Virtual Villagers 2

#11

Virtual Villagers 2 - The Lost Children Tips and Tricks (by GZ)

Welcome to the Tips and Tricks for Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children, an exciting new game from Last Day of Work and Big Fish Games. Following are some basic strategies to incorporate into play, as well as solutions to the puzzles. So, read at your own risk!

BASIC STRATEGIES

Organization
The first thing to consider is the importance of organization, and naming each villager helps. Select a villager, click the Detail button and change their name to one you can easily remember (like someone you know). This helps you remember who's who so you can stay on top of each villager.

Exploration
Explore early and often! The map's not very big, but there's much to be found. Drop your villagers onto anything that looks interesting. Even if it says they don't have the right skills or skill level, at least you know something is there! Just about every part of your land holds some sort of secret. Keep notes of everything you discover for easy reference later.

And, in case you didn't know, you can use the number keys to zip around the island. Keys 1-9 correspond to nine different sections of Isola. You can even pick someone up and quickly whisk them to the desired location.

Villager Aptitude
Stay on top of your villagers and their skills -- Farming, Building, Research, Healing and Parenting. Initially, make sure you have at least one person working on each of the skills. Some puzzles require a specific level of skill, so you always want to be ready.

Villagers need to be taught to perform a job. So, keep an eye on them at the start of their "career." Some have short attention spans and will wander off. Eventually, as they learn their job and reach Trainee level, they will become more automatic at performing it.

Also, remember to assign skills to each of your villagers on the Detail screen. Note that some children are actually born with an aptitude in one or more skills, inherited from their parents. Keep that in mind when making your assignments, as they will advance more quickly in a skill for which they already have a propensity. You can use this to your advantage, too, by playing matchmaker. If you need more builders, introduce a Master Builder to that special someone.

Some villagers have certain likes and dislikes, as well. These can effect how your character works. For example, a villager who loves to run around would not be good at researching. In some cases, you may need to experiment with a villager to find their niche vocation.

Developing Skills
Skills in Farming are developed by gathering food for your community. At the beginning of the game, you start by dropping a villager into ocean on the west side of the map where they learn to fish. This initially keeps a decent supply of food in the camp. Ultimately, your villagers will learn to climb nearby trees for yummy coconuts, and to plant and harvest crops.

Building is fairly straightforward. As you progress in technology, new foundations will appear on the map. Just drag and drop a villager onto these and they will begin building. Builders can also repair structures. One of the huts you start with is dilapidated, so repair it when you get a chance. In addition, many secrets are scattered across the map that only Master Builders can uncover. Keep an eye out!

Research is the easiest skill to develop since it involves just the research table. But, knowing where to invest your points can be tough. Use them on science early because tech points will accrue faster. This way, you can progress in all the other technologies sooner!

Healing can seem a bit tricky at first, but a few easy ways exist to increase this skill. The first is obvious -- heal people! When someone is sick, they wander over by the fire and sit on the ground. You can also tell if someone is sick if you hear them cough. Simply drop your healer onto them and they will be cured. If no one is sick, you can still develop this skill. Around the edge of the map are six plants to study. Drag a villager onto one of these plants and they will begin examining it. The more they study, the greater their skill. These herbs, by the way, comprise one of the main puzzles and are used to create stews (see below).

Parenting is the final skill, but an important one you need to manage correctly. If your population grows too fast, your villagers may starve. If it grows too slowly, workers will take a long time to develop. So, try and find a healthy medium. Also be aware that a mother nursing a baby will do nothing else for the equivalent of two game years!

Initial Play
You begin the game with three workers (two adults and a teenager) and several young children. Assign one each to be a farmer, builder and researcher. Parenting can wait a bit (but, not too long), and healing can be done by one of your main villagers as the need arises. Once several more workers come of age, add another builder, researcher and farmer, and train someone as a Master Healer.

Game Speed
In regards to game speed, if you're going to actively manage your village, keep it on Normal or 2x Speed. If you're going to be away for several hours or all night, put it on half speed. If you're leaving it unattended for a day or more, Pause it. You don't want to came back to find most or all of your villagers dead of starvation or disease.

