Hey everyone, It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to put a pause to the development of City Block Builder. We had ambitious updates in the works but we have decided to learn some hard lessons and move to a fresh project for now. We hope to share more with you in the future for CBB. Thank you so much for playing with us! Here are the few items we have worked on. Notes

• Prop preview windows now scale and zoom based on the object size.
• An alternative camera mode has been added. Open the pause menu to access.
• Financial data is now saved.
• Deleting saves now has a confirmation.
• Guests should be more responsive to restaurant seat openings.
• Fixed several issues with staff AI breaking.

Hey everyone, Were still working on some sizable content updates, and hope to have that in your hands for play soon. However, well be taking a hiatus for the winter holidays and will be resuming updates in January. We hope you have a wonderful rest of the year. Looking forward to coming back strong in 2023! Notes

• Weve received multiple reports of crashes from users and have added in-game back tracing in order to receive automatic error message reports which will hopefully help us identify whats causing problems for some users. These reports will only be sent if youre connected to the Internet, and we do not gather any other information about you or your machine whatsoever. We value your privacy.
• Individual staff UI has been implemented. Right-click staff to access.
• Added a delete button to save files.

Hello everyone, this is an interim patch attempting to fix some crash issues some users are experiencing trying to load the game. Notes

• Made several changes that may have resolved certain crashing issues, but we are not fully certain it has covered everything.
• If you are still unable to start the game or make it past the first loading screen, it would be extremely helpful to provide the automatically generated log file and send it to us (preferably on Discord). Thank you so much!
• The log file location is C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\LocalLow\Tentworks Interactive\CityBlockBuilder\Player.log

Hello everyone! Here are some details about the new patch: UI

• Guest overview UI has been implemented, and its corresponding button at the bottom of play mode bar has been enabled.
• Individual guest UI has been implemented. This new UI will expose new data about preferences, stats, and activities for each guest.
• Some of this data in these new UI has not yet been implemented fully yet, and actionable gameplay is planned for a future marketing update.
• Improved text visibility of incoming transactions (can be found at the bottom-right of the screen).

• The radio now starts and is present in the main menu, and the song + radio station persists after starting a new game or loading a save file.

• More guest formations have been added.

• Certain parts of the UI should be a little more performant.

Hey everyone, Weve still got a lot cooking but wanted to provide an update in anticipation of more in-depth staff AI behavior. Staff + UI

• Staff UI has been updated to reflect some current stats.
• New UI for hiring staff and viewing current employees.
• Added a hireable staff talent pool. When the game starts, there are a limited number of staff that you can hire from each category (security is still not implemented yet).
• There are varying qualities of staff determined by two new stats: mobility and efficiency. Mobility affects how fast staff can walk and efficiency affects how fast tasks are completed such as cooking, cleaning, and repairing.
• Staff now have daily wages, and their overall quality affects how much they have to be paid, with some variance. Hire costs are also affected by this.
• The talent pool is refreshed every day at midnight.
• Staff from previous saves will have default values but future staff hired will be part of this randomized talent pool.
• We would like to add a leveling and unique trait system for staff but they are currently not implemented yet. As of now we just have a couple placeholder non-functional traits.

• Starting the game from the menu should be faster now.

Hey everyone, Were currently working on multiple fronts in terms of features that arent quite ready to release yet (related to guest and staff UI and associated behavior and gameplay effects as well as localization). For this update, were adding the following: Lighting and Environment

• The moon, moonlight, and a starry sky has been added to the game. Night time is now no longer pitch black but instead a pleasant twilight blue.

• Celestial bodies (sun and moon) now operate on their own thread.
• Resolved some occlusion culling issues.

• Added slight randomness to group walking formation positioning. Different types of formations still to come.

Upcoming Direction

Patch Notes v0.04 (2 September 2022)

• Zone stretching has been re-enabled.
• Stretching zones no longer cause props to suddenly disappear.
• Fixed various issues related to undoing/redoing zone stretching.
• Fixed various issues with prop states that are sold/destroyed due to stretching.
• Developer note: This was a very complex issue and took a significant amount of time to resolve. Please let us know if you encounter any more issues related to this feature.

