move multiple blocks at once/placed blueprints act as a single object

i think i mentioned this already over on steam, but it just occurred to me again how good this would be, and i've got my thoughts more in order now, so i think it bears repeating.

a lot of us like to build furniture and decorative objects out of blocks, but i haven't actually used any of mine in my survival game because of how difficult it is to rearrange and move them once they are placed, especially compared to pre-made, actual furniture objects.

for example, a chair that i crafted at the work bench is one solid piece, so i can easily pick it up and move it around as i get more things/get better at decorating/move around the map. but if i make a chair out of blocks, the only way to 'move' it is to tear it apart block by block, or risk deleting part of the house it's in to delete it in a chunk via creative mode, and then re-place it as a blueprint.

it's pretty annoying/immersion breaking and i think it's a real shame that blueprints/player-made objects are basically limited to permanent fixtures like buildings rather than also being practical for use as objects in the world.

suggestions i came up with for fixing this;

- a moving dolly 'tool' item that, when equipped, allows you to select an area of blocks to then move all at once. operates like a blueprint but without leaving a copy behind that then has to be deleted. (unfortunately this still risks including unwanted nearby objects in the selection area... and having to use a dolly for something as small as a bottle or book is kinda silly.)

- a glue 'tool' item that lets you 'fuse' blocks permanently by clicking each individual block in sequence, rather than selecting an entire area(or perhaps you can toggle between either method). a single bottle of glue would only cover so many blocks, so you would need to craft multiple and then glue already glued chunks together for especially complex builds. the glued blocks would then act as a single object from then on, so if you sledgehammered it, it would break into a single pick-up-able object (this would then need to have an icon/name, but i think just a generic moving box symbol would be fine). i'd still like it best if it then had the pickup option in the radial menu, but even without that this would still be a vast improvement over having to deconstruct things one block at a time.

- a blueprint 'mode' you can select when you get a blueprint from the table that makes the blueprint act as a single object (like it does when you initially place it) forever, allowing it to be picked back up/reverted to blueprint form after it has already been placed in the world. this would be an additional option, so you could still choose to generate modifiable structures with the same blueprints too. unfortunately this would not work for blueprints that have already been placed before the new mode was added.

Quote from Avanar

i think due to the fact a blueprint is usually made of a lot of single blocks and objects it will be difficult. but what could work (in the future) is if a blueprint is exported into a kind of 3D-object file and then re-imported as 3D-Model.

yeah, that's basically how the 'blueprint mode' suggestion would work, it would just do it somewhat automatically in-game for you.

i'd also just really like the ability to move a block without having to put it back in my inventory first. like sometimes when i'm building, i place a block and then see it's just slightly off after the fact, but it's really annoying to have to tear it down completely and then manually adjust it back into position all over again before i can make that small tweak. small inconveniences like that add up quick when making lots of finely detailed builds, so some way to just click on an already placed block to go back into manual positioning mode with it in the same position would be SO nice.

Quote from Avanar

Why not use the magnet/docking mode

i don't know what that is. is it in the unity version?

Quote from Avanar

It was the same in Java. Just hit the Return-key (Enter Button) and the block will automatically get attached / docked onto the part you are looking at.

I work nearly 100% of the time with this. Its so convenient. And when i use ctrl to hold the part in place i can then maneuvr it exactly where i want and rotate it as i desire

you mean modular snap? that's only really useful when you're working with basic rectangular prisms in rows... i'm usually using irregular shapes in irregular configurations.

Quote from Avanar

basically its what you ask for. you got the ghost-shape of a block, allign it with a previous one and then move it into the position you like. if you hit ctrl button you can have a look all around if its the position you want before you finally place the block.

it's really not... yeah it gets stuff closer than just starting it on the ground, but there is a LOT of fine tuning the rotation and position still that could be eliminated by not having to delete and re-place the block at all. it's great that it works for you, but i use modular snapping all the time and i am telling you it is not enough for the things i make.

Quote from Deirdre

AlphaGodith You want to concert a bluepriint into a moveable objekt? That would bei fine for furniture and decoration parts, but I don't know if that would be possible at this stage of the game. The only one who can answer that is red51. Same with your other suggestion.

yeah, it's not a thing at the moment, but if it's something they could work into an update, that would be so awesome, don't you think?