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PATHING! or SCAFFOLDING part 2 - how to turn easy maps into fun maps
disclaimer: this is building theory, not about saving mice
also this is mostly applicable in divine and not normal/hardmode.

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So, this is really more a followup to the last guide I wrote -> scaffolding <- which I heavily recommend you read first as that will make all this way easier to understand.

With that out of the way, let me to introduce to you a way to make scaffolding shine!
It's all about determining your build before you even start. Think in advance. Not the whole thing, but a loose guideline to build from and have in mind as an end goal. Lets start with an example.

@299158 by Seeteegee

On an open map like this, it's very straight forward. Start from spawn, draw a line to cheese, then a line to hole. Technically, on this map, it's just the same line. Don't worry though, the later examples will be more complicated!
This makes it way easier to envision our scaffolding. In a way, scaffolding is like creating our own grounds meant to support the end build.
With the pathing in mind, I can see that it takes 3~4 planks to get from spawn to cheese. How can we use scaffolding to get there?

always measure in advance!

and finally...

Didn't hit the line exactly here but it ain't bad. I'd say that pretty much fit the thing we set out to do :)
Now let's try it on something less straight forward than the previous map.

@7263425 by Uhuge

On this more closed map, we can't draw exact lines, but we can kind of get to where we want with the upper left ground. And we can use sham spawn ground for scaffolding to get there:

We effectively fill out the area underneath our starting line with random stuff so that can layer our build on top of it. We create our own ground to build on instead of only relying on the grounds given to us!
Let's finish this up and compare to our path.

Like so...
and how did we do compared to our pathing?



Sometimes, ignore the path. Or draw a better one in your head to start with xd
Still not bad, though. The left part fit pretty well.

Here's an interesting one with some pretty good support options:


@6690006 by Smutny_nalesnik



The placement of the lower rune is finnicky but if we put it on the right spot on the plank, we can wrestle with the weight to get it to sit just right. Then cross the gap to the bloonbox+plank combo to finish off the last distance. Now secure it in place on the left and remove our scaffolding...



This time it fits the pathing so well you might have thought I did it in reverse:



But sometimes in life you just get a little lucky.

I have one last example before a viewer exercise and the conclusion to this post:


@426876 by Azafreak

You'll have to bear with me as this example turned out a little complicated.




One key insight with these vertical scaffolding planks: as long as your build doesn't move left or right, it's stable.
We have a whole build to build off to get to spawn now:



With a plank under the left box, lift the left end a little bit to conform to our pathing a little closer.
The pathing comparison:



The top path is slightly too short for what became 3 planks but you know what? Close enough. :)

That's all I got today, thanks for reading! Building this way always makes the easier maps feel a little more fun. It's also a little bit like building in grav 0. And sometimes, it even does help you save mice! Some maps can be trivialized with these techniques. You just gotta learn how to spot when to use it. :)

If you haven't yet, I recommend building outside of the games constraints. Like, the whole time constraint + saving mice thing. I always start my articles with a disclaimer that says this all won't help you save mice. So to what end?

In a roundabout way, it probably will help you save mice in the long run. When you stop and deconstruct building like this, you learn things. The physics will settle in your brain and become intuitive. Doing everything differently helps develop your shaman eye. You'll learn how to fit more different configurations into more places.

More importantly, it's fun. It's just fun. Building in and of itself deserves more space and thought than the constraints the game gives you. So go build a bridge to nowhere for fun :3 again, thanks for reading!

Oh yeah, that reader exercise!

What does pathing looks like here?


@7464622 by Kavazzak

And how do we use scaffolding to end up with this build?



Good luck figuring it out!