Jimbo Jambo
Terrarian
Returning player. Upon discovering that there were some new toys related to wiring I was tempted to rig something up to make some beautiful music but was dismayed when I realized that there was no block with the capacity to convey my sick beats. I don't honestly know why I thought note blocks were in the game -- perhaps I got them confused with music boxes, or was thinking of the note blocks in Minecraft -- but in any case I think note blocks would be an excellent addition to the game.
The "what" -
Note blocks would be placeable blocks that, when activated via wiring, would produce a single tone. The pitch and instrument could be adjusted, indicated visually by the color of the note icon on the block and the color of the wood casing respectively; I think there should be at least three instruments (perhaps piano or some sort of plucked string or music box plink, some sort of percussion, and some sort of wind. Alternatively, you could use some of the synth sounds used in Terraria's music), and the range should cover at least three octaves. Multiple blocks could be rigged in sequence and in parallel to produce complicated arrangements.
The "how" -
Note blocks would probably be sold by the wizard for cheep, since he seems be the designated music man. There are two ways tuning could work: 1. The easiest way is to have different instruments sold separately and allow the blocks to be tuned by right-clicking on them. 2. A bit more complicated from a programming standpoint but I think much better for the user, right-clicking the block opens a custom UI like that of the Stylist or the Grand Design, and from there the user can change the pitch, instrument, volume, and perhaps even add other effects like vibrato.
The "why" -
Terraria has a huge emphasis on creativity when it comes to building, and I also think this will compliment the wiring and logic system very well. At their simplest, note blocks could be used to produce single or repeating tones as a sort of alarm to signal the presence of an enemy or the beginning of night or day. With a bit more effort, users could set up sequences of note blocks playing in concert to create short melodies or entire songs. If you can actually manage to play the silver harp or bell that the wizard sells, you could set up some note blocks to play accompanying bass chords while you work the stings.
One problem is that timer blocks would be needed for complicated arrangements. I don't mess around with wiring that much, but as far as I know the smallest timing delay you can currently make is one second. You could still play single tones and chords (though you would be limited in terms of BPM), but for note blocks to see their full potential I think there will have to be some way to make a much shorter timer. Possible ideas are to include a 0.1 second timer block (might be imbalanced?) or to give note blocks a programmable delay (might just make them cheap alternatives to timer blocks unless you make it so they can only activate other note blocks).
Bonus suggestion: Silent Music Box! (Mute Box) -
Suppose you are able to make some beautiful note block arrangement, but your music now has to compete with Terraria's background music. You could turn the music off in your settings, but what if you only want to silence it when your note blocks are playing, and what if you want others to hear what you've created too? I suggest a music box, either purchased separately from the wizard or crafted somehow, that mutes all in-game background music, including that of other music boxes. You could also use this in adventure maps, or even just in your world, to create a creepy or foreboding atmosphere for darkened caves and boss arenas, or something more somber for graveyards and memorials.
Lemme know what you think!
The "what" -
Note blocks would be placeable blocks that, when activated via wiring, would produce a single tone. The pitch and instrument could be adjusted, indicated visually by the color of the note icon on the block and the color of the wood casing respectively; I think there should be at least three instruments (perhaps piano or some sort of plucked string or music box plink, some sort of percussion, and some sort of wind. Alternatively, you could use some of the synth sounds used in Terraria's music), and the range should cover at least three octaves. Multiple blocks could be rigged in sequence and in parallel to produce complicated arrangements.
The "how" -
Note blocks would probably be sold by the wizard for cheep, since he seems be the designated music man. There are two ways tuning could work: 1. The easiest way is to have different instruments sold separately and allow the blocks to be tuned by right-clicking on them. 2. A bit more complicated from a programming standpoint but I think much better for the user, right-clicking the block opens a custom UI like that of the Stylist or the Grand Design, and from there the user can change the pitch, instrument, volume, and perhaps even add other effects like vibrato.
The "why" -
Terraria has a huge emphasis on creativity when it comes to building, and I also think this will compliment the wiring and logic system very well. At their simplest, note blocks could be used to produce single or repeating tones as a sort of alarm to signal the presence of an enemy or the beginning of night or day. With a bit more effort, users could set up sequences of note blocks playing in concert to create short melodies or entire songs. If you can actually manage to play the silver harp or bell that the wizard sells, you could set up some note blocks to play accompanying bass chords while you work the stings.
One problem is that timer blocks would be needed for complicated arrangements. I don't mess around with wiring that much, but as far as I know the smallest timing delay you can currently make is one second. You could still play single tones and chords (though you would be limited in terms of BPM), but for note blocks to see their full potential I think there will have to be some way to make a much shorter timer. Possible ideas are to include a 0.1 second timer block (might be imbalanced?) or to give note blocks a programmable delay (might just make them cheap alternatives to timer blocks unless you make it so they can only activate other note blocks).
Bonus suggestion: Silent Music Box! (Mute Box) -
Suppose you are able to make some beautiful note block arrangement, but your music now has to compete with Terraria's background music. You could turn the music off in your settings, but what if you only want to silence it when your note blocks are playing, and what if you want others to hear what you've created too? I suggest a music box, either purchased separately from the wizard or crafted somehow, that mutes all in-game background music, including that of other music boxes. You could also use this in adventure maps, or even just in your world, to create a creepy or foreboding atmosphere for darkened caves and boss arenas, or something more somber for graveyards and memorials.
Lemme know what you think!