Game mode: Single-player Type of issue: Bug Server type: Local Region: Local
I’ve noticed that I sometimes cannot place foundations on top of each other (getting the message “Failed to place building”) although there is nothing blocking them. After some testing, I’ve found out that it has something to do with trying to place foundations while standing inside the building destination. It can be quite annoying because the only way to fix the bugged spots is to remove adjacent foundations (usually one is enough, sometimes it has to be all of them).
Step-by-step process of how the bug can be reproduced:
Place a 3x3 area of foundations (basic sandstone works, I’m assuming the other kinds do too).
Prepare to place a foundation on top of the center of the 3x3 area (-> building indicator is yellow).
Now walk into the center while still preparing to place the foundation (-> building indicator turns red because the player is standing inside the building destination).
Try to place the foundation (-> “Invalid building placement”, the foundation won’t be placed). Everything is working as intended so far.
Try to fill in the the full layer above the 3x3 area. Almost every time, at least one spot will be bugged (-> building indicator is yellow but placing the foundation results in message “Failed to place building”). It can be any of the 9 spots. I’ve tried filling in the area in fixed patterns but it did not result in the same spot being bugged all the time, so it appears to be completely random.
To fix the bug, remove the second (incomplete) 3x3 layer and place all blocks again while always standing outside of the building destinations.
In addition to what Fixi said, I try the following …
Move the item from one toolbar slot to another, sometimes it works.
Split the stack beforehand and place them in two slots. Change to the other slot when it happens.
There is a side benefit to this. When one slot is empty, you can use it to craft that item as you place the item from the other slot
Lastly, and a PIA, build what you can, skipping the ones that give you the error message, then relog once.
Sometimes when I am unable to place a foundation, I build foundations around the spot until the offending spot is a hole surrounded by foundations. Then I am often able to place the offending foundation.
Granted, this does not work in every place and is waste of materials because the ‘helper’-foundations should be removed again…
This is a good discussion, thanks, Ildur, for bringing it up. I learned a few new workarounds that will help while Funcom is fixing it. I’m noting them on an Excel worksheet as a reminder so I don’t have to try and remember all of them. Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.
Thanks for all the tips! Tested all of them just now (2-3 tries each):
Switching to a different building block fixes it for me and it seems to be quite reliable so far.
Moving the foundations in my toolbar as well as splitting them beforehand or afterwards did not work for me. Maybe it’s conditional or I haven’t given it enough tries.
Relogging definitely fixes it.
Surrounding the bugged spot with foundations sometimes helps. I’m assuming placing a foundation updates the adjacent blocks (just like removing one does).
While testing, I’ve also found that unequipping the foundation and simply waiting for half a minute appears to be another reliable solution. Not very convenient but at least it’s faster than relogging.
That’s an interesting point now that I think about it. It might be the surrounding blocks’ anchors that are bugged and not the spot itself. And relogging for instance causes those anchors to update.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t explain why switching to a different kind of building block can fix the problem. Except if this, too, updates anchors. Maybe it does when attaching building blocks (excluding foundations) to the side of a foundation. We might be onto something.