this way there are some minor symmetry benefits, and the only asymmetric parts are the code that selects which model to use.
it also has the added benefit of removing some duplicated code paths (e.g. now it's possible to get rid of readUnitEnum() and such).
This has several advantages:
Easier to implement new blocks (one less file to modify)
Easier to adjust serialization of existing blocks
Guaranteed consistency between serializers and deserializers
Potentially, exposes more metadata for programmatic analysis, instead of having everything baked inside opaque Closures
There are some exceptions which still use the old approach: big dripleaf, cauldrons, mushroom stems, and pitcher crops. These all have multiple PM block types for a single ID, with relatively complex logic to select which to use. These weren't worth the effort to unify due to their small number. I may revisit this in the future, but I already spent a lot of brainpower on it.
