Pig in a tree is the funniest gaming pic of the day

Visiting the Survival Multiplayer of PLanet of Cubes, you can see some things.

As I was running through the woods today looking for the next stop to wait out the zombies,  I looked up and saw this pig in a tree.

Not that I was actually looking for a pig in a tree but it was a funny sight. He was just sitting there taking in the day. Animals in games like these are funny AIs because they’re just wandering around the board.  Are you an animal lover? If you say the furrier the better, the scalier the cooler, the more animals the merrier, then this is the category of game for you.

Something else I didn’t think about is that if you wanted to farm these animals it would only take a few blocks to lock them in and boom! You’ve got a pet! Just something to think about when you see a pig in a tree or any other area in Planet of Cubes.

 

Mobile gaming has yet to peak: It's time to get on board

 

Planet of Cubes is just the beginning of what mobile gaming is expected to bring to new users. 

While other sandbox game titles like Minecraft will always dominate, there is so much space for everyone in the industry. The mobile gaming industry is raking in around $30 billion per year. There’s higher expectation that it will soon surpass consoles and PCs.  Meanwhile it already makes up 42 percent of the gaming industry revenue around the world, according to numerous reports. 

Globally, the gaming market will hit $100 billion this year, mostly driven by the evolution of mobile gaming, and upcoming consoles. Anyone who still doesn’t consider mobile gaming “true gaming” is behind in the times and has no care in looking at the worldwide stage. People want to carry their gaming experiences with them, connect with friends, etc. Static, yet expensive consoles aren’t made for that. While they do make cases for mobility, it’s all risk. In addition, it’s totally unnecessary and avoidable. Add Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality to the conversation and that’s a Friday night special at the house – far from mobile gaming. That’s just fine too. 

And it’s only growing. According to the Motley Fool, last year,  mobile gaming worldwide made as much revenue as the global box office. Most story lines in the gaming world are unique, if not better than what’s in movie theaters, thus being the reason why this competition isn’t a competition at all: It’s evolution of storytelling. Companies like Zynga are aware of this, and are working to keep up. According to reports, Zynga is planning a 15 percent turnaround in their mobile gaming, which moved them from overweight to neutral by analyst Piper Jaffray.

In other words, if you're thinking about getting into the mobile gaming industry, this year may be the year to reserve your seat.

Multiplayer Update available!

According to information provided by the good folks at Planet of Cubes, the multiplayer update is now available in the Mac store! 

Now you can create your own friends and chat with them privately! Added instantaneous teleport to any friend! Even better, now you can see a list of players from around the world that are around you. 
Other updates included:  Added 3D person camera, TNT explosions, bow / arrow potions, and beer! Using enhanced Arc Arms: Bow, Arrows, and Snow Balls (Longer Arch Endurance), added the chance to launch the eggs! Battle Mode Added Reuse! Added new skin for some monsters! Improve motion animation elements! Improvement in Sneak mode. Added Sneak animation mode reader! Fancy option added graphics for powerful devices! The creator added selection feature element. Upgrade Spawn Logic Area, Modify Marker Messages and Status Area Spawn! Containing smooth graphics, realistic shadows, and added enhancements! Improve world performance and fixed errors!

Portal Jumping in the New Year

 

When you're portal jumping, anything is possible.

Portal jumping in Planet of Cubes Survival Multiplayer can be fun, but also terrifying. 

You know, it's already pretty rare that I go too far off the base map because you guess it - I have NO PROTECTION (haha). So today in light of the New Year I thought why not? Let's take a portal jump. The photo above shows one of those jumps I took through the portal. Looks great doesn't it? Very nice scenery - 

Travel further down the rabbit hole and you've got this: Spiders and Skeletons shooting at you. I was done.  Not gonna lie to ya - that caught me off guard. So I did what any Planet of Cubes player would do in a situation that you're not prepped for - craft fast, find a hole, and barricade yourself! In the photo on the left you can see that I only had a wooden hoe and a dream to hold on to. Needless to say I was killed by a spider and and soon I will have my revenge. 

I think the biggest issue I'm having right now is the fact I'm not defending myself very well. Longest time out in the Surivor mode? Two days. Usually I forget what time it is and get caught up in the Zombie Apocalypse at night. Have you SEEN HOW MANY COME OUT? CRAZY! 

ALSO READ: My Bunny, My Roomate

Survive the Night in Planet of Cubes Multiplayer Survival

 

Planet of Cubes Multiplayer Survival Notes: Day 1

 Life in the woods isn't as bad as I thought. I think one of the major things I needed to do was have a plan. I mean really, I'm wandering around without any weapons, armor and most of all, food.