Events
Occasionally a "random" event will occur that gives you a choice to make. For example, a crate may wash up on shore and you'll have to decide whether to open it or not. It could contain food supplies or diseased rats. So, pay attention to the details and think carefully before you make a decision. The obvious choice may not always be the best one. Choose incorrectly, and you could end up in dire circumstances. Choose wisely, though, and you may receive a reward!

Collections
Occasionally, special items appear that only children can collect. Mushrooms add to your food supply, while other objects are part of special collections, specifically Butterflies, Shells, Beetles and Pebbles. Most of the time, children won't pick them up automatically. You need to physically drop a child onto them. So, it pays to continually peruse the little island looking for these objects. If you already have a collectable, get it anyways as duplicates add to your tech points.

Miscellany
In-game tips can be accessed by clicking the mask on the main game screen (lower left). These are the same tips that randomly appear when the game is loading.

Villagers who are sick should be healed as soon as possible. They will continue to grow weaker and die if not treated. If any of your villagers show a condition of weakened health, switch their job to something less demanding to aid in their recovery.

Curiosity is often a clue to the location of the game's main puzzles. So, watch where your villagers go and see what they're interested in.

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS

The following is a list of solutions to the game's puzzles, 16 in all. So, don't read further unless you need help solving them. You've been warned!

Most of the game's puzzles are dependent on a mixture of technology and villager skills. Plus, some puzzles need to be completed before you can accomplish others. Also, don't be fooled into thinking that they're completed in the order displayed, as that's not necessarily the case.

Fire
The first puzzle to be solved is starting a fire. Drop a villager on the wood pile in the southwest corner of the island and they will carry wood to the fire pit in the center. Then, take them to the pink flowers west of the coconut trees to collect some dried grass. Once the wood and grass are in place, drop them onto the fire pit and they will start a fire. Make sure to add wood occasionally to keep the fire from going out.

The Dam
Once you reach Level Two Engineering, drop a builder on the rocks just above the pool of water in the southeast corner of the island. They will construct a dam to irrigate the fields to the immediate left so that crops can be planted. This will also uncover an ancient mosaic on the ground, the site of a later puzzle.

The Scarecrow
This puzzle requires the completion of the dam above. Once you plant your crops, you need a scarecrow to keep the parrots away. Drop an Adept-level (or better) farmer on the twisted pieces of wood and vine just below the rock pile in the north center of the map. You'll need to do this twice.

The Cutting Tool
You need a cutting tool to clear the vegetation that covers the entrance to the cave in the north and the vine wall to the east. After you acquire Level Two Exploration, drop a Master Scientist on the sharp stones just above and to the right of the twisted pieces of wood and vine used for the scarecrow. When he's done, take him back for a second trip for the wood and vines necessary to finish the tool.

Herb Mastery
This puzzle is easy to complete early in the game. Six herbs are located around the edges of the map. Each one will be identified as a "strange plant" when a villager is held over it. Have a healer examine each one of them until they master it to complete this puzzle. The location of each herb is as follows:

1. The green plant in the upper left hanging over the wall of stones.
   
2. The blue flower at the top center just to the right of the cave.
   
3. The lavender daisy at the far top-right above the sacred area.
   
4. The black chain of flowers just above the waterfall on the east.
   
5. The bright red flowers southeast of the dam.
   
6. The large orange flower to the south of the village.

Sustainable Fishing
When the ocean to the west is over-fished, it develops algae. To eliminate the problem and restore fishing, special algae-eating fish must be transported from the pond to the ocean. This requires Level Three Farming and a Master Farmer or Master Scientist. Take them to the pond and drop them in. Once enough algae-eating fish are transported to the ocean, the algae will clear.

The Vine Wall
Along the east wall are a number of vines that conceal some strange markings. To uncover these, you must first complete the cutting tool and purchase Level Three Culture. Drag a villager to the wall and release them. They will use the cutting tool to remove the vegetation.

The Stew
In order to make stews, you must first recover the cauldron from the wood pile in the southwest. It will appear after you purchase Level Two Exploration. With the fire burning and the cauldron next to it, drop a villager on the cauldron three times. Once each to put it on the fire, fill it with water and add food. Then, drop a villager on any of the herbs you have mastered adding a total of three to the mix in any combination (you can use multiples of the same herb).

Of course, different selections of herbs will have different results. Keep track of the ingredients in all the stews you make. You want to avoid duplication and don't want to recreate a bad stew (it can make your villagers sick). If you treat your villagers to the best, they will stay healthy and remain happy.

