Feature Suggestion: Designer

[dotorg]

While the step-by-step building can be fun, sometimes I find the repetitive process a bit tedious. It's also a bit annoying to work out ideas while the builders are trying to get started.

A neat idea would be to have a slightly different mode that lets the player design and test structures or substructures before committing them to construction. Sort of a "blueprints" mode.

As I envision it, this would be a separate build mode that immediately completes whatever you do. Things that would normally be auto-placed (lights, for example) won't be auto-placed. You culd either build entire buildings or just sub-assemblies like cells (being able to "stamp" out a series of cells with beds, toilets, etc. into a larger structure template.

Once I've constructed something I want in the blueprint mode, I could stamp the finished building on my map and construction would start in an orderly manner - foundation, walls, doors, electric, plumbing, furnishings and then any pre-defined zones would be activated. If the player runs out of money during construction, the system should build as far along as it can and then wait for more funds (or, perhaps people could define a daily budget for the construction for a long-term project).

The sub-assemblies should be accessible from a menu (like other objects) but there should also be an easy way to export just one assembly or an entire building for sharing.

A set of pre-defined assemblies could help new players get started with the game.

[ronanc]

This has been brought up countless times already. Just sayin'

[dotorg]

I have nothing, then, to blame but my own failure to search.

[christopher1006]

Either way the point is that some kind of "Architect tool" would be pretty useful to have at some point.

[a__gun]

At this point I think it is pretty much a certainty that some form of this idea will be implemented eventually. IV seem very open to our feedback, coupled with the overwhelming support there has been for this feature I think its certainly in the pipeline