Echo Builder - Bukkit Plugins

(5/21/13) Attention: v0.91 No longer subtracts appropriate inventory from the user (I'm guessing on 1.4.7 and later). Will have to recode soon. Subscribe to file updates to learn when fix is released

Speed up building your cities with Echo Builder! Watch as every block you place is echoed beside you and/or above you.

Build three houses and a two story house while only building the first level.

Build a skyscraper in the time it takes to make the first level! Rotate and transpose whatever you build on-the-fly to other locations. Building just got better. Works with creative and survival.

How it Works

Echo Builder relies on signs to tell it where to echo blocks in a master-slave relationship. When you place a block [echo] calculates the distance and angle from the master sign. Then it creates a block at the same measurements from a slave sign! And it repeats this pattern for every slave sign you assign.

Getting Started

First you post a sign with the following lines (only the non-italicized words):

[echo] this tells us that you want this sign to be an [echo] builder sign
master tells whether the sign is a master or slave sign. You'll never need to type slave here
some key type a key representing this building project. It MUST be a unique key (so use numbers). Will pop off if key already in use
left blank intentionally for use in later editions

Once you've created and edited the sign, you should receive a message like: .. [echo] some key enabled .. meaning that you've successfully created your master sign. All your building must be done in relation to the master sign. Your active echo is some key

Now we want to create another sign where we'd like to echo our build. Find another location and plant another sign. I suggest placing at 90^o angles. Now you only have to enter the first line:

[echo]

And the sign will be autocompleted for you! Continue to place slave signs where you want to echo your build and then finally, return to nearby the master sign and build your masterpiece!

Turning Echo On And Off

You can right-click on any sign to disable [echo]. You will see a message telling you [echo] disabled. To turn on an existing echo, right click on the master sign. You should receive a message if successful. If the server was restarted, clicking on the master sign will probably not work. You will have to destroy and place them again.

Features

Supported in Survival. As you place blocks, the appropriate amount is removed from your inventory!
Other players can use your echo signs! By simply right clicking on your sign, they can help build alongside you, and their block placements will be echoed as well
Will not destroy other's property while you build. If you miscalculate and an echoed block would destroy another structure, no other blocks will be echoed. Make sure your echo workspace is clear of any grass and trees before building!

Known Issues

Block rotations currently not supported properly. If you place stairs or other directional blocks. Expect them to improperly align.
Signs, Torches, Doors, Bedrock, Fence Gates, Levers, Buttons, Trap Doors, Tripwire, and Tripwire hooks will not be echoed upon placing. Only the one you place will exist. Those current blocks have been blocked from being echoed because they do not align properly AT ALL.
Upon restarting the server all echo signs are non-functional and must be replaced to work again.
There is no sign security. Anybody can use your sign and build alongside you. They can also easily destroy your work :(

Hypothetical Issues

Echo Builder's current status is home server plugin. (suggested use with friends) Since the server itself places blocks on behalf of the player, I hypothesize that block protection plugins will NOT work properly, because the player himself is not seen as placing or destroying certain blocks. This may allow the player to create or destroy another player's blocks/creations without getting caught. In a word: Griefers.
I have also seen this plugin place a block where a pig used to be. It died.... but free pork!

Similar Plugins

MirrorMaster is a similar plugin. It supports more blocks (like torches) and proper rotations.