Curious if anyone has used the Build together feature in the Lego Builder app yet and what they thought of it?

• What set did you use?
• How many people?
• Were they all AFOLs?
• Did it 'work'?
• Was it fun?

It seems odd that any concept of 'togetherness' begins with each member on their own mobile device but I suppose this is a necessary evil given the subject matter.

I've always tried to get my friends in on the fun, especially when building the big Technic design released each year around my birthday. Admittedly, there have been varying levels of interest over the years...

This year, everyone asked me what I wanted for my 50th birthday (you mean, apart from pretending this milestone isn't actually happening?!?)

Naturally I feel inclined to force them through building 42146 with me.

What do you think?

 

Hey!

1.) 42146 does not work with this feature. Check this list for availability: https://brickset.com/sets/tag-Build-Together
2.) I have tracked the app's progress and it works fine now. There were some early hick-ups, which you can find references to in early reviews, but these seem resolved. If you want to familiarize yourself with how it works, I'd recommend dry-testing with something from the list that you already have, using e.g. two devices to scroll through the steps in parallel.
3.) Involving mobile devices can be a pain-point for just an instruction book. In this case the extra of syncing the progress between the builders through the instructions requires the digital solution. But it's nothing that would push itself in the foreground and disrupt your attention more than other instructions would (you'll want to disable sounds) IMO. One could argue that in fact it relieves you of having to coordinate the group , so you can actually focus on crafting and socializing.
Of course, if the thrill for you is the coordination of the group, that's what you'll end up delegating to the computer. I think it's a matter of taste - we enjoyed both modes in the past. Handling larger groups, especially on monolithic sets where you have a lot of co-dependency (who does what when, how do you make sure nobody's left out)  is what the app does solve pretty well.

For us what happened reliably during our build sessions was, that we could chat and help each other find pieces, the more experienced builders could help those with less practice when they had difficulties, etc. So it's inclusive. The social setting I would describe as similar to board game sessions, we actually integrated this into family meetings with up to 4 people, not necessarily AFOLs. The underlying principle should work equally well for most sets and series - it depends more on the set's particular structure, how "modular" it is.
It's basically a collaborative game - I would say, test it out.

also, cheers on your not actually upcoming anniversary. :)

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 20231 yr by namespace
Not a native and don't wanna look dumb :D

Ah, that's exactly the kind of feedback I needed. Thank you for the brickset list that's going to save me a huge disappointment! Good call on testing it with two devices as well! 

Thank you for the cheers as well. I may be turning 50, but I don't feel a day over 73!

Haha! Yeah, that's the  spirit!  
Glad I could help :)

Greetings!

On 8/24/2023 at 5:19 AM, namespace said:

1.) 42146 does not work with this feature. Check this list for availability: https://brickset.com/sets/tag-Build-Together

I just wanted to give you a heads up. I don't think this list is updated. I have both 42159 and 42160--both have build together and aren't reflected in the list. I think I may go with the Mars rover as I couldn't wait and built those two already. Old age, it seems, did not temper my impatience. :-) 

Edited August 28, 20231 yr by shroomzofdoom

Hi, thanks for that! I get what you mean.... But that's good to know, so always keep an eye on the app. Let's see if I can convince some people to build the 42159 ...

Edited August 28, 20231 yr by namespace