Ok, I hope this thread will fill with further ideas, since it is basic still and in development.
The idea is, not only to craft items with gleamstones by putting them into a workbench like in Minecraft. But rather crafting, by directly placing them into the landscape in the right pattern.
I made 2 very basic and messy sketches, which should be sufficient for explaining this idea:
Gleam Pattern 1 for example could be used for opening up a portal. Place gleam in this pattern form upright into the landscape and this pattern combination could melt together and open up the portal.
Gleam Pattern 2 could be used for Zouls idea in creating an illusional field into the landscape which immitates landscape textures almost(!) perfectly: So all you would have to do is place (in this case) black gleamstones as an outline to define the space or plain which should be camouflaged. Fill this outline with any desired material wich should be permeable for characters in a way he can walk through but also should be subtly recognisable as camoulaged area. The problem this throws up (when I think about it) is that the gleam outline would be a direct indicator for an illusional field. So still not that sleak.
This whole idea can get even more complex by adding the whole gleam spectrum to the patterns. So one could use one and the same pattern, but with different gleam colors and therefore achieve a different outcome.
Mkay - so far this is the basic idea. I hope I can deepen this further in future. Feedback is much appreciated.
And as a sidenote: One idea throws up another. So I wouldn’t have had this idea without Zouls Illusion-Block idea. It adds up to another quite well, I believe. : )
Thank you, this is alot more descriptive. so basically making certain combinations of blocks would create a certain thing?
it might be a cool idea but on the other hand it might kinda suck. like lets say i want to make a door opening, but whenever i do that with the given blocktype it would instantly turn into a portal frame
But it is actually a thing worth thinking about, i hope we can make bigger things in crafting (so lets say i make something, when i place it it fills 9 blocks on the ground) but this could make something like it, you could even craft ‘‘parts’’ that needs to be connected, so basically what you said, block placements, but it is certain ‘‘gear blocks’’ or ‘‘part blocks’’
Had the same though about wanting to make a gleam arc or something and it suddenly pops into a portal. Could be surprising on the one hand, but in ongoing playing process could be very annoying.
Although - how to activate a little build with a staff. How does the staff know which blocks are bound together?
Still not impossible, because the pattern which is set up, already is defined as one piece. Directing the staff on only one voxel of this piece could include the whole thing.
Keep in mind that they wanted to simplify crafting by not requiring players to lay out the blocks in a certain way. This is pretty much adding that complication in.
Maybe instead of doing it that way, which will restrict how people’s builds look, maybe if you place certain blocks in a, let’s say an enchanting table, you create a glyph which can then be added to a build.
I really hope they add some multiblock structures though I would love to see a big working smeltery/forge.
And also different crafting stations not only one table/inventory
Honestly, I love the workbench element in Minecraft - it’s a game mechanical connector which makes blocks to objects or more detailed shapes. Nevertheless it would be a very intuitive approach to leave out (which won’t happen) the workbench and craft by blocking into the landscape. Including both options would add variety. Workbenches are typical for MMOs in general.
The point is though, doing it that way, you will force all structures of a certain type to look the same. Doing it a different way will give you the same overall effect but allow diversity of style.
That’s a point, but multiblock crafting smaller objects which have an effect on the environment is not too absurd.
So for example create a levitation device which might consist of (xyz) 5-5-5 blocks, and add this to a bigger object which then might float like an airship. This arises the question (again) - how does the levitation device know which blocks altogether belong to the airship It IS complicated, yes that’s for sure.
If it’s a control mechanism for part of a larger structure then I definitely feel that it would be better handled using some sort of table rather than blocks placed in the world.
I know the developers have to be reasonable on how to spend their energy and money for further progression.
It is also for a reason I made this post - some are complaining because of the comparison to Minecraft. So we can try to make it different or even better. If these ideas will be considered - maybe. But if they’ll make it into the game - who knows. It is about giving the game trend-setting new appeals to gameplay in this kind of genre. In a way to max out its potential.
I would not want to craft a sword by placing some blocks straight into the world. I agree up to this, but if it has a gameplay element like blockcrafting for apparati - would be awesome.
I can see this kind of system working for art pieces. Like let’s say you have 2 paintings in your inventory, a Degas and a Pollock. You place them down side by side and they merge into one larger Van Gogh (or something like that). But that’s about as far as I’d take this kind of concept…
:)) Yes, now I can see that it is difficult to explain a concept which is not really polished to others in only a few sentences. An idea is like a little candlelight…visible, but it doesn’t illuminate a whole world.
I bet the devs could make even this work. First, to me it sounded impossible, but if you take into consideration the merging block textures, it is not too far off
This is how a lift array could work by setting up gleam colors in order of the rainbow color spectrum.
The problem with it is - how does the lift know when to move the liftplate upwards and when downwards.
So far this could be achieved by turning around the the order of the the colors. So it is quite circumstantial.
All in all this may look a bit childish or too colorful but it is a method of transport including two pole magnet blocks. Colored gleam defines the thrust direction in an ongoing color-loop.
YES 
I would love to see a big working smeltery/forge.
It IS complicated, yes that’s for sure.
