Funny Community Thing

[Enjen]

I find it funny how most of us refer to the other block game  as "the other block game". It's kind of unspoken and on multiple occasions I've seen it referred to as such. kind of like a "He who shall not be named" kind of thing hahaha.

May Vintage Story continue to prosper! This is the best choice for the Sandbox Genre!

[Yerik]

Because of this when I see people mention the true name of "the other block game" I react just like they react to "He who shall not be named". 

"How dare they speak its true name in this community!"
Lol

Vintage Story is such a better game, I love it so much. It is better than I imagined "the other block game" could have been, and constantly improving.

Thanks to the Devs, you are awesome!

[Dilan Rona]

Hands down the best game for a sandbox. And the best part? Its not finished yet. Cant wait to see what happens with the third chapter in fact.

[Never Jhonsen]

I've always found it amusing when communities consider "the M-Word" a swear word. Always in a silly joke way, but it's still fun to play along

[FlareUKCS]

I always figured it was because no one wants to spark (The Other Block Game) TOBG vs VS discussion.

I like both but for different reasons, one allows you to get going at speed not worrying about details, the other relishes the details. I exclusively play VS now but not because its better but because I enjoy all the attention to detail VS offers.

[FatherMcGnutty]

The other block game, while inferior to Vintage Story, should still be held in some form of reverence even if it feels a little antiquated or underwhelming to play comparatively. It is a simple fact, and I'll use the name now-- there would be no Vintage Story without Minecraft. Period. This is true regardless of the current state of Minecraft or how you feel about that. I certainly wouldn't be here if not for playing the other block game, anyway.

That being said, I see no reason to ever play Minecraft again in a world where this game exists. It would kind of be like first learning how to ride a bike on 2 wheels, but then deciding that I liked the ease of the training wheels better afterwards. 

[Echo Weaver]

Other than just being cute, I think there's actually some value in not naming that other block game. Since it comes up a lot, it could cause VS to show up on searches for that other guy.

Then again, now I'm not sure it's a good thing. I mean, with all the content on this forum that compares Vintage Story to Minecraft, a bunch of Google searches directing people here is free publicity for VS.

I have nothing against Minecraft. I've had a lot of fun playing it, and while VS's Minecraft roots are pretty clear, the tone of this game is completely different from the tone of that one. If I want a rollickin' adventure, I'll play Minecraft. But it turns out that I was progressively modding Minecraft to make it more survival and agriculture oriented. When I discovered VS, I realized that this was what I was trying to mod Minecraft to be. I'm sure I'll go back to playing it at some point, though.

[idiomcritter]

I'm kinda struck by the deeper question (well maybe not struck, chiseled?)...  If VS wasn't developed, would a VS have been created?

or perhaps one day, VS itself might be referred to as "the game that shall not be mentioned" while entertainingly toiling in the sandy context build(?)

The roots of sandbox play before computers where mud pies?  wooden building blocks, lincoln logs, erector sets, lego's, model railroads... 

old inventions renewed, idk...

 

[Teh Pizza Lady]

I think TOBG is great for kids. My 8-year-old son and I are having a fun playing it together on a *lightly* modded client (just qol mods). When I feel he is old enough for VS I will introduce him to the game. Until then he will have to be content to just watch over my shoulder.

In the mean time I will continue to tell him that VS is better and why.

[Dilan Rona]

ran across VS from watching youtube vids of it myself. had it popping on my playlist for a while before i decided to watch it, and i loved it.

You'd think that watching a few videos would prepare you for the game, and make it a lot easier. Boy was I wrong. I had my keester handed to me within the first 5 min. Havent stopped playing it. Took a few worlds before I found my feet though and got a handle on the survival mechanics, and back then if I saw a sawblade, I made like a chicken and scurry away.

[Thorfinn]

6 hours ago, FlareUKCS said:

(The Other Block Game) TOBG

Thanks! I've been putting forth all kinds of guesses about what TOBG meant. I assumed it was some mod or modpack for the other block game but it never occurred to me it was much simpler than that. 

Here I was thinking that it must have been some Baldur's Gate thing, like Throne of Baal  something or other.

[Dilan Rona]

2 hours ago, traugdor said:

watch over my shoulder

There is steps you can take to make it easier for him, the map can be set to have reduced animal difficulty for example, and if you both play on the same map (server), you can spawn in items as and when he needs it. As he gets better, you simply take off the training wheels gradually till he can handle VS on regular.

Edited June 19, 2025 by Dilan Rona

[Thorfinn]

6 hours ago, idiomcritter said:

If VS wasn't developed, would a VS have been created?

My guess is, "Yes."

There was another block game that gave such a hard time to someone who wanted to develop a food spoilage mod (yes, me included) that whether that was Tyron or someone else who wanted to develop something similar, my guess is it would have happened. Though probably not in that other block game. It would probably have to be developed on its own, at least at that point of the other game's development cycle.

[FlareUKCS]

1 hour ago, Thorfinn said:

My guess is, "Yes."

