This feature request refers to adding a new object action command that could change the size of objects on the fly. This would allow, for example, the creation of a single walk piece that could then be scaled to any desired size when built with, simply by placing a "create scale" command on the object. The format of the command would probably be something like

scale <x> <y> <z>

where x, y, and z are the amount of scaling along each of the 3 axes. A value of 1.0 would mean no scaling along that axis.

The only significant problem with such a command is how it would interfere with encroachment. Encroachment (the mechanism whereby the world server prevents building your objects on top of someone else's) depents on all objects being a fixed, known size. Obviously, if an object's size can be changed on the fly, encroachment as it currently stands would not work.

There are really only two solutions to this problem. The easier one is simply to make scale a restricted command like rotate and move, and disallow its use in public building worlds like AlphaWorld. Unfortunately, this would largely defeat the purpose of this command and also make a lot of users upset (based on reactions to the rotate and move commands being restricted.)

The more difficult solution would be to change the world server so that it is aware of the scale command, so it can take the command into account when checking for encroachment. This would require the world server to parse the action field looking for and interpreting any scale commands.

Another issue is that there would need to be reasonable limits on the scale command, at least on maximum size. Scaling a 1 meter object 100 times so that it is 100 meters across wouldn't work, for the same reason that you can't use normal objects that are 100 meters across (it inteferes with the visibility logic.) Without more fundamental changes to the architecture, the largest an object could be scaled to without problems is about 15 meters in width or depth.