First, I would like to thank LDW for putting so much time and effort into this fantastic new game! Secondly, I made this post so people could say their thanks to LDW.

The staff loves to hear thank you from all their devoted fans.
They also would like to know your first impressions of the game!

I already posted this in the video topic, and now I can't delete it to move it here. Oh well, I'll post here and then the moderators can feel free to delete my other one.
____________

BRAVO LDW!!!
VV4 is awesome. I LOVE it. I don't have the money for it just yet (unexpected spending ) but I'll have it sometime soon this week. You can count on my purchase!
I love the names, and the outfits (I got one of the contest winners!) and the new UI is excellent.
Oh yes, and the new hut placement feature is nice. As is the new design of the huts. Adorable!

I am LOVING this game. VV 4 is awesome. The map is beautiful. All those that worked on this game... YOU ROCK!!! Thank you for a wonderful game.

You did a phenomenal job LDW! The graphics are so sharp and crystal clear. I love the all new collectables and I really enjoyed picking out my own tribe! Definately worth the wait.. Also, kudos to Xay - very efficient in getting my question/problem solved.

THANKS!

Mourning Lily

P.S. I also really like how you can see the the villagers eye color now too.

I am loving this game also - it deffinately combines all elements (even some of VF!) of previous games, and seems to be full of wonders - even at the begining of the game, which seems quite unusual for the past three. I am estatic to hear that this isn't the last VV game, and I can't wait to find out more about this one! I've already been obbsessing oover collectables for the past hour or so, and completed three(?) puzzles. I spent up to twenty minutes finding the 'perfect' tribe (all blondes!!) and I am just loving the game in general! Thank you guys for making it so amazing, and I bet I haven't even seen a fourth of it yet! !

This is the first time I've ever posted on ldw, but I have all of the games. I was hooked the first time I played VV1, and VV4 has held true to form.

This new one is so detailed! So many colors and places to explore! I don't know where to look or what to do first, lol. I'm loving that I can pick my starter tribe, just like VVFamiles. And this is the first time I've been able to play a game without any hints or tips being available, so I'm very much looking forward to the challenge.

Thank you for making an unbelieveably addicting series of games! Would it be awful to say that I'm hoping for/can't wait for VV5? lol

Thanks for producing another great game. This is the best of the VV series; LDW, you never let us down.

P.S. This was well worth the wait.

Thank you for giving us this game, thank you for teaching us that waiting is part of the fun~

Well worth the wait~

Well, I only played 5 minutes out of my trail, and the most notable things were, uh, there were a lot, like the hut placing

Looks like I'll be spending hours at a time( when I'm not working) on this game. Love the improvements. Thank you for your hardwork and dedication.

Thank you so much LDW, I absolutly LOVE this game, it is very well worth the wait, I love everything about it (So far)
Thank you thank you thank you!!!

I love the game, thanks fir working do hard on it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for an exquisit game. The graphics and layout of the eastern shore of Isola are incredible. You guys did an amazing job and I sure hope that you will continue with this story. Thank you for given me hours of playing pleasure.

Enjoying it all so far. LOVE the new wide-screen look, and the way you can flip back and forth between villagers right on the main screen without having to go into detail. Also love that if there's no-one selected and you click it, it automatically goes to the youngest! No more going to detail screen and starting with a "middle" tribe member and working your way back to the kids.

As always, the music is beautiful and relaxing - one track in particular was quite mournful, and I thought very fitting for an island that's dying.

Have completed 3 puzzles, working on the 4th. Puzzle #4 was both hilarious and gross when I used the wrong water! Will have to show hubby that one... (I don't THINK that's a spoiler there)

I am too attached to my VV3 village right now to download 4 having come late to these wonderful games but am posting a thank you anyway. I started playing games seriously this past year while laid up after an injury and these games are so very special- so beautifully exquisitely programmed that I am ruined for others like them out there. I love them so much- thank you thank you thank you. The differences sound fabulous- I especially hoorayed when I saw the abiolity to see what a villager is doing while in Detail. That is fabulous.

