Terraforming concept in Grounded.

[Adeon]

One of the biggest problems in Grounded is to find even surface to build on it. Or, there is place I want to build the base, but terrain is too uneven? For something relatively small like buildings it can be solved by using scaffolds and clay foundation, but for something bigger like home surrounded by a fence? It would be great to build first simple home without floor near the first field station, but the ground is too eneven there. This leads to the situations when you start planning the base from one side, and when you came to the opposite side, you have a fence or the door hanging in the air, digged in the ground, or worse structures is impossible to place. This kind of things making buiding something a nightmare. It takes too much time to plan your base, because each time something go wrong, you need to dissolve all that you planned and start anew.

To prevent that kind of situations I want to suggest a feature that will help in the beginning of the game and further on. What if we could have analog of clay foundation, but that is essentially dirt? It will be the way to terraform surfaces to prepare them for buildings or fences. 

Thus I suggest to add new structure to the game:

Dirt foundation. (+Dirt ramp, +Triangle Dirt foundation) Available from the beginning of the game.

• Building requirments: none (well, maybe shovel + some kind of digging animation, so building it would not be instant).
• Structure HP: immune to damage. (It is terraformed ground, no one can damage it.)
• Restrictions: impossible to build on other structures, can be built only one level high (Two prevent players from building invincible dirt bases). Over restrictions may be needed, so people could not block anthill entrance (cannot be placed on a thin air?)

Also, this should prevent grass and other things from spawning inside the fence. So, please, consider this idea.

For those who against "invincible structures", it is not a structure, it is emulation of terraforming. I do not know if it possible to make terraforming in unreal engine, but I'm sure if yes, it is not that simple or maybe not even worth time spent. What I suggested is workaround of terraforming by using existing mechanic.

 

Edited September 4, 2020 by Adeon

[McSquirl Nugget]

i'm confused.  how would packed dirt be stronger than packed clay?  Nothing we build should be indestructible.

I like the landscaping idea, and posted on this earlier to hopefully be implemented, if the game engine supports that.

[Daedro]

1 hour ago, McSquirl Nugget said:

i'm confused.  how would packed dirt be stronger than packed clay?  Nothing we build should be indestructible.

I like the landscaping idea, and posted on this earlier to hopefully be implemented, if the game engine supports that.

I think that's what he's getting at. Not to see it as an actual building structure but landscaping the ground with the dirt foundation. It would be indestructible in the sense that it would act as part of the actual ground, just raising/levelling the land (with a separate animation), and not act as part of your base. 

Terrain manipulation would be an exciting prospect though, I just worry that it would cause more problems, like bugs getting stuck in terrain, than what it would solve. Would love to build a moat or something around a base though, hadn't thought of that. 

[McSquirl Nugget]

45 minutes ago, Daedro said:

I think that's what he's getting at. Not to see it as an actual building structure but landscaping the ground with the dirt foundation. It would be indestructible in the sense that it would act as part of the actual ground, just raising/levelling the land (with a separate animation), and not act as part of your base. 

Terrain manipulation would be an exciting prospect though, I just worry that it would cause more problems, like bugs getting stuck in terrain, than what it would solve. Would love to build a moat or something around a base though, hadn't thought of that. 

If you build up the ground to form a foundation, then it should act like the clay foundation, but more susceptible to damage as it's just dirt, vs clay.  If you're just landscaping to flatten out the area to build on, raise it a bit there lower here, etc.  then yes, it should be impervious to damage like the ground is.

Moat would be cool!  hadn't thought of that either.  Then we'd need a palisade draw bridge and portcullis