Dev Diary #222 When the Prints Go Blue

[Nikki Severin 1148]

Hey there, fellow Ylanders!

Firstly we would like to thank you for the huge amount of feedback we got based on the last Dev Diary. It's just awesome to see how much thought many of you have put into it! ❤️ We're still looking into it and discussing it, and will comment on some of the points soon.

Today we would like to share a bit more information about the Blueprints update we're planning for the next update. So far you your options to build something awesome and (re)use it in Exploration as a Blueprint were extremely limited. That shouldn't be the case anymore.

If all goes well, in 1.10 we'll introduce some rather big changes to Blueprints. Blueprints and Compositions will turn into two types of Blueprints (naming can change) - Explorer and Creator Blueprints.

Let us share a bit more about their specifics:

• Creator Blueprints are pretty much what Compositions were (and your existing Compositions, will, in fact, be considered Creator Blueprints). Within those you will be able to store pretty much everything you create in the Editor. However, those will be usable only in the Editor.
• Explorer Blueprints will be usable in both Exploration and the Editor. The biggest change when compared to pre-1.10 Blueprints is, that you can create those in the Editor and then use in your Exploration world. Also, they can contain much more than just building blocks. You can have a Blueprint of a house, filled with items, surrounded by a garden with flowers and trees.
• In 1.10 you will be able to use these only locally and we'll check if it all works as intended and improve it based on your feedback. In 1.11 we will add advanced options of sharing and monetizing for creators of both kinds of Blueprints.

Even though it will become much easier to create amazing Blueprints and use them in the Exploration, don't forget that they're still just that - something that requires your effort to get all the resources (be it materials or specific items) to build it. The more sophisticated the blueprint, the more effort you'll need to build it. 

That's it for this week, as always, let us know what you think and on top of that... 

Stay classy, Ylanders! 

[Yo HasLEGO 193]

Im so excited and curious for this! 

[zarwil 393]

28 minutes ago, Nikki Severin said:

Also, they can contain much more than just building blocks. You can have a Blueprint of a house, filled with items, surrounded by a garden with flowers and trees.

Sold!

[Elenis 22]

I can't wait. All of my ships and blooprints will then undergo a major rebuild in the editor. 💖

[spiritchaser28 920]

I have been waiting for this update for a loooooong time! I cannot wait to see what changes will be made in 1.10

[TonyPearce 14]

A good news, create something in exploration mode is not as convenient as editor mode.Also, now we could simply build a house with all kinds of furniture?

[spiritchaser28 920]

Fingers crossed they give us the rods, poles, containers and other things we have been begging for in blueprints. (Still waiting on those basic shape blocks) So stoked we will be able to do blueprints in editor soon.

[TonyPearce 14]

I still have one question will there be new types of mast and large mast in game?Or  ship larger than boat but smaller than junk, like a flambart or a cutter?

[Deadeye_Rob 908]

At last!!

[FallujahMedic -FM- 9]

One problem that I have with this announcement is the lack of details. Its always great news to hear that a feature will be modified based on user input. But, as many of you may have experienced with various games, is that what is suggested is often implemented in a completely different way than was intended. For example, the removal of the protective barriers in favour of the ability to prevent others from modifying your Yland.  

So, for specifics (or at least aspirational specifics):

• Is there going to be a maximum size for blueprints?
• Can multiple blueprints be used to create complex items (a house on a ship for example)?
• Will it ever be possible to use 2 ship hulls in 1 creation (a sort of catamaran with the steam ship hulls)?
• Will you make the blueprint creation process more user friendly?
• Will the resource penalty for blueprints be removed (A blueprint often uses more resources than the same object being created manually)?
   

 

[zarwil 393]

Just now, FallujahMedic -FM- said:

One problem that I have with this announcement is the lack of details.

Seems very intentional. They used to announce things way before they were properly considered, leading to broken promises and poor feature implementation. Keeping it vague is better (to me). 