Hey LDW staff,

Just wanted to say after playing the last 3 VV games that The Tree of Life takes the cake. Incredible graphics, smooth gameplay, and the puzzles harder than ever. Pure genius how the collection items have actually become essential for bonuses. Gonna (try to) stay away from the spoiler threads this time so we'll see how it goes. Again congratulations on a terrific game and by far the smoothest release day I have ever seen.

LDW Staff,

Thanks soooo much for making these games. I'm due to deliver my son sometime in the next five weeks, so I'm at home full time until after he gets here. Both my husband and I loved the first three games, But this one takes the cake! OMG! My husband is out of town working in Nashville TN, but I have already called him a thousand times just to tell him how great it is! Amazing Work!


A Million Thanks for keeping the pregnant woman entertained,
Jessica!

I would like to offer my thank you's to all concerned. Patience was indeed a virtue! I see many, many happy months if not years playing this new version and considering I still play all of the other three VV's I think I can say 'years' will be THE word!

Thank you so much! - Just like a new born baby -It's perfect.

Such an amazing game! Lots of the old stuff that we all know and love and lots of new things to keep us guessing. I REALLY love the trophy screen. I had no problems with the download or the "extras". So nice that LDW is giving a little back to their loyal fans by giving us these extras! Thanks so much!

I've promised myself that I WON'T look at the spoilers until I've tried every single thing and am about to pull my hair out!

So, LDW staff (and particularly Arthur and Carla). Congratulations on 3 beautiful babies in one year! (VF, VV4 and Francesco!)

I played the demo version and i am hooked so i just bought the game, so if you are looking for me i am taking care of my villagers

Thank you thank you LDW for another great game

LDW, only one word can describe how i feel. AMAZING! this game ROCKS! thanks for many many many happy hours!

I love this series, but am a little disappointed b/c I expected so much MORE.I expected an awesome game because of the almost 6 month delay, but all we got is the same old vv as we have always had

Love the game...it was well worth the wait. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

um, Karwin, im glad there is still some old. but there is ALOT new as well! if it was all brand new, we wouldn't know how to play! i dont KNOW b/c i haven't bred any but im pretty sure i could do without the 2 yrs nursing, lol but that is what makes LDW's games unique and exciting!

Thank you everyone at LDW! I have been waiting for VV4 to come out ... and now that it's here, I can hardly wait to start playing. I bought it last night, just before I had to go to bed, but I am up now and have started my new tribe!

The first thing that strikes me is the option to choose your tribe members! But after doing that, in one tribe I chose to go through the tutorial, and the tribe got changed. But that's OK ... now I have a second tribe with the members I want. =)

I am sure there will be MUCH MORE that I enjoy about the new game, and I'll be sure to let you know!

I love VV4 and thank you so much for all the hard work that went into it!!!
Thank you also to The Gnome - you know why!!!
I have been playing it nearly non stop since I got the code and it is totally awesome!!!

Thank you LDW!!!! I bought VV4, my daughter and I adore it. one thing i did notice that kinda bugged me was when i started the tutorial the tribe i picked was changed slightly. but other than that AWESOME game!!!!

I was just saying that after such HUGE delays, I expected a completely different outcome! Of course the game is still good, but it could be MUCH better after making us wait forever.
//inappropriate comments removed by moderator//
I do like the new choose your tribe thing, as well as the new items to collect, //inappropriate comments removed by moderator//

No one liked the delay, but the rest of us were completely understanding, since they delay was caused by the birth of their gorgeous son, which, by the way, is an incredibly good reason to delay the game. Babies not only take time and care, but are a reason to celebrate and bond and enjoy, not work.

If something arises, and they need to push the release date back, they will.

Getting back on topic, VV4 IS AWESOME!!! THANX SO MUCH LDW!!

Thank you soo much all of you at the LDW-crew - this game really looks amazing
It's really worth the waith definitely!!

It's so much fun to solve the new puzzles and to watch these new villagers grow and discover the new part of the island, I am having a great time as their guarding hand ...

So let me say this:
*Congratulations to all of you *

You know, everyone keeps blaming the BABY for the delay. Well, maybe a few days, but hey, LDW gave us a beautiful, fun and as far as I can tell, bug-free game. I've been on SOOOOO many sites that poster after poster have problems playing the game. Here? I saw maybe a couple of problems.


LDW: Hats off for making a wonderful bug-free game!

