Outside the Blocks News

Hello to all fans of building, modeling, and creating!



Taking advantage of these last few moments while I still have a chair and a computer in front of me (I’m moving, and my workspace is in total chaos), I wanted to tell you a bit about the animals that will be available in version 1.0!


In one of the previous Steam posts, I already mentioned that animated animals are big part of OtB. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly encourage you to check it out!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2350220/view/4690026640910991183


The demo included 5 farm animal models, and it seems like you had a great time building dioramas with them. While browsing your creations, I got the strange feeling that hiding chickens in weird places has somehow become an unplanned meta-game. ːbrownchickenː


Originally, I planned for about 12 animal models in the final game. But seeing how excited you all were, I decided to go the extra mile. In Outside the Blocks version 1.0, there will be a whopping... 38 types of animals, most of them available in several poses or animation sets!
Yep, that’s over three times more than I originally planned, but looking at the final results, I’m convinced it was worth it!

[h2]🐄 Domesticated Animals[/h2]
In addition to the farm animals from the demo, there are some new ones, characteristic of medieval rural areas and farmsteads.



[h2]🐻 Wild Animals[/h2]
The wild forest animal selection has been expanded the most. I’m especially excited that you can now create entire animal families roaming around together.





[h2]🐦 Birds[/h2]
Birds turned out to be a really nice touch that adds to the atmosphere. Several of them have recently been implemented.



[h2]🐟 Fish[/h2]
Many people asked me about adding fish, so here they are! Perfect whether you're making a seaside scene, a pond, or even an aquarium.



[h2]🦋 Butterflies[/h2]
Nobody asked for butterflies, but I don’t care. I wanted to add them anyway!



A small extra touch: when you move the spawner, they fly toward its center.




I think there's now enough variety for everyone to express their creativity, no one should feel left out!
These past few weeks of development have been very intense. I’ve added tons of awesome new content, and I can't wait to show you more! I'm planning to post dev updates more regularly from now on.
In the meantime, feel free to join our Discord, where I share more behind-the-scenes stuff:

👉 https://discord.com/invite/mAYsGS77t3

See you soon! Hopefully after I’ve finished moving!

P.S.
I’m working hard to share the game with more communities. I’d love to hear how you first discovered it, let me know in the comments!

Hello to all fans of building, modeling, and creating!

I’m dropping in with the first update since the roadmap went live, and let me just say – seeing Outside the Blocks getting more attention lately has been amazing. The growing interest, the shares, the mentions… it really keeps me motivated. Thank you! ːespressoː

Also – fun fact – just a few weeks ago, the demo hit a new peak in player count, which is absolutely incredible considering it’s just a small demo!

As for the development timeline: Everything is moving forward as planned. Not too fast, not too slow, but steady. And today, I want to show off something I quietly wrapped up a few weeks ago…

[h2]Light-emitting objects
[/h2]


Yes – they’re here, and they’re glowing. This has been one of the most requested features, and I totally get why – lighting changes everything.

Right now, you can use several types of light sources, including:

• Campfire
  
• Torches
  
• Braziers
  
• Standing torches
  
• And of course… candles
  

It’s kind of wild how much light transforms a scene. A quiet evening setting becomes warm and alive. A spooky forest? Actually spooky. I hope this sparks tons of ideas for your dioramas.


And yep – each light object can be turned ON or OFF. Want to show the same location at two different times of day? Or a moment before and after the fire’s been lit? You’ve got full control.



Honestly, this might be one of the coolest features in the game so far. They influence every object within the scene.



And it also affects all weather effects, like fog!



Of course, this is just one of the new features I’ve added recently. If you want to follow development more closely, hop into our Discord:
https://discord.gg/5vjajYwR

And hey… if you haven’t played the demo yet, now’s a good time. No one really knows how long it’ll be up on Steam, so grab it while you can.

Take care, and keep an eye out for the next update!

Hello to all the fans of building, modeling, and creating!

The Outside the Blocks demo has been available for a while now!
Thank you to everyone who played – and especially to those who shared their feedback!



Looking at your comments and activity on Steam, it seems like the demo has been well received – which, I must admit, makes me really happy!

The interest in Outside the Blocks is greater than I expected, but unfortunately, it's still not big enough for me to turn this project into anything more than a hobby project developed in my spare time. Because of that, I plan to continue working on the game in the same way as before.
The good news is – this won’t significantly affect the content of the final game.
The bad news? The release will be delayed. By how much? No one knows.


Here are some of the features planned for version 1.0. Keep in mind that this list may still change.