Here are some recipes to get you started. The numbers for each herb correspond to the herbs as listed and identified under Herb Mastery.

1+2+6 = Your villager feels healthier after eating.
1+5+6 = This stew gave your villager a burst of energy.
2+3+4 = This spicy stew clears your villager's nose and throat.
3+5+6 = This stew gives off a very sweet smell.
4+5+6 = Your villager feels healthier.
4+6+6 = Strange stew...your villager feels no need to breathe.

The Ancient Ruins
Once you've completed the dam and reached Level Three Engineering and Exploration, you can drag a villager to the ancient ruins in the southeast corner of the map and they will start uncovering the site.

The Hospital
Obtain Level Three Engineering and Medicine, and a foundation will appear in the south central portion of the map. This lets your villagers build a hospital.

The Sewing Hut
Once you reach Level Two Culture, a foundation become visible for a sewing hut just east of the wood pile in the southwest corner of Isola. This allows your villagers to change clothing, but at a cost of 5,000 tech points each. Ouch! Where's Thurston Howell III when you need him?

The Sunken Gong Piece
One piece of the gong is located in the pool on the eastern edge of the village. This sunken gong piece is obtained by making a special magic stew consisting of one of the black flowers near the waterfall and two of the large orange flowers to the south of the village (herbs 4+6+6 as indicated above). Have a villager eat the stew, and then drop them in the pool.

The Inlaid Gong Piece
Once one of your villagers has become an Esteemed Elder and been honored with a totem and after you've completed the ancient ruins puzzle, drop a totem on the mosaic in the center of the ruins to retrieve another piece of the gong.

The Boxed Gong Piece
This piece of the gong is inside the crate on the beach to the west. Three Master Builders working together are needed to open it.

The Overgrown Gong Piece
After you purchase Exploration Level Two and complete the cutting tool, your villagers can clear away the vegetation blocking the cave to the north (the Gong Encasement). Doing so reveals a piece of the gong.

Virtual Villagers 2 - The Lost Children Tips and Tricks (by Last Day of Work)

Generations have passed since a small band of survivors first washed up on the southern shore of Isola. Through these many years they have struggled and conquered the challenges of rebuilding what they had lost. Together they have faced storms, plagues, and temptations. Together they have labored, celebrated, and mourned. Life has been good, and the tribe has grown and prospered. The many descendents of those brave castaways have continued in the ways of their ancestors and have unraveled all of the island's mysteries. Or have they?

Follow two curious, determined villagers as they make their way into the darkest recesses of the cave that had long taunted them. Plunge with them into dazzling sunlight and mist, as a magnificent waterfall at once cuts them off from their friends and family and brings them face to face with ... children! Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children challenges you in new ways to care for this fledgling tribe as you discover even more secrets of Isola. The unexpected awaits!

As with Virtual Villagers: A New Home, your primary objective is to manage the survival needs of your tribe so that they can grow and unlock the secrets that await them on the western shore of Isola. If you manage them well, they will discover ways to conquer the sometimes hostile forces that threaten to overcome them. If you're not an experienced Virtual Villagers veteran, turning on tutorial mode (Help) the first time through the game will help familiarize you with the mechanics of playing Virtual Villagers.

Food, as always, is your villagers' primary need, and you'll also need to provide adequate housing so that the tribe can grow in number and gain the skills they need to solve the puzzles of Isola. Be careful, though! Grow your tribe too quickly, and you'll find that they have nothing to eat and will have to rely on the children to gather precious mushrooms to keep starvation at bay. You must find the right balance to be sure of success.

There are some important points to keep in mind as you develop your own strategy for playing Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children.

