Cat, Virtual Villagers
Last night when I went to bed, D Kitty did not join me as he usually does. I think he was still busy playing. So, after I’d been in bed a while reading all the sudden I see a largish white furry objection flying through the air towards me and WHAP he landed full speed, not on the bed as he usually does, but on my boobs. Ouch! There was screaming and there was almost a cat thrown off the bed.
Also, I did something last night I may live to regret. I downloaded Virtual Villagers. So, I’ve barely got them started and already I’ve made some mistakes and done a few things right. The biggest mistake I made was not checking out who was set up to do what before following the tutorial’s directions. I kept trying to make a guy who is scared of bushes forage from the berry bush. That wasn’t a huge error, fortunately and I eventually got him started on research, where he’s a happy little adept scientist now. The bigger mistake I made was when the tutorial directed me to have two villagers breed. I happened to pick the trainee builder who is “pre-trained” in the game to be the mom. Ooops! Of course, that meant she was no longer able to build for around 250 (or more, I can’t remember) minutes. So I had to grab another villager and designate them a builder and start them from scratch, and I only had one villager working on the hut.
I did get them some extra food by answering a question correctly. And during the night (yes, I got up early this morning to check on them and then went back to bed) the baby finished nursing and the hut was eventually finished. I’ve got my two builders cleaning up the beach now. I did that on instinct and this morning, looking at tips, that does seem to be the best thing to do next. It sounds like they will fish on the beach in the ocean, maybe, hopefully without further direction from me. At least I hope they do while I am away today. Otherwise they are going to run out of food while I’m at work today and I’ll come home to a dead village. :( And they are intent on watering those dead flowers with the well water. They desperately need tech points, but I have a difficult time getting anyone but the scientist to research.
I am relieved to discover you can pause the game. I was worried about what would happen to them while I’m away in April.
I’m putting all the tips I found online here. Don’t read on if you want to stay unspoiled.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tips:
Find More Food - Berries run out quickly so be sure to find a new source of food as soon as possible.
1. Stay at Home Moms- Nursing mothers focus all their attention on the baby for two years of game time. They won't do any other tasks while caring for the baby.
Population Control - Each baby villager consumes as much food as an adult. Too many babies too quickly will dwindle the food supply, so take care in growing the village population. Also, if there aren't enough houses, the villagers won't have more babies, so by planning carefully when building houses, you can avoid growing the population beyond the food supply.
Doctor, Doctor - Sick villagers don't always respond to the village doctor. If you're not having success in treating a villager with one doctor, try sending them to a different doctor for better treatment.
Watch the Villagers - Observe the villagers to see what they are investigating as you take them exploring around the island. Often the villagers are providing clues to help you solve puzzles later in the game.
Worker Education - Villagers don't discover new work skills on their own. You need to walk each villager through the process of learning how to perform a task in order to be successful. For instance, if you need someone to learn building, have them repair one of the existing buildings in the village.
Solving Puzzles - The 16 puzzles require a combination of skills in order to solve. You'll need a certain level of village technology, villager work skills, and in some cases other puzzles completed prior to completing another puzzle. Below is a list of tips on solving each of the puzzles - don't keep reading if you want them to be a surprise.
Puzzle #1 - Get a builder to clean the well. This is the village water supply. Get a villager with building skill, drag them to the well and let them fix it.
Puzzle #2 - Build a new hut. Population is maxed out at 7 until you build a new hut. A villager trained in building is required to build new huts.
Puzzle #3 - Clean up the beach debris. You need to clean up the debris so the villagers can fish. Drag a villager to the debris and it will start cleaning.
Puzzle #4 - Starting a village school. You need a master scientist. Drag them to the long building north of the reasearch table to start a school.
Puzzle #5 - Remove the blockage of the creek in the northwest corner of the village. Villagers need level 2 in construction to work on this. Drag a villager to the rock pile blocking the water flow from the creek. When the blockage is cleared, water will flow to the lagoon. This puzzle is the key to solving three more puzzles.
Puzzle #6 - You need to complete puzzle #5 first and have a villager with level 3 harvesting. Take a master farmer to the lagoon and they will start hunting fish. This may take awhile.
Puzzle #7 - Discover the graveyard (requires Level 2 of Spirituality). When a villagers dies, drag an adult villager to the northeast corner of the island. The villagers will provide a proper burial the pile of bones in village center. After this first burial, villagers will automatically have burial ceremonies for any deceased villager.
Puzzle #8 - Discover the medicinal properties of 4 plants. One plant is the cactus near the boulder, one plant is near the lagoon, two are on the east side of the island. Drag a villager to each plant until all four are mastered.
Puzzle #9 - You need to complete puzzle #5 first. Drag a villager to the field on the east side of the island (where the dead flowers are). They will water the field with water from the lagoon. Make sure to use a villager with building skill so that the watering continues until the flowers bloom.
Puzzle #10 - Solve puzzle #14 first. Wait for the butterflies to follow the golden child, then drag the golden child to the strange plant north of the berry bush where the butterflies will pollinate the plant.
