SmarterHoe

A comprehensive, precision terrain-editing overhaul for the Valheim hoe. SmarterHoe equips you with a professional suite of terraforming tools — from laser-flat plateau leveling and multi-waypoint spline road carving to full multi-step undo/redo, 3D previews, 9-language localization, and server-authoritative dedicated server synchronization — all while staying fully balanced for survival play.

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Features

⏪ Multi-Step Undo & Redo System ([Alt+Z] / [Alt+Y])

Made a mistake, cut too deep, or over-flattened a hillside? Press [Alt+Z] (or [Ctrl+Z]) to undo previous terrain changes step-by-step. Press [Alt+Y] (or [Ctrl+Y] / [Shift+Alt+Z]) to redo.

• Universal tool coverage: Works on Altitude Leveling, Instant Plateau, Soften, Restore Nature, Spline Ramps, vanilla Raise Earth, Mud Roads, Paved Stone Roads, and Cultivate.
• Continuous sweep grouping: Holding left-click to drag-level or pave groups the entire continuous stroke into a single atomic undo entry.
• Smart Waypoint step-back: Pressing the Undo key while ramp waypoints are active automatically steps back the most recent waypoint first before reverting terrain.
• Full texture & grass restoration: Undoing fully restores dirt, grass, and stone paint masks and synchronizes clutter in real time.

🔒 Altitude Lock — Laser-Flat Ground

Press [L] to toggle locking your elevation. Every subsequent hoe click levels terrain to that exact height, guaranteeing a perfectly flat surface across hills and slopes.

• Snap to Building Floors: Aim at any placed wood or stone floor piece and press Middle Mouse Button to snap the locked altitude to that floor's exact height.
• Hold-to-Repeat Elevation Tuning: Hold down [PageUp] or [PageDown] to smoothly and rapidly adjust elevation without spamming buttons. Features a small delay before continuous movement begins to prevent accidental overshooting on single taps. Hold [Shift] for a 5x speed multiplier.

⬛ Instant Plateau — 1-Click Razor-Flat Flattening

A dedicated hoe build-menu tool that instantly flattens the entire brush area to the elevation directly under your cursor in a single click. Eliminates gradual multi-click leveling and stepped ridges.

〰️ Smooth Ramp — Multi-Waypoint Road Auto-Carver

Place waypoints ([K]) across rugged terrain to plot out a mountain trail or highway. Press [H] to instantly auto-carve a smooth, graded road corridor through all waypoints using Catmull-Rom spline interpolation.

• Cart-Friendliness Color Guide: Live 3D spine dynamically indicates slope steepness:
  • Green: ≤20° — Cart-Friendly (✓)
  • Yellow: 20–25° — Steep for Carts (!)
  • Red: >25° — Too Steep for Carts (✗)
• Shift+Carve: Hold [Shift] while pressing [H] to auto-carve the entire road directly in paved cobblestone.

🔄 True Square & Circle Brushes (Oriented Deformation)

• Press [G] to toggle between circular and square brush geometry.
• True Rotated Square Alignment: Square brush rotates smoothly using your mouse wheel or arrow keys ([Left Arrow] / [Right Arrow]). Fixed vanilla Valheim's axis-aligned diamond distortion so raised and leveled terrain aligns with the yellow indicator box.
• Press [Home] to instantly reset square rotation back to 0° (North).

🌀 Soften Terrain

Gently blends sharp ridges and cliff creases into natural, smooth transitions without flattening the terrain to a plane.

↩️ Restore Terrain

Resets terrain within the brush radius back to its original unmodified world-gen state — erases all digging, leveling deltas, and paint modifications.

🪓 Clear Debris

Instantly removes trees, logs, stumps, rocks, boulders, and bushes within the hoe radius. In Balanced Survival mode, requires an Axe for trees and a Pickaxe for rocks — preventing progression bypass while eliminating manual clutter.

📐 Extended Reach & 8m Limit Bypass

• Extended Hoe Reach (20m default, configurable 5m–50m): Terraform comfortably without constantly jogging forward; automatically restores vanilla reach upon unequipping.
• Bypass 8m Height Limit: Removes Valheim's restrictive ±8m height clamp (AllowBeyondGameLimit = true), allowing you to level deep canyons or raise towering mountain citadels up to a configurable limit (default: 50m).