There was another block game that gave such a hard time to someone who wanted to develop a food spoilage mod (yes, me included) that whether that was Tyron or someone else who wanted to develop something similar, my guess is it would have happened. Though probably not in that other block game. It would probably have to be developed on its own, at least at that point of the other game's development cycle.

Wasn't Tyron part of the Hytale game development until he went his own way ?

[Maelstrom]

On 6/18/2025 at 5:54 PM, Thorfinn said:

Thanks! I've been putting forth all kinds of guesses about what TOBG meant. I assumed it was some mod or modpack for the other block game but it never occurred to me it was much simpler than that. 

Here I was thinking that it must have been some Baldur's Gate thing, like Throne of Baal  something or other.

I always thought it meant Thorfinn Overeating Bug Guts myself.

 

Quote

Wasn't Tyron part of the Hytale game development until he went his own way ?

Yes.  He became frustrated with that project so started VS.

Edited June 20, 2025 by Maelstrom

[Enjen]

On 6/16/2025 at 10:56 AM, Yerik said:

Because of this when I see people mention the true name of "the other block game" I react just like they react to "He who shall not be named". 

"How dare they speak its true name in this community!"
Lol

Vintage Story is such a better game, I love it so much. It is better than I imagined "the other block game" could have been, and constantly improving.

Thanks to the Devs, you are awesome!

Hahaha great remark! Although TOBG is not as dastardly as the actual "He who shall not be named" I think it's a funny little ocmmunity thing that may actually help Vintage Story distinguish it from TOBG!
 

On 6/16/2025 at 11:01 AM, Dilan Rona said:

Hands down the best game for a sandbox. And the best part? Its not finished yet. Cant wait to see what happens with the third chapter in fact.

Yes!! 100% one thing that drew me to Vintage Story was the... promise?... or maybe it's just a statement? of continuous development! I can see the passion within this game and the want and desire for the team to continue expanding on it! They are a great team and I'm grateful.
 

On 6/18/2025 at 10:20 AM, FlareUKCS said:

I always figured it was because no one wants to spark (The Other Block Game) TOBG vs VS discussion.

I like both but for different reasons, one allows you to get going at speed not worrying about details, the other relishes the details. I exclusively play VS now but not because its better but because I enjoy all the attention to detail VS offers.

Very valid point and one I wholeheartedly agree with! I also believe it serves well for VS to distinguish itself apart from TOBG. If it's constantly being compared to it, VS won't ever not be associated with it.
 

On 6/18/2025 at 10:37 AM, ReverendPutty said:

The other block game, while inferior to Vintage Story, should still be held in some form of reverence even if it feels a little antiquated or underwhelming to play comparatively. It is a simple fact, and I'll use the name now-- there would be no Vintage Story without Minecraft. Period. This is true regardless of the current state of Minecraft or how you feel about that. I certainly wouldn't be here if not for playing the other block game, anyway.

That being said, I see no reason to ever play Minecraft again in a world where this game exists. It would kind of be like first learning how to ride a bike on 2 wheels, but then deciding that I liked the ease of the training wheels better afterwards. 

TOBG is a grandfather so to speak to the block-game genre. It walked so Vintage Story could soar to new heights. TOBG served it's purpose and you're right, it should stand tall in it's own regard. I am also in the camp that if I were to go back to TOBG, I wouldn't enjoy it after Vintage Story.

 

On 6/18/2025 at 10:58 AM, Echo Weaver said:

Other than just being cute, I think there's actually some value in not naming that other block game. Since it comes up a lot, it could cause VS to show up on searches for that other guy.

Then again, now I'm not sure it's a good thing. I mean, with all the content on this forum that compares Vintage Story to Minecraft, a bunch of Google searches directing people here is free publicity for VS.

I have nothing against Minecraft. I've had a lot of fun playing it, and while VS's Minecraft roots are pretty clear, the tone of this game is completely different from the tone of that one. If I want a rollickin' adventure, I'll play Minecraft. But it turns out that I was progressively modding Minecraft to make it more survival and agriculture oriented. When I discovered VS, I realized that this was what I was trying to mod Minecraft to be. I'm sure I'll go back to playing it at some point, though.

True! it does bring some traffic for curious gamers and fans of TOBG, but I think Vintage Story will and should stand on it's own! Thanks for your input
 

On 6/18/2025 at 11:04 AM, idiomcritter said:

I'm kinda struck by the deeper question (well maybe not struck, chiseled?)...  If VS wasn't developed, would a VS have been created?

or perhaps one day, VS itself might be referred to as "the game that shall not be mentioned" while entertainingly toiling in the sandy context build(?)

The roots of sandbox play before computers where mud pies?  wooden building blocks, lincoln logs, erector sets, lego's, model railroads... 

old inventions renewed, idk...

 

Hahaha nice use of wordplay their. The vision for Vintage Story outgrew what was possible in TOBG that's a fact. and you're right. VS could eventually become it's own "TOBG". Thanks for your philosophical comment!
 

On 6/18/2025 at 2:49 PM, traugdor said:

I think TOBG is great for kids. My 8-year-old son and I are having a fun playing it together on a *lightly* modded client (just qol mods). When I feel he is old enough for VS I will introduce him to the game. Until then he will have to be content to just watch over my shoulder.