I really love the way the game moves. And I really love the grafics. And I really love the way you can find your villagers. And I really like the fact that the screen is wider. Till now I havn't found anything i don't like or love.
But I don't like it that I have to work tomorrow.
Why am I not a kid? They have a holidaybreak this week......
I really hate that.

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!! Every time I get a new LDW game I think that there is no way you guys will top it. And every time there's a new game you do! I love the pick your own villagers feature. The collectibles! Being able to see them somewhere is soooooo cool! The mausoleum is amazing (though I haven't had to use it yet). You guys did an amazing job, again. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to putting out amazing games for all of us die-hard VV fanatics.

First impression? AWESOME.
Haven't had any problems with the puzzles or anything so far. The only criticism (if you could call it that) would be that there's too much fog. It seems to come every five minutes and over the last ten hours straight that I've been playing, it's become quite annoying. Heh.

This game seems to move faster than the earlier ones, which is gratifying.

It's also a bit annoying to have to keep a builder permanently at the base of the waterfall to stop the stream clogging up, but once you've got a few "spare" peeps it's not too bad. Till then it's just a bit of a juggling act.

Overall, imo this is the best one so far! In every aspect! Good work everyone, and thankyou so much for bringing yet another top quality game to us obsessive types.

thank you for this great game it is really fun. i already yelled at a women villager had to get with another man 11 times for her first child lol. my other girl already had 3 i was like beep beep beep .

i really like the credits too how you put in there production babies now i see why it took so long .

great game keep it up and i glad this isn't the end of the series.

ps i going yell at this villager some more it kinda got fun lol

Hav and I have been playing the 1 hour trial. THIS IS A TOTALLY AWESOME GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *runs around like a maniac* And I am forty-eight year old woman but I cannot help myself this is a cool game. Now *starts calming down, slowly converting back to a forty-eight year old woman* so that I can talk my level headed, lives in the real world, realistic husband into buying me and Hav this game.

LOL MM. I'm 47 and got all kinds of excited too

I really love the game! I like how the game play seems a bit faster. Love what you can do with the huts. I like the bigger screen and the graphics and music are great! It is very cool to be able to select your tribe at the beginning. I can't wait to play with that when I get around to creating other tribes.

I had my 6 month old granddaughter yesterday and brought the game up and she really liked looking at the beautiful graphics with all of the rich colors. She liked watching the villagers move around and she laughed when she heard the sounds the children make when I pluck them up to go retrieve an item. I think she really liked the music as well. She went down for her nap, no problem, and I think it might have been the nice music playing.

Well, this inadvertently turned out to be more of the baby's reaction to the game but, hey, just shows how these games are enjoyed by all ages!


Thank you LDW!

X

Maniac Mom, I am totally obsessed with this game. I loved the other VV and LDW games but this one really has me hooked. I can play this for hours and hours at a time.

If you are disgruntled by the game, well that's why they have a free trial. That way you can decide if you like it before you buy it.

This game is a progression (sequel if you prefer) of the Virtual Villagers games and the story of Isola. It was never intended to be a completely new type of game, just a new chapter in the story. I hope there are many more chapters to come.

The reasons a game may be delayed are too numerous to mention here. There are thousands of lines of code to be written. Then they have to test, retest, and finally test some more. Finally, there's a little thing called life that impacts game development.

They met their announced target date, just on the far end of it. IF you recall, the original announcement was for 4th Quarter 2009 or 1st Quarter 2010. Technically, they had another 37 days to release it, so just be glad it came out when it did.

LOVE the game!
There are a few things I would have changed.. I really wanted the mommas to be able to do something while preg.... like in VF!
why can't she gather like the kids do?
Please think about this for VV5!

I decided to wait at least a week after the release to download and buy. But I couldn't, and I'm so glad! The graphics are more impressive with every game. Moving around seems much smoother in this game, very nice. I'm still learning, but wanted to add my thanks and kudos for another great game.

Thank You LDW for making such a great game !!!!! Its fantastic !

Thank you so much for yet another exciting game! I am refraining from reading the helps for the puzzles, etc, as it is so much more rewarding to figure them out myself, even if it takes awhile to do so.

