Paint tool (a competent one)

[LeD]

Terrain analyzer is so bad I've never properly used it in 150+h I've played. That's even putting aside the point I didn't know what it did for most of the time since some players don't check wikis and the actual purpose of that thing is poorly explained.

The main issue with the current system is that building things a specific color implies you never want to repaint them or go back to repainting things you've put up early game. I don't want to destroy an entire elevated terrain platform with an entire factory on top of it just to draw some colored lines. And what if I redesign my factory? How to I zone things with colors without destroying the entire floor first?

Best option would be to add paint as a new, separate thing. A small printable machine you can make paint cans with. Perhaps spend some organic or resin on picking the color.

If we were to assume the absolute minimum effort to make things batter, at least make CTRL+LMB replace existing terrain with the new color so that we can paint over this way.

[Sleeves]

use the ALT+LMB mode, with the inhibitor mod

the inhibitor prevents terrain deformation, and the analyzer mod changes the color of what you make, i dont know exactly what it is, but the combination of these two using that exact mode allows you to paint the ground, also works with wide mod

just be sure to lock your platforms before doing this, they'll pop off the ground otherwise

i personally use this in caves to paint where i've been so i dont get lost, and once i unlock hoverboard, i use it to designate paved roads between places of interest

just gonna sing the praises of inhibitor mod again real quick, it can remove the rock pillars in caves without making the terrain a nightmare, it can mow the lawn really easily for early and harmless gathering of organic, and actually makes your resource collection range deeper, paired with wide mod, it's amazing for gathering