🔼 Adjustable Raise Height & 3D Volumetric Preview

• Press [E] to enter Height Mode; scroll the mouse wheel to adjust single-click raise elevation (0.05m to 8.0m per click).
• Press [Q] to enter Area Mode; scroll the mouse wheel to adjust brush radius (0.5m to 20m).
• 3D Translucent Preview: Displays a live 3D translucent cylinder (or rotated cube box when Square brush is active) showing the exact raise volume and height before clicking, color-coded by reach.
• Camera Zoom Suppression: Prevents third-person camera jumping while scrolling to adjust brush radius or raise height.

🌐 Multi-Language Localization (9 Languages + Auto-Detection)

Automatically detects your active Valheim language (Language = "Auto"). Custom tool names, hover descriptions, cart slope ratings, and HUD notifications are natively translated into: English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Polish, and Swedish.

🖥️ Dedicated Server Support & ServerSync

• Fully integrated with ServerSync for dedicated servers.
• Server Authority: Server owners can enforce CostMode = BalancedSurvival, reach limits, max radius, stone/stamina costs, station checks, and height limits across all connected clients.
• Client-Optional & Vanilla Server Compatibility (ModRequired = false):
  • Connect to vanilla or non-modded servers without being kicked or rejected.
  • Vanilla players can join modded servers without being declined.
• Server Lock Enforcement: When locked by a server, clients cannot bypass survival costs with [B] (displays on-screen notice and HUD lock badge). Admins in adminlist.txt remain exempt and can adjust settings in real-time.

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Brush & Height Options

• Circle / Square toggle — Press [G] to toggle between circular and square brush geometry. Square brush rotates with your player direction.
• Radius adjustment — Press [Q] and scroll the mouse wheel (or hold [Alt] + scroll) to resize the brush radius (0.5m – 20m).
• Raise height adjustment — Press [E] and scroll the mouse wheel (or hold [Alt+Shift] + scroll) to adjust raise delta (0.05m – 8.0m).
• Ramp width adjustment — Press [ / ] to adjust the road corridor width (1m – 20m).
• Vanilla paving radius — Vanilla mud_road, paved_road, and cultivate pieces scale to match your current brush radius.

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Balanced Survival Mode & Dynamic Resource Scaling

SmarterHoe is balanced by default for survival gameplay — all terrain operations realistically cost resources and stamina just like vanilla building:

Cost	Rule
Dynamic Stone (Raise Ground)	Proportionally scales with both Brush Area (radius, circle vs square) and Raise Height (relative to vanilla 0.5m baseline). Raising a towering 4m plateau costs realistically more than a 0.5m mound.
Dynamic Stone (Paved Road)	Proportionally scales with cobblestone surface area paved.
Live HUD Sync	Build menu requirement box dynamically displays the exact stone count required (have / need) and flashes red if you run low. Placement ghost and 3D preview turn red when stone is insufficient.
Stamina	Drained per operation; exhaustion halts clearing mid-sweep.
Tool durability	Hoe and tools wear down; broken tools block operations.
Workbench proximity	Required for raising earth; Stonecutter required for paving cobblestone (can be toggled in server config).
Tool requirements	Axe to clear trees, Pickaxe to clear rocks when using Clear Debris.

🛠️ Freebuild Creative Mode ([B])

Press [B] at any time to toggle into Freebuild Creative Mode:

• 0 Resources: No stone or materials ever required or deducted from your inventory.
• 0 Crafting Stations: Terraform anywhere without needing nearby workbenches or stonecutters.
• 0 Durability & Stamina: Unlimited terraforming without stamina exhaustion or tool breakage.
• Clean HUD: Stone requirements automatically vanish from the build bar while in Freebuild mode. Server owners can lock cost mode to Balanced Survival via ServerSync.