This morning I was carrying a person to one area and accidentally dropped him, and a message came up that revealed to me that I just happened to drop him right where one of the spots was where he could do something that would inevitably help solve one of the puzzles. I would have probably not found that secret spot for a long time, had I actually been looking for it, lol.

Thank You for another great game (not sure my husband & kids will thank you though, as I will be distracted for a while now ). These are the only games I play that aren't free online versions!

Thank you very much for another great game.

I really hope there will be a NE, SE, SW and NW......

Thanks again.

Again a great game!!

I really love it!
The graphic is sooo good!
The story and our villagers' adventures are absorbing!
Their acts and interactions are better again and it's not getting too much on my nerves when
__

Thanks a lot to Arthur, of course, and to Carla also!
And thanks a lot to our dear Barbara ("Quality Assurance" that's true!! )

Thanks also to Greg Hospelhorn, Walter Humphrey, Michael Grills, Matt Harpold... Thanks to you all!

But especially to Francesco! (... to have let Mom & Dad work!! and sleep... a little! )

Well I can see MM has already posted her thoughts LOL So now here are mine:

This game is beautiful, I love it alot, I'm contunially finding new things that make me Aww, and oooo over. I love how the collections show them being built. I love the trophies screen one of the trophies made me LOL () I love all the outfits, villagers, and the ability to select who you want. I see many, many years of good gaming times ahead.

Thank you for your hard work, time, commitment and effort. It's a beautiful game. There's so much good to say about it.
My favourite thing however, is the collectibles. I love the windpipes.

Thanks everyone at LDW, Carla, Arthur & of course Francesco...he's an important one...

I was so homesick for the tides & waves (I just moved inland)& its there...tides and the waves rolling in & out...that's special to me.

Thank you all for such a great game & hours & days & weks if not years of fascination...

barb

SUPER WOW === LOVE IT!
Have played several hours without peeking at the forum in order to do as much possible on my own. Not too hard & not too easy -- just right!

Love the graphics; tide pool is so pleasant; characters are great; outfits adorable; collections fabulous; puzzles exciting & stimulating; sounds are soothing; and most of all it's family friendly... good clean fun! Outstanding job, LDW! (((HUGS)))!

Now to dive into the forum to discover more secrets. LOL
THANK YOU LDW!

THANK YOU everyone at LDW!

Thank you for this brilliant game! I'm playing since yesterday 10 am (MET) - with a "little" break for sleeping and doing my job - everything is running!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

I am really liking this chapter in particular.

I like that you can place huts where you want them on the map.
I love the new "browse villagers" function where you can cycle through them based on age, health or whatever.
So much faster finding a child to grab a shroom or collection item.

I only have 11 villagers so far, but it seems we have many new hair styles and clothing.
Loved being able to choose my first 5 villagers.

Great map. Love that they kept the same nostalgic voice overs for the villagers and the game sounds (tinkling wind chime sound etc)

For such a small team of developers, this is a superb little flash game.
I've played World of Warcraft, Sims 2&3, Fallout 3 and other high-end games and surprised myself with the first VV.
Addicting, fun, simple (yet challenging enough to keep you interested)and a great family game to boot!

Cheers to the team!

Thanx LDW I really love this new virtual villagers the graphics really rocks in this one ..

Oh boy.

You were soooo exited for Virtual Families. Tried the demo... LUVED it... baught the game... ADDICT. Your thinking the same thing about VV4. Your gonna spend ALL your money on that game. ADDICT. LDW just makes too awesum to bare games!!

I'm just asking, LDW, would you please stop making such fun awesum games!?!?!? (hehe)

Don't ya think?

I just got the announcement email about VV4, which makes me laugh, which is lovely.

Again, the game is awesome, even though I... still... can't... afford it.... lol

Great game, thank you so much...
I loved every game with Isola.
In the last one, it is a little bit annoying that the villagers are moving so slowly, no matter the speed of the game.
But I loved the game anyway. Thank you again and I'm looking forward for the next one.

Survivor, ur asking them to STOP making games? NO NO NO!!! they can NEVER stop! every game they make is better than the last! i THINK I'm getting the hang of the villagers b/c this is the very first VV game i have played where i didn't have to pause it! i think I'm learning more and more tricks to keep the little people alive! they can't stop NOW!!!

