Backyard Block

🔊 Sound Settings

Click anywhere to enable audio

📓 Block Directory

📸 Moment Gallery (0)

🛒 Block Shop

📅 Event Calendar

Day 1
Monday
🌸 Spring

📍 Happening Now

No active events

📆 Weekly Schedule

📋 Monthly Events

🎊 Seasonal Celebrations

Events bring bonus visitors & rewards
THE BLOCK TIMES
Day 1, Spring
All the News That's Fit to Watch

📋 Today's Event Log

✍️ Editor's Desk

📊 0 events today Edition #1 ✍️ Writers at work…
READY FUNDS§ 0,000,000 DAY1 / SPRING MSGWelcome, mayor. SAVE00:30
Click on sidewalk to place
Click workers to view profile
Click to dismiss
✕
Mini-Game
Score: 0

🏘️ Backyard Block 🏘️

Build, discover, and watch your block come to life.

BRIEF.SC2 · v0.83.0

📖 How to Play

🎯 Your Goal

  • Watch your block come alive — observe characters, pets, vehicles
  • Discover everyone — click on characters to learn about them
  • Grow the neighborhood — buy buildings, pass ordinances, host events
  • Earn trophies — milestones unlock placeable Rewards that stay forever
  • Capture moments — use 📷 to photograph special scenes

⌨️ Controls

  • Arrow Keys / A, D: Scroll left and right
  • Click / Tap: Interact with characters and buildings
  • Drag: Pan the camera
  • Space: Pause / Resume
  • Toolbar speed cluster: ▮▮ pause · ▶ 1× · ▶▶ 2× · » 5×
  • P: Toggle Photo Mode (rectangle selection)
  • N: Open / Close Newspaper
  • Z: Open / Close Block Zoning paint window
  • U: Flip world to the Soil Layer (and back)
  • M: Toggle Matrix Mode (debug visuals)
  • ESC: Cancel placement or exit Photo Mode

🛠 The Toolbar & Palette

  • Top strip: brand · day/clock · Funds (green LED) · Reputation · Mood (yellow LED) · Stage · Weather · speed control · version stamp
  • Tool palette (top-left): 17 tiles — Menu · Shop · Directory · Calendar · Newspaper · Audio · Photo · Trophies · 📈 Charts · 📒 Budget · ⚖️ Ordinances · 🎨 Zones · 🪱 Soil · 🏛 Rewards · 👥 Petitions · 🎯 Scenarios · 🏘 Sister Blocks
  • Locked tiles are dimmed (40%), not hidden — they unlock as you play
  • Bottom strip: READY indicator · Funds · Day · message ticker · save countdown

📈 Charts & Graphs

  • Plot 5 metrics over time: Funds, Mood, Reputation, Residents, Weather
  • 5 time ranges: 7D / 30D / 90D / Year / All
  • One snapshot per in-game day; persists across sessions in localStorage
  • Open via the 📈 palette tile — the SC2K-style phosphor line graph shows your decisions

⚠️ Disaster Watch

  • 12 small-scale block incidents: raccoon raids, hailstorms, burst sprinklers, garage band noise, weeds, ants, power outages, neighbor feuds, fallen branches, and more
  • Each disaster has a counter — a shop item or ordinance that reduces or prevents it
  • Frequency knob in ☰ Menu: None / Rare / Normal / Chaotic
  • At most one disaster fires per day so the newspaper stays newsworthy

📒 Block Budget

  • Three tabs: Week / Month / Year ledger of income vs expenses
  • Every coin gain/loss is bucketed by category — see exactly what's eating your funds
  • Net total at the bottom: phosphor green when positive, blood red when underwater
  • Rent day stops being a surprise once you can see your runway

⚖️ Block Ordinances

  • 10 toggleable laws with daily cost or income: Quiet Hours, Compost Program, Pet Leash Law, Block Party Sundays, Yard Sale Permit, Security Patrol, String-Light Tax, Recycling Bins, Open Lemonade, Library Box
  • Active ordinances shield against disasters — Patrol stops raccoon raids, Quiet Hours stops band noise, Compost dampens weeds, etc.
  • Pass / repeal anytime; the daily tick runs at end of day

