Yesterday evening, Garry merged the construction2 branch into main. I loaded up a server with the development code and tested out the new update. This is a game changer; the new building system is completely different. There is still a lot missing, but overall I really like the feel of the new system.

You place, it builds

One of the biggest differences with this new system is it builds for you. You place the object, pay the price (which is much more expensive, see cost below), the frame is built and starts gaining health. When you place a wall it starts at 10 of 100 health. It gradually gains health until it reaches the max for its level. Misplaced items can be destroyed quickly if you act fast.

Placed items are solid to walk on immediately. No more falling through frames or any of that shit.

Note on levels: It looks like there may be a second wood level which isn't working now. For the purposes of this article, I will refer to the stone level as level 2. Also, it is not currently possible to upgrade past level 2.

Upgrading

Upgrading is completely different also. Gone are the days of hammering as you watch a single stone or metal frag slip away at a time. Yes, you still do need a hammer, you just never hammer with it. Instead, you equip your hammer, right click on the building part you'd like to upgrade and select the upgrade level.

Demolish rates

This is one of the first things I wanted to test: how long does it take to get through a wall? It’s not clear yet how the damage proficiency stats carry over to this build, but I tested with the most proficient demolition tool for lower levels in the current building system: the hatchet.

Level 1
18.5 seconds

Level 2 (stone)
~1 minute, 32 seconds

Another stark difference with this new build system is you can see exactly what the health of each building object is. As you start whacking away, you see the health bar get lower. Each hatchet hit appears to do 3 damage.

Cost

Another big difference in this build system is cost of items. The old (current) building system charges measly figures like 10 wood for a frame and another 10 to get it to level 1. The days of cheap building have sailed with this version. Each piece costs 300 wood to place each frame (400 for blocks and stairs).

Upgrade costs to level 2:

Foundation / Blocks / Stairs
600 wood
300 stone

Walls / Windows / Etc
400 wood
200 stone

Health

Each item in this new building system has a health. Foundations, blocks and stairs are 200, everything else appears to be 100. Interestingly enough, items heal themselves. That means if you whack at a wall and bring the health down, it'll start rising back up the second you stop.

Foundations / Blocks / Stairs

Level 1
200 Health

Level 2 (stone)
800 Health

Walls / Windows / Etc

Level 1
100 Health

Level 2 (stone)
500 Health

Build times

Once you place a frame or run an upgrade, the health starts slowing rising. Here are some times it takes items to reach full health:

Foundations / Blocks / Stairs

Level 1
6 minutes, 20 seconds

Level 2 (stone)
20+ minutes

Walls / Windows / Etc

Level 1
3 minutes

Level 2 (stone)
13 minutes, 20 seconds

Pie menu

The new pie is in and I like it so far. It is more responsive than the inventory / crafting UI and works in many contexts. One reason I think it is more responsive is because it appears to be running off of the Unity UI system as opposed to CoherentUI (not confirmed). The new pie menu is used in several places including:

Building
Upgrading
Door opening / knocking
Tool Cupboard authorization

One not so intuitive thing is: when you are using your building plan, you have to hold right click to bring up the menu and then also left click to select. If you right click, bring up the menu, and then release right click on the option you want, it does not select. You have to left click to select (while you're holding down right click to keep the menu up). To me, it would make more sense to select the highlighted item on the release of right click.

Windows

Windows are a lot wider and more spacious in the new building system. They are also very easy to jump through. Thankfully, metal window bars on on the way. Unfortunately, they are not in the current build. Also, gone are the days of blocking window access by putting a railing in front of the window, you can no longer do this. That brings me to my next point…

Sockets = No more stacking on foundations

In the current building system, you can place several walls, railings or other items on one foundation. This is no longer the case in the new system. Because it uses sockets (like legacy), items can only be placed on designated spots of a foundation.

Rotation

The other option the hammer menu gives you is to rotate items. I played around a bit with this and it doesn't appear to take effect until you disconnect and reconnect from the server.

Dismantle

This new feature will make many people happy. One of the options when you right click on a building item with your hammer out is to demolish it. The description says: slowly, automatically dismantle this block. Sweet, if you misplace an item you'll be able to get rid of it without whacking it over and over with your hatchet. I couldn't get this feature to work so I can’t provide any times on how long it takes to remove an item, however, I'd imagine its going to be similar to the build times.

Stairs

Stairs are totally different. I wouldn't even refer to them as stairs yet, I would call them ramps. They are half the height of a floor. To place stairs going up one whole level, you have to place one stairs, then a block and another stairs on the block. It’s a little weird and will take some getting use to, but it does solve some of the spacing issues experienced with the old stair system

Pillars

Pillars are in and they work similar to how they did in legacy. The big difference is you do not need to place pillars to put a wall or door up. It is an interesting hybrid of new and old. Pillars can't be placed in sockets that already have a wall or stairs. I didn't play around too much with these but I'm excited to see them back in the game (and that they don't appear to be mandatory). Also, they are a bit cheaper than other things (200 wood).

Door knocking

Yes, it is in. When you approach a door and hold 'e' you now have the option to know. One downside is this means when you approach your own door where you've already entered a code, it doesn't just open for you, you have to left click on the ‘open’ option. This could be a problem if you're hauling ass away from a bandit (or bear) and you need to get inside quick. Fortunately, it closes in one click of the ‘e’ button.

Edit: It looks like Garry has already resolved this one.

Tool Cupboard

The tool cupboard is in and appears to work as advertised. Still not sure if it blocks within 30 or 50 meters (in game says 50 but the devblog said 30). It apparently can be destroyed but seems to be a tough cookie; it withstood over 200 hatchet hits before I got bored and moved on.

Also, it appears anyone who can access the cupboard can authorize or clear the authorize list.

Crosshair on all the time

I’m not sure if this is a mistake or a new permanent feature but you know that little round crosshair that shows up when you go to loot a box? Well that thing is on all the time at the moment.

Miscellaneous other pictures

Summary

The new build system is really cool and I'm excited to see it in the game. That being said, it still needs a lot of work. I'm hoping Garry takes another week to polish it up a bit before releasing into the wild.

Note: Sorry if any of these numbers are off, I was compiling this shit at 3am last night after a couple glasses of wine.