My god this is a well fleshed out idea. I think that trying to place a block on a slanted block would result in either the same thing that happens when you try to place a reed on rock (Nothing) or toy would just get hovering blocks. personally I think I prefer the hovering block thing because it's clear that the physics in minecraft are wonky.
On one hand, this might really hurt the concept of a simple cube world and all of its charming oddities...on the other hand, was it really the full intent to be a fully cube world or is that simply a side effect of the games implementation?
I personally think its fine ...if only for one reason, liquid already does something similar. I always found odd that if everything is blocks, why do liquids have those partial peices? Yea, it makes water look better, but it seems really out of place.
Also, if I could add to your system, I would extend this so the physics engine would work this magic on sand and other soft materials. For example, if you build a tower of sand it would collapse into smaller pyramid.
It would sorta be odd if you mine out a cave and it's all blocky as opposed to natural caves.
I think some of your single block images might be a little clearer if you put a cube wireframe around them.
This would change the game mechanics so much. It would greatly reduce the need for a more fluid movement system as I lay out in my combat-needs-to-be-improved thread. (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56267)
Quite honestly, i think this is a suggestion as epic as Farmcraft, steampunkery, or Alchemy. This is also the first map smoothing suggestion I've seen were i don't have to turn my flame switch off.
Sounds like a fabulous idea. I came here because I had been wondering about just half-slopes for things such as ramps (instead of stairs) and roofs. But this here takes it entirely to a new level, and I fully support it. I do think that having it entirely optional as you explained is imperative though to appease those who feel sculpted blocks ruin the blocky feel of Minecraft (I personally feel that they don't at all - everything is still made out of straight lines (aka far from being curved), and as someone pointed out, water already acts this way). You seem to have fleshed out everything here as well - bravo! As many others here seem to be, I am fully behind the idea, but it does seem potentially difficult to implement.
One thing that comes to mind is the fact that you stated "sunlit blocks" would be sculpted - but then what happens to caves? Are they still blocky? I think this is really easy to remedy by just making the engine deal with smoothing blocks that have at least two faces not covered by surrounding blocks - thus also including underground surfaces as well as those above-ground.
But great idea! I hope that at least something like this gets implemented!
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What would happen if you were to place a full block on a Slanted block (like 2a and 2b)? Would the block be slanted on it? If you dropped a sand block and it landed on one of those blocks would it slant on it and slide down it?
I imagine one not being able to place a block on a slanted surface as such - although you could just make it hover in the air. But dealing with blocks such as sand and gravel is a good question. I think that it is just impossible to place a new block on a slanted surface, so as to eliminate the issue of things being at weired angles/blocks sliding down surfaces.
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Well, not allowing any blocks in the single space directly above the slanted block wouldn't really solve that issue. Suppose you dropped a sand block from two or more blocks above it? Where would it stop?
edit: How about, if you drop a block that adheres to physics on top of a slanted block of the same kind, they just combined to form one solid block or something? Sand and gravel aren't rare, they're relatively useless. So I couldn't really see anyone seriously complaining about losing a sand or gravel block when two combined.
And what if, say, two blocks above a slanted sand block there were a floating dirt block. and above it, there was another slanted block, say, something valuable like a gold block. What would occur if you broke the dirt block?
Yes, it was agreed that it would not cause inherent visual problems on single player. But read all posts. It was also agreed that a multiplayer server would be set either one way or the other by admins, not changeable by the client.
wait, so to chisel sand, a block made of tiny bits of rock, I have to use a chisel? How about the chisel works on solids, and a trowel works on sand/gravel/ect?
Here's what I think trowels would look like:
[] being the material of choice.
I personally think its fine ...if only for one reason, liquid already does something similar. I always found odd that if everything is blocks, why do liquids have those partial peices? Yea, it makes water look better, but it seems really out of place.
Also, if I could add to your system, I would extend this so the physics engine would work this magic on sand and other soft materials. For example, if you build a tower of sand it would collapse into smaller pyramid.
Defend your words flexibly.
Change your words fittingly.
Let prejudice, popular opinion, and preconception be free from your judgments.
I think some of your single block images might be a little clearer if you put a cube wireframe around them.
This would change the game mechanics so much. It would greatly reduce the need for a more fluid movement system as I lay out in my combat-needs-to-be-improved thread. (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56267)
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56267
Let me rephrase; Hard to add without seriously damaging performance. I do believe Notch can pull it off though, if he committed to it.
Defend your words flexibly.
Change your words fittingly.
Let prejudice, popular opinion, and preconception be free from your judgments.
I dunno, a cube has 12 polys, I don't think there is a single shape up there with more.
It just depends on how many polys would have to be drawn and how much slower land generation would become.
My Pathfinder Campaign for the denizens of MCF: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1939035-where-are-we-sandbox-pathfinder-campaign-ooc/
One thing that comes to mind is the fact that you stated "sunlit blocks" would be sculpted - but then what happens to caves? Are they still blocky? I think this is really easy to remedy by just making the engine deal with smoothing blocks that have at least two faces not covered by surrounding blocks - thus also including underground surfaces as well as those above-ground.
But great idea! I hope that at least something like this gets implemented!
edit: How about, if you drop a block that adheres to physics on top of a slanted block of the same kind, they just combined to form one solid block or something? Sand and gravel aren't rare, they're relatively useless. So I couldn't really see anyone seriously complaining about losing a sand or gravel block when two combined.
And what if, say, two blocks above a slanted sand block there were a floating dirt block. and above it, there was another slanted block, say, something valuable like a gold block. What would occur if you broke the dirt block?
I would LOVE it if it were optional, though. I just wouldn't want ALL of my worlds to look like that.
Here's what I think trowels would look like:
[]