• Zone warning/error overlay should not disappear anymore.
• Developer note: We received reports that this would sometimes disappear - unfortunately it seemed to have occurred very rarely at random. We think the issue has been fixed, but we could not determine a reliable way to recreate the problem. Let us know if the issue persists and if you can recall the circumstances.
• The grid should now properly stay when switching directly between different build states.
• Added Not Yet Implemented (NYI) tags to research nodes that still dont have an effect.

Patch Notes v0.03 (26 August 2022)

• Zone stretching has been temporarily disabled due to a critical bug associated with it. A solution is in the works but is taking much longer than expected. We will re-enable this when it has been fixed.

• Menu size limit research nodes now work correctly.

• Your current mission and progress will be saved.

• We added a message to the save screen, indicating some features are missing (our save system is still incomplete unfortunately).

• As you might notice, the current missions, research, and props in the game lean more towards introductory and proof-of-concept. We plan to introduce sweeping balance changes, new additions, and more comprehensive and story-driven missions as future releases come.

Patch Notes v0.02 (19 August 2022)

• Color, shadow, and saturation adjustments to make the interiors of zones appear less dark and make the colors pop a bit more.

• Added the Main Menu.
• When stretching zones, the cursor now follows walls more accurately.

• Slight adjustment of node connections in The Great Indoors line.
• We are aware some of the research nodes dont do anything yet! Hang tight.

It's been quite a while since we last posted anything about City Block Builder but that's because we have been hard at work to get you the best early access game possible! We are getting closer and closer to our goal and we should be getting CBB out very soon. Until then, here is a little bit about what our incredible 3D Artists do for the game. Working on City Block Builder, the main difficulty we faced was matching each other's style and working as a unit. Each artist in the team had their own style. However, trying to match each other's styles helped us learn, grow and improve. While constructing the props we had to think as if we were in the player's mind. We had to construct the props according to the money the players spent. More money equals more detail in the props and vice versa. We worked closely with our dev team in order to optimize the game. We have made LODs (level of detail, which is the process of making less detailed versions of your models that are swapped-in when the object is further away from the camera) for all the elements in the game. This lowers the strain on the computer allowing it to render more objects while maintaining a high frame rate. Even though City Block Builder is a tycoon game where we render hundreds of objects at once, LODs will always help it perform seamlessly, making it run smoother on lower-end hardware.
When it comes to our characters that weve created in CBB we have designed them so that when they are rendered in game, it always runs butter smooth. Keeping a stable frame rate no matter what is happening is very important to a tycoon game like this, and we've achieved a consistently stable and high frame rate thanks to the tireless work of the devs who made everything in the game render at a high level of visual fidelity whilst never dropping frames. The game renders thousands of objects and characters in real time. To achieve the best framerate we had to limit the number of TRIs (triangles) for each object, while at the same time looking great in game. We wanted to ensure the game was accessible to all types of computers, rather than making gamers spend on mega-expensive PCs (looking at you, GPU prices).
There are some iconic buildings and views that the players can enjoy as well.

Games are Fun! But what is more fun than creating the game for others to entertain? Thank you for your time! Riyaz Husain, Manali D. Senior 3D Artist

A quick update on our progress with City Block Builder. We'll be talking about the upgrades we have made to the art side and our AI side of things! Along with that, we will also be talking about our highly anticipated Story Mode! So make sure to be there steamhappy You can ask us questions on the chat and we'll answer them right there.
Make sure you join our Discord server to be a part of the community discussions! Link - https://discord.gg/UPxnDeD4TV We post regular updates on Instagram and Twitter and we have some exciting content planned for the upcoming weeks. Make sure to follow us on both platforms through - https://www.instagram.com/tentworks_interactive/ and @CityBlockBuildr

Hi Builders, We are sorry to announce that we have decided to postpone the early access launch for City Block Builder. We sincerely apologize for the delay, but we want to ensure that the game releases in a polished, playable state. We realize that this is an inconvenience, but we want to provide our community with the best experience possible. To tide fans over during this wait, we have released an all-new Developer Walkthrough video showcasing how players can construct the Tinseltown empire of their dreams when City Block Builder comes to Steam Early Access later this year: Developer Walkthrough of City Block Builder: https://youtu.be/I8JoM8voSRM We really appreciate your patience, and cant wait to bring you the best version of City Block Builder we possibly can. Thank you!