[h2]New Features:
[/h2]

• Undo / Redo
  
• Expanded customization of the display stand base
  
• Material Workspace rework
  
• Weather Workspace rework
  
• Improvements to Autobuild usability
  
• Optimization
  
• Various QoL (Quality of Life) improvements
  

[h2]New Customization Options:[/h2]

• New Glass Presets
  
• New Display Cases (various sizes and shapes)
  
• New Substance Presets
  
• New Terrain Presets
  
• New Atmospheric Effects
  
• New Lighting Schemes
  

[h2]New Autobuild Modules:[/h2]

• Terraces & Stairs
  
• Stone Flooring
  
• Bridge
  
• New Wall Styles in Autobuild
  
• New Roof Finishing Options
  

[h2]New Material Presets[/h2]

• Brick materials
  
• Stone materials
  
• Floors
  

[h2]New Objects & Decorations:[/h2]

• Small Architecture Elements
  
• New Dormer Windows
  
• New Decorative Objects
  
• New Animated Farm Animals
  
• Animated Characters
  
• Animated Wild Animals
  
• Movable Objects
  
• Light-Emitting Objects
  
• Flags & Banners
  
• Stone Fences
  
• Round Tower Elements
  
• Cultivated Plants
  
• Ivy and Vines
  

As you can see from the list above, I’m currently focusing solely on the Medieval decoration kit. In the future, I may expand OtB with additional thematic kits, but that depends on many factors, and it’s too early to discuss it now.





[h2]Still Under Consideration:[/h2]

• Gamepad support
  
• Steam Workshop integration
  

[h2]Maybe in the Future:
[/h2]

• Additional language versions
  
• Ability to share dioramas with other users
  
• Console versions
  

[h2]Definitely Not Planned:
[/h2]

• Export to graphic formats (FBX, OBJ, STL) & Integration with any 3D software or game engine
  I know that many people have already asked for an export feature, but I can't provide it. It's not due to technical limitations, but for legal reasons. So, there’s no room for discussion. :(
  
  
• Object scaling and rotation along a different axis than the vertical one
  It's against my philosophy of creating and placing assets.
  
  
• iOS, Linux
  Making a separate build is time-consuming and requires a lot of work. I just can't afford it.
  
  
• VR, AR
  Preparing such a version is an incredible amount of work that would never have a chance to pay off.
  
  
• Interiors
  That would complicate navigation through the scene too much.
  

I want the development process to be as transparent as possible, so in the coming months, I will regularly share WIP updates on Discord. If you want to see how the game grows and evolves – join our server!

I hope you have a great time in the demo, and I’ll catch you in the next Steam post!

Hello to all fans of building, modeling, and creating!

I’m thrilled to announce that the demo of my game is now live on Steam! 🎉
This is your chance to jump in, explore, and bring your creativity to life by crafting beautiful dioramas. To celebrate the occasion, I’ve prepared a short trailer to give you a sneak peek and hopefully inspire your first masterpiece!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Your feedback is incredibly valuable to me. This demo is a big step in shaping the future of the game, so I’d love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas. Feel free to join our Discord server to share your impressions and connect with other creators!


Download the demo now, and let your creativity shine. I can’t wait to see what you’ll build!

Regarding references, I previously talked a bit about terrain, and now it's time to share the story of the heart of every diorama – the buildings!


As you've probably noticed, I have a deep passion for medieval architecture. It's a subject that has fascinated me for many years. So, it's hard to say that when working on Outside the Blocks, I did any research because, in reality, this research has been a lifelong endeavor. Wherever I go, if I encounter an open-air museum or an old town, I always make sure to carefully observe and document what I see.


One of the most amazing places I've had the opportunity to visit was Troyes – a small town in France renowned for its beautifully preserved timber-framed buildings. In fact, Troyes became one of the key inspirations when I was working on the modular system in OtB!


In designing the building blocks, I gathered 1,750 references of interesting buildings, which I meticulously analyzed and broke down into appropriate modules. I can confidently say that the vast majority of them could easily be reconstructed my game!


Of course, Outside the Blocks wouldn't be complete without captivating props and small-scale architecture. For this, I drew inspiration from visits to Polish open-air museums that document everyday life from various historical periods. I’m sure many of you, looking at these photos, will immediately associate them with The Witcher.


I’ve already managed to model some of these elements, but there are still plenty that are patiently waiting in the backlog.


I hope you share my love for the medieval era, and that you’ll have a blast designing your own dioramas – something I’m excited to see happening very soon!