First look at Minecraft blocks

This is what minecraft blocks look like when freed from the rigid constrains of the grid.  Pretty cool.  These are just some early tests of low-res textured blocks.  You can also see the result of connected blocks on the right side.  Needs some work, and the ability to connect blocks to each other in-game, but that's coming. 

Meanwhile, I took a break from working on the game tonight to actually play it.  The nice decorative wall on the right was built entirely in-game.  This is the first time I've tried to build something with all the improvements and new features.  I used the in-game Anker build plans I showed off in my previous post, and this worked incredibly well. 

I also found the variable height feature to be very useful.  Unlike my earlier in-game tower build, I had no near-disasters and the resulting structure is considerably more tidy. 

My personal impressions of the game as building toy is that it's time consuming but the results are impressive.  There are some features that could make it faster, grid snap and additional block rotation capabilites for example, but I'll probably leave it as it is.  The challenge and tactile nature is sort of a defining trait.

Deconstruction is just as much fun as construction, and considerably faster