Its been a few days since the Steam Next Fest has ended but were still riding on the post-release high. We would like to sincerely thank each and every one of you who took the time to check out our demo and our Steam Page. Over the course of the Steam festival, we received valuable feedback from players who experienced the demo and each bit goes a long way in creating City Block Builder a flawless experience. Our demo will continue to develop for Steam and may get some more updates to make CBB a fresh first experience for every single player. We are eager to hear more about the game from you and would appreciate any feedback that you can provide.
If youd like to keep track of the progress of CBB, you can follow us on our social media channels to stay close to the action: https://www.instagram.com/tentworks_interactive/ and https://twitter.com/CityBlockBuildr. If youd like to directly get in touch with us as well as talk to the people behind City Block Builder, join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UPxnDeD4TV Thank you, once again, for all your support and enthusiasm. We hope to bring more news to you as fast as we can!

Hey hey, Builders! As the Steam Next Fest comes to an end, we are here with our final dev stream of the event. Join us on Tuesday, 22nd June 2021 at 9 AM PDT. Set the reminder and let's build some stuff!
Make sure you join our Discord server to be a part of the community discussions! Link - https://discord.gg/UPxnDeD4TV We post regular updates on Instagram and Twitter and we have some exciting content planned for the upcoming weeks. Make sure to follow us on both platforms through - https://www.instagram.com/tentworks_interactive/ and @CityBlockBuildr

Hello Builders! The Steam Next Fest is up and running and we are all set to hold our first dev stream for City Block Builder. Come join us as we sit down and talk shop about all things CBB as we play through the Steam Demo.
The event starts on Sunday, 20th June 2021 at 9 AM PDT. So make sure you set a reminder! See you all soon! Make sure you join our Discord server to be a part of the community discussions! Link - https://discord.gg/UPxnDeD4TV We post regular updates on Instagram and Twitter and we have some exciting content planned for the upcoming weeks. Make sure to follow us on both platforms through - https://www.instagram.com/tentworks_interactive/ and https://twitter.com/CityBlockBuildr

Its the moment youve been waiting for! Its the moment WEVE been waiting for! The latest edition of the Steam Next Festival is here and this time, we are joining the festivities! The latest Steam Festival is set to commence on June 16th, 2021 and this time, City Block Builder will be making its worldwide debut with our first ever demo going live. Players and fans all over the world will get to experience City Block Builder and its first building blocks. Dont forget to wishlist us on Steam if you havent yet to be notified of all our upcoming news and updates as well as the demo release!
Make sure you join our Discord server before the demo drops to be a part of the community discussions! Link - https://discord.gg/UPxnDeD4TV We post regular updates on Instagram and Twitter and we have some exciting content planned for the upcoming weeks. Make sure to follow us on both platforms through - https://www.instagram.com/tentworks_interactive/ and https://twitter.com/CityBlockBuildr We will share some demo details very soon, but we would definitely like to keep most of it a surprise. Into suspense, we go!

This edition of Dev Bytes brings happy news! We are pleased to announce the beginning of the Closed Alpha Stage of City Block Builder! Set in 1950s Los Angeles, City Block Builder is a unique blend of business meets domination. Your job is not only to run *a* successful business but in fact, multiple successful businesses. You are offered various disciplines to start your business in and how you conquer each sector is entirely up to you. Start with a cinema and climb your way up the business hierarchy by opening restaurants, cinemas, bars, bowling alleys and much more. But unlike a typical city management game, you just dont launch businesses, you manage them to the dot as well! Create your very own business empire and watch your conglomerate grow. On the way, conquer every obstacle and challenge thrown towards you and maybe even turn it around. To use the clich phrase, the world is your oyster and it certainly is in the city of Tentwood!
Players will get to try out the CBB alpha access demo before everyone else if they have registered beforehand. If you missed out on the sign-up, make sure you fill the form on our website. Here a just few of the features alpha players will be able to experience: -Build your own Cinema chain -Run your very own Restaurant franchise -Deal with Finances and Marketing -Take a look at our innovative Movie Scheduler and Restaurant Menu systems -Mess around with the Research Tree to create unique development plans -Try out our unique-to-the-genre Cards Reward system -Explore the potential of our powerful Build mode And much more! There are only a limited number of players who will be able to get their hands on the alpha build so fear not if you miss out, we will be sharing news for the City Block Builder Demo as well in the near future. But fortune favours the brave and you might just get alpha access if youre quick enough. So, hurry up and register on our website, www.tentworks.io, and stay tuned for the announcement date of Alpha Access. Hint: Its just a matter of time before you hear from us again ;)

