Another thing, I was thinking about adding a "wading"? "treading water? (I don't know a proper name) state for when you're swimming on the surface of the water that makes it easier to escape water when you're on the surface.

thats a very good idea firecat can u please accept my buddy request i made a wiki page aobut you

that sounds like it'd be a very good change! getting out of water really sucks right now cause the best way is really to just dive out if it, but if you're trying to get up on a taller platform than the water then you'll usually either bonk into it or dive along the edge and fall back in

i think if you jump and you're in this treading state you should do a normal jump out of the water (and you can then double jump/dive/whatever obviously)
maybe upon you swimming upwards and reaching the surface of the water (NOT diving! diving would work as it currently does and would launch you out of the water), you would be put in the treading state and wouldn't be allowed to swim higher and out of the water (like you can as of now)

also uhh i think the correct term is neither of those as "wading" means walking through liquid (not swimming) and "treading water" means floating on the surface of water (but staying still), though i think the least wrong one would be treading the water

oh god yes
please, this'd be such a good change
the bopi keeps banging his head into things and it either gets me unfairly killed or makes leaving the water very difficult as is overall very unfun to deal with

that'd be a great change!!!!!! the current control you get while swimming isn't all that great and making that configurable would be a really good tool for level creators

and is*
whoopsies

maybe let us hit things underwater also, that'd be nice

It is in my best interest to not ask for these things since I am making a level that would probably be fundamentally broken if the water physics changed. (So hopefully old water could stay as its own block)

Water movement (changing directions) should be a lot more responsive. Swimming on the surface of water should function differently than being completely submerged. (Not while diving though)

Water boosting is also.... jaaaaank. The direction should be based on the direction the player is holding rather than multiplying the current velocity. However at the same time this functionality can be exploited for insanely cool gameplay and should be ported to its own block. (Similar to the custom mechanic in the celeste 2021 winter collab map Starship Ruins. Not identical but thats what im thinking of)

Kay byueeeeeeee

A spherical collision shape for a bopi would be amazing whether its for water or not

Yes yes yes yes. You dont understand how janky swimming out of water is. This is needed.
I think the only thing that needs to be fixed if this is added is that if you are water boosting you dont enter this action