New block reccomendations

I didn't understand this feedback - there is already a conveyor slice block which can be used to make an offset...

Conveyor-slices go strait across the same way a conveyor-tube does, just shorter, Bnainz seems to be asking for an "offset" block that would allow lateral movement relative to the direction the conveyor is run without needing all the space and pcu we currently do for a 1x2x2.5 block conveyor-squiggle you have to create for a 25cm lateral offset.

yeah, thx, seems to happen more when connecting piping from two different places, with the unified grid system, if you are not careful enough.

To the OP: Yeah, Braxton's idea for a 'mech-leg' block would be very helpful for players, and combine that with another person's post on 'magnetic plate' block, and you have a mech-bay in a dropship, hot-swapping different loadouts before a drop! Would be epic in SE2 lol

Not sure, new guy here, I thought the OP was thinking of a leg 'block', like a wheel 'block', so all the animations and control's are already baked in. Wouldn't that be way better than an amalgamation of hinges and rotors? Or too much bloat if too many unique blocks are added?

I think the main point of building a mech in SE is similar to LEGO — you take universal pieces and cleverly combine them using your own engineering skills to create a working mechanism.

There are plenty of games focused purely on mechs that give you shortcuts, and that’s fine for those games. But SE is meant to be a sandbox. The game gives you basic building blocks, and it’s up to you to create whatever you want.

That can be:

• a mech
• an automated drilling platform
• a crane or mechanical arm
• thrust-vectoring systems
• spinning gravity rings or cylinders
• extendable landing gear
• complex docking systems
• or even fully automated factories assembling grids in multi-step processes

All of this was possible in SE1, and a lot of people (myself included) really enjoyed that aspect. It should stay like this.

What we actually need is better controls and automation tools. For example, the new “direct control” for mechanical blocks introduced in VS2.2 is a perfect step in the right direction. More improvements like that would go a long way.

I’ve already made a related suggestion about this — feel free to contribute 👍

Sure, but sorry 4Peace I have to disagree with you on this, that there shouldn't be an overall mech leg block, or a controller block, added to the base game. Here is some reasons for that:

1. Keen's Game Design Philosophy

We don't build a thruster, engine, wheel, etc. We build out what those transportation blocks are attached to. Mech leg blocks, and a rotating waist block with a baseplate on top to build off of (either all three separate or one piece), would be fit with this. You build on top of them with whatever you want, i.e. cockpit, a crane, manipulators, guns, etc.

2. Scripting

Lots of players (me) have no desire to learn scripting C#. Setting up configs in the system screen, or shortcuts on the quickbar, is enough for us.

3. Keen developmental tools

There are things Keen can do on their end to make the legs just 'work', that we cannot. Mobility on unimproved surfaces - they could take the 'gripping' logic of landing gear and apply to the feet, so they can move over any terrain (forest, craggs, upside down, asteroids. Perhaps faster speed might tip over bad terrain). Leg stability - they can have the legs fully articulate before moving the waist's baseplate around the plane of gravity (steady cam). Animations - they can bake in the animations so they can set a standard for their movement scripting. And etc.

4. Time to build

To be more than a tech demo, Mech leg blocks should be as usable as a thruster or as a wheel is to a player. The time it takes for a player to build a small flyer, rover, or mech should be about the same.

5. Game Performance

By default, having a block would increase performance, especially if lots of players use them, either directly, or by building mech a.i. bots. A dozen sub-grids with physics and scripting vs one block (or three).

6. Modding

To be honest, I am no modder, but I would have to think it would be easier to mod a single block, to be easily added to in game. Would enable creativity.

7. Mechanical Block additions

To be fair, I do agree with your post on adding more functionality to existing mechanical blocks, and add more (water mechanical blocks). If players want to build out a fully mechanical mech legs, that's great:). Would be cool to see that. I say, as I think the OP meant, to add some default ones in for general players.

The amount of Mech player creations with mech blocks vs the amount of Mech player creations without them, is the answer. There would be more in the game with them.

'There would be more in the game with them.'

It would essentially be a 'creativity' multiplier.

Hmmm... Legs are cool, but IRL in machines they tend to be out-performed by other forms of movement in all but the most specific scenarios, and in SE ground-vehicles are dwarfed by flying vehicles in their usage, legs would be even more niche... I think we'd be best off here if Keen added a "leg-controller" block (much like the original-poster's suggestion of a special control-seat), allowing players to easily map mechanical blocks and landing gear/mag-plates to joints and leg configurations while tracking the position of the main body to help keep balance, Again though, cool as it is this would be super-niche, so I wouldn't put it high on the priority list...