Mods / Brick-by-Brick
- Tags:
- Authors:
- GrimmSpector, Ultrcombraun
- Side:
- Both
- Created:
- Jun 23rd at 9:07 PM
- Last modified:
- Jun 25th at 4:46 PM
- Downloads:
- 443
-
Recommended download (for Vintage Story 1.22.0 - 1.22.3):
brickbybrick_0.1.1.zip 1-click install
Brick-by-Brick
Brick-by-Brick makes masonry a hands-on building process. Instead of placing a finished brick block all at once, you use a trowel, mortar, and individual bricks to build it in stages.
This is still a somewhat rough prototype. The main idea is working, but there are large improvements planned if people enjoy the concept and want to see it developed further.
What It Does
Brick-by-Brick lets players assemble masonry in the world one step at a time.
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Brick-by-Brick turns masonry into a hands-on building process.
- Use a trowel, mortar, and individual bricks to build blocks in stages.
- Construct full blocks, slabs, and stairs.
- Work with standard brick colors, including fireclay.
- Follow the included handbook guide to get started.
The trowel holds more mortar when made from a higher-tier metal.
How To Build
First, smith a trowel head and combine it with a stick.
Mix liquid mortar in a barrel, then right-click a suitable container with the trowel to fill it. Hold the fired brick you want to use in your offhand.
Use the tool mode key to choose whether you want to begin a block, slab, or stair. Once the first construction course has been placed, switch to build mode and continue working on it.
Each step consumes mortar. Brick-setting steps also consume a matching fired brick. Once the final stage is completed, the construction becomes a finished masonry block.
Current Limitations
This is an early alpha version and should be treated as a prototype.
The current release is mainly focused on getting the basic trowel and staged brick-building system working. Some parts are incomplete, some visuals and textures still need improvement, and the recipes and material costs have not received their final balancing pass.
Stone and cobblestone construction, refractory masonry, wider mod compatibility, configuration, and some of the more detailed realism systems are not yet complete.
Please report any problems you find. Feedback about whether the building process feels satisfying—or just too slow and fiddly—is especially useful at this stage.
Planned Features
If people like the idea, I have much larger plans for Brick-by-Brick:
- Primitive wooden trowels for early-game building.
- More complete stone and cobblestone construction.
- Better brick, stone, slab, and stair textures.
- More brick patterns and masonry shapes.
- Extra brick bonds beyond the normal vanilla patterns.
- Different visible mortar colors and mortar types.
- Refractory mortar and more detailed high-temperature masonry.
- Mortar curing and wet masonry that dries over time.
- The ability to dismantle unfinished or recently placed masonry.
- A sledgehammer for breaking completed masonry back apart.
- Configurable mortar recipes, costs, and building rules.
- Compatibility with modded rocks, bricks, classes, and recipes.
- XSkills experience support for relevant building work.
- Sequentially constructed bloomeries, kilns, and cementation furnaces.
- An optional more realistic mode where finished blocks require their full number of individual bricks or stones.
- More buildable shapes beyond blocks, slabs, and stairs.
- A lime kiln for producing lime in larger batches.
- Liquid mortar/clay textures.
- Possibly creating more realistic bricks for walls, where there's an outer brick facade one brick deep, filled with rammed earth, making building more complex but realistic and changing overall material balance.
- Localization into other languages.
The long-term goal is to make masonry feel like an actual trade: preparing materials, spreading mortar, placing each course, and watching a structure take shape Brick-by-Brick.
My Other Mods
Asphyxia Rebreathed Manual Bait MultiClass Reborn
| Mod Version | Mod Identifier | For Game version | Downloads | Released | Changelog | Download | 1-click mod install* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1.1 | brickbybrick | 297 | Jun 25th at 4:46 PM | brickbybrick_0.1.1.zip | 1-click install | ||
|
Hotfix for some block facings not correctly placing with offset bonds. | |||||||
| 0.1.0 | brickbybrick | 146 | Jun 23rd at 9:07 PM | brickbybrick_0.1.0.zip | 1-click install | ||
|
Initial release, including four brick course building of slabs, stairs and blocks in default brick types with liquid mortar. | |||||||
Can this be used for cobblestone?
Any plans of doing something similar with planks?
It was sarcastically suggested by Dana...and I might lol, but let me make this into the vision I plan first!
Cool, I have been trying to make a more immersive playthrough of VS and something like this would extend the gameplay. And I might be a bit of masochist so theres that.
Well ... let's just say if I can make it performant enough ... the realistic mode of this will have you placing each individual brick, and the clayforming recipe will also change most likely. Extending that to other materials, may not be quite as difficult, in fact cobble will likely be the worst.
first off, this is a great idea for a mod! I'll be honest, i was hoping that the animation would include your seraph placing each individual brick, (not sure how diffucult that would be to implement) but layer by layer looks good too. it was pretty cool to see the block slowly being built up, though sometimes i had some difficulty figuring out where to target the block with my mouse.
but then the model for in-progress bricks randomly decided to go invisible, and i couldn't place any more bricks :') i would hold right click and the animation would play, but the block wouldn't be placed.
other than that, I haven't had any other issues. really excited to see where this mod goes!