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Controls & Hotkeys Summary

Hotkey	Action	Notes
[Alt+Z] / [Ctrl+Z]	Undo Terrain Action	Reverts last operation (or steps back last ramp waypoint)
[Alt+Y] / [Ctrl+Y]	Redo Terrain Action	Redoes last undone terrain modification (also Alt+Shift+Z)
[Q]	Select Area Mode	Mouse wheel scroll resizes brush radius
[E]	Select Height Mode	Mouse wheel scroll adjusts raise height (0.05m – 8.0m)
[L]	Toggle Altitude Lock	Levels terrain to fixed elevation
Middle Mouse	Snap Altitude Lock	Aim at any placed piece to match its floor height
[PageUp] / [PageDown]	Adjust Locked Altitude	Tap or hold down for rapid smooth movement
[Shift] + [PgUp/PgDn]	5x Rapid Altitude Tuning	Multiplies elevation change rate by 5x
[K]	Place Ramp Waypoint	Places Point A, B, C... (or clears when done)
[H]	Auto-Carve Ramp Road	Carves along spline corridor. Hold Shift for Paved Stone
[Backspace]	Undo Last Waypoint	Removes most recent waypoint
[ / ]	Adjust Ramp Width	Changes road corridor width (1m – 20m)
[Alt] + [ / ]	Adjust Brush Radius	Changes leveling/brush radius (also Alt + Scroll)
[P]	Cycle Ramp Paint Mode	Cobblestone, Dirt, Keep Grass, Cultivated, Match Tool
[G]	Toggle Brush Shape	Switch between Circle and Square
Mouse Scroll	Rotate Square Brush	Rotates square brush when active (unless holding Alt to resize)
[Left Arrow]	Rotate Square Left	Rotates square brush counter-clockwise
[Right Arrow]	Rotate Square Right	Rotates square brush clockwise
[Home]	Reset Square Rotation	Snaps square rotation back to 0° (North)
[B]	Toggle Cost Mode	Switch between Balanced Survival and Freebuild
[U]	Restore Terrain	Revert terrain to original world-generation

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Console Commands (F5)

Open the Valheim in-game console with [F5] (requires -console Steam launch option) for instant terrain utilities:

Command	Arguments	Description
resetterrain	[radius=10]	Reverts all digging/leveling in radius back to natural world-gen state (supports Undo)
remove_forestry	[radius=10]	Clears trees, logs, stumps, and bushes within radius
cleardebris	[radius=10]	Clears rocks, boulders, and obstacles within radius
smarterhoe_undo	None	Undoes the last terrain modification
smarterhoe_redo	None	Redoes the last undone terrain modification

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Configuration

Config file: BepInEx/config/com.jubaroo.smarterhoe.cfg

All settings are configurable in-game using the BepInEx Configuration Manager ([F1]) or by editing the config file directly. Synced settings are enforced by the server when connected to a dedicated server running SmarterHoe:

