u/Temporary-Detail-724

Today I’m excited to share something I’ve been working on for a long time: WatchBlocks v1.5 is officially here.

What started as an idea to bring a real sandbox game to Apple Watch has grown into a cross-platform game available on Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Building this has taught me so much about Swift, game development, networking, performance optimization, and designing for devices with unique hardware constraints.

With the v1.5 update, WatchBlocks is now free to download, making it easier for anyone to give it a try. The update also introduces multiplayer, mod creation tools, a skin editor, new gameplay features, and much more.

I’m incredibly proud of how far this project has come, and I’m excited to keep improving it based on community feedback.

Download WatchBlocks here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/watchblocks-craft-build/id6760209351

Hey everyone,

I’m currently making sure my multiplayer from watch to iPhone is working correctly. If any of you can test it, that would be great! To do it, here’s what you have to do:

1. Start a world on your iPhone
2. Pause the game, and click hosting. Start hosting
3. Open your Watch version of the game
4. On the world screen, tap the game controller at the bottom right
5. You should see your iPhone world, try joining it
6. Wait a few seconds, you should join. If not, go back to the controller menu thing, and see if an error popped up. Let me know what the error is if there is one

https://testflight.apple.com/join/jeVme5VX

Hey everyone! I’m the developer of WatchBlocks, a 2D sandbox game inspired by games like Minecraft and Terraria. It’s designed to run directly on Apple Watch, and it’s also available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

You can explore, collect resources, build structures, and survive in a blocky world right from your wrist. I originally made it because I thought it would be fun to have a game I could play in short sessions without taking out my phone. This is my dream game I wanted since I was in middle school (currently done with college).

I’m also making a video where I play WatchBlocks on my Apple Watch for one hour to see how far I can get without the battery dying.

If you’d like to check it out, here’s the App Store link: WatchBlocks. Also, a new WatchBlocks update is coming on July 23!

The update will introduce a free-to-start option, so anyone can try the game at no cost. The free version will include the core gameplay, but saving worlds, creating mods, Creative Mode, and custom worlds will be exclusive to the full version.

I’d love to hear what you think and what features you’d like to see added!

Hey everyone!

I’m looking for beta testers for the biggest WatchBlocks update yet. The update is planned for July 23, and I plan to submit it to Apple around July 13, so I’m spending the next week polishing everything I can. Aside from bug fixes, the last major additions are new button icons, sounds and music.

Getting Started

When you first launch the beta, you’ll see a walkthrough with the option to start a free trial or purchase the full version. Please choose the free trial. It doesn’t require any form of payment, and the in-app purchase isn’t expected to work during the beta (it should simply display an error).

If you’re able to provide helpful feedback during testing, send me an email afterward. As a thank you, I’ll send you a promo code for the full version when the update launches. If you already own WatchBlocks, you shouldn’t have a in app purchase and all content should be available.

What I’d Love Feedback On:

Multiplayer

Play together across iPhone, iPad, and even Apple Watch.
Apple Watch multiplayer is one of the features I’m most excited about. The iPhone app must remain open if you’re hosting. I’d love to know how it performs on different devices and network conditions.

If you can, gather a group of up to four players and test both LAN and Game Center multiplayer. Two-player sessions have been very stable, but I previously ran into a few issues with three or more players. Those should now be resolved, so I’d love to know if everything works as expected.

Mods

Create your own mods directly in-game (works for every device, including Apple Watch)

Share mods with friends using mod files. (Maybe even in this thread?)

This is a brand-new feature, so any feedback on usability, bugs, performance, or ideas would be incredibly helpful.

Movement

I’ve reworked player movement and animations. iPhone now supports tilt controls for moving left and right.

I’d love to hear how movement feels on both Apple Watch and iPhone.

Controller Support

Controller support has received a major overhaul across Apple devices.

The Watch Console on iPhone now includes an Apple Watch controller. Give it a try! It is now super responsive

If you notice any issues, incorrect button mappings, or anything that doesn’t feel quite right, please let me know. There’s currently issues with it not working with UI menus.

How to Send Feedback

Any feedback (big or small) is incredibly valuable. If you find a bug or have suggestions, you can:

Reply to this post.
Submit feedback through TestFlight (screenshots are especially helpful).
Email me at formidablegamesstudio@gmail.com.

Whether you play for five minutes or a few hours, your feedback will help make this launch as polished as possible.

I’d also love to see screenshots of your worlds, builds, or any cool discoveries you make while playing! With your permission, I may feature some of them on the App Store or in future promotional material (and credit you if you’d like).