🎨 Block Zoning

  • Tag each building with one of four zones: 🌿 Garden · ⚽ Play · 🛒 Market · 📚 Quiet
  • Open the 🎨 panel, pick a brush, click a building to apply
  • Press [Z] to toggle the panel from anywhere
  • Zones bias future characters, events, and ordinance synergies (e.g. Garden zones interact with Compost Program)

🪱 The Soil Layer

  • Press [U] (or click 🪱) to flip the world to underground view
  • A 220 ms wipe sells the flip; canvas tints brown to read as soil
  • Low-odds buried treasure event per day: §5–§50 finds with a paper bulletin (marbles, old coins, mason jars, etc.)
  • Tagged in the Budget as the soil category

🏛 Block Rewards

  • 8 milestone-unlocked trophies. Each permanent — once earned and placed, can't be sold
  • 🌳 Treehouse (10 residents) · ⛲ Gazebo (first ordinance) · 🔭 Observatory (100 mood-days) · 🔥 Fire Pit (first season survived) · 🎪 Block Stage (3 parties hosted) · 🪷 Koi Pond (Garden zone 30d) · 📚 Library Box (Library ord + 50 rep) · 🏛 Block Hall (Year 1 survived)
  • Each reward applies a one-shot bonus on placement plus a daily/weekly/monthly effect (e.g. Treehouse +5 mood once + 1 rep/day; Koi Pond +§1/day)

👥 Petitioners

  • Residents come to your door with templated requests, complaints, trades, and stories
  • Up to 3 active petitions at a time; ignored for 5 days they go cold and the petitioner loses 2 rep
  • Each petition card has Accept / Negotiate / Deny — actions can pass ordinances, grant items, or just give rep
  • The Directory becomes a record of people you've heard from

🎯 Block Scenarios

  • Four time-limited challenges with pre-seeded blocks:
    • The Lemonade Empire — earn §500 in 7 days
    • Save the Block Party — 50 rep + §200 by Saturday
    • Garden Contest — reach 100 mood in 4 weeks
    • The Hailstorm Season — survive 30 days of chaotic disasters
  • Your sandbox is backed up automatically when you start a scenario; click the SCENARIO segment in the toolbar to exit early
  • Winning grants a permanent reward unlock in sandbox

🏘 Sister Blocks

  • Three AI-run neighbor blocks: Fancy (high rent, picky), Wild (cheap, chaotic), Quiet (slow, kind, elder-heavy)
  • Each day they may send you petitions, news headlines, or occasional disasters
  • Statistical, not simulated — view their inventory, vibe, and trade-of-the-day in the 🏘 panel

🏪 Buildings & Street

  • Two rows of buildings - Upper and lower sides of the street
  • Buildings level up with visitors - more income!
  • Crosswalks - Watch characters cross the street!
  • Street features (benches, lamps) attract activity
  • Your block expands automatically at milestones:
    • Day 8: Growing (1200→1800 width)
    • Day 31: Established (→2400)
    • Day 91: Thriving (→3000)
    • Day 181: Landmark (→3600)

