An apology, and possible solution to underground building…

Man, feels like forever since I've posted anything, but it's really only been a couple weeks. The new build is an almost comical time sink. I'm at that point where you keep thinking you've bitten off more than you can chew, and you just keep working it til the end is in sight. I did have some time to think though, and a recent change in perspective gave me a new idea on a previous post.

About a month ago I did a post on building underground, in which I talked about using the freefly command to preview cuts that you would make into stone. While that remains a viable approach for some, what I failed to realize is that many players cannot access the freefly command because they play on a server with other people. I'd like to apologize for this oversight, it wasn't until recently that I started playing anything other than solo. Recently my friend Beef picked up the game, and we've been playing on a dedicated server I rented, and suddenly the view of those playing multiplayer became apparent. So that post is rather irrelevant, since it only benefits those playing solo, and willing to use the console. I just never thought of it until I was in the same position as most other players. For this I sincerely apologize, and hopefully this idea for future improvements in the game will rectify that.

My idea is the addition of a boss power (like Eikthyr or Modor) called Stone Sense. I could be obtained from a boss like a giant Stone Golem, and it would give the player the ability to see stone assets underground. This would allow players to identify combination stone clusters under the earth, so they could find usable sites for underground building. In addition, when players cut into stone (meaning the original 'rock4_mountain' asset is replaced by the 'rock4_mountain_frac' asset) the pieces would appear color coded for easy reference on their position. Like blue for pieces on the bottom of the rock, green for pieces on the side, and red for any pieces that would open up the top of the rock. This would allow players to find combo stone sites, and cut stone without any risk of ruining a site. It also has the advantage of creating another tier of building gated behind gameplay like a boss fight.

To me this satisfies all aspects of the players and Devs desires for gameplay. For players, building in caves or underground is a functionality we want, but is impossible with the current way land is structured. Building inside found stone assets remains the best viable workaround, but remains precarious because stones break apart in complicated ways, and isn't fixable after the cut is made. For Devs who don't want people making underground bunkers wherever they like, this makes underground building situational (you have to find the right spot through exploration) and gates it behind in-game progression.

TLDR: The addition of an ability that could allow you to see stone cuts in game would greatly increase the accessability of underground building.

Let me know what you think: if this is something you think could work in game, if it's something you'd want, or if you found some horrible flaw in my logic. Hope you all are living your best viking lives, and keep building and posting everyone!