TestFlight

https://testflight.apple.com/join/jeVme5VX

Thank you so much for the support. I genuinely appreciate everyone who’s willing to help make WatchBlocks the best it can be. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

I'm trying to hide the time on my Apple Watch game. Is there a way to do this? I know some Apple apps on the watch can do it, but is there a way normal apps can?

Hey everyone, I wanted to give another update on WatchBlocks!

For those of you who don't know, next month, I have a huge update planned. It will add multiplayer, free play access, and mods. I want to touch a bit on that last part.

To start, modding will be more like creating custom blocks, mobs, and biomes. You can make your own textures, set properties, and make something that's yours. As far as "custom custom" mods, that's going to take a bit, but I want to show what I got.

I am aiming now for end of July to release this update. As an extra update, I have made some plans to pricing.

For free to play players, previously, I planned on having no multiplayer access, to which I changed my mind. Multiplayer will be available to free players. You still won't be able to save your worlds though, or use mods in any capacity.

Full access to the game will change from $1.99 to $3.99. Given everything this game has been, I decided raising it by a dollar wouldn't be bad; if you buy it now, or had it before v1.5 releases, you will keep that full access without having to pay extra.

Previously, I stated there would be a creator pack you would have to buy as a seperate purchase. Thinking on it, I don't know if I like this idea. Limiting creativity, and the possibiities you can accomplish. It doesn't seem right. Therefore, mod creation will be 100% included in the full version of the game. Not only will you get mod creation support though, you will also be able to make your own skins! I decided just 5 set skins weren’t good enough, so I decided why not include the skin editing?

This update will include a lot more to improve the game. I've been play testing on my own a bunch, including on my watch, phone, and Mac, and have realized a ton of stuff that needs to be improved. As well, I have music being made by a friend of mine that will sound amazing! Here's a small list of the big stuff:

• WatchBlocks is will be free to start
• Multiplayer added (Game Center, LAN, and Watch Co-op)
• Mods added, including a new in game mod creator, and mod browser to download mods
• Skin Editor lets you create your own player skins
• New electricity system with wires, power blocks, and teleports
• Complete UI overhaul with new icons, fonts, and visual improvements
• Improved controls, mining, and Apple Watch support
• New Gravestones, achievements, carrots, creative improvements, and many quality of life updates

I am really hoping this lands how I hope it will. It kind of depends how this free to start model works out. Let me know what you think of this so far, do you think $3.99 is justified for everything to be included, or not?

I’ve been working on a sandbox survival game for Apple Watch called WatchBlocks, and after months of updates it’s now got caves, dungeons, bosses, farming, armor, multiplayer (coming soon), and more.

It is out right now on the Apple App Store for watchOS, iOS, and macOS! An update will be released this Monday, and another big one will release this July.

Above is a look at it. Yes, it actually runs on Apple Watch.

I’ve been documenting the development of WatchBlocks, a sandbox survival game that runs on Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

The project started as a simple experiment: “How much of a survival game can I fit onto an Apple Watch?”

Over the past few months I’ve added:

• Procedurally generated worlds
• Survival and Creative modes
• Crafting, mining, farming, and combat
• Multiple biomes including deserts, forests, badlands, oceans, caves, snow, and volcanic regions
• Dungeons and a Skeleton King boss
• Cloud syncing between Apple devices
• Split-screen multiplayer on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

The biggest challenge has been designing controls and optimizing performance for a device that was never really intended for games of this scale.

Next up I’m working on multiplayer via GameCenter, mod support, and player-created skins.

I’d love to hear what features you’d want to see in a sandbox game running on a smartwatch.

Happy to answer questions about development, watchOS limitations, App Store approval, or anything else.

Hey r/SmartWatchGames, it's been a while since I posted an update on WatchBlocks! I wanted to give an exclusive update on the development thus far.

I've spent a lot of time improving the game, and pushing out updates across watchOS, iOS, and macOS. A lot of great work has been done, including new structures, boss battles, dungeons, better lighting, controller support, and improvements across the board!

v1.4 was my biggest update, and it released this past Monday. I also pushed a smaller update yesterday that introduced some new mechanics for tools, and the first signs of multiplayer: Split Screen with controller

That's where WatchBlocks is right now. I'd like to talk about the future of it now

Recently, I attended WWDC (virtually) and took a look at a lot of what Apple announced. I also attended a few sessions to learn how I could improve my game and make it the best it could be. After careful consideration, I realized, WatchBlocks can't be locked behind a paywall. At least, initially.