🏬 Building Types

  • 🏪 Bodega: Always open, satisfies hunger
  • ☕ Coffee Shop: Morning rush, rest & hunger
  • 🥐 Bakery: Opens early, fresh bread draws crowds
  • 🍽️ Restaurant: Lunch/dinner, great for socializing
  • 💈 Barber Shop: Community hub for social needs
  • 📚 Bookstore: Quiet reading, has a resident cat!
  • 🖼️ Art Gallery: Cultural enrichment for purpose
  • 📖 Library: Study & rest, multiple librarians
  • 🧺 Laundromat: Neighbors chat while washing
  • 🌻 Community Garden: Green space, rest & social
  • 🏛️ Community Center: Hub for events & prestige
  • 📰 The Block Times: Daily news & block log
  • 🎭 Comedy Club: Evening laughs & comedy shows
  • 🧹 Sanitation Depot: Reduces litter spawns
  • ♻️ Recycling Center: Earn more from cleanup
  • 🎮 Arcade: Play Whack-a-Critter!
  • 🔮 Fortune Teller: Daily fortunes & luck bonuses
  • 🎸 Music Shop: Play Jam Session!
  • ⚽ Sports Bar: Play Block Trivia!
  • 🚒 Fire Station: Emergency response, prevents fires
  • 🦁 City Zoo: Family attraction, animals escape!
  • 🏥 Community Hospital: Healthcare heroes
  • 🪦 Old Cemetery: Rest in peace... or not?

💼 Jobs & Employment

  • Businesses hire workers - Watch them commute to work
  • Shift system: Morning, afternoon, evening shifts
  • Staffed buildings generate 20-30% more income!
  • Click workers to see their job title and shift status

💰 Economy

  • 🪙 Coins: Earn from buildings and milestones
  • ⭐ Reputation: Grows with discoveries and events
  • 🛒 Shop: Buy features, upgrades, and decorations

👥 Life Simulation

  • Characters have needs (hunger, rest, social, purpose)
  • They seek food, benches, and conversation when needs are low
  • Block happiness affects spawn rates and events

🎯 Daily Challenges

  • New challenge every day - check the 🏆 Achievements panel!
  • Watch for specific characters, weather, or activities
  • Complete for bonus coins - challenges reset each day

📸 Poetic Moments

  • Special scenes appear - golden hour, rain walks, connections
  • Click 📷 when you see ✨ to capture the moment
  • Build your gallery of neighborhood memories

👥 Relationships

  • Characters form relationships when they meet
  • Levels: Strangers → Acquaintances → Friends → Best Friends
  • Friends stop to chat when they pass each other
  • Watch for emergent stories: dog walker pals, coffee romances!
  • Click characters to see their friendships

🌭 Vendors & Performers

  • Street Vendors: Hot dogs, coffee, ice cream, flowers, pretzels
  • Performers: Sax players, guitarists, living statues, breakdancers
  • Vendors & performers draw crowds and earn tips!
  • Place Busker Corners to attract more performers
  • Seasonal vendors (ice cream = summer, flowers = weekends)

📅 Events & Calendar

  • Weekly Events: Farmers Market (Sat), Trivia Night (Wed), Open Mic (Fri)
  • Monthly Events: Block Meeting (1st), Street Cleanup (15th)
  • Events bring bonus visitors and coin rewards!
  • Click 📅 to open the Event Calendar
  • Active events show a banner at top of screen

🎲 Starting Scenarios

  • 30% chance for a special themed start
  • Examples: Hipster Haven, Night Owl Alley, Artist's Block
  • Each scenario has unique buildings and modifiers
  • Some are harder (Ghost Town) or easier (Foodie Paradise)

🏃 Population Flow

  • Characters will leave if their needs go unmet too long
  • Hungry, unhappy, or homeless characters may depart 😢
  • Build housing to give residents homes
  • Build food sources (bodegas, cafés) to keep them fed
  • Watch the 🚶 total characters stat in the top bar
  • Earn achievements for retention or for seeing departures

♿ Accessible Characters

  • Wheelchair users: Manual and power chairs
  • Blind persons: Navigate with white canes
  • Service dog handlers: Guided by their companions
  • Deaf persons: Communicate through sign language
  • Crutches users: Temporary mobility aids
  • Your block is for everyone!

🏢 Building Details

  • Click any building to see detailed info
  • View effects: hunger, rest, social, purpose impacts
  • See current workers with shift status (🟢 working / ⚪ off)
  • Click worker chips to view their full profile
  • Newspaper building opens both the news AND building info!
  • Buildings show income bonuses and visitor stats

🚒 Fire & Emergency

  • Fires can start on buildings randomly
  • Fire Station: Reduces fire chance by 70%!
  • Firefighters: Respond automatically to fires
  • Fires grow from 🔥 small → 🔥🔥🔥 large if not fought
  • Multiple firefighters extinguish fires faster
  • Earn 50 coins when fires are extinguished!

