#build tips

im trying some stuff out in a creative world bc ive never been extraordinary at building but i wanna get better! not sure how to go about this without it looking weird tho. so any help would be appreciated !!!

Is there a way to replace blocks without breaking them that is creative vanilla?

would Viridescent Hunt with atk, electro dmg bonus, and crit rate artifacts work better than Amos' Bow with the same three artifacts?

Oooh, that sounds like a fun project! I’m happy to share some thoughts on creating a cohesive lot with multiple structures.

My first suggestion is a no-brainer: do your research! With my Lost Colony build, I didn’t just look for inspiration images of cool, abandoned, old New England vernacular architecture, I did some rudimentary research into the kinds of structures and businesses you might find in an old colonial town in New England. I’m not a historian—and I’m sure my colony build is full of anachronisms—but it was helpful to think as I flipped through inspiration images, “this would make a perfect one-room schoolhouse,” or “this house is big enough that the lower level could be a tavern.” It’s a lot easier to keep up steam when each “build” on the lot has its own identity from the start.

Second, I would recommend figuring out how to break the 64x64 lot up into smaller parcels of land. Again, do your research—I’m sure medieval German towns weren’t laid out on a neat grid. Maybe you find a great aerial photo or drawing of town you can borrow from, or imagine what structures were put up first that the town organically grew up around. Map out the plots of land with fencing and try to stick to those boundaries. 

And finally, in terms of keeping things cohesive from structure to structure… This is probably the most nebulous and time-consuming part, but I would say never complete a single building more than 90% without zooming out and looking at the “town” as a whole. Or, you can tell yourself that piece is 100% done but then you have to give yourself permission to change your mind and go back. (I find that emotionally exhausting so I go the 90% route.) Acknowledge that you’re going to learn in the process and give yourself room to apply those lessons. If something is sticking out, odds are good that some small tweaks will be all that’s needed to blend it back in with its surroundings. 

A few other thoughts:

Challenge yourself to use the same kit of parts a slightly different way on every structure. You’re going to be reusing the same selection of Tudor doors and windows from start to finish—don’t use every single option on a single building! 

Keep in mind wall height inflexibility—if you use super high walls for the first level of a church, it’s going to make it impossible to build an appropriately scaled little shack. (Though when the new update comes out you’ll have the mixed height foundations to work with!) 

Decide what “native” plants grow in the area on their own and pepper those throughout the town, and then have plantings distinct to each home/building (whether that’s nicely manicured flower boxes or a tangle of weeds)

Fence lines and terrain paint are your friends! 

Ahh thank you!!! I use the fountain/pool tools most of the time, but I’ve used a few different approaches depending on the build, so i’ll try and describe my process below

mostly i use the fountain or pool tool to make an irregular shape kinda like a pond might be (left picture above)

or! i place a fishing pond from the debug menu (i liked this better for a desert based pond in the right picture above)

then i disguise all the edges (more important when using the fountain/pool method where the edges are sharp) - plants + rocks are key here!! In my japanese garden build, I also used some small round roofs placed on the ground with their eaves pulled all the way down to further disguise the edges (i also put even more plants on these). 

also! putting a few things on the bottom of the fountain/pool created pond helps out! - rocks, scaled down grass, etc

cc also makes it easier, for me, to make it look as natural as possible. Important to me are: little rocks || floating florals || pond leaves || liberated GT plants || koi effect (or this newer one that i havent tried yet)