(...so named in order to avoid confusion in outside discussion; refer to this sugestion as 'greenprints')
This is a direct suggestion for the devs, but for equality i'm leaving it in the public. Many ideas and links may be about dev-discussions and ideas that have already been confirmed, but I will not give any further information.
Feel free to speculate.


What's the plan?

1) remove mess from unfinished forts
2) make griefing harder
3) create a compromise between buildphase and combat round
4) allow all classes to participate in building, whilst keeping the core building classes special
5) enforcing well-structured and clean forts

Summary

Spawn a blueprint
Manipulate it where you want it (roate, easy-build, etc) without fear of being attacked
Commision it (stick it in place instantly)
Heal it into existance as conveinient (can be done by any class)
???
Profit

Spawning

Blocks can be spawned by the two building classes (no, I won't go into dev-classified details), with the Architect being given a larger selection.

Blocks are spawned as 'blueprints'

When spawned, the blueprint becomes visually linked with the player that created it.
If the player moves too far away from the block, the link is broken.

Whilst linked, the blueprint cannot be manipulated by teammates, but can be 'stolen' by enemies.
Whilst unlinked, the blueprint can be taken by anyone, and will become linked with them instantly.

If unlinked and uncommisioned for more than a 10 seconds, the blueprint will disapear.

A player can only have 3 linked blueprints. They cannot spawn any more than this.

Blueprints

Blueprints are visual represatons of blocks. They do not clip with the world, bulets, phys-weapons, players or debris, but do clip with other blueprints and blocks. They are semi-transparent and have no definition past a 6-sided-solid, making them cheep to render.

The blueprints stay in place whilst not held (i.e. are not affected by physics). They can be picked up with the right mouse button.
Tapping the right mouse button again releases the blueprint, whilst holding the button removes it.

Tapping the left mouse button commisions the block.

Holding R allows you to rotate the block

Holding Q enables easy-build

Commisioning

Commisioning a block is basically like welding it in build phase.

A commisioned block looks like a normal block, but is semi-transparent.

The block is unsolid to players, still, but now bullets cannot pass through it and enemy players are slowed down signifigantly if they try to walk through it.

Any class can press 'E' n the block in order to 'charge' it. Charging it fully brings it into existance as an actual block.
The process takes about as long as welding a block in 1.9.x
The block can also be charged by shooting at it (teammates only) or using left mouse on the builder's tools.

The block cannot be destroyed, but if left too long without being charged it'l be removed from play

Blocks

When blocks are physically close to more than 2 other blocks, they share damage and healing. The stats are worked out so that double-layering a wall provides no majour benifit.

Visual clues such as flashes accross a block when it's being indirectly damaged help show this, and it is made clear in game descriptions and hints.

The result is that the fewer blocks you have defending a place, the better off you probably are.


Unwelding

Using the primary fire of a build tool on an enemy's block unwelds it, as in 1.9.x

Unwelding a block will turn it into a physobject for a few seconds, before it returns to being a blueprint.

Carrying an enemy's block does not change it's colour. Commisioning it, however, does.

Destroying

Destorying a block blasts it into debris, as in 1.9.x

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If we are going to have a rotational grav gun, we should do it right. Mouse wheel rotates, middle mouse button changes axis on which it rotates. Manipulating one axis at a time, none of this three axis manipulation on a two axis mouse bullshit. I think the current method is simpler to use though.

Couple of questions:
Can greenprints include more than one physical block?

"The block cannot be destroyed, but if left too long without being charged it'l be removed from play"
Does this refer only to semi completed blocks?

Green prints are single blocks.
If combinations are incorperated, it will be a different system.
There's no reason that a greenprint couldn't have, say, 2 2x3's next too each other, though.

"The block cannot be destroyed, but if left too long without being charged it'l be removed from play"
This is for blocks/greenprints that have been commisioned, but not bought into the physical realm through charging.
They have a timer which will remove the commisioned greenprint after so long, which is reset every time you start charging it. Basically means that a builder has the chance to turn away from his creation and protect himself, but can't just piss off and forget about it.

I like the manipulation point.
Still could be bought into action when R is held, though.

Also, it needs to be intuative, and don't forget that not everyone has a scroll button.

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The greenprint system sounds cool, but the part about comissioned blocks needs more work. I don't think they should really do anything special. They sound too useful to be just the state between frozen and unfrozen. From what you posted it seems you wouldn't want players using them as an actual block, but it's perfectly possible if they just shoot the block once every so often.

Sidenote: I posted about this in the other thread, but I think there should be hotkeys to snap the block to positions relative to the player. About the people without scroll wheels, they could just bind it to pgup/pgdn and have another button do the toggling. Also, how does that work if you want other stuff (like jump) bound to the mousewheel? Will the controls change only when you have the buildgun out?

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wuts an easy-build?

So, basically, you're suggesting that we place the blocks before we spawn them instead of spawning them before we place them.

The problem with that, unless the blocks are in some way pre-placed, is the lack of gravity on the uncreated blocks. Think about it, how do we make walls in 19x? We flip a block up vertically, release it, let it fall to the ground, grab it, and then put it into place where we want it. Any ideas?

Also, I still think there needs to be some sort of reward for capturing blocks beyond simply getting another block to use, seeing as making your own block isn't difficult or in any way limited by the block limit we have now.

*facepalm* it's all in there, y'know? (except for the easy-build, which is in the dev forums, and not confirmed)

The lack of gravity is with the rotation mechanism. It replaces the fumbeling with a quick, easy, smooth and above all intuative system (which is why I think we should use gmod's for it. It may not be as acurate, but it's easier)
Basically, my view on the game is that it should be easier to pick-up-and-play. We're loosing out because, at the moment, you can't do that.

The reward of capturing blocks, so far, is that they can be used in bigger recipies, which is why they don't convert on pickup.
Further things could be added, I suppose, but not without adding even more stuff to the game.


And yes - place before you spawn them. It means that the Archy can still build effectively, even in open combat.



Fair point, Lagg, I didn't think of that one.
Thing is, they wouldn't be that useful. The bullet block and slowing are so that players get a reward simply for putting the fort up.
I think in the original version I wrote, the commisioned-blocks had a finite timer (of about 10 seconds or so), whic starts when they're commisioned. If it runs out, the block vanishes.
Building the block (i.e. healing it, charging it, whathaveyou) simply pauses the timer, not resets it.

The result is that if you attack the archy long enough, the blocks might vanish, but the player is still safe in the knowledge that they can turn around and defend themselves if they need to.

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Oddjob; READ.

Also, blocks such as ramp-block could be insta-frozen, to make their use more aparent.
In order to combat the usefulness of an insta-freeze block, they are unsolid to enemy players.

It also means they can be used for team-only enterances, though.

Also, please clarify what you mean by this;
I find it hard to understand, sorry...

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This is what we need.

http://home.comcast.net/~stieffers/r...otation_01.avi

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Hey there.

Just watched it. Definite yes if possible. Maybe with more fitting effects?

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You posted a link to a post that isn't accessible to non-devs, which means no one really knows what it is. The question was completely unrelated to the rest of the comment.