As of the new 1.7 update you now need to use redstone to set off TNT. This makes me think that a even better way would be to use gunpowder to do this. This is what I'm thinking:
Make gunpowder placable just like redstone dust.
Make gunpowder burn when placed on a block.
Make the fire spread very quickly when there is gunpowder nearby.
Make the fire much more likely to spread to a block with gunpowder than a burnable block without gunpowder.
This way you would place a TNT block, then make a fuse out of gunpowder that you light up with the flint and steel.
To compensate for the extra gunpowder that you need to spend to make a fuse then the TNT might get a little boost?
Since placed gunpowder will use the fire spreading dynamic then the fuse can be quite a bit longer than the fuse you can make with a redstone wire. Right now the standard 15 block long redstone wire fuse you can make is a bit short, and if you want it longer you need to place more redstone torches to boost the signal.
The downside of this suggestion is that you will to manually light the fuse. I guess you can make a piston operated water gate that let's lava flow close enough to start the fire, but maybe adding a redstone activated lighter would be good? This lighter could then be used to remotely set other things on fire as well (like having the fireplace light up when you click on the door opening button).
Anotehr option would be to allow redstone torches to light gunpowder (and only gunpwder), but a redstone operated lighter would be more fun.
No, but unlike the others who will say this I'll tell you why. I like many other people preferred the FIRST way to blow up TNT, it was useful in blowing up stuff. The current way is rather annoying having to place a button, witch or redstone wire next to it. This idea would probibly make TNT an unrealistic thing to use when mining like many others do.
Make gunpowder placable just like redstone dust.
Make gunpowder burn when placed on a block.
Make the fire spread very quickly when there is gunpowder nearby.
Make the fire much more likely to spread to a block with gunpowder than a burnable block without gunpowder.
This way you would place a TNT block, then make a fuse out of gunpowder that you light up with the flint and steel.
To compensate for the extra gunpowder that you need to spend to make a fuse then the TNT might get a little boost?
Since placed gunpowder will use the fire spreading dynamic then the fuse can be quite a bit longer than the fuse you can make with a redstone wire. Right now the standard 15 block long redstone wire fuse you can make is a bit short, and if you want it longer you need to place more redstone torches to boost the signal.
The downside of this suggestion is that you will to manually light the fuse. I guess you can make a piston operated water gate that let's lava flow close enough to start the fire, but maybe adding a redstone activated lighter would be good? This lighter could then be used to remotely set other things on fire as well (like having the fireplace light up when you click on the door opening button).
Anotehr option would be to allow redstone torches to light gunpowder (and only gunpwder), but a redstone operated lighter would be more fun.
No, all you would need is gunpowder and sand for the TNT, gunpowder for the fuse and then flint and steel to light the fuse.
The redstone lighter would be a possibility if people find it to be too much work to manually having to set of TNT and/or miss the days of TNT traps.