Its dev update time! Another dev byte comes your way and this time, we will discuss an issue that plagues most game developers. Yup, its Scaling and its not as bad as it sounds. Scaling is a lesser-known hurdle in the world of game dev. You acknowledge that it exists but you feel hesitant to tackle it. Given the impressive, and exhaustive, range of displays on offer in the current hardware market, Scaling effectively boils down to the resolution a monitor/screen has to offer. Most screens currently offer a 16:9 ratio with 1920x1080 displays. However, with the growing popularity of 4K resolution and wide-screen/curved monitors, it is essential to ensure that a game looks good no matter the display it is running on. For City Block Builder, the game world is easier to scale depending on the display it is using. The UI, on the other hand, is where the scalability really kicks in. The goal is to make the text in the UI crisp, clear and legible. As of now, CBB has been scaled to adjust perfectly with resolutions up to 1080p. The next target is to scale the game up to 4K resolution and to enhance the general feel of the game at such high resolutions.
Scaling the props and the UI is equally crucial, as seen here. As for the aspect ratios, most displays follow the standard 16:9 ratio while the wider screens have adopted 21:9. These ratios will be the main focus for the CBB UI with retrospective scaling for other ratios like 4:3 (does anyone use this now?), 5:4, 1:1, 3:2 and 32:9 to name a few. The idea is to introduce letterboxing for incompatible aspect ratios while still maintaining the efficiency of the current UI. We are super excited to showcase the glorious era of Los Angeles in stunning detail regardless of the resolution. The scaling process is a tedious one but forms a crucial part of the visual fidelity and aesthetic of City Block Builder. In the meantime, be sure to let us know here and on our social channels what display configuration you have that you intend to play CBB on!

Hey, hey, Builders! Heres a brand new dev blog, and this time, lets talk traffic. We know how annoying being stuck in traffic can be. This frustration is further amplified in California as LA traffic in the 1950s wasnt pleasant even in the slightest. Dont worry. We have done our best to emulate the traffic from the yesteryears. Programming the traffic AI in City Block Builder was a priority. Lively roads lead to a lively city, and glitchy AI will break the immersion straight away. The idea is not just to have accurate car models from that era but also to make sure that they function efficiently. You can see the result of our plan below.
The AI has been trained to follow the lanes and traffic lines throughout the city. Junctions work in the same way, with the only exception being the addition of traffic lights. Normally, crossroads would create chaos but not in Tentwood. The drivers behave (for the most part), and the proceedings are rather smooth.
This version of the AI and the mechanic just forms the foundation of the traffic system. There will be further iterations to perfect the system and provide a seamless traffic experience. We cannot wait to share our progress with you. And that brings us to the end of our log. There is more to come, and were already jotting up new ideas, so stay tuned! We would also like to thank each and every one of you who signed up for our closed beta. Be on the lookout for an email to drop sometime soon! Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/CityBlockBuildr We post regular updates on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/tentworks_interactive/

Hello! Weve got an update for you, and its one that were excited for you to see. If theres one thing that can make or break a tycoon game, its the UI. Clunky or confusing interfaces can make it hard for players to find the fun behind the mess. Thats why were making sure our UI is comprehensive, intuitive, and clear. Our previous UI can be seen in this research tree image below:
This has been redone and lo and behold, our new UI template!
The research tree above is an excellent example of this intuitive interface design. Its easy to tell which tech tree youre in, which technologies are researched, whats available to be researched, and whats locked. With this type of design, youll spend less time wrestling with the interface, meaning you can spend more time on whats essential: attracting guests and making money. In City Block Builder, theres a wealth of systems and mechanics behind each button, so we need to give players relevant information without cluttering the screen with all of that information at once. This is why were developing a robust tooltip system to support the entire interface. You might have come across tooltips as those little boxes of text that come up when you hold your mouse over basically anything (in Windows, other games, etc.). Thats right, weve got those! This is just a tiny sliver of the features weve been adding to the game, and there will be a lot more coming soon. Stay tuned for future updates! PS - Discord announcement coming soon! Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/CityBlockBuildr We post regular updates on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/tentworks_interactive/

Hey, there future Builders! We are excited to announce the release of City Block Builder's Official Teaser Trailer! Take a look at it on YouTube (link below) or catch it at the front of CBB's Steam page! That's it for this quick and short announcement but hold on to your hats for some even bigger news coming soon! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDleew0XfZ0

