NextBlock City: Skyline F.A.Q.

What is Skyline?

Skyline is NextBlock City's building system that transforms Nostr posts into permanent structures under the Observatory's Bitcoin temporal sky.

Every Nostr post becomes a building in our digital metropolis, with two types of DNA determining its characteristics: Temporal DNA from the Observatory's Bitcoin temporal coordinates that permanently sets the architectural theme at creation, and Growth DNA from ongoing Nostr community interaction that determines how the building physically evolves over time. Instead of ephemeral social media posts that disappear into feeds, Architecture creates lasting urban infrastructure where a simple comment becomes a cottage and viral posts become towering skyscrapers.

This creates a unique digital archaeology where you can literally walk through neighborhoods and see the architectural evolution of online communities, with each building serving as a permanent monument to social interaction at specific moments in Bitcoin's timeline.

How do the two types of building DNA work?

Skyline buildings have two distinct types of DNA that determine their characteristics:

Temporal DNA (Observatory Date)

Set permanently at creation - The Observatory's Bitcoin temporal coordinates at the moment of posting determine the building's architectural theme, which never changes:

• Solar Season: Base architectural style (Spring: Modern, Summer: Art Deco, Autumn: Craftsman, Winter: Gothic)
• Named Moon: Roof type (13 distinct styles: Orange Moon 🟠, Whale Moon 🐳, Lightning Moon ⚡, etc.)
• Moon Phase: Decorative ornamentation level (Full Moon 🌕 = maximum detail, New Moon 🌑 = minimal)

Growth DNA (Nostr Data)

Evolves over time - Community interaction with the Nostr post determines how the building physically grows:

• Foundation/Footprint (Reposts): Building size on 3x21 tile lot (1-3 tiles wide)
• Height (Comments): Number of floors using Bitcoin scarcity scaling
• Windows (Reactions): Number of windows per floor (visibility)
• Greenery (Zaps): Amount of landscaping around building (economic appreciation)

This creates buildings that are temporally authentic (you can see when they were "born") while also being socially dynamic (they grow based on ongoing community interaction). A Winter Gothic cottage from 2 years ago could become a Winter Gothic skyscraper today if it suddenly accumulates thousands of comments!

How does the foundation positioning system work?

Buildings are positioned using a blockchain-style sequential system where each lot's building placement depends on the previous lot's state:

Foundation Positioning Rules

• 1-tile foundation: Always centered (X = 1)
• 2-tile foundation: Alternates between left-aligned (X = 0,1) and right-aligned (X = 1,2) based on previous lot
• 3-tile foundation: Always fills entire row (X = 0,1,2)

Complete Foundation Examples

1. 1→1: [   ][⬜][   ] → [   ][⬜][   ]    (center → center)
2. 1→2: [   ][⬜][   ] → [   ][⬜][⬜]    (center → right)
3. 1→3: [   ][⬜][   ] → [⬜][⬜][⬜]    (center → full)
4. 2L→1: [⬜][⬜][   ] → [   ][⬜][   ]   (left → center)
5. 2L→2: [⬜][⬜][   ] → [   ][⬜][⬜]   (left → right)
6. 2L→3: [⬜][⬜][   ] → [⬜][⬜][⬜]   (left → full)
7. 2R→1: [   ][⬜][⬜] → [   ][⬜][   ]   (right → center)
8. 2R→2: [   ][⬜][⬜] → [⬜][⬜][   ]   (right → left)
9. 2R→3: [   ][⬜][⬜] → [⬜][⬜][⬜]   (right → full)
10. 3→1: [⬜][⬜][⬜] → [   ][⬜][   ]   (full → center)
11. 3→2: [⬜][⬜][⬜] → [   ][⬜][⬜]   (full → right)
12. 3→3: [⬜][⬜][⬜] → [⬜][⬜][⬜]   (full → full)

This creates a deterministic but dynamic positioning system where 2-tile buildings create alternating left/right patterns, generating visual rhythm across the skyline.

How is building height calculated?

Building heights use a Bitcoin-inspired scarcity model with exponential scaling:

Comment-to-Floor Thresholds

• Floors 1-10: 10 comments per tile
• Floors 11-21: 100 comments per tile (exponential scarcity)
• Foundation: Always filled (determined by reposts)

Height Examples by Foundation Width

1-tile foundation:

8 comments:   [   ][   ][   ]    Foundation only
             [   ][   ][   ] 
             [   ][⬜][   ]

18 comments:  [   ][   ][   ]    Foundation + 1 floor
             [   ][🟫][   ] 
             [   ][⬜][   ]

108 comments: [   ][🟫][   ]    Foundation + 10 floors
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][🟫][   ]
             [   ][⬜][   ]

2-tile foundation:

15 comments: [   ][   ][   ]    Foundation + 1 tile of Floor 1
            [🟫][   ][   ] 
            [⬜][⬜][   ]

45 comments: [   ][   ][   ]    Foundation + 2 complete floors
            [🟫][🟫][   ]
            [🟫][🟫][   ] 
            [⬜][⬜][   ]

305 comments: [🟫][   ][   ]   Foundation + 10 floors + 1 tile of Floor 11
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [🟫][🟫][   ]
             [⬜][⬜][   ]

3-tile foundation:

25 comments: [   ][   ][   ]    Foundation + 2 tiles of Floor 1
            [🟫][🟫][   ] 
            [⬜][⬜][⬜]

