By using physics, it would rule out the new rendering system.
It would be near impossible to build structures even near the same size of Blockland's, if there were any physics. We'd be right back where we were at Blockland 002, with a maximum of 1000 bricks, probably less because the game has to calculate physics for all of them.
Trying to compare Retail and Gmod doesn't work. They aren't the same type of game. Gmod is a physics sandbox game, where you play with physics. Blockland is not. I can build a castle out of 128000 blocks in Blockland if I like.
Try building something out of 128000 cargo containers in Gmod, and tell me what happens. Or 128000 explosive barrels. Or heck, even use the plastic blocks from phx or wire mod, which have the lowest number of tris possible, for a cubic prism.
If you play Retail Blockland, thinking "What, no physics, for twice the price of Gmod? This game is a rip-off!" then you are setting yourself up to hate the game.
If you want physics and blocks, play Roblox.
But for the sake of staying on topic, I'll answer the question. Would Blockland be as good as gmod if it has physics? Assuming it had the same performance, then no, it wouldn't. Gmod has constraints, thrusters, and all those other interesting objects. Lets assume that Blockland had physics, constraints, and everything else that Gmod had. Would I buy it then?
No, because I already bought Gmod once, I don't really care to buy it a second time, for twice the cost.
Finally, Gmod isn't $10, and anyone who tries to tell you that is a fool. Gmod is $10 if you already happen to have a source game. If you don't, then the price to play Gmod could be anywhere between $29.95 and $75, which is, in fact, more then just buying Blockland by itself.
Yes, Gmod, by itself, cost $10. However, if you are trying to get into Gmod for the first time, and haven't played a single source game before, then you are going to be paying a bit more then you anticipated.
Blockland doesn't have any more cost associated with it, on the other hand.
