Topic: Reworked terraforming
As you might know already, along with the gamma revamp we're removing beacon terraforming from the game.
We're left with module terraforming, which was quite cumbersome before, so we've been working on improving it. The latest incarnation is already out on the test server.
What's new:
Instant tile locking. There is no way around this, module terraforming would tremendously suffer if there was a timed lock. In the past your main concern about this was related to "aggressive terraforming" during sieges, which is not that feasible anymore. Of course this affects all features that need a tile lock positively, like mining and harvesting.
The terraforming module is the same, but instead of using different types of charges, there is now only one, called "Terraforming charge".
The method of terraforming (raise, lower, smooth, level) is now selected from the reworked terraforming panel, available from the top-right terrain windows dropdown menu.
The process looks like this: lock a tile, then click on a terraforming method and adjust the size and falloff of the desired area to be terraformed. The method and settings are tied to a lock, not the module. So if you activate "Raise" on a lock, your modules will always raise that tile, until you change the method on it. (This can also be done mid-cycle, you don't have to turn off the module. The new settings will be effective at the start of the next module cycle.)
Like before, the red overlay on the terrain shows the affected terrain, which is also the area where other players can't stand during terraforming.
And of course the maximum slope angle that you can terraform is limited. Unfortunately the module doesn't "know" when it reaches this point, so you have to stop it manually in this case.
There is also a "Terrain height display" available in the terrain windows dropdown, which helps you visually compare terrain altitudes while terraforming.