Just now, FallujahMedic -FM- said:

Is there going to be a maximum size for blueprints?

Don't think is a relevant question for this upcoming update. There's no reason why they would add a limit for blueprints in private use. For the 1.11 update, however, the devs will have a tough decision to make when it comes to sharing blueprints and selling on their store-front. Blueprint performance is different for every PC. You don't want to limit players who have good PC's with an artificial limit, but on the other hand, an enormous blueprint can easily freeze someone else's game. If a player buys a blueprint from the store, but can't use it because it freezes their game, they would be right to feel scammed. The devs could potentially add a size limit for shared blueprints (i.e. on the store-front), but keep personal blueprints limitless.

Just now, FallujahMedic -FM- said:

Will you make the blueprint creation process more user friendly?

"The biggest change when compared to pre-1.10 Blueprints is, that you can create those in the Editor and then use in your Exploration world. Also, they can contain much more than just building blocks. You can have a Blueprint of a house, filled with items, surrounded by a garden with flowers and trees."

Seems like a huge improvement to me. What else do you want, aside from that?

Just now, FallujahMedic -FM- said:

Will the resource penalty for blueprints be removed (A blueprint often uses more resources than the same object being created manually)?

What do you mean by this?

[spiritchaser28 920]

13 minutes ago, zarwil said:

You don't want to limit players who have good PC's with an artificial limit, but on the other hand, an enormous blueprint can easily freeze someone else's game.

I hadn't thought about that aspect of monetezation. Makes sense though.

And heck yeah Blueprints made directly in editor has been a dream of mine since I started playing.

[Mello1223 591]

even now you can build any big blueprint plan even on a weak computer, it just takes a lot more time than a player with a strong pc. but players who do not know about it often give up before they can build this plan, because they do not know whether the plan is still being load or something has gone wrong. therefore, I also think that it would be good to add information to the monitor about the status of loading the plan

[zarwil 393]

Just now, Mello1223 said:

even now you can build any big blueprint plan even on a weak computer, it just takes a lot more time than a player with a strong pc. but players who do not know about it often give up before they can build this plan, because they do not know whether the plan is still being load or something has gone wrong. therefore, I also think that it would be good to add information to the monitor about the status of loading the plan

But if the blueprint is too large your game literally becomes unplayable due to low fps. I've had my game crash trying to load a blueprint. Sometimes the blueprint takes so long to load that you die of hunger before it's finished. 

[FallujahMedic -FM- 9]

@zarwil I tried to make it clear by stating: 
 

Quote

A blueprint often uses more resources than the same object being created manually

If this isn't clear, I apologise, let me rephrase. Often times, a user built object (lets say a wooden cube) costs fewer resources than if you would have used a blueprint. For simplicity's sake, lets say you created a wooden cube that took 24 logs, the same cube when built from a blueprint would take more than 24 logs. If this has since been resolved, lovely! I started playing Ylands back in 2017  (8 Oct, 2017). 

[zarwil 393]

Just now, FallujahMedic -FM- said:

@zarwil I tried to make it clear by stating: 
 

If this isn't clear, I apologise, let me rephrase. Often times, a user built object (lets say a wooden cube) costs fewer resources than if you would have used a blueprint. For simplicity's sake, lets say you created a wooden cube that took 24 logs, the same cube when built from a blueprint would take more than 24 logs. If this has since been resolved, lovely! I started playing Ylands back in 2017  (8 Oct, 2017). 

I never even noticed this, since I rarely use the default building mechanics in explore.

[Deadeye_Rob 908]

7 minutes ago, zarwil said:

I rarely use the default building mechanics in explore

I’m exactly the same. I design my builds in Editor, blueprint them, and build them in Exploration.

[jchob 354]

@FallujahMedic -FM- I dont think blueprints take more resources than normal building. If so, i never heard someone reporting it. And probably many players would notice that difference.

Do you have any example? It maybe can be a specific item bug