Hello gamers! What are your favourite examples of building/crafting mechanics in games?

I’m talking things like basebuilding in Subnautica, where you’re involved in the resource upkeep and managing total rooms vs. fortifications. Or how Frostpunk limits your choices with a research-increasable building radius, plus constant pressure to adapt to unexpected situations, the fix to which you’ll have to implement before the next situation.

In general: What makes Building dope in games?

This can be in games with building as a goal, e.g frostpunk, or games where its pretty much an afterthought. Trying to expand my horizons, and think it’d be neat to hear what y’all feel makes building good

  • Gork@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Interlocking building parts that snap together and can be placed in a grid. Like how Valheim does it. It also has 22.5° and 45° diagonal pieces that fit well together. There are also a wide variety of pieces that can mix and match to create different aesthetics. The controls are also very intuitive, it only takes a short amount of time to understand the mechanics.

    A contrasting example would be No Man’s Sky. While it too has a nice variety of pieces that can interlock together, the controls aren’t as good. I frequently end up snapping to the wrong edge unless I’ve got a completely flat floor with all identically sized wall pieces, and even then it sometimes doesn’t let me place things where I want them to go. If NMS had the same build controls as Valheim, I’d be much more content with the (otherwise great) game.

    • m_talon@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      As a fan of both, I completely agree. Valheim’s building controls are absolutely amazing. It’s so easy to build a really good looking structure. I tend to avoid the wall/roof/etc stuff in NMS and just stick with the prefab rooms and hallways.