(edit: deleting and redownloading the mod fixed it! should've tried that before leaving my comment lol)
now the bricks are starting as 1/2 offset, but they started as running bond bricks when i first tried the mod? idk might be a bug
Nope, not a bug, it's a placement feature, if you're facing one direction it'll place that way (north/south), and if you're facing the other direction it'll be facing the other (east/west). We haven't even added the custom more accurate textures yet, but that's a plan that I think will liven things up. Let alone the realistic mode if I can get it working!
Awesome idea, I tried it out and I really like it.
Do better trowels go a little faster? I read they hold more mortar. For really big builds a speed buff somehow would be appreciated, or if it could recognize some of the more popular classes mods with a Mason class to speed buff the process a little just for them. Also I had to click and hold for each section of the block, was I doing it wrong? Being able to just click and hold through the different stages for each block once was what I expected but I could only build blocks by clicking again after each layer.
They don't go faster, but that's actually a really good idea, I like it. And I do like the idea of having a trait applicable to Mason classes. I'll give these consideration for future updates.
Nope, you're doing it right, it's click and hold for each section, that's by design. I'm working on a more intuitive and immersive system, and we'll see if it works out.
Yes! Please give us a trait/tiered traits! Would go perfect with my upcoming class mod!
Shameless plug, have you seen my Multiclass mod?
I have. And It seems pretty cool. But I'm building a complete game overhaul, with Progression Framework as a base. Lots of inter-mod interactions, and a unique leveling and questing system using traits & recipes. It's for my upcoming let's play. The more mods I can get into the pack, the better.
MultiClass is designed to be an enchancement not a base, if there's things I could offer in the mod to help your framework or overhaul, let me know. I'm happy to add new ideas and use cases. I'm not very familiar with Progression Framework, but I'll take a look!
oh wow i've always wanted a mod like this!
Glad I can deliver! It's not complete yet, but in active development, let me know if there's any ideas you have to help shape the final product!
would be nice to have a video or more pictures so we can see how it looks before adding :)
Wish granted lol, though I had to make it super fast to fit the filesize allowed on here.
oh, nice! thanks for the fast reply :)
I gave this a shot last night. It looks promising!
here are the issues I want to report:
1) The liquid mortar appears too much like water to me.
2) The laid bricks seem to be a bit 'floaty.' It doesn't look like there's anything between the bricks, even when the block is done. It doesn't look like a completed block like you'd get from the crafting grid.
3) I laid two blocks but, when I started the third, I heard the sound effect but the bricks did not appear on the ground. I did make sure to switch the mode back to block mode.
Good work tho!
Thanks for the feedback!
1) The liquid mortar literally is water 🤣, I am not great at art and we haven't created a custom texture for it yet, it's in the to-do list.
2) That's not possible, as the completed block IS the vanilla block, we don't have a custom asset for completed blocks. Can you send me a screenshot of what you mean by floaty? On my screen there's a very clear layer of mortar between each brick layer as you go.
3) Yup, this ones fixed in the hotfix, bricks facing one direction use an offset for their textures, which I screwed up in the final release during another edit. Try the 0.1.1 version.
I stand corrected on the second point. I ways laying 3 rows instead of 4 and my brain kept saying it should be 3...
Glad it's working for you!
I'm actually enjoying laying bricks XD. It doesn't work for beehive kilns though.
Hmm it shouldn't affect beehive kilns, as we transform into the base block. We don't have gratings or doors yet though so you have to do them the vanilla way. If you're not getting the completed vanilla block or that block isn't working send me some screens, with the info box showing at the top of the screen so I can see what's happening for you, thanks!
I tried it again for a coke oven last night. Once again it was making the sound effect when I tried to use the block tool but a brick layer did not appear.
Strange, it must be trying what in the code is an invalid action, but I missed the case and didn't have it cancel the interaction effects. Can you send me a screenshot or two, or better yet a short video of what you're doing?
combatible with bricklayers?
If they extend the vanilla definitions the way we do, then compatibility should be easy, but won't be by default, I'll look into including it in a future patch.
Sweet deal
Hello, this mod looks really cool! I was wondering if you would consider a 1.21.6 version for people still playing that version? either way, this looks so awesome, good job!
I'll look into what it takes to back port it, and if it's not too difficult I'll make a release for it.
Thanks!
THANK YOU
Your thanks means a lot to me, thank YOU for all your amazing mods!
its not for me but this is an awesome mod and I hope it does well
Thanks! I definitely know it's not for everyone, if there's something that would entice you to try it though, let me know!
safe to add and remove mid save?
Entirely, you may end up with some question mark blocks from the stages of construction, but it doesn't touch anything vanilla, and those, the trowel, and the broken liquid left behind are safe to empty and remove without issue if you remove the mod.
is it balanced? like it takes way more time to build but maybe less resources? or is there any other trade off than just vibes?
Currently it takes 2 steps per brick included in the vanilla recipe, and the same amount of bricks and mortar that you use in vanilla. Each step takes about 2 seconds. So yes, significantly more time, but most immersion mechanics work that way, it is about vibes. That said, I've given some thought to having some config options to give trade offs, like block durability or resource usage. I'm open to suggestions of what people feel would be nice.
