Tiling-conforming sub-2.5m shape variants for 2.5m Tiling
To me, it feels like the trend of the unified grid system is to encourage a 2.5m tiling (this is based on Stairs, armor blocks, glass tiles, etc) but to have individual components to "flesh out" that tiling. Given that, I think there's a lot of room for distinct "Tile Conforming" pieces that cannot be done with (or would not be suitable for) the existing 0.25m detailing blocks.
Currently, one cannot fit a Floor (or Catwalk as the case may be), Walls, and a Ceiling all into a 2.5m tiling as these components are themselves 2.5m in their relevant size. In order to get "perfect" tiling, one has to tile on 3m, which is fine, but then several prefab 2.5m elements (like stairs) no longer fit into that tiling - for example, these elements break the bounds of the implied-ideal 2.5m tiling.
(see bad-tile.png)
What I would *love* to see is variants of those pre-fab elements, like Glass, Catwalk, Wall/Pillar, and (what will eventually be Floor, I imagine; tiles that can't be replicated through the basic detail block) that allow for tighter nesting within the established 2.5m tiling.
Elements with these variations to what are currently only 2.5m nominal blocks (again, like catwalk, glass, etc) would allow tighter conformation to that 2.5m tiling and grant much more flexibility in dense packing.
I'd also posit that a door that is 2m tall and wide would *also* be very useful for that same reason.
I like this feedback 
Addendum: a 2m wide variant of Stairs and the Ramp (that would still be 2.5m tall) would not go amiss, either - again: it would allow folks to dress the sides of those stairs with walls or windows without breaking out the bounds the 2.5m tiling.
I might go so far as to say that taking 0.5m off of each dimension of utility blocks, like the Reactors, Assemblers, etc, would further enhance the ability for folks to keep clean tiling, but I fear that might be one step too far >.<
Addendum: a 2m wide variant of Stairs and the Ramp (that would still be 2.5m tall) would not go amiss, either - again: it would allow folks to dress the sides of those stairs with walls or windows without breaking out the bounds the 2.5m tiling.
I might go so far as to say that taking 0.5m off of each dimension of utility blocks, like the Reactors, Assemblers, etc, would further enhance the ability for folks to keep clean tiling, but I fear that might be one step too far >.<
I go into it a bit further with some examples and alternatives here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRSEhiuZhsc
I go into it a bit further with some examples and alternatives here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRSEhiuZhsc
This is a very important issue!! just saying to help with relevance.
This is a very important issue!! just saying to help with relevance.
I think we should leave all the 2.5m versions of the walls, catwalks, pillars, windows, etc.
But Just have 2m versions for filling in when needed.
I think we should leave all the 2.5m versions of the walls, catwalks, pillars, windows, etc.
But Just have 2m versions for filling in when needed.
A stair/ladder solution might be to have individual steps or rungs that we can chain together to get a specific length.
I think part of the problem we're having is in the name, 'unified grid system'. It seems like keen have stuck to the SE1 dimensions for a lot of things purely because they have just instituted the same system without much consideration of the possibilities and flexibility of the unified system. They are treating it as 'this and that combined' rather than the entire new system it is. We have so much flexibility, lets break out of the old mold we are no longer confined to.
A stair/ladder solution might be to have individual steps or rungs that we can chain together to get a specific length.
I think part of the problem we're having is in the name, 'unified grid system'. It seems like keen have stuck to the SE1 dimensions for a lot of things purely because they have just instituted the same system without much consideration of the possibilities and flexibility of the unified system. They are treating it as 'this and that combined' rather than the entire new system it is. We have so much flexibility, lets break out of the old mold we are no longer confined to.
Hey Y'all, I had another idea: instead of asking Keen to make 2m variations of *all the things* I think this could be more elegantly done by going the other direction: by adding 3m variations to Armor (not as a replacement to 2.5m armor, but in addition to). I think that'd also lend itself to more design space for partial-block variations like slopes and half-slabs since one could fit 12 deco-blocks into 3m, which is far more readily divisible than the 10 that a 2.5m armor block allows. Imagine quarter slopes or third-slopes, etc, etc, etc.
go upvote that instead if that sounds like your jam: https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/topic/45986-3m-block-variant-for-armors
Hey Y'all, I had another idea: instead of asking Keen to make 2m variations of *all the things* I think this could be more elegantly done by going the other direction: by adding 3m variations to Armor (not as a replacement to 2.5m armor, but in addition to). I think that'd also lend itself to more design space for partial-block variations like slopes and half-slabs since one could fit 12 deco-blocks into 3m, which is far more readily divisible than the 10 that a 2.5m armor block allows. Imagine quarter slopes or third-slopes, etc, etc, etc.
go upvote that instead if that sounds like your jam: https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc/topic/45986-3m-block-variant-for-armors
I think that it's good that the default is the 2.5 m grid. Big blocks line up perfectly, and it creates a common standard. What would a size change solve? You would still get a gap if you put gaps between blocks. For example, in the case of stairs, imagine a 2 m grid. Great, you have 4x2 m stairs, and they tile great at the large size. However, you want to put one block between large blocks because you want walls. Now you need 4.25x2.25 stairs. It's the same problem, and I think that it results from forcing the system by trying to make large ships with detailing blocks. A solution, in my opinion, could be to simply use detailing blocks to solve the problems that detailing blocks create, and that would mean to make stairs with small or detailing blocks so they fit your custom grid perfectly.
Another solution, which I don't like as much and I think could be more complicated but maybe worth exploring, would be to make the outer 0.25 m layer of large blocks to be "fillable". What I mean by this is that you'd have a 2.5 m block, and you would be able to cover its skin with detailing blocks, but inside of the model itself, within the 2.5 m width, which would give you something that looked like a 2.5x2.5x5 m block.
I think that it's good that the default is the 2.5 m grid. Big blocks line up perfectly, and it creates a common standard. What would a size change solve? You would still get a gap if you put gaps between blocks. For example, in the case of stairs, imagine a 2 m grid. Great, you have 4x2 m stairs, and they tile great at the large size. However, you want to put one block between large blocks because you want walls. Now you need 4.25x2.25 stairs. It's the same problem, and I think that it results from forcing the system by trying to make large ships with detailing blocks. A solution, in my opinion, could be to simply use detailing blocks to solve the problems that detailing blocks create, and that would mean to make stairs with small or detailing blocks so they fit your custom grid perfectly.
Another solution, which I don't like as much and I think could be more complicated but maybe worth exploring, would be to make the outer 0.25 m layer of large blocks to be "fillable". What I mean by this is that you'd have a 2.5 m block, and you would be able to cover its skin with detailing blocks, but inside of the model itself, within the 2.5 m width, which would give you something that looked like a 2.5x2.5x5 m block.
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