We are delighted to present to you yet another Dev Byte. This one is a little special So without any further delay, lets get down to business! Our latest build of City Block Builder gives an entirely new aura. The game has received a breath of fresh air in the last month or so with the arrival of our new Art Director, Matt Eskew. There is a new sense of direction with the way our game looks and feels, and it is bound to catch your fancy! For starters, the old world that we had in CBB has been completely overhauled. Everything, from the props and world assets to the theming, has been modified to suit the games aesthetic. Some components have even been completely redone from scratch as many of the current assets failed to reflect the mood required by City Block Builder. The buildable plot sees a change in scenery items and the grass texture and colour at hand while the surrounding pavement remains the same.
Similarly, many world elements have undergone a renovation, with new and well-detailed buildings making their way onto the map. To achieve maximum realism, duplication of assets has been kept to a strict minimum value and only when necessary. This gives LA in CBB a genuinely unique outlook and enhances the player experience. We want to share many more details, but sadly, this will have to suffice for now. Let us know what else you would like to know about the overhaul process and any other game features you want us to discuss. As always, stay tuned for more!

Hey, look, a new Dev Byte! This one will be short but packed with a lot of tidbits about upcoming features. So, lets just jump right into this! Readers of the previous dev blog would remember the teeny tiny hint we put at the end about the plots. Well, customisable plots will make an entry in City Block Builder! Things are still in the pipeline, so keep it hush-hush. As a business owner, any land that you own is editable as per your whim. Some lands are completely empty, giving you the freedom to build as you please. Some plots might have important structures (we are not spilling anything more) which cannot be demolished and will require you to build around it. But that shouldnt pose a problem for you Builders, its time to get creative! As for the build updates, we are having a whole new batch of classy props ready for integration. This expands our already extensive library of items and furniture as well as world elements. The progress is right on track and we will soon have the Early Access news up and about on our socials, including Steam.
As a bonus, heres an image of our cinema schedule. Can you figure out the puns here?? You are welcome to watch it too, its your cinema after all. Enjoy any of the 6 movies currently in-game, with more to come later! We bid farewell with the above deets and will return soon with more info. This was a tiny update but more are on the way so keep a close eye on our Community tab!

Another day, another Dev Byte. It's time to get a little technical for this. But don't worry, this won't turn into a research paper. And since nobody likes spoilers, we promise to keep some details for the next blog. So without any further delay, let's dig in. First things first, we have a brand new About Us section on the Steam Page with more details about City Block Builder for you to discover. Secondly, we have added a bunch of brand new screenshots from our latest dev build so that eager Builders can take a quick looksie at our progress. Now, onto the build itself.
As the closed alpha draws closer to launch, we have been focussing on getting the build ready-to-ship, and the pre-alpha builds look tastier with every passing day. To begin with, we currently have implemented 2 major businesses into the build. These businesses will debut in the closed alpha with other businesses to follow. Check out Dev Byte #4 and solve the riddles to find out which 2 businesses you will see first! Elaborating further, the businesses are currently accessible only in Sandbox Mode, but Campaign isnt that far away!
Speaking of modes, our Sandbox will be the exclusive mode available to play, allowing Builders complete freedom to design their businesses the way they want without restrictions. Campaign/Story mode is still a work in progress, and more information will be shared later. An in-depth tutorial will also be a part of the build, helping new entrants to the tycoon genre get up to speed in a fun and easy way. Lastly, we want to end this blog with a small hint of whats to come in the next Dev Byte. Hint: Localised and customisable plots! Stay tuned to find out more! Until then, ciao!