Puzzle #11 - Restore the temple at the ruins (requires Level 3 of Construction). Drag a villager to the ruins in the southeast of the island and they will begin restoring the ruins.
Puzzle #12 - Requires puzzle #11 complete and Level 3 Spirituality. Drag a builder to the shiny rock on the west side of the village and they will chisel the rock to create an idol.
Puzzle #13 - the birth of the golden child (requires Level 3 of Fertility) . This requires puzzle #5, puzzle #12. Drag a nursing mom to the lagoon.
Puzzle #14 - Requires puzzle #13. Drag the golden child to the magic flower garden and wait for the butterflies.
Puzzle #15 - Buried treasure (requires Level 3 of Construction and Level 3 of Science). Search the sandy areas on the south part of the island between the food bin and the temple.
Puzzle #16 - Moving the boulder (requires the golden child). This one just happens on its own when the golden child is ready, you can't force it.
Once you get everything started, it's time to leave your people alone. Virtual Villagers plays out in real-time so even when the game isn't running the villagers are working hard. Each time you play you'll see the fruits of their labor and can give them new directions or just check up on their progress. You can also adjust the speed to anticipate any gaps in your playing time or to get things moving a little more quickly. Virtual Villagers is just as much about waiting as it is playing.
The strategy in Virtual Villagers comes from how many villagers you assign to each task and how you choose to upgrade your abilities. You accumulate Tech points by getting people to do scientific research. Use these points to upgrade your population's building skills, farming abilities, etc. With each new level opens more possibilities of exploration and survival. The trick is managing which abilities get upgraded first and how you use those new skills to better your village.
Your main goal is to build a thriving population, but there are also various mysteries to solve along the way. Some are fairly obvious, such as the large boulder sitting on the north end of the village, but others you must seek to discover. In all there are 16 puzzles waiting to be unearthed. As you accumulate tech points and upgrade your abilities you can explore each new mystery and see what surprises await you.
Analysis: I've had a blast playing Virtual Villagers. It's a great blend of casual gaming and strategy, which, honestly, is a tough balance to strike. Throughout the day I wonder what my villagers are up to. Are they still farming like I taught them? Any new babies in town? It's always great to come home and check up on my new family. It's great to see the little surprises, such as random events or the occasional new discovery.
Each time I fired up Virtual Villagers I only played it for ten or fifteen minutes. Really, that's all that's required. It's no different than playing a game of Solitaire just to pass the time, only now I actually accomplish something in the long run. Enticing players to return is one of the toughest jobs a casual game designer has, and Virtual Villagers does it extremely well.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Also, I did something last night I may live to regret. I downloaded Virtual Villagers. So, I’ve barely got them started and already I’ve made some mistakes and done a few things right. The biggest mistake I made was not checking out who was set up to do what before following the tutorial’s directions. I kept trying to make a guy who is scared of bushes forage from the berry bush. That wasn’t a huge error, fortunately and I eventually got him started on research, where he’s a happy little adept scientist now. The bigger mistake I made was when the tutorial directed me to have two villagers breed. I happened to pick the trainee builder who is “pre-trained” in the game to be the mom. Ooops! Of course, that meant she was no longer able to build for around 250 (or more, I can’t remember) minutes. So I had to grab another villager and designate them a builder and start them from scratch, and I only had one villager working on the hut.
I did get them some extra food by answering a question correctly. And during the night (yes, I got up early this morning to check on them and then went back to bed) the baby finished nursing and the hut was eventually finished. I’ve got my two builders cleaning up the beach now. I did that on instinct and this morning, looking at tips, that does seem to be the best thing to do next. It sounds like they will fish on the beach in the ocean, maybe, hopefully without further direction from me. At least I hope they do while I am away today. Otherwise they are going to run out of food while I’m at work today and I’ll come home to a dead village. :( And they are intent on watering those dead flowers with the well water. They desperately need tech points, but I have a difficult time getting anyone but the scientist to research.
I am relieved to discover you can pause the game. I was worried about what would happen to them while I’m away in April.
I’m putting all the tips I found online here. Don’t read on if you want to stay unspoiled.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tips:
Find More Food - Berries run out quickly so be sure to find a new source of food as soon as possible.
1. Stay at Home Moms- Nursing mothers focus all their attention on the baby for two years of game time. They won't do any other tasks while caring for the baby.
Population Control - Each baby villager consumes as much food as an adult. Too many babies too quickly will dwindle the food supply, so take care in growing the village population. Also, if there aren't enough houses, the villagers won't have more babies, so by planning carefully when building houses, you can avoid growing the population beyond the food supply.
Doctor, Doctor - Sick villagers don't always respond to the village doctor. If you're not having success in treating a villager with one doctor, try sending them to a different doctor for better treatment.
Watch the Villagers - Observe the villagers to see what they are investigating as you take them exploring around the island. Often the villagers are providing clues to help you solve puzzles later in the game.
