Virtual Villagers
| Virtual Villagers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Last Day of Work |
| Publisher(s) | Last Day of Work |
| Designer(s) | Arthur K. Humphrey |
| Engine | Custom |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release | A New Home Template:Country data WorldJuly 18, 2006[1] The Lost Children Template:Country data World May 15, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Life simulation , god game |
| Mode(s) | single player |
Virtual Villagers is a village simulator created and developed by independent game developer and publisher Last Day of Work released as shareware for Windows and Mac OS X.
Gameplay
Players must guide the villagers through island life, improving conditions and technology, developing sustainable farming techniques and increasing the villagers' population.[3] The game progresses in real time, even when the game is not running, with an hour of game time equalling six months in the villagers' lives. The game can be "paused" by the player.
The completion of some tasks can take hours or days. The game calculates the result of the simulation during the intervening time since the last time the player played. Villagers can die due to lack of food or neglect. Once there are no more living villagers, the game is over.[4]
The villagers are not under direct control by the player and undertake tasks themselves. Individual villagers can be dragged and dropped by the player, the villager then attempts to interact with the object or location where they have been placed. These tasks include foraging, research, breeding/parenting to produce children and building and healing. If the villager is unsuccessful, he or she will wander off, however if the villager is encouraged to successfully complete a task a few times, they will continue to perform that task without guidance from the player.[5]
Research generates tech points which are used to upgrade the technology level of the villagers in six areas such as fertility, farming and medicine. Advancements allow villagers to complete certain puzzles, increases their chances of survival and allows different actions to be performed. For example, an advancement in farming gives villagers the ability to fish to gain more food, advancements in science improve the rate at which researching villagers generate tech points.[6]
Puzzles play a major part in the Virtual Villagers series, all three episodes contain sixteen different puzzles for players to complete.[7] The first puzzle from A New Home is solved by the player during the tutorial, it clears the island's well so the villagers have access to fresh water. Although the first puzzle involves only one step, moving a villager to the well, later puzzles are more complex and have different criteria to be satisfied before the puzzle becomes available.
Structure and Storyline
Virtual Villagers (or VV) currently consists of three different games which have been released separately and must be purchased individually. Each game advances the storyline and provides new puzzles, activities and events. All three are complete games in themselves and are loosely linked to each other by the narratrive.
Virtual Villagers 1 - A New Home
A volcanic eruption forces villagers from their homeland into the sea. The few survivors eventually come ashore the island Isola, where they must begin rebuilding their community. As the villagers progress, they must resolve their needs for food, shelter, knowledge, and spiritual fulfillment.
Virtual Villagers 2 - The Lost Children
After living on the island, Isola, for several years, a young couple from Virtual Villagers 1 ventures into a mysterious unexplored cave. They slip on some rocks, fall into an underground river and are swept down a waterfall onto the west side of the island. They encounter the area's native population: four children and a teenager. All of the native adults are missing, having left the teenage villager to tend to the children as best he/she can. The game recounts the newcomers' efforts to care for the youngsters and forge a tribe.
Virtual Villagers 3 - The Secret City
An expedition, consisting of a young family and a few trained builders, is sent out from the western settlement to investigate the north shore of Isola. The explorers come upon the hidden ruins of an ancient city, where new challenges and answers wait for those who can learn to live in this strange new environment.
Reception
Virtual Villagers: A New Home has received a number of awards, including a Zeeby Award for Best Simulation game of 2006 and the Best Sim Game of 2006 Award from website Game Tunnel.[8][9] The game received two "Highly Commended" awards from the 2006 GameShadow Innovation in Games Awards, in the Best Casual Game category and the ATi Crossfire People's Choice Award category.[10]
References
- ^ "Virtual Villagers". GameZone. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ^ "Virtual Villagers 2: The Lost Children". GameZone. Retrieved 2007-07-22.
- ^ Saltzman, Marc (2006-07-27). "Virtual Villagers Review". Gamezebo. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Keil, Jill (2006-12-14). "Review : Virtual Villagers". GameDaily. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Usher, William (2006-11-08). "Virtual Villagers - Review by Game Tunnel". Game Tunnel. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Gudmundsen, Jinny (08|31). "'Virtual Villagers' teaches life lessons". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Miller, Chuck (2007-02-15). "Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children Review". GameZebo. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Carroll, Russell (2006-12-16). "2006 Sim Game of the Year". Game Tunnel. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Winners". The Zeebys. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ^ "Best Casual Game - Virtual Villagers: A New Home". GameShadow. Retrieved 2007-07-18.