🦁 Zoo & Animals

  • City Zoo: Largest building, family attraction!
  • 10 animals: Lion, Elephant, Giraffe, Monkey, Penguin & more
  • Animals escape! Watch for them wandering the block
  • Dangerous animals (🦁🐅🦛) cause characters to panic
  • Zookeepers: Respond to capture escaped animals
  • Earn 30 coins when animals are safely returned!

🎮 Mini-Games

  • Arcade: Whack-a-Critter! Click critters for points
  • Fortune Teller: Draw a card for daily bonuses
  • Music Shop: Jam Session - match the pattern!
  • Sports Bar: Block Trivia - test your knowledge
  • Click buildings with games to play them
  • Earn coins based on your score!

📷 Photo Mode

  • Press P to enter Photo Mode
  • Click and drag to select and capture a region
  • P or ESC: Exit Photo Mode
  • Photos are saved to your downloads folder!

👁️ Watch Mode

  • Choose Watch Mode from the startup screen
  • All characters are auto-discovered — no clicking needed
  • A pre-built block with many buildings, just sit back and watch
  • Great for relaxed observation and leaving in a tab

🧹 Street Cleanup

  • Litter appears on sidewalks over time
  • Click litter multiple times to clean it up
  • Earn coins for each piece cleaned!
  • Recycling Center: Boosts coin rewards by 50%
  • Sanitation Depot: Reduces litter spawns by 30%
  • Dirty streets attract rats - watch out for Rat Kings!

🚴 Delivery System

  • Delivery workers appear throughout the day
  • Types: Bike couriers, scooter drivers, delivery vans
  • Peak hours: Lunch (11:30-1:30) and Dinner (5:30-8:30)
  • Watch them navigate to restaurants and apartments!

⛈️ Natural Disasters

  • Tornado: Characters seek shelter, debris flies!
  • Flash Flood: Water rises, boats appear for rescue
  • Heatwave: Fire hydrants spray to cool everyone down
  • Survive disasters to earn achievements!

🚗 Street Incidents

  • Car crashes: Vehicles may collide on the street
  • Pedestrian accidents: Watch for jaywalking mishaps
  • Emergency response: Ambulances and police respond
  • Nearby characters react with panic!

🔧 Tips

  • Game auto-saves every 30 seconds
  • Night owls and ghosts only appear late at night
  • Fortune readings give daily luck bonuses!
  • High scores in mini-games earn more coins
  • Different weather attracts different behaviors
  • Check the 📅 calendar to plan for events
  • Place benches near busker corners for crowds
  • Build Fire Station early to prevent fires!
  • Zoo attracts families and kids - great for happiness!
  • Clean up litter to keep cleanliness high
  • Try Watch Mode from the startup screen for a relaxed experience
👤
Unknown
Resident
"Just another day in the neighborhood..."
😊 Happy 🚶 Walking
tap anywhere to dismiss
MATRIX MODE (M to toggle)

⚡ MATRIX MODE

FPS:60
Characters:0
Pets:0
Workers:0
Buildings:0
Features:0
Events:0
Time:8:00
Season:Spring
Day:1
⚡ Spawn Controls
🐦 Bird Controls
🌤️ Weather Controls
🌸 Season Controls
⏰ Time Controls
💰 Economy
🎭 Events
🌟 Special Events
🔍 Hidden Events
🎨 Mural System
🏆 Prestige
🚚 Delivery
🔥 Fire & Emergency
🌪️ Disasters
🦁 Zoo & Special
🌳 Environment
💥 Street Incidents
🧟 Zombie Outbreak
Outbreak:DORMANT
Infected:0
Survivors:0