In the mean time I will continue to tell him that VS is better and why.

Hey don't underestimate the newer generation! He may very well catch on to VS quite quickly hahahah! Hat's off to you friend, I think you're doing great and I do agree somewhat that TOBG is better for younger audiences.
 

On 6/18/2025 at 3:41 PM, Dilan Rona said:

ran across VS from watching youtube vids of it myself. had it popping on my playlist for a while before i decided to watch it, and i loved it.

You'd think that watching a few videos would prepare you for the game, and make it a lot easier. Boy was I wrong. I had my keester handed to me within the first 5 min. Havent stopped playing it. Took a few worlds before I found my feet though and got a handle on the survival mechanics, and back then if I saw a sawblade, I made like a chicken and scurry away.

ah, the classic Vintage Story experience. Thanks for sharing your memories

 

[Tom Cantine]

On 6/18/2025 at 5:54 PM, Thorfinn said:

Thanks! I've been putting forth all kinds of guesses about what TOBG meant. I assumed it was some mod or modpack for the other block game but it never occurred to me it was much simpler than that. 

Here I was thinking that it must have been some Baldur's Gate thing, like Throne of Baal  something or other.

No no, it's The Original Battlestar Galactica. The one with Lorne Greene.d

[Dilan Rona]

8 hours ago, Enjen said:

ah, the classic Vintage Story experience. Thanks for sharing your memories

Nothing like starting a new world, and being slain by a pack of ravenous wolves 2 seconds after character creation. Respawned and made like a jackrabbit, wolves hot on my tail. Died again, and after respawning, managed to get away. founded a base on a small island, in the middle of a big lake. Think that was the 3'rd map I tried.

[Maelstrom]

On 6/20/2025 at 3:17 PM, Enjen said:

I also believe it serves well for VS to distinguish itself apart from TOBG. If it's constantly being compared to it, VS won't ever not be associated with it.

The older community members here tends to discourage bringing up TOBG because VS is for all practical purposes an entirely different game.  It plays TOTALLY differently than the game that inspired Tyron to create VS.  To compare VS to TOBG is like comparing Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter, they both have... uh... magic and swords and stuff.  OH!  AND a bad guy!  >rolleyes<

[Echo Weaver]

VS has a pretty dedicated player base at this point. I think it's natural to compare to Minecraft because they're both voxel games, and Minecraft was the pioneering voxel game. As someone else said, Minecraft is the grandpappy of this genre. That doesn't make other games in this space just pieces of Minecraft.

Maybe we need to get over the inferiority complex that assume a mention of Minecraft makes Vintage Story look derivative. VS's infancy was as a Minecraft mod that basically remade Minecraft into a different game. So now it's a completely different game that no longer layers on top of Minecraft.

[Maelstrom]

In my experience most of the refernces to MC are some variation of "MC does it this way, why doesn't VS?"

[Dilan Rona]

At this point, VS is superior, cant remember when last I logged into the minecraft account even.

[Thorfinn]

IMO, the main reason to avoid MC references is if the dedicated fanbase is referring to it as "MC with better graphics" or similar, it becomes much easier to argue before a court that it's just a MC clone...

If you are going to compare it to MC, it should be substantive differences betwixt them.

Edited June 23, 2025 by Thorfinn

[Dilan Rona]

Exactly right. Hence calling MC TOBG. Or other such terms.

Sides, another reason for dumping it was M$ stealing minecraft mods, assets and maps from other contributors, selling it on the bedrock marketplace and doing hard server bans or player bans (so restrictive you cannot play offline, single player worlds). Skyblock being the most famous that was stolen, with different versions on bedrock, and M$ doing less than nothing to stop the fraud, and punishing the original maker of the Skyblock map.

PS. To the moderators, feel free to delete this comment if it crosses the line.

[LadyWYT]

On 6/13/2025 at 5:22 PM, Enjen said:

This is the best choice for the Sandbox Genre!

I'd actually disagree...or rather, I would more specifically say that the best sandbox choice depends on what kind of sandbox someone wants to play in. For players looking for a challenging survival experience, with some rather unique theming(I can't say that I've seen anything like the temporal business anywhere else), or perhaps just a chill creative building game, then I would say Vintage Story is the best thing out at the moment. I would say it's also one of the best games out there in terms of the development team(no controversies or shady business), as well as the built-in modding support.

However, for players who don't really like medieval themes or prefer simpler or less challenging gameplay, I'm not sure that I would say that Vintage Story is the best choice. Yes, there are mods and game settings you can use to change the gameplay, but if you're having to change practically everything about the game before you can consider it fun to play then I would question whether it's really the best game choice in that specific circumstance. Of course, that's only my opinion, and I daresay it's rooted heavily in the number of complaint posts I've seen practically demanding that Vintage Story change some rather major parts of itself in order to qualify as a "good" game.

On 6/13/2025 at 5:22 PM, Enjen said:

May Vintage Story continue to prosper!

And with my grumpy contrarian rant out of my system, yes, I do agree. The dev team has done a phenomenal job so far, and I've enjoyed many long hours dying to horrors both natural and not.  Here's to many more successful updates!