• Some food supplies may be limited, so be alert for the opportunity to discover new sources of food.
• Clicking on the mask on the main game screen will reveal many different tips that will help you play the game more effectively.
• Nursing mothers devote all of their time to caring for their baby and don't do any productive work in the village for 2 years of game time.
• Babies eat as much as adults and making too many babies too soon can quickly create a food crisis.
• Any villager (even a sick one or a child) can heal another villager, but healing is only possible when a villager's status is "Sick" (check the Details screen).
• Sometimes a villager will "resist" healing attempts by a specific doctor. If that happens, try to heal your sick villager again with a different villager.
• Sick villagers need to be healed or they will weaken and die
• Villagers can become weakened by such things as prolonged disease, starvation, on-the-job injuries, Island Events, or old age.
• Villagers who show a status of "Weakened" will generally improve in health over time unless they are sick, elderly or continue to suffer injuries. Switching them to a less demanding job will help speed their recovery.
• The villagers need to be taught to perform a job; they will not start working in a new job on their own. It can be a good idea to monitor their learning progress until they reach Trainee status, so that they will work more reliably on their own.
• You can view information about various technology advancements on the Village Tech screen by clicking on the "?" button for that technology. This information will help you choose the order in which to purchase new technology.
• The villagers' curiosity is often a clue to puzzles.
• The children can find and harvest mushrooms to augment the village food supply, but only if you make them do it.
• Using the keyboard to zoom around the map is an easy way to search for those collectible items. There are 9 sectors of the map, which correlate to the numbers 1-9 on the numeric keypad. You can also use the row of numbers at the top of the keyboard, if your computer doesn't have a numeric keypad.
• Picking up a villager while they're working will interrupt them, and they will drop (and lose) the object that they were carrying.

Most of the puzzles are dependent upon some combination of Village Tech, villager skills, and other puzzles. Although some puzzles depend upon the completion of specific puzzles, the 16 puzzles are rarely completed in the order that you see them on the puzzle screen. Pay attention to the things that your villagers are curious about and the messages that you see when you take one of your villagers "exploring" around the island. These often provide clues that will help you solve the puzzles. Another good strategy is to drag one of your adult villagers around the island after every tech purchase and look for new things that they can work on, since many of the technologies open up new possibilities for your villagers. Most of the frustration related to solving the puzzles is brought on by impatience. It takes time for your villagers to gain the necessary skills and technology to work through all of the puzzles.

You can safely browse these if you just need a gentle push in the right direction. Each puzzle is referred to by number. The puzzles are counted sequentially, with 1 being the leftmost puzzle in the top row, and 16 being the rightmost puzzle in the bottom row.

Puzzle 1 is something that will provide warmth, protection, and technological advantage to your tribe. It can be solved at the beginning of the game.

Puzzle 2 requires a certain level of technology and will allow your villagers to enjoy a regular, if limited, source of food.

Puzzle 3 requires the completion of Puzzle 2 and a skilled villager to fashion something that will protect one of the sources of food.

Puzzle 4 requires a certain level of technology and a highly skilled villager who will fashion something that your villagers will need in order to completely explore some areas of the village.

Puzzle 5 involves the flowers and herbs located in various parts of the village. This puzzle can be completed at the beginning of the game.

Puzzle 6 requires a villager with well-rounded skills.

Puzzle 7 will open up an unlimited food supply by restoring the ocean to its former condition. You will need to have highly skilled villagers and a certain level of technology.

Puzzle 8 reveals ancient writings. Your villagers will need a certain level of technology, as well as the completion of Puzzle 4.

Puzzle 9 requires the completion of Puzzle 1, a certain level of technology, a hidden item, and the flowers and herbs that your villagers can find in various parts of the village.

Puzzle 10 requires a certain level of two different technologies. Drag a villager to the southeast part of the village.

Puzzle 11 is a special building that requires a certain level of technology. You will see a foundation appear, which your villagers can work on.

Puzzle 12 is another special building that requires a certain level of technology. You will see a foundation appear, which your villagers can work on.

Puzzles 13-16 involve the recovery of pieces of the Gong of Wonder, which can be retrieved only after meeting the necessary requirements. Retrieving the pieces will variously involve teamwork among skilled villagers, purchasing of required levels of Village Tech, and completion of Puzzles 6, 9, and 10. Your villagers will reveal some clues as you try various things in the game, and there will be more specific clues that you can study when you complete Puzzle 8.

Puzzle 1 involves building a fire in the fire pit. Drag one of your villagers to the pile of dry wood in the southwest part of the village to gather firewood. After the wood is placed in the fire pit, take a villager to the very dry grass that can be found to the west of the coconut trees. Once the firewood and dry grass have been placed in the fire pit, drag a villager there to light the fire. You will need to replenish the firewood periodically to keep the fire from going out.

