Blueprints should be 5x5

[Maehlice]

I mean, the 5x5 challenge was (is?) a thing since forever. We've long since known that 5x5 is about the smallest grid we can reasonably work within. So why on Ficsit's green MASSAGE is the vanilla blueprint so friggin small!?

[Zak]

That's why the mod scene exists since the dawn of PC gaming: to address games shortcomings and limitations. No game ever will be able to satisfy every player. No devs have the time and resources to implement any and every feature players want.

[Maehlice]

The mod scene exists to make up for the shortcomings of developers? That's pure copium.

Surely, you don't think adding an extra 9 tiles to the Blueprint designer is outside CSS's available resources or skillset.

We're not talking about some niche feature or a brand new addition here. Blueprints were modded into the game ages ago, and CSS finally came around to implementing them into the vanilla game, because damnear every player wanted them.

The issue is that they added them in such a way that they're largely insufficient.

If we polled every player who's dabbled in the blueprint designer, I bet money the vast majority of them would agree that 4x4 is too small. Without creative clipping, you can't even create a basic "back-to-back" Assembler manifold of 6 Assemblers on that tiny footprint.

I get why they made it small -- because too many objects spawning in at the same time can crash the game. But making it 4x4 is the solution? Really? If there's a quantifiable object limit before the game goes wonky, then make THAT the limitation. Don't soft cap us with a tiny grid; give us a larger grid and a hard cap inside of it, please.

[McCloud]

Originally posted by Zak:

to address games shortcomings and limitations.

or perceived unfairness (being 95%+ of all mods ever made just make games easier).

[Schlappspaten]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

I mean, the 5x5 challenge was (is?) a thing since forever. We've long since known that 5x5 is about the smallest grid we can reasonably work within. So why on Ficsit's green MASSAGE is the vanilla blueprint so friggin small!?

The answer can be simple: to make the game a challenge and not a sunday afternoon stroll. Not everybody likes it when games are getting too easy.

[Vectorspace]

The devs gave it a lot of consideration before settling on 4x4, they didn't just roll a dice.
Like every feature, they will listen to player feedback, and may make changes in v1.0 or after. Or not.

[Blake]

Wait for v1, there'll be blueprint upgrades 100 times bigger than now. Highlight an entire factory and paste it anywhere you want as many times as you want.

Maybe...

[Zak]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

The mod scene exists to make up for the shortcomings of developers? That's pure copium.

Surely, you don't think adding an extra 9 tiles to the Blueprint designer is outside CSS's available resources or skillset.

Where did I say "shortcomings of developers"???

I said "games shortcomings and limitations" BIG difference. Games are missing features often simply because the studio may not want to add certain features because they don't align with their vision. But also yes, a game studio is a business and they are restrained by resources and business requirements. They can't just add everything people want, no matter how little effort *you* may think it takes. Even something seemingly simple requires decisions to be made, someone has to approve it, someone has to design it, someone has to code it, etc. It's a business process, people don't just come back from lunch, sit down and add stuff to software on a whim.

Off the top of my head what people want:

larger blueprints
character customization
new map
snow biome
rain
curved roads
half foundations
aerial vehicles
faster explorer
bridges
boats
underwater structures
furniture
more lights
more weapons
more combat
base defenses
renewable energy
teleportation

I'm sure there is more I can't remember right now. Surely, you don't think adding these is outside CSS's available resources or skillset? What makes ya think that larger blueprints are more important than say, a snow biome or curved roads? or perhaps the devs just don't want to add some of these features? They claimed that current blueprints are enough.

So yeah, I'm enjoying my large blueprints while you're complaining...

Originally posted by McCloud:

Originally posted by Zak:

to address games shortcomings and limitations.

or perceived unfairness (being 95%+ of all mods ever made just make games easier).

That too, though you made up the 95% number, IMHO 95% of mods are nude mods :) But I enjoy mods mostly because they add content to the game that the devs can't or don't want to add. Some mods make games harder though, but most just make games different or more interesting.

[InvertedSphere]

I agree. I've put in hundreds of hours since the blueprints were added and have yet to ever be able to use them in any meaningful way. 4x4 is just too small, but 5x5 is something I could work with. I also agree that we shouldn't have to rely on mods for some small and simple thing that the devs can easily fix. I have a feeling this might be fixed for 1.0 though.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Zak:

Where did I say "shortcomings of developers"???

Originally posted by Zak:

... to address games shortcomings and limitations.

Games don't develop themselves. A shortcoming of the game is a shortcoming of the developer. Shortcoming of vision, shortcoming of resources, of ability, of connection, of creativity, of whatever...

Originally posted by Zak:

What makes ya think that larger blueprints are more important than say, a snow biome or curved roads? or perhaps the devs just don't want to add some of these features?

Because it's already a vanilla feature in the game. Polishing what is already in the game is almost always more important than something new.

Again, we're not talking about a niche feature. Blueprints are an early mid-game milestone players can unlock and begin using within days of first launching Satisfactory. Presumably, they're a feature players are expected to continue using throughout the entire game.

So, yeah, polishing a functional feature seems like a much more important thing than adding some aesthetics.

Originally posted by Zak:

They claimed that 5x5 blueprints are enough.

If they claimed 5x5 is enough, then why is the Blueprint Designer 4x4 !?

Originally posted by Zak:

So yeah, I'm enjoying my large blueprints while you're complaining...

Congratulations, I guess.

[Zak]

5x5 was a typo, I fixed it later.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Zak:

5x5 was a typo, I fixed it later.

That typo was easy to roll of your fingers without a second-thought, because deep down inside, you know to be true that 5x5 is enough and that 4x4 is not. ;)

[Zak]

Originally posted by Maehlice:

Originally posted by Zak:

5x5 was a typo, I fixed it later.

That typo was easy to roll of your fingers without a second-thought, because deep down inside, you know to be true that 5x5 is enough and that 4x4 is not. ;)

Perhaps, the fact that I'm using a large blueprint mod implies that I dislike the default, crippled, 4x4 blueprints. But I just use a mod and I'm happy. It rarely crashes. I don't expect the devs to add each and every feature I may think of. I've got solar panels too... And this is "exactly" why mods exist: to fix, enhance and expand games.

[McCloud]

Originally posted by Zak:

IMHO 95% of mods are nude mods :)

Haha! Fair enough... and they do make it much harder too.

[Zak]

Originally posted by McCloud:

Originally posted by Zak:

IMHO 95% of mods are nude mods :)

Haha! Fair enough... and they do make it much harder too.

[Maehlice]

Originally posted by Zak:

Originally posted by Maehlice:

That typo was easy to roll of your fingers without a second-thought, because deep down inside, you know to be true that 5x5 is enough and that 4x4 is not. ;)

Perhaps, the fact that I'm using a large blueprint mod implies that I dislike the default, crippled, 4x4 blueprints. But I just use a mod and I'm happy. It rarely crashes. I don't expect the devs to add each and every feature I may think of. I've got solar panels too... And this is "exactly" why mods exist: to fix, enhance and expand games.

Are you just being a contrarian then? Or is your position that CSS can do whatever they want since "mods" is their proverbial get out of jail free card?

I've made it clear that I also don't expect the devs to add every feature any of us can imagine (nor those that go against their game's ethos -- like solar panels).

But what I do expect is that features they add not be half-baked.