Dev Diary #127 - New Terraforming Improvements

[Adam Snellgrove 1451]

Hey there Ylanders!

We have some exciting news for the terraformers out there, those who want to reshape the land itself to their own image. The terrain tools are getting a major overhaul and many improvements. You may have seen the Major General giving a stellar review of the new tools in the video, but there are so many new features coming, we have to cover them a bit more here too ?

So first thing’s first. As you might have noticed, we have switched Add, Remove, Flatten and Paint to a 2D brush. This brush will always rotate according to the angle of the terrain it is pointed at. You can really get creative with this brush and it opens up new untold possibilities for terraforming.

Also, flatten is getting a lot of quality of life improvements. So while in the past you had loads of limitations with flattening, like the ability to only flatten horizontally, now you can adjust it to your preferred angle. This makes, for instance, mud house building possible like shown in the video ? Flatten has really become a powerful tool to use in the Editor.

The same has to be said about Paint, which used to have a lot of the same limitations as Flatten, but these have been removed and the tool has been significantly improved. Now you can paint pretty much any surface without any limitations.

Another great addition is the Direction lock, which locks in your brush, once you press down the mouse and keeps it at the same angle, making consistent terrain much more easier to create. This function can be turned off any time, but it is a really cool addition to your terraforming arsenal.

We are also looking into making objects connect to the new terrain type, so you don’t have floating flowers above your new canyon, but we are planning that for 1.4. But it is in the works ? All of the above though also applies to sandbox and the terraformer gun, so you sandboxers out there will have great fun also ? The tools aren’t so complex in Sandbox mode and so versatile, but they’ll be a great improvement to the past version.

So overall some great additions, that I think all of you will have loads of fun with and I can’t wait, what you’ll create with them ? But until then stay classy but most importantly stay safe Ylanders!

[Indomitus 388]

This is a big deal for creators.  I look forward to trying it out.

[RedEagle_P1. 905]

I am glad someone shares my building talent ?

[Bob Salvador 82]

Hello, is it possible to have a new tool in exploration that can flat and another that can Smooth the terrain ? Because with the terraformer gun players can add ressources and it's not a survival if you can have all ressource on your islands. 

[Adam Snellgrove 1451]

On 5/8/2020 at 1:44 AM, Bob Salvador said:

Hello, is it possible to have a new tool in exploration that can flat and another that can Smooth the terrain ? Because with the terraformer gun players can add ressources and it's not a survival if you can have all ressource on your islands. 

Well it's not really survival, if you can have a tool to flatten and terraform terrain (other than a shovel) ? It doesn't really fit the Exploration experience.

[Miguel Preguisa 443]

1 hour ago, Adam Snellgrove said:

Well it's not really survival, if you can have a tool to flatten and terraform terrain (other than a shovel) ? It doesn't really fit the Exploration experience.

1) There are ways how to terraform and flatten large areas of ground in the real world. Why not make something similar? Maybe using Ylandium so making it end-game feature? 

2) If you want smoother terrain in the reality, you BASH it gently a few times with a shovel. So maybe alternative function of the already existing tool? Other alternative could be new tool such as rake. Even though I'm hoping for some gardening/farming update so maybe keep rake for then ?

[Adam Snellgrove 1451]

I'll ask about the possibilities ?

[jchob 354]

Awesome ??

[Bob Salvador 82]

@Miguel Preguisa Yeah tools like that ❤️ thinks for your illustrations. Love the idea of a smashing shovel !!!

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Bob Salvador

[Indomitus 388]

They don't really need to be that high-tech.  I would think a trowel would be enough to smooth most kinds of terrain walls.  Not stone, but maybe that could be an extended use for the chisel.

Improved accuracy for filling in spaces with dirt or sand would help as well, making the terrain's geometry more workable for whatever tool we're using.  (Right now building a garden can be kind of a pain, if there are voids left under the surface when placing the dirt.)

Edited May 11, 2020 by Indomitus

[bojo2736 1016]

10 hours ago, Adam Snellgrove said:

Well it's not really survival, if you can have a tool to flatten and terraform terrain (other than a shovel) ? It doesn't really fit the Exploration experience.

I disagree. In explore you do flatten terrain. (I think the wooden shovel works best. ) But we can't smooth.

And we need some way to make things unpickable under your activated barrier.