Setting	Default	Synced?	Description
Lock Configuration	true	Yes	Locks configuration to server authority; only server admins can modify synced settings
CostMode	BalancedSurvival	Yes	Resource mode: BalancedSurvival (costs ON) or Freebuild (creative mode)
HoeReach	20	Yes	Maximum placement reach while hoe is equipped (meters)
MaxBrushRadius	20	Yes	Maximum allowable brush radius for leveling, soften, and clearing tools (meters)
AllowBeyondGameLimit	true	Yes	Allows terraforming beyond Valheim's standard ±8m ceiling/floor
MaxTerrainDelta	50	Yes	Maximum elevation delta from natural terrain (meters)
DefaultRaiseHeight	0.5	No	Default height added per raise operation (meters)
RaiseScrollStep	0.5	No	Height increment per mouse wheel step when adjusting height
MinRaise	0.05	Yes	Minimum selectable raise height (meters)
MaxRaise	8.0	Yes	Maximum selectable raise height (meters)
SuppressCameraZoom	true	No	Prevents camera from zooming while adjusting hoe radius/height
SuppressZoomMode	WhileAdjusting	No	WhileAdjusting (during hotkey/scroll), AlwaysWithHoe, or Disabled
EnableRaiseCylinderPreview	true	No	Shows 3D translucent preview cylinder with reach color-coding
Language	Auto	No	In-game language (Auto detects game language, or English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish)
EnableUndo	true	Yes	Enable multi-step terrain undo and redo
MaxUndoSteps	15	Yes	Maximum number of undo history snapshots stored (1 to 50)
UndoKey	Z	No	Hotkey to trigger undo
RedoKey	Y	No	Hotkey to trigger redo
UndoModifier	AltOrControl	No	Modifier key required (AltOrControl, LeftAlt, LeftControl, None)
RampStepBackWithUndoKey	true	No	Undo key steps back ramp waypoints when active
AltitudeLockKey	L	No	Toggle altitude lock
SnapAltitudeKey	Mouse2	No	Snap locked altitude to targeted piece (Middle Mouse)
AltitudeStep	0.1	No	Meters adjusted per PageUp / PageDown step (hold Shift for 5x)
AltitudeHoldDelay	0.35	No	Delay in seconds before continuous adjustment begins when holding PageUp/PageDown
AltitudeRepeatRate	0.05	No	Seconds between adjustments while holding PageUp/PageDown
InstantFlatten	true	Yes	Instantly level 100% of terrain vertices inside brush radius to exact target altitude
InstantFlattenVanilla	false	Yes	Apply instant 1-click flattening to vanilla hoe 'Level Ground' tool
FlattenEdgeMargin	0.0	Yes	Edge blend feathering margin in meters for leveling
StonePerCubicMeter	0.25	Yes	Stone cost per cubic meter of terrain raised in survival
StonePerPavedSquare	0.03	Yes	Stone cost per square meter of cobblestone paved in survival
RequireCraftingStation	true	Yes	Require Workbench to raise earth and Stonecutter to pave stone
RequireToolsForDebris	true	Yes	Require Axe for trees and Pickaxe for rocks when clearing debris
DropResourcesOnClear	false	Yes	Drop wood/stone when clearing debris instead of clean deletion
DynamicSlopeColoring	true	No	Color-code ramp guide spine by slope cart-friendliness
SquareRotationMode	ScrollWheelAndButtons	No	ScrollWheelAndButtons, ButtonsOnly, or ScrollWheelOnly
SquareRotationDegrees	22.5	No	Degrees to rotate square brush per click/step
RotateSquareLeftKey	LeftArrow	No	Key to rotate square brush left
RotateSquareRightKey	RightArrow	No	Key to rotate square brush right
ResetSquareRotationKey	Home	No	Key to reset square rotation to 0° (North)

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Dedicated Server Support & ServerSync

SmarterHoe features seamless ServerSync integration with full server-authoritative configuration:

• Server Authority: Server owners can install SmarterHoe on dedicated servers to enforce balanced rules across all connected players:
  • Enforce CostMode = BalancedSurvival to prevent players from toggling into freebuild creative mode ([B] toggle is locked on clients with on-screen notice).
  • Enforce reach limits (HoeReach), maximum brush radius (MaxBrushRadius), maximum terrain elevation deltas (MaxTerrainDelta), stamina/durability costs, station requirements (RequireCraftingStation), and tool requirements (RequireToolsForDebris).
  • Server admins listed in adminlist.txt are automatically exempt and can adjust settings in real-time with instant synchronization to all connected clients.
• Client-Optional & Vanilla Server Compatibility (ModRequired = false):
  • Connecting to Vanilla / Non-Modded Servers: You can safely join any vanilla or community server with SmarterHoe installed on your client. You will never be kicked, disconnected, or declined; your local client settings apply cleanly.
  • Vanilla Players on Modded Servers: If a server owner installs SmarterHoe on their dedicated server, players without SmarterHoe can still join the server without being rejected.

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Compatibility

• Multiplayer — terrain operations modify Valheim's native TerrainComp heightmaps and ZDO networks; all players see changes in real time.
• Dedicated Servers — fully supported with headless optimizations (GraphicsDeviceType.Null) and live server-authoritative config sync.
• Client-Optional — works as a client-side only mod on vanilla servers, or as an enforced server mod on dedicated servers.
• Known conflicts — Mods that also patch Player.UpdatePlacementGhost or deeply override hoe piece behavior may conflict.

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Credits

Built by Jubaroo.
Valheim terrain system research inspired by the broader Valheim modding community.