So there I was, looking out the window very far from the safe zone. I'm going as far as I can before I get killed and that means hopping from one safe house to the next. I don't know if they're safe houses but when you're in the Planet of Cubes Multiplayer Survival mode, every house is a safe house.One thing I had to remember this time unlike yesterday's adventure was to ensure that every hole was plugged.

These random constructions out in the Survival Mode are not complete, so you've got to inspect every area of the building before you go inside. Otherwise, you're going to wonder how that zombie or monster got inside the building and is killing you. Keep this in mind and you can survive the night. 

Craft immediately, but hunt hard for supplies during the day. Don't EVER travel at night if you're not equipped. It's just a deathwish that will have you sent back to the safe zone. I'm keeping a log of where I'm at just in case that happens. You should too.

Dinosaur Park at Avatar Island

 I had not visited Avatar Island in a few months, so I thought it would be cool to stop by (and take a break from being killed in Survival Multiplayer). Planet of Cubes users and servers never fail to surprise me. If you were wondering, yes. That's someone being attacked by dinosaurs. Not just any dinosaurs, but Velociraptors. Yes. Velociraptors.

And as you can see, they're getting it in when it comes to attacking this poor soul. This is different from the many structures I saw on Avatar Island in the past. I was shocked and yet laughing at the whole ordeal because you could tell the guy wasn't hugging the dino but getting owned by one. Now because this was somewhat outside the spawn chunk zone, I cannot tell you if this was a user creation or a server production. However, when you're cruising through Avatar Island on Planet of Cubes, this is one structure you should stop and take a look at - it really sticks out.

I know many Planet of Cubes users are all in when it comes to Survival Multiplayer, but be sure to stop back past the Creative side of the house so you can check out these structures. This creation was near a History Museum and a place with a deer head. I'll check that out more and get back to you on my findings.

Related:

• Guardian at Avatar Island (Pic)
• The Zoo at Avatar Island
• Greek Mythology: The Centaur of Avatar Island
• The Globe of Avatar Island 

Naked and Afraid: Don't enter the Survival area without gear!

Planet of Cubes players have probably figured out that you shouldn't enter the wiles of the Survival area without arming yourself.  And then there's me - a guy that's always trying stuff out and wondering what it's not working out for me. haha.

In my defense I had a fairly decent plan. I was going to head out to the Survival area, mine a little bit, and get back into the safe zone before the sun went down. However wasn't the case because I fell into a dark hole. By time I got back up to the top, the Sun had set. It was dark.

Here come the spiders!

Before I knew it, I was racing around trying to simply hide and stay alive. I had no weapon other than a wooden ax. No armor, nothing. Just out there in the woods feeling like a helpless deer.

And that's when I saw her.  Her blonde hair from a distance made me think, "Hey, maybe she'll help me." No. That was wrong, very wrong. She watched me. Just just kept turning in my direction, observing every move. As I eluded the spider she approached me, and began to attack! I did wonder however why she was out there in the first place. It was a very creepy feeling - knowing that some Planet of Cubes players are only out there to kill ignorant "Naked and Afraid" guys like myself who know better.

I learned some things after being stabbed in the back - literally: Watch the bulky areas, GET GEAR, and don't think alliances are that simple. A hunter is a hunter.  Planet of Cubes Multiplayer Survival will be an growing and learning experience.

May the odds forever be in your favor!

A Maze in Comfort City

Since renting chunks became a thing, people are becoming more confident  in their creations on Planet of Cubes. This brush maze is awesome.

Rent Chunks now! Latest version on Apple Store

Finally!

If you were one of the many who got tired of your stuff being destroyed in Planet of Cubes, that day is finally OVER.

According to their website, the Planet of Cubes is now equipped with the ability to rent chunks. This is a request that has been made by many players over the past few months.

Here's a statement from the site: 

"We are proud to announce that Planet of Cubes updated to v2.1 on Apple App Store! Huge long-awaited update with areas (CHUNKS) Rentals - now ready to use in the game! In this update: chunk rentals, Russian localization, better navigation and HUD highlighting, better chat, new skins and many more...Only you can build on your own chunks – but watch out your chunk rentals expiration! Once your rental is expired someone else can rent it and lock you out from modifying."

This is an awesome chance for players who left because of griefing to come back and re-imagine the game one more time. I'm sure now the popularity for this game is going to skyrocket.  With no worries about multiple servers and stuff that complicates other block games, Planet of Cubes is moving in the right direction. Stay tuned as I will be in-game reporting how people respond to the good news! Rent chunks and create some fantastic buildings!

