Chisel Bench and Hammer and Chisel tools as a crafting mechanic for stone-related materials.

[Thalius]

I wanted to suggest that tools be placed in the game to allow for the shaping of various stone and clay type blocks. In M-craft I use the chisel and bits mod. I will admit that the mod is inspiring this post and so is, to a large extent, the forging mechanic that has been created for the crafting of metal tools in VS.

The level of creativity in the game would increase greatly if the player were given the tools to "chisel" blocks and clay to obtain different shapes. Bits could be saved for use in a variety of creations, including creation of everything from decorations in builds, to statues, to sculpture paintings engraved in walls.

The chisels and bits mod style of doing this needs an overhaul to be less irritating, but the general idea would be the same.

I would suggest at least two tools added to the game in survival mode- a chisel bench and a a hammer and chisel set.

Use of hammer and chisel with the Chisel bench would allow for blocks to be "chiseled" into various shapes. Bench would allow for the following:

• Blocks being edited could be rotated as the player worked

• Work on the bench can include more than one block at a time up to a reasonable size (2x2, 2x3, 3x3, 2x2x2, 2x2x3, 2x3x3, 3x3x3 for instance. Ability to zoom in and out to view and chisel different areas would be required if this feature was included.)

• have different sizes of chunks taken out of it as the player wishes

• allow for new chunks of stone/clay/jewels to be added to it

• all work done on the bench can be undone until the block is removed, at which point the changes are permanent.

• The block can be placed back on the bench for further work, but none of the previous work can be automatically undone.

• Commonly used shapes could be saved via recipes to speed up crafting of commonly used block shapes.

 

The hammer and chisel could be used independently of the bench in the game world, but with less options:

• blocks could not be rotated for work

• no zoom factor

• work done cannot be undone automatically. Bits must be gathered and replaced to repair any unwanted work done independent of the bench.

 

As for the collection of "bits"- I would suggest that not all "bits" chiseled off can be saved. Much of stone work results in useless broken materials- stone material lost due to dust and broken fragments that are useless in further stone work. For instance- one block is composed of MANY little bits, but a block broken down with a chisel might yield one full stack of "bits" that could be used.

In addition to placement of bits, I would also suggest that blocks could be broken down on the chisel bench into different sized pieces- slabs and smaller blocks to be stored in inventory for use in building on the bench or in the game world.

I wish I could draw up a GUI for the crafting side of this idea, but I do not have the means or the skill. I envision something very simple though. Once the GUI for the chisel bench is pulled up you have access to the following:

• an in-game chisel bench faded out a bit in the background with the block(s) being worked on hovering in mid air

• two keys to allow for zoom in and out on the area where the chisel is hovering

• a third key or middle mouse wheel button allowing for the rotation of the block(s) horizontally

• a fourth key to allow the block(s) to be flipped vertically after which the middle mouse or other button would rotate the block(s) horizontally for further work.

• A slot where recipes can be placed for fast editing of a block(s) into commonly used shapes.

 

IF this idea were employed smoothly and correctly, it could serve as a replacement mechanic for many stone related crafting recipes in the game, allowing for the "chiseling" of stone related blocks like stairs and slabs, even as forging has been employed for crafting of metal tools. At the very least a similar mechanic allowing for greater variety in stone crafting would add a significant level of creativity to the game's building options.

 

The microblock mechanic now employed in the game through forging makes this kind of crafting possible.  I would also suggest the possibility that the microblock mechanic could be employed to allow shovels to target 1/8th of a block of soil, allowing for the cutting of dirt steps into the side of hills.  Soil "dug" away this way would be lost and not collected in inventory,  It would provide a very simple and real mechanic to the game world.