected to\" the build block to allow you to remove blocks while inside of it, or allow you to use advanced build mode. This way, build blocks are still accessible, but the features that make it OP could be appropriately inaccessible.

All of the abilities build blocks currently give you would still be there, just harder to obtain.

 

[MrNo]

I have to agree with this, unfortunately. The build block is far too strong right now. I do note, however, that it is useful in some cases. Personally, here\'s how I think build-mode (in general) should work:

Build block still exists, but can only be placed on a station. The block you start with in a station is changed to a \"station core\", which not only has build-mode functionality, but also has ship-core functionality minus mobility (no flight mode), so thrusters still don\'t work, but cloaking/jamming/weapon fire does (bit of a tangent, yeah. Not necesary for this, but something I\'d like). This means you still have the potential to create massive space stations. In addition, make it so that taking damage (to blocks or shields) shuts down build-mode temporarily. More build blocks allows more people to build with you.

Build mode is removed from the ship-core, unless docked. If a ship is docked, it can use build mode as it normally would now. Once again, taking damage disables build-mode temporarily.

I\'m still not really sure what to do with planets... It seems like no matter how you put build-mode in the game, allowing it to be used on planets is going to be OP, unless you make it cost more credits per block than the blocks themselves are worth (not something I recommend). Same goes for asteroids.



@Michaelseph I\'m curious as to what the solution planned is... I\'m not seeing it as I glance through the news, though I could easily just be missing it.