Mud/Clay Adobe Block

[legobanana 2]

I'm new to TerraFirma, started playing b79, but I've read up on the thatch changes and I think a really great way to make thatch useful again (besides early game roofing) would be to introduce some sort of clay + straw block. Here's some background on the real world:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudbrick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirpici

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cob_(material)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rammed_earth

 

ExtraFirmaCraft has an adobe brick, which follows a fairly simple recipe. I think something like that (maybe with some alternatives to clay, like sand and dirt) should definitely make it into the base mod, because:

 

• There's no non-flammable early game wall material
• There are no good early game building materials in biomes that lack trees, if you're on a plain, good luck surviving the first nights now that you can't use thatch
• Wood is expensive to build with even in mid-game, since you need so much of it for charcoal
• Thatch/straw is pretty useless now, especially considering how much of it is available
• Adobe fits the theme of the game really well. Once spiders are underground, adobe and thatch buildings could be essential stone/copper age shelters
• ExtraFirmaCraft hasn't been updated and adobe seems like the kind of thing that belongs in the core game

 

I know adobe's been mentioned before on here, I just think it might be time to add it in, given the thatch changes.

 

Here are some ideas on implementation details:

• Adobe would have to dry for a day after being created
  • The ExtraFirmaCraft recipe doesn't include water. I don't know how it could be included at an early stage, when all you have is a jug, but if there's no good way to do it, a dry crafting recipe like in ExtraFirma would probably be believable enough.
  • Maybe you have to be standing in water to make adobe?
• Adobe should be affected by gravity (so it can't be used for roofs), but stackable into a wall
  • Maybe there could be a height limit on the wall? Adobe placed above the max height would fall sideways like dirt/cobble
• Although clay is often used for adobe, limiting the recipe to clay (like in ExtraFirmaCraft) is probably bad for an early game block, because clay is really important to have for other stuff.
  • Also, dry areas near the equator might not have clay (and those areas also probably won't have trees, making it excessively difficult to build. You should at least be able to build a temporary shelter until you can gather resources to explore with. Obviously some spawns will be more difficult than others, but it shouldn't be impossible to build a shelter for the first few nights).
  • A solution would be to have two types of earth + straw blocks: clay adobe, made with clay and straw, and mud adobe (basically mud brick), made with dirt/sand and straw.
  • Clay adobe could be more resistant than mud adobe, with double (or perhaps no) height limit. Or maybe the clay adobe wouldn't be affected by gravity. Or if insulation is ever added, clay could make for a warmer shelter. Whatever it is, clay adobe would need to have an advantage over mud adobe, otherwise it wouldn't be worth the clay.
• I can't find the most up to date details on this, so I'm not sure if it's possible to get a raw clay block in early game, but it shouldn't be possible, From my understanding, clay blocks aren't affected by gravity (maybe they should be?), which makes them too versatile. Also it's not particularly believable to be building stuff out of soft clay when you otherwise have to put in a kiln.

[abdyman 14]

there are already mudbricks in the code in build 79. you can see them if you go in creative, you just cant use them for anything yet

[Jansson 0]

Start a singleplayer creative game and you´ll see that mud bricks are already in TFC. It´s probably just a matter of time before there´s a crafting recipe and a block implemented. Just have to wait...

 

edit- Woa! replied at the same time as abdyman. keeping it in sync...

[AllenWL 186]

Those are placeholders, which may or may not be scrapped.

If I recall correctly, there was a block(pipes, I think) that was put into creative as a placeholder. There was much hype about it, but it just ended up being removed. Just because there is a placeholder item doesn't mean it'll be implemented.

Also, I see no reason why, even if it will be added, for us to be not discussing about how it can be added.

 

I like the idea of having mud and clay bricks. It'll be very nice early-game, and even mid-game and further as a alternative block.

 

For crafting, saying clay is wet would be believable  I think, but for mud... maybe right-click the 'dirt lump' to get the mud adobe/whatever, or use clay vessels? Like, fill a vessel with water, then put some dirt in to get mud or whatever?

 

I think both mud and clay adobe should be breakable with hands, but clay should be much slower to break, meaning a pick would be the practical method to break adobe. Possibly baking clay adobe in a pit kiln?

[Saberwulfy 12]

i like the idea of wattle and daub house using this, with a beautiful straw roof and touching support beams for dont have holes

[Timorr 2]

If only that was added... like... NOW!

[GreenJonan 3]

Realy would like ExtraFirma to be updated, and yes this NEEDS to be in the base game!

There needs to be this as an early game material.

[Timorr 2]

I agree. ExtraFirma should be updated, but the project seems dead. Maybe I can use enigma decompile it and give the source code, but I need the agreement of the author to do that.

[kurzninja 10]

What if something like adobe or mud bricks were added, but with the downside of having a small random chance of having a block decay and disappear, with that chance increasing slightly when it's raining? That would make for a semi-permanent housing structure that would require just a bit of upkeep until you advanced to more sturdy building materials. Don't make the decay chance so much as to be annoying that your house is always falling apart, but just enough that you'd want to fix it up every now and again.

[bilbobuddy 24]

I like the idea of having to maintain the building, just like in real life.

[Countersync 3]

I like the idea of an early game 'brick' that behaves like vanilla sand/gravel.  It probably also would occasionally do a height check and crumble if too many other blocks were placed above it.  This would allow for early game single story structures with thatch roofing.  It would be nice if spiders somehow could not go through straw roofing.

[wintersfreund 2]

still exists in creativ as placeholder, adobe bricks for every stone type