To answer the first question directly, it uses the exact same level of resources as vanilla, save the step of mixing mortar with water to get it on the trowel.
Love the idea behind the mod, and the fact this is the alfa version is impressive. Cant wait to play with this, i can already picture how nice a building site of a house is gonna look with the buckets of mortar and everything.
The actual building part is a little weaker(then again you uploaded this 8 hours ago so it is still incredible), it feels a little clunky, as i have to wait until the animation of returning the trowel to a resting state finishes until i can start placing the bricks. I wonder if an approach of having the trowel work on its own to smear the mortar and placing the bricks from a normal hand could feel a little better. My idea here is that you would build one level of a wall, smear mortar on the whole level, add bricks and repeat, instead of finishing one block at a time.
On the topic of feel, adding a progressive adding of bricks/smearing of mortar animation would give some very nice feedback.
As for the material balance, i hope you do go with the rammed earth/rubble (+ mortar) inside the walls, reminds me of when i used to volunteer for rebuilding a castle and we did the walls exactly like that.
Looking forward to seeing where this goes!
So you basically are doing what you're saying, it's hard to see in FP but if you switch to TP you'll see that the hand with the bricks in it is busy animating when you're laying the bricks from your off hand, that's what you're waiting on to complete, the trowel just moves because the characters main hand also moves during most animations. If I get some feedback that the roughly 2 second wait on each action is too long, we can tweak that to make it better. I'm actually considering just making it a config value. If you build through the stages it should be pretty clear, you put a layer of bricks and mortar on the first action when you place a block, and then you add mortar, add brick, add mortar, add brick, etc., until the block is complete. Extending that to an entire wall segment would be somewhat more complicated, but I can see the allure, it's something I'll consider if we go to a more detailed granular wall design, which I've proposed in my future plans, with the rammed earth, etc. Then I could look at all wall segments and have clear bounds to stop looking, i.e. air, etc., but it would force you to build each set along with one another, which I'm not sure I want to force.
We also need to do checks that I'll add config flags for in the future, to disallow placing these when unsupported (more difficulty, scaffolds/completed blocks needed below), and to clean up the direction we build things from visually, especially for slabs and upside down stairs, and this might have to change significantly if we go that route.
Hey GrimmSpector
this mod looks a lot like the idea we had with BTRO-Construction.
At the moment we dont have that much time/motivation but you can write us on DC if you want to use some models/steps. Or maybe you are the spark we needed to combine the expiriences.
:)
Sent you a dm!
I am a IRL stonemason and I approve this message.
If you've any advice, critiques, that we can use to make it more immersive within the limits of the game, feel free to share!
Can you include a video or images of it working? If this works I think it will pair well with VS roofing mod in creating a more immersive house building experiance but for now I'll be keeping an eye on it before trying it because its new and my current modlist already starting to feel bloated and in need of a triming so I'm hesitant to add something too experimental.
I understand, and it is a first run around, the included tech will likely evolve. I'll try to find some time to play, so I can get a video up!
Idea: Endgame (Post steel - Uranium age?) robot/machine that lays bricks for you. Quite expensive to make. Now you may say, this defeats the purpose, but nah its just game progression. Primitive -> Midgame -> Steel age -> Post steel age. Maybe with a caveat, like fuel or power? Possible electricity or vintage engineering compat.
Or perhaps more efficient mortar and brick recipes that either take less ingredients, or is able to be mass produced, (or both) in late midgame/steel age.
Not a terrible idea, maybe something driven by axle power, let me ponder this!
Sweet
I love it. Keep it going! (And don't forget to include cobblestone!)
It'll take a ton of work, but that's the goal!
When will you make a mod where you need to place each plank individually and hammer in the nails?
I would unironically download and use this.
Don't tempt me folks, one project at a time lol!
What about a mod where you need to chop trees voxel by voxel, as well as dig dirt one pile at a time (dig up one layer and put it a bit further)?
I hate to say it, but the chopping one already exists: https://mods.vintagestory.at/vslumber
Listen to this woman GrimmSpector, they're a genius,
I honestly can't even tell if Dana is being serious or not serious at this point. 🤣 Voxel by voxel does seem like a touch much!
They're being sarcastic... I am not. I love the direction this is taking. :D
Just wait till you see what I've got in the pipeline! I don't know how long it'll take though!
As someone with plenty of realism masochism mods, the logging mod, industrial story, hydrate or diedrate, all that... I would like to thank you for making this. Fuck yeah.
I figured there's enough such mods ... there must be more folks out there like me and my friends!
I keep telling people this, and they don't believe me. I keep trying to tell them "I'm not special enough to be wholley unique in my tastes."
this needs toolsmith
If there's enough interest, I'm sure I can work out a compatbility piece.
This... this is evil
The best kind of evil 😁
I am not kidding, I have a discord post to prove it, I had a dream LAST NIGHT that this was a thing LOL
Hahaha, so I have at least one prospective user 😜
I'm legit shaken haha
and yes, for sure.
I knew it was worth taking out ad space in the collective unconscious