65 comments: [   ][   ][   ]    Foundation + 2 complete floors
            [🟫][🟫][🟫]
            [🟫][🟫][🟫] 
            [⬜][⬜][⬜]

405 comments: [🟫][   ][   ]   Foundation + 10 floors + 1 tile of Floor 11
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [🟫][🟫][🟫]
             [⬜][⬜][⬜]

Partial Floor Filling

Individual tiles within a floor can be filled independently on multi-tile foundations. Here are examples of partial floor filling:

2-tile foundation with 15 comments:

[   ][   ][   ]  ← Empty Floor 2
[🟫][   ][   ]  ← Partial Floor 1 (1 tile filled)
[⬜][⬜][   ]  ← Foundation (complete)

2-tile foundation with 35 comments:

[   ][   ][   ]  ← Empty Floor 2
[🟫][   ][   ]  ← Partial Floor 2 (1 tile filled)
[🟫][🟫][   ]  ← Complete Floor 1 (2 tiles filled)
[⬜][⬜][   ]  ← Foundation (complete)

3-tile foundation with 25 comments:

[   ][   ][   ]  ← Empty Floor 2
[🟫][🟫][   ]  ← Partial Floor 1 (2 tiles filled)
[⬜][⬜][⬜]  ← Foundation (complete)

This system makes viral posts into towering architectural monuments while simple interactions remain as cottages, creating a permanent visual hierarchy of community interaction.

How is the city organized?

NextBlock City follows a hierarchical urban planning system:

• Lot: 3x21 tiles (1 building)
• Block: 4x4 lots (16 buildings)
• Neighborhood: 4x4 blocks (256 buildings)
• District: 4x4 neighborhoods (4,096 buildings)

This systematic organization ensures buildings naturally cluster by time period and architectural style, creating coherent neighborhoods that reflect the temporal DNA of their Observatory birth moments.

How does Observatory timing affect architecture?

Every building's Temporal DNA is permanently determined by its Observatory timestamp at the moment of posting. This creates natural neighborhood cohesion and historical stratification, as buildings from the same Bitcoin time period share architectural themes.

Permanent Architectural DNA (Temporal DNA - set at posting time)

• Solar Season: Base architectural style (Spring: Modern, Summer: Art Deco, Autumn: Craftsman, Winter: Gothic) - determined by Observatory's solar cycle
• Named Moon: Roof type (13 distinct styles) - based on Observatory's Named Moons
• Moon Phase: Decorative ornamentation level (Full Moon 🌕 = maximum detail, New Moon 🌑 = minimal) - follows Observatory's moon phases

Dynamic Environmental Effects (updates every ~10 minutes)

• Atmospheric Conditions: Network efficiency determines visibility - based on Observatory's atmospheric system
• Celestial Lighting: Current moon phase and sun position create dynamic shadows
• Eclipse Events: Special lighting effects during mid-season eclipses at season midpoints - learn more about Observatory eclipses

Example: Post created at 4|2|4|1|430 AG

• Observatory Date Breakdown: 4th Solar Cycle | Summer 🌞 | Whale Moon 🐳 | Full Moon 🌕 | 430 blocks into phase
• Permanent Temporal DNA: Summer Art Deco base with Whale Moon roof and Full Moon ornamentation
• Dynamic Growth DNA: Changes over time as the community interacts with the post
• Current Environment: Changes every Bitcoin block based on network conditions

How are buildings placed in the city?

Skyline uses the Ulam Spiral placement system, mirroring the Observatory's solar cycle rotation. Posts are scored by total building DNA and placed counterclockwise from the city center:

Placement Direction: West → North → East → South → (repeat outward)

How is engagement scoring calculated?

TBD

When does the city rebuild?

The city undergoes complete renewal every Full Moon cycle, aligning with the Observatory's lunar rhythm.

Full Moon Renewal (Every 4,032 blocks)

• Urban Optimization: All buildings repositioned using current building DNA scores
• Architectural Preservation: Each building retains its original Observatory temporal DNA
• Neighborhood Evolution: New clustering patterns emerge based on accumulated building DNA

This creates a living city that evolves its layout while preserving the architectural history of every structure. Buildings from different eras can become neighbors if they achieve similar DNA scores, creating fascinating temporal juxtapositions.

Example: A Winter Gothic post and Summer Art Deco post with similar DNA scores might become neighbors in the next renewal cycle, creating unique architectural contrast that tells the story of community interaction across different Bitcoin seasons.

What are the seasonal architectural styles?

TBD

What are the Named Moon roof types?

TBD

How does Skyline work with the Observatory?

Skyline operates as the Observatory's physical manifestation - where the Observatory tracks Bitcoin's celestial time, Skyline transforms that temporal data into permanent urban infrastructure. Every ~10 minutes, as Bitcoin creates new blocks, the Observatory updates the sky above NextBlock City, affecting visibility, lighting, and atmospheric conditions for all buildings below.

This creates a unique symbiosis: the Observatory provides the temporal framework that gives each building its permanent architectural DNA, while Skyline provides the physical structures that make the Observatory's time system tangible and visually meaningful.

The result is a city that serves as both a social graph and an archaeological record of Bitcoin's temporal evolution, where every building tells the story of community interaction at specific moments in our digital civilization.

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Learn more about NextBlock City's temporal system at observatory.nextblock.city