Ding ding ding! Another Dev Byte for our Builders is out and this ones a doozy. Today we bring to you some exciting information about the Movie Scheduler and the Research Tree. So without any further delay, lets begin! Movie Scheduler A first-of-its-kind feature in a tycoon game, the Movie Scheduler forms the backbone of your cinema operations. After all, you cant run a cinema if you dont run anything IN the cinema, right? The Scheduler menu allows you to purchase movies and also set a time-table for your cinema using those movies. Whenever you obtain new movies to showcase, either through progress or through research, they will appear in the catalogue section of the Scheduler menu. There, you can purchase these movies, one per cinema hall. Once purchased, you can schedule that movie anywhere on the timeline as you feel appropriate. You can schedule multiple movies in a single day as long as you have enough time slots.
But devs, what if I have more than one cinema hall? Well, every time you build a new cinema hall, you get a new timeline added to the Scheduler menu allowing you to run 2 different movie schedules for each day! But more on this later. Research Tree The Research Tree menu is your fundamental source of research and development, and hence progress. No matter which business, or businesses, you choose to explore and run, they can only get better with time AND research. The research tree is unique for every business. In addition to that, a generic research tree exists too, to provide improvements and new features to your business empire as a whole. Each tree is split into branches and has various nodes on it. Some nodes may even split into further branches or end up merging 2 or more branches. Hence, the development path you take at the start dictates the direction of your business plan.
Each node on the tree can be purchased/unlocked using Research Points. Research Points can be earned by investing money into R&D. The more you invest, the more Points you obtain. Certain elements of your business can only be unlocked through the research tree and no amount of progress will grow your business if your research progress does not go hand in hand at the time. And those are just 2 of our headliner features that will be gracing City Block Builder! A little sneak peek, these features will also be available for our closed Alpha! To hear more about our closed Alpha (its right around the corner), keep an eagle eye on the upcoming Dev Bytes!

We are on our 4th Dev Byte now! And this one is gonna be a cryptic one. So make sure you sharpen your detective skills for this as this is gonna be a tight-lipped affair. The topic for todays Dev Byte is Businesses! In City Block Builder, you are offered a plethora of options to set up shop in many different business categories. You have 2 paths that you can follow. You can start off slow with the Campaign (Story) Mode and take on one business at a time as the game progresses. But if you are a connoisseur of tycoon games, you may want to jump directly into the Sandbox Mode and start dazzling into all businesses at once. Either way, you are guaranteed to have a business empire consisting of more than half a dozen businesses running at the same time.
The story mode will enable players to start their journey by building a cinema first. Ample research and some story progress will help you move on to the next business, which depending on your research tree path, can be a restaurant, a drive-thru or something entirely different. In CBB, you are in complete control of your business plan as well as the strategy you intend to implement. The story offers a non-linear progression and, barring a few story-driven choices, is entirely decided by you.
Each business has its own research tree and a set of items that can be used exclusively only for that enterprise. The common items are universal and can be used everywhere. There are common zones as well, which you can place inside each business complex. A feature of CBB that is unique in the tycoon games genre is the ability to create a chain of your business, i.e. a franchise. Not only that, you can even host multiple businesses in the same plot of land (as we mentioned in an earlier Dev Byte). As for the list of businesses you can run, we wouldnt want to play foul and reveal everything without even giving a spoiler alert. So, Spoiler Alert! Nah, just kidding. Although, we do plan on leaving one riddle per blog from now on to reveal our businesses and maybe you can guess the businesses that youll get to run, ruin, or just about everything else. So for today, well keep things simple and reveal the first 2 confirmed businesses in City Block Builder: 1. Something different to show every week, still the same place. If you're eating, it's probably butter that you taste. 2. A little bit of everything to offer, and the entire world to visit on a single date. But try to visit all at once, and you might end up with a lot on your plate. There you go, good luck and let us know if you cracked the code. And keep your wits about you to crack the riddles next time as well!

Hello! The third blog in our Dev Bytes series is here to give you some more juicy bits about City Block Builder. Today we would like to share with you the various facets of our Build Menu. So strap on your safety helmets coz its time to start constructing! The Build Menu forms the foundation for your businesses. Everything that you can construct and/or purchase for your business can be found in this menu. This section allows you to furnish each lobby and zone completely from scratch, provided youve unlocked the items first.
The Build Menu not only houses the furniture and equipment but also wall paints, flooring and tiles. Each section has default and unlockable items, ensuring that the player always has the creative freedom appropriate to the story stage or experience level they are currently at. Not just that, the menu is divided into categories based on the usage of the items. For example, you can quickly find all items related to toilets and restrooms under Washroom and all of the patio furniture under Outdoor, while you can only find screens, speakers and projection rooms under Cinema.
Every item in the Build Menu is assigned a Quality Level and is unavailable until your business reaches that particular Quality Level. Every business starts at Level 1 and can be upgraded to Level 5 using the Research Tree System. Each Level earned unlocks a certain number of items in different categories. But more on that later ;) Building efficient zones, beautiful zones or simply wacky wonders, the Build Menu is your friend as long as you look after it with research and customization. That concludes our tiny teaser section for the Build Feature. Next up, we will discuss the different zones in City Block Builder. So, hang in there, well be back soon!