Puzzle 2 is the construction of a dam that will divert water from the stream to an area that can be used for farming. After you purchase Level 2 of Engineering Tech, drag a villager to the rocks that are in the middle of the lower portion of the stream. You will see a message, "He/she could probably build a dam here."

Puzzle 3 is a scarecrow that an adept farmer can construct in order to protect the crops from the birds. Drag an adept or master farmer to the twisted pieces of wood and vines that are located in the northern portion of the village. The scarecrow requires two trips to complete, so make sure that you finish the construction, or your crops will not be protected.

Puzzle 4 is the fashioning of special cutting tools that will be needed to cut away vegetation in some parts of the village. After purchasing Level 2 of Exploration Tech, drag a master scientist to the northern part of the village where he will see something among the rocks near the twisted pieces of wood and vines. Your scientist will need to make a second trip to finish the tools, so take him to the twisted wood and vines to get the necessary materials.

Puzzle 5 is completed when your villagers learn mastery of six special plants located in various parts of the village. Drag a villager to each of them and watch for the message that each has been mastered. The plants are (beginning in the northwest part of the village and moving clockwise): the odd-looking plant immediately to the left of the very dry grass, the blue flower between the thorns and the rocks, the small lavender flower at the northern edge of the graveyard, the black flowers near the waterfall, the bright reddish flowers south of the dam site, and the large orange-red flower at the south edge of the village.

Puzzle 6 is completed when you have sufficiently trained a villager to become master in three skills. That villager will become an Esteemed Elder, and a totem will be created to commemorate their new status in the village.

Puzzle 7 is the elimination of the algae in the ocean that was caused by over fishing. After purchasing Level 3 of Farming Tech, take a master farmer or master scientist to the pond, where they will collect algae-eating fish that they can use to repopulate the ocean. Once sufficient fish have been placed in the ocean, the algae will once again be under control and the villagers will have unrestricted fishing.

Puzzle 8 is the removal of the vines that cover the wall on the east side of the village. After you purchase Level 3 of Culture Tech and have completed Puzzle 4, drag a villager to the vine-covered wall and they will begin cutting away the vines.

Puzzle 9 is the ability to make various stews for your villagers. To make stew, you will need to have purchased Level 2 of Exploration Tech, retrieved the cauldron from the wood pile, mastered at least one of the special plants, and started a fire in the fire pit. The steps to make a stew are: 1) Drop a villager on the cauldron to put the cauldron on the fire 2) Drop a villager on the cauldron again, and he or she will go get water for the stew 3) Drop a villager on any of the mastered plants, and the villager will gather herbs for the stew. Each stew requires a total of 3 herbs, in any combination. 4) Drop a villager on the cauldron again, and he or she will go get food to add to the stew. When the stew is complete, the villager will move the cauldron off the fire. Some stews are good, some are bad, and some make your villagers do interesting things. Experiment and have fun with them. You can also find different "recipe books" that have been created for the game that contain all of the stew combinations.

Puzzle 10 requires Level 3 of both Engineering Tech and Exploration Tech. Drag a villager to the ancient covered floor in the southeast part of the village and they will begin uncovering the site.

Puzzle 11 is the construction of a hospital. After you purchase both Level 3 of Engineering Tech and Medicine Tech, a foundation will appear that your villagers can work on.

Puzzle 12 is the construction of a sewing hut, which will allow you to change the clothing that your villagers are wearing. After you purchase Level 2 of Culture Tech, a foundation will appear that your villagers can work on.

Puzzles 13-16 are the pieces of the Gong of Wonder. The four pieces can be retrieved in the following ways:

• A team of 3 Master Builders can open the crate on the beach, where one of the pieces has been hidden.
• After purchasing Level 2 of Exploration, your villagers can clear the thorns blocking access to the gong encasement, which will also reveal a piece of the gong.
• Prepare a magic stew that will allow one of your villagers to dive for the sunken gong piece in the pond. The herbs needed for that magic stew are: one of the black flower near the waterfall and two of the red-orange flower on the south side of the village. The pictures of the required herbs can be seen in the drawings on the wall once the vines have been removed.
• After finishing Puzzles 6 and 10, drop a totem in the center of the uncovered mosaic to reveal a piece of the gong. Once the gong is assembled you can experiment with the effects that it has on your village. You can bang the gong once every 24 hours.