Something I see countless times across Youtube and TikTok is how this game could never work for Apple Watch... so why buy it? I mean, if you don't believe in a product, why would you buy it? It's something I never truly considered. Until now

Starting in early June, WatchBlocks will be free on the Apple App Store. When you install it, you will be greeted with the normal start screen... but different.

For starters, when you get it for free, you will not see a skins tab, a watch console tab, or a mods tab (more on that later). You will see "Play", Achivements, and settings.

Then when you press play, you will auto join a world. No put in a seed or anything. There will be a set seed, and you can do whatever you want in that world. It won't save, and it won't sync to your other devices.

When you pause, you'll see resume, achivments, help, bug report, and settings. No world settings, or LAN/Online hosting (more on that later too)

So... why the limited experience? Well, there's one more thing I forgot to mention. On the start screen, there will be a button to buy the full game for $1.99. When you press it, you will see you'll have access to every feature, including the new LAN/Online hosting, and mod support.

Yep, two other new features will be Multiplayer and Mods. I'll start with Multiplayer. You have two choices. Either use LAN for same WiFi multiplayer, or Online using GameCenter. Unfortunately this is not working for Apple Watch yet, I hope to get LAN working at least, or maybe find a way for GameCenter to work, but for now, iOS and macOS will support this.

WatchOS WILL support mods though. There will be a new way to play with adding in new custom blocks. You can find and browse mods other people made and add them to your world! Further, if you're feeling creative, you can get the Creator pack, which gives you access to mod creation tools (including the ability to make mods on Watch!). This includes blocks, items, biomes, and structures, all customizable.

So that's what v1.5 will include. Free access to start, multiplayer, and mod support!

but wait... what if you... purchased WatchBlocks before...

Well good news! Let's say you purchased WatchBlocks on the App Store before this new update releases (aiming for July 13). You will get full access to the game like normal. But, as a special thank you for being a founder and taking a chance on the game, you'll also get access to the new mod creation tools!

WatchBlocks will still be $1.99 for access to normal features (everything except mod support)

Mod Creation tools will require an in app purchase, I am still determining what to make it, but it will at least be less than $4.99, but I'm exploring as low as $0.99. You will not have to buy this to use mods, only to create them.

This is probably... my biggest post yet lol. But I hope if you've read it through all the way, you like what I've announced. I'm keeping all this stuff only here for now until the update gets closer. Let me know what you think of everything here, I feel like making the game free and limited may be decisive, but that's one reason I'm putting it out there now, so people can comment their thoughts. I think the mod support and multiplayer will be very cool though, and be welcome features by most 😄

Hey everyone, I'm currently working on a game that will be available for AVP. My issue though, is I wonder how it works just with the native iPad app. If anyone can test it out on their AVP, and lmk, that would be great!

It just uses basic joystick movement for walking around, and a jump button to jump (or swipe up to jump too, which I'm interested to see how that goes on an Apple Vision Pro)

You can also connect a controller, but I'm more interested in the touch UI side of it

TestFlight link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/KTFgbRVM

Let me know if you have any thoughts! 😄

I just released the biggest update yet for WatchBlocks, my sandbox survival game for Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

v1.4: Temples & Dungeons adds:

• Volcanic Temples and the Skeleton King boss
• Underground Dungeons with rare loot and unique gear
• New enemies including Skeletons and Fire Slimes
• Glow Ore, Glow Armor, and new progression paths
• Improved combat, damage numbers, and new achievements
• Better day/night visuals, particles, and world generation
• Major UI, controller, performance, and cloud sync improvements

It’s been a fun challenge trying to fit a full sandbox survival experience onto an Apple Watch, and this is easily the most ambitious update I’ve released so far.

Happy to answer any questions about the game or development process.

Realistically, not big (since it was probably 1 person that jumped it that much) but still very cool!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me, and the 18 people who bought my game! It genuinely means a lot! At first, I thought WatchBlocks wouldn't be a long project, just a month and I would put it on the App Store, and never remember it after (that's a big reason why it's called WatchBlocks... because I planned it to only be for Apple Watch lol)

But it has become so much more than that now, and I can't wait to grow it with all of you! I want to give you all a little insight into the release schedule as well

1.3.1 will release Monday

1.3.2 will release June 1 (this is gonna be a big one)

1.3.3 will release June 8

1.4 will release June 15 (another massive update)

If you have any features you'd like added (1.3.1 and 1.3.2 are feature locked right now, so any new features won't come until June 8), let me know!