This is all I will say: Have you read the readme file?

im really enjoying vv4 i think it is the best one out of the vv series the graphics are amazing and i love the fact that you can move the huts to where you want them to be before contruction - its brilliant! i could sit here and write an essay on all the things i love about it! well done ldw and thank you to arthur carla and everyone else that was involved with the making of this game it is amazing

I've got to say, this game is ashtonishing in every possible way,for instance the teamwork of the villagers and the smart and fun way of putting the puzzles together ... PLEASE everyone, try to solve the mysteries yourself before looking for help, because it gives you soo much more fun and fullfillment to find the solutions yourself ...

this game is in one word: MAGICAL
(and I didn't finished it yet)



YIHAAAAAH I did, and I PARTY

thankyou,what a awesome birthday presant for myself.

no i haven't! i installed and opened the game, not the readme file. how could i read it without having to re-install??

This is the best VV game yet, they just keep getting cooler and cooler! And I'm so happy the collectables are popping up more frequently. Thanks so much for all the love you guys put into your games - they're amazing!

It's in the game folder. Same place you go to install mods, but stopping before you go to the image folder.

TOTALLY LOVE IT!!! THANK YOU LDW!!!

Just adding to the pile!

Love the new game and all the improvements!
I wish I could buy the full version, but it'll have to wait a week. Oh, what an excruciating week that will be!

This is absolutely the best game. I have been playing for 4 hours an enjoyed every minute even when you took all my food away in the middle of the night. It is challenging and funny and I think there must be many hours of play before I figure out how to solve all the puzzles.
Thanks from me and my family here in Denmark.

Thank you all for your hard work. This game is well worth the wait. It has already moved into one of my five favorite games, not surprisingly all 5 are LDW games. I haven't used any spoilers yet and have been avoiding the forums to keep me from the temptation of doing so. (After you hit sixty, you'll appreciate the way games like this help keep your mind active)

Thank you LDW it is a great game. I love it other than for a couple of glitches. I haven't had to use any spoilers yet and have 7 of the 16 puzzles and I think I have figured out what I need to do for a couple of more. I have 2 of the 4 collections complete. Level 2 of all techs, and at the moment over 125,000 tech points haven't decided which way to go with them yet. course another 100,000 and I will have enough to get level 3 of all of them. Really love the game. It is the best VV yet.

So I have been advoiding the forums because I wanted to solve all the puzzles myself. And tonight I finished!!! Now for the trophies. Thanks LDW for a great game.

~Jamie

Found it! WOOHOO!!! Ty Krystal!!

Thanks for the Tree of Life! It's beautiful, and so much fun already! One of the things that's nice is the collectibles seem like they stay on the screen a fraction longer, it gives me more time to find one of the kids. I love my new villagers already. I know the tree will be so beautiful when it's healthy again.
~ group hug to celebrate ~
Thanks!

I've gotta go against the grain and say I hate this game. WHY you ask? Because I already love it most of all the VV games and it is a really busy time for me and I am self employed. I think my family may starve while I make sure my little villagers eat!!

Seriously, my daughters and I are really excited about this version, we're working through the puzzles pretty well. They hog the game, so maybe I can cook a bit while they are enjoying it! We've only found a couple of glitches so far...tiny stuff. The game is really well prepared. I like the frequency of collectibles and mushrooms...makes those kids seem useful. I still wish nursing moms could cook or forage, or maybe even gather collectibles. And I wish the population were more diverse.

And the guide is fantastic (I had to make myself avoid the spoilers, though).

so thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! Please send care packages for my hubby, he won't see a good cooked meal from me for a while!

three thumbs up on this one.

Well this is one of the best! I love them all (3 the least) this one is wonderful. It keeps you actively engaged while you have villagers building tech points.
There is nothing boring about it at all.
I absolutely LOVE the little map down in the right hand corner. It is just so user friendly and comes in handy for finding those pesky running kids when you need them.
There are plenty of mushrooms to keep all the kids fed while they grow up - gotta keep at least two kids actively engaged in hunting.
I thik spoilers should only be able to be posted via the private messages. None should be allowed on the open forum area. It just makes it too easy - and this one is easy enough.
It's total fun, beautiful to look at and has a really interesting theme, that super amazing tree.
I LOVE THIS ONE. The only complaint I have is that they are drawing a bit too much on the previous games. They should make the villagers prettier. I am tired of looking at monkeys! It has no reflection on the game. The game itself is just super

I'm a little disappointed as well. Although the scenery is lush and beautifully created, it's as though this is simply an extension of the VV3 version - nothing really new except for a ghost. The puzzles aren't even that magnificent when complete. The wait time between the 7th puzzle and the 8th is at least a few days on "FAST" speed. I understand that some things should take longer to keep your interest, but that is a little ridiculous.