Worker Education - Villagers don't discover new work skills on their own. You need to walk each villager through the process of learning how to perform a task in order to be successful. For instance, if you need someone to learn building, have them repair one of the existing buildings in the village.
Solving Puzzles - The 16 puzzles require a combination of skills in order to solve. You'll need a certain level of village technology, villager work skills, and in some cases other puzzles completed prior to completing another puzzle. Below is a list of tips on solving each of the puzzles - don't keep reading if you want them to be a surprise.
Puzzle #1 - Get a builder to clean the well. This is the village water supply. Get a villager with building skill, drag them to the well and let them fix it.
Puzzle #2 - Build a new hut. Population is maxed out at 7 until you build a new hut. A villager trained in building is required to build new huts.
Puzzle #3 - Clean up the beach debris. You need to clean up the debris so the villagers can fish. Drag a villager to the debris and it will start cleaning.
Puzzle #4 - Starting a village school. You need a master scientist. Drag them to the long building north of the reasearch table to start a school.
Puzzle #5 - Remove the blockage of the creek in the northwest corner of the village. Villagers need level 2 in construction to work on this. Drag a villager to the rock pile blocking the water flow from the creek. When the blockage is cleared, water will flow to the lagoon. This puzzle is the key to solving three more puzzles.
Puzzle #6 - You need to complete puzzle #5 first and have a villager with level 3 harvesting. Take a master farmer to the lagoon and they will start hunting fish. This may take awhile.
Puzzle #7 - Discover the graveyard (requires Level 2 of Spirituality). When a villagers dies, drag an adult villager to the northeast corner of the island. The villagers will provide a proper burial the pile of bones in village center. After this first burial, villagers will automatically have burial ceremonies for any deceased villager.
Puzzle #8 - Discover the medicinal properties of 4 plants. One plant is the cactus near the boulder, one plant is near the lagoon, two are on the east side of the island. Drag a villager to each plant until all four are mastered.
Puzzle #9 - You need to complete puzzle #5 first. Drag a villager to the field on the east side of the island (where the dead flowers are). They will water the field with water from the lagoon. Make sure to use a villager with building skill so that the watering continues until the flowers bloom.
Puzzle #10 - Solve puzzle #14 first. Wait for the butterflies to follow the golden child, then drag the golden child to the strange plant north of the berry bush where the butterflies will pollinate the plant.
Puzzle #11 - Restore the temple at the ruins (requires Level 3 of Construction). Drag a villager to the ruins in the southeast of the island and they will begin restoring the ruins.
Puzzle #12 - Requires puzzle #11 complete and Level 3 Spirituality. Drag a builder to the shiny rock on the west side of the village and they will chisel the rock to create an idol.
Puzzle #13 - the birth of the golden child (requires Level 3 of Fertility) . This requires puzzle #5, puzzle #12. Drag a nursing mom to the lagoon.
Puzzle #14 - Requires puzzle #13. Drag the golden child to the magic flower garden and wait for the butterflies.
Puzzle #15 - Buried treasure (requires Level 3 of Construction and Level 3 of Science). Search the sandy areas on the south part of the island between the food bin and the temple.
Puzzle #16 - Moving the boulder (requires the golden child). This one just happens on its own when the golden child is ready, you can't force it.
Once you get everything started, it's time to leave your people alone. Virtual Villagers plays out in real-time so even when the game isn't running the villagers are working hard. Each time you play you'll see the fruits of their labor and can give them new directions or just check up on their progress. You can also adjust the speed to anticipate any gaps in your playing time or to get things moving a little more quickly. Virtual Villagers is just as much about waiting as it is playing.
The strategy in Virtual Villagers comes from how many villagers you assign to each task and how you choose to upgrade your abilities. You accumulate Tech points by getting people to do scientific research. Use these points to upgrade your population's building skills, farming abilities, etc. With each new level opens more possibilities of exploration and survival. The trick is managing which abilities get upgraded first and how you use those new skills to better your village.
Your main goal is to build a thriving population, but there are also various mysteries to solve along the way. Some are fairly obvious, such as the large boulder sitting on the north end of the village, but others you must seek to discover. In all there are 16 puzzles waiting to be unearthed. As you accumulate tech points and upgrade your abilities you can explore each new mystery and see what surprises await you.
Analysis: I've had a blast playing Virtual Villagers. It's a great blend of casual gaming and strategy, which, honestly, is a tough balance to strike. Throughout the day I wonder what my villagers are up to. Are they still farming like I taught them? Any new babies in town? It's always great to come home and check up on my new family. It's great to see the little surprises, such as random events or the occasional new discovery.
Each time I fired up Virtual Villagers I only played it for ten or fifteen minutes. Really, that's all that's required. It's no different than playing a game of Solitaire just to pass the time, only now I actually accomplish something in the long run. Enticing players to return is one of the toughest jobs a casual game designer has, and Virtual Villagers does it extremely well.
^^^^^^^^^^^^