ALSO READ: Griefing: 3 Ways to win without raging

Hey all! We are proud to announce that Planet of Cubes updated to v2.1 on Apple App Store! Huge long-awaited update with areas (CHUNKS) Rentals - now ready to use in the game! In this update: chunk rentals, Russian localization, better navigation and HUD highlighting, better chat, new skins and many more. All of the details are below:
Rent your own chunks of this beautiful Planet made of cubes and start your creative joy today! Chat with other players globally when you build!
Only you can build on your own chunks – but watch out your chunk rentals expiration! Once your rental is expired someone else can rent it and lock you out from modifying.
A single chunk consists of the 16 x 16 square blocks and 256 blocks in height. You can turn “SHOW MY CHUNKS” mode and easily spot all of your chunks – in this mode the Planet of Cubes is displayed in grey color except your own chunks.
Rent Chunks and build on your rented area, so no one will build, dig or break your creation except you! All your creations will be saved and will be not disappeared on the Planet during the period of rent!
- See more at: http://poc.solverlabs.com/content/new-v21-now-available-apple-app-store-huge-update-chunks-rentals-russian-localization-and#sthash.zbDHjR8x.dpuf

Rent your own chunks of this beautiful Planet made of cubes and start your creative joy today! Chat with other players globally when you build!
Only you can build on your own chunks – but watch out your chunk rentals expiration! Once your rental is expired someone else can rent it and lock you out from modifying.
A single chunk consists of the 16 x 16 square blocks and 256 blocks in height. You can turn “SHOW MY CHUNKS” mode and easily spot all of your chunks – in this mode the Planet of Cubes is displayed in grey color except your own chunks.
Rent Chunks and build on your rented area, so no one will build, dig or break your creation except you! All your creations will be saved and will be not disappeared on the Planet during the period of rent!
- See more at: http://poc.solverlabs.com/content/new-v21-now-available-apple-app-store-huge-update-chunks-rentals-russian-localization-and#sthash.zbDHjR8x.dpuf

Winter Build: Planet of Cubes contest underway!

I know I haven't been on since the new year started soooooo....

Happy New Year! Like, almost a month later - The joys of work and being busy. However, I did get a tweet from the good folks over at Planet of Cubes about a contest they're doing. So if you 're not part of the Planet of Cubes community, here are the details:

Planet of Cubes Contest: Winter Theme Build

 1. Build anything and everything according WINTER theme in Planet of Cubes. For example: Snowman, Christmas Tree, Snow City, Snow Palace, Winter Pixel Art, Skies and vice versa!
2. Made screenshot of your Creation.
3. Attach your screenshots to the comments on the website or send to poc.support@solverlabs.com

Prize:
1st place: 1500 coins
2nd place: 1000 coins
3rd place: 500 coins

For those who are looking to update your skins and things of that nature this is PERFECT for you! And you know when I get the chance I'll premiere my creation here. Should be fun!

A Planet of Cubes contest is just what the community needed to get the new year off right, so this is going to be very cool to see what has been built. I'll be online most of these week in the evenings around 10 p.m EST - Look for Virgounitis!

Contest Details: 
1. Build anything and everything according WINTER theme in Planet of Cubes. For example: Snowman, Christmas Tree, Snow City, Snow Palace, Winter Pixel Art, Skies and vice versa!
2. Made screenshot of your Creation.
3. Attach your screenshots to comments here or send to poc.support@solverlabs.com
Prize:
1st place: 1500 coins
2nd place: 1000 coins
3rd place: 500 coins
- See more at: http://poc.solverlabs.com/content/contest-winter-creativity-take-part-and-win-coins#sthash.nlQQu3VW.dpuf

Contest Details: 
1. Build anything and everything according WINTER theme in Planet of Cubes. For example: Snowman, Christmas Tree, Snow City, Snow Palace, Winter Pixel Art, Skies and vice versa!
2. Made screenshot of your Creation.
3. Attach your screenshots to comments here or send to poc.support@solverlabs.com
Prize:
1st place: 1500 coins
2nd place: 1000 coins
3rd place: 500 coins
- See more at: http://poc.solverlabs.com/content/contest-winter-creativity-take-part-and-win-coins#sthash.nlQQu3VW.dpuf

Christmas Images from Comfort City

I know for many of you seeing Christmas images during this time of year is nothing new - they splatter our Facebook pages and Instagram accounts like crazy! However I did get the chance to logon last week and check out how the Planet of Cubes was celebrating the holidays. The cool thing is I did find a few Christmas images that I think you'll love.