Hello and welcome back for the next instalment of Dev Bytes! On todays agenda, we present to you some details regarding the setting of City Block Builder. City Block Builder is a unique blend of business meets domination. Your job is not only to run *a* successful business but in fact, multiple successful businesses. You are offered various disciplines to start your business in and how you conquer each sector is entirely up to you. Start with a cinema and climb your way up the business hierarchy by opening restaurants, cinemas, bars, bowling alleys and much more. But unlike a typical city management game, you just dont launch businesses, you manage them to the dot as well! You get to decide if you want only horror movies playing in your theatre (yes, we are all suckers for the horror genre) or if you want a Roman-style or Neopolitan style for an Italian restaurant. Maybe you want to start an early revolution in LA in the 1950s by opening the worlds first vegan restaurant. The options are endless and how you play the game dictates how the game plays out (see what we did there?). Even though the setting of the game is in the 1950s, you are given complete control over how your business looks, forging your path. Speaking from a dev point of view, you are given complete freedom in terms of location as well as the layout. The game allows the players to build different businesses and locations on the same plot of land as well as connect them through paths. Who knows, maybe you could build your own mall in the 1950s (those were a rare sight, mind you). Lastly, you can immerse yourself in the campaign mode, wherein we ensure that not only will you aim to create a successful empire, but also find out why and with whom. Or you can jump right into the thick of the action by playing the sandbox mode and letting your creative juices flow. More on that later, but we would love to hear your theories ;-) Thats all we are ready to divulge...for now. And as a reward for your continued support, we have added some tasty screenshots to our Steam page so dont forget to check them out! Theres plenty more to be announced so patience is key. Let us know what we should be revealing next in the Discussions and until then, stay tuned!

The moment is here! We present to you our very own dev blog series, Dev Bytes. We aim to bring regular updates regarding the game until we reach the full release of the game. Expect a lot of feature announcements, quality improvements and discussion regarding City Block Builder. And to start with the first Dev Byte, we will be discussing 2 features that have been recently overhauled. Camera The camera is the heart and soul of any management/tycoon game, and definitely City Block Builder. You cant run a successful business if you cant even see what youre running, right? Our old camera system focussed more on pure mechanics for movement. But a sense of intuitive control felt lacking in the camera. This led us to redesign our entire camera system for both, keyboard and mouse. With major Quality of Life improvements, such as mouse smoothening, acceleration and deceleration, the inclusion of normal and inverted axes and much more, we aim to provide players with a natural navigation system which will enable them to focus entirely on City Block Builder without fussing about camera or view controls. Graphics Since City Block Builder is being built on Unity, we are provided with a plethora of regular updates. These updates from the engine help us make our games a better experience for all the players and a vital part of it are graphics. The game has been built using High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) in mind and was the case until a while ago. But as the game progressed, we learnt more about ways to utilise the potential of City Block Builder even more. This allowed the devs to switch the project to Universal Render Pipeline (URP). We dont want to bore you with the tech-savvy stuff but we can tell you that City Block Builder looks even more gorgeous now! Expect to see modern graphics which still manage to capture the retro essence of 1950s Los Angeles. And thats all for today folks. Stay updated for the next Dev Byte by making sure to click the Follow button right next to our Wishlist option. Catch you soon!

Its time to jump on the bandwagon! City Block Builder (CBB) is right around the corner! What started as a tiny optimistic journey has finally reached the point of fruition and we couldnt be any happier sharing it with you! Thank you for being with us every step of the journey. Now that we have the formalities out of the way, lets dive into some CBB news, shall we? First and foremost, lets talk about the release. We are currently en route to our Early Access Release path and thus have a special treat for our very eager players. We are planning to launch our Closed Alpha stage very soon and everyone gets a chance to sign up for it. However, only a few lucky gamers will be getting the alpha access. So make sure you dont miss out on this opportunity and sign up for the Closed Alpha on our website here! Well, thats the major announcement we wanted to put forward to the community right now. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will reveal some exciting features and a few of our well-kept secrets about CBB. Make sure to Wishlist and follow City Block Builder to be notified of our update posts. Stay tuned!