The one thing I did notice there wasn't a lot of creativity online, which left me with the assumption that people were actually spending time with their families instead of playing games the entire Christmas season (lol) and that's all good! That's what this time of the year is for. The first of my three Christmas images that I came across was this snowman pictured above. It was a great creation - right down to the scarf. I was impressed. 

Candy Canes along with a Christmas tree on the outskirts of Comfort City

 

Christmas Images #2: Tree and Candy Canes - I thought these were spot on as well, even though it would have been better to have seen these with a little snow around them.  I liked the Christmas tree - very chic. 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Possibly! Sans the left antler....

Christmas Images #3: 1-Antler Reindeer: What I can only assume is Rudolph (notice the red nose), This was the last of the holiday sights I saw in Comfort City. I didn't get a chance to venture to all the locations on Planet of Cubes, so if you saw something or created something during the Christmas season leave a message and I'll check it out! Have a great New Year everyone! 

Planet of Cubes update elminates Griefing

If you're one of the many Planet of Cubes players out there frustrated about the Griefing problem, stand by for the following announcement. Planet of Cubes staff has finally put in place a way to eliminate Griefers from taking over your creation. The next update will have what they call a "renting chunks" update, which means whatever you create, wherever you create it, will be protected.

And the update is apparently happening this month! 

The problem with Griefing has been going on since the game's creation - while many people enjoyed playing the game, and currently enjoy playing the game, many were turned off. It's one thing to create something cool, but it's another when someone is standing by to destroy it.

According to the website, "... So no one except you (the owner of the Rented Chunk) will destroy your creations in the next game version! Imagine all your houses, flats, creations will be saved and not grieved anymore! November, 2015!  When you click on the Rent Chunk button, you will see the screen with all Chunks that are visible in your View Distance range, the status of these Chunks, compass and your position in the Planet!"

Planet of Cubes staff will have the Chunks marked by the following statuses: 

• Grey Color - Available - Chunks that you can Rent
• Green Color - Selected - The chunks that you've just selected
• Yellow Color - Your Chunk - The chunks that you've just Rented
• Orange Color - Occupied - These Chunks were Rented by another players
• Red Color - Spawn Chunk - This is Spawn area where no one can built!

So if you're a former Planet of Cubes player, or one just starting, there's no time like the present to figure out what and where you build for the Holiday season!

[ALSO READ: Griefing: 3 Ways to win without raging]

Guys in response for many requests and messages, your comments, and feedbacks to the game - we are going to add new feature - Renting Chunks to the next update! So no one except you (the owner of the Rented Chunk) will destroy your creations in the next game version! Imagine all your houses, flats, creations will be saved and not grieved anymore!
Now we would love to tell you how it'll work and share some screenshots from the development version of the game! We hope to hear feedback from you, please tell us your thoughts: do you like it or not? Maybe we should optimize it more!? Tell us! So we will have a time to add changes till the game release, that is going to come on November, 2015!
So let's start!
When you click on the Rent Chunk button, you will see the screen with all Chunks that are visible in your View Distance range, the status of these Chunks, compass and your position in the Planet!
All Chunks have status, marked by colors that's mean:
Grey Color - Available - Chunks that you can Rent
Green Color - Selected - The chunks that you've just selected
Yellow Color - Your Chunk - The chunks that you've just Rented
Orange Color - Occuped - These Chunks were Rented by another players
Red Color - Spawn Chunk - This is Spawn area where no one can built!
- See more at: http://poc.solverlabs.com/content/hot-announce-huge-excited-changes-gameplay-chunks-renting-coming#sthash.VptcqlGb.dpuf

Halloween creations?

If you haven't logged on to Planet of Cubes as of late, you're missing out! There are new skins and not to mention possibly a few Halloween scenes! I haven't come across any just yet but I plan to check on this today. I'm sure there are some Halloween statues somewhere! And if you have done some be sure to leave me a message and I'll check it out!

Next Planet of Cubes update might save your creation

According to a post from Planet of Cubes, an update is currently in the works to rent chunks. What does that mean?

It means the ability to destroy someone else's creations in the game could be over. While everyone is enjoying the skins updates which also came to Android recently, that update in particular is the one everyone's waiting on, and I think it'll be the determining factor in how popular that game will get when that happens. I've traveled around the Planet of Cubes and I've seen some really nice creations covered in lava blocks and missing blocks too. It's unfair, and something needs to be done about it sooner or later. Otherwise, people are just going to stop playing.

That's all I know for now!

Blocks of The Fall Submissions!

There's still time to get involved and create your masterpiece! Post photos here so that I know where to look for them and leave a message!
We have some excellent pieces of artwork I want to share with you all today:

Special Thanks to Candy01 who created this wonderful piece earlier this month. It's beautiful!

JamesX created "The Sun", pictured above. Very original, a different take on the model itself, well done!

Planet of Cubes: 2 updates we're still waiting for

Planet of Cubes players have been waiting patiently for the latest upgrades: 1.6 is here, but it's still falling short on what the users are really want to see.

Customization of skins still in demand 

One of the top requests made by the thousands of POC players is the ability to customize their skins.

Two of the newest skin packs

The latest update features an impressive assortment of skins to choose from, but still the ability to create your own is what the players want. The reason is simple - players want to be able to make their brand unique, their Guilds and Clans unique to the point they cannot be copied. Not to say the new Planet of Cubes Skins are bad, they're good! Customization would be great -

Players destroying other players' creations 

This has to be the top complaint in the Android Marketplace. Feedback begins with how someone has built a fantastic structure only to see someone come in and destroy it just because they can. The POC Admin really need to look at what's going on when it comes to that issue or users will give up on the game. In fact, many users have already stated they will not play the game until this problem is resolved. And you cannot blame them because who wants to waste days of work only to see it destroyed?

[ALSO READ: Planet of Cubes - The latest news and rumors]

 Look, I enjoy the game - It's a great break from my normal work day and it gives me a chance to do something different.  We know survival multiplayer is coming, and we know they're working on how to stop players from destroying other players' creations. In the meantime, live in the moment!

Design Ideas: Castle Blueprint

Castle Outline

Note: Once a week I will share a different design on my site - have fun building! What you're looking at is the outline for what could be a nice castle. As the game grows, having design ideas for your Planet of Cubes creations will be important - that way you're not stuck creating the basic square houses like everyone else.

ALSO READ:  Design Ideas: Comfort City Fountain

Not that there's anything wrong with that - I've seen some incredible block houses, but it's nice to have your own castle, you know what I'm saying? Of course you do. The design above gives a basic outline for a beautiful four-tower castle. The only drawback is the space inside. I would reccomend expanding the width to maybe 8-10 blocks to increase that space and from there you should be good to go!

Wacky Inflatable Guy

Griefing: 3 Ways to win without raging

 

Please raise your hand if you've ever been victimized by a Griefer. Everyone should have their hands up.  

Griefing is the act of chronically causing consternation to other members of an online community, or more specifically, intentionally disrupting the immersion of another player in their gameplay. It's playing in a multiplayer game, in a contrary way, with the intent of harming other human players, ruining their experience, blocking progress, frustrating, confusing and aggravating innocent players for a kind of crazy yet odd thrill.  It is indicative of a serious real-world issue, usually a deep insecurity and sense of revenge.

Like that one time you were working on a building for hours and out of nowhere you get lava blocks all over the place? Yeah, that’s someone griefing you. You’re surprised and angry all at the same time. You try to continue building, but that person won’t stop until you’ve moved on. That is the precise reason why I love sharing my experience and techniques on how to beat these players. These techniques help you avoid the frustration of being violated in this way online.  The following three techniques should help your gaming experience be an enjoyable one in the world of Sandbox games, especially on Planet of Cubes.  

Confuse the “Silent Destroyers”

These are the players that don’t chat at all, they just teleport to you to see what you’re doing and commence griefing. SOLUTION: if you ever come across these types of Griefers leave your creation IMMEDIATELY.  There’s a good chance they may think you’ve moved on. However, Be sure to save your coordinates!   Come back in a few minutes once they’ve left.

Anyone who teleports to you without an invite is up to no good. They’re being nosy, and eventually plan to destroy your creations.  

Build a “Dummy creation”

Create something they will assume is your main structure and watch them destroy away! Wait for them to leave and then continue with your real structure. Make sure your real creation is camouflaged in a way that doesn’t tip that person or persons off. Again, most of the time they will not speak, just destroy. While they’re doing their “damage”, you can continue building your real creation. 

[ALSOREAD: Three reasons to build in a cave]

Find obsolete places to create

You want to build around other people in the zone, but if that doesn’t work out, find a small island or area that would suit you best.  Planet of Cubes has unlimited amounts of space on surface and underground for you to explore, so why not use it? It’s also a great way to create clubs, guilds or have an online party!

RELATED:  Griefing: How do deal and still have fun

Right now there is no protocol on Planet of Cubes on how to deal with Griefers. Unlike those on Minecraft who are able to report the abuse and reserve locations so that people can’t build on them, Planet of Cubes has yet to release those types of updates. In the meantime, don’t let it discourage you from playing.  Most Sandbox games like these have at least one or two out to cause chaos, so relax and build!