Also, some of the collectibles are extremely hard to see as they practically blend in with the background colors - and they come in "spurts" making it very boring and frustrating scanning the scenery until you're almost blind. And the story-line could have been better.

As for the moss-covered rocks, it seems that was just thrown in there haphazardly. What's the point if they aren't going to use it somehow to earn experience, or a huge food bonus? The food counts are off anyway - it takes too long to fill up your bins. All this to decorate a tree?

You haven't finished the puzzles yet. The moss-covered rocks are part of the puzzles. That's all I'll say since this is a non spoiler thread.

First of all, I'd like to say thank you LDW!

I am a fan of the VV series and I am proud to support a small, independent company like LDW. I also like that the LDW games are centered around building, creating, and learning rather than destroying, overpowering, and killing like a lot of games these days are.

With that said, this latest installment of VV4 left me feeling both relieved and disappointed. I was relieved to see that many of the things that I liked about the previous VV games were still there but disappointed that very few things were truly new and some aspects of the game were even scaled back.

Yes, VV4 uses a new map and many of the villager's faces and clothes are different, so it is clear that a substantial amount of effort went into remaking the graphics and recoding the map. However, I am not convinced that focusing a large portion of the energy into this aspect of the game made this installment of VV significantly better than previous editions; VV4 fits in just fine with rest of the series, but it is not particularly innovative.

To be clear, I do not think that you should substantially change the gameplay of the game, because I think it is great as is. However, it would have been nice to see more buildings, activities, and behaviors added to the game.

There are a few additions to VV4 that I do like:


There are a a few things that left me scratching my head:


In VV4 I was also disappointed that some of the things that I liked in VV3 were scaled back:


As things stand, I think the VV games are great.
I have personally experienced the painful process of coding and debugging (on a smaller scale), so I fully empathize with that process. I also understand that sometimes life gets in the way of work and those kinds of experiences are truly blessings - so, congratulations on your new baby boy.

I do disagree with rockmower that one hour is enough to know whether you will like the game or not. It is enough time to know whether you like the gameplay of the game or not, but to appreciate the buildings in the game and functions the villagers can perform, one needs to complete the puzzles which takes far longer than one hour. For the record, I purchased the game directly from LDW, and I have no regrets about that...

The purpose of this post isn't to put down the creators of the game. I completely understand the tremendous effort that went into making VV4. Rather, please treat this as a request to make VV5 EVEN better than the current games already are and to keep incorporating new things. I AM complaining - not for the sake of complaining - but to help LDW understand where they can make improvements to the games so that they can be truly extraordinary. If I didn't care about the VV series, I wouldn't post anything at all.

When VV3 came out, the graphics improvement over VV2 really impressed me and a liked a lot of additions like rain, rain dances, the sun room, the look of bath, the fruit tree, and behavior of the villagers. So for VV5, take more time if you need to, but add more new things that make players think, "WOW, that is so cool!"

In the next installment, please, please, please keep the VV3 and VV4 maps, but link them together and instead spend energy on adding activities, buildings, and capabilities to the two maps, rather then reinventing the wheel. I'll add detailed suggestions for VV5 in that particular thread.


Again, thank you so much for the effort you put into VV4, and know that some people appreciate VV4 for what it is, but also have high hopes for VV5 can become.

Thoroughly enjoying the game so far but playing it as a casual gamer - playing it in 20 minute bursts so to say - it'll last longer that way too My wife is way ahead of me in the game so far

It's good to see some people trying to offer constructive criticism rather than just gushing about the game - this is the type of thing that helps a developer make improvements to the next installment after all.

My wife loves the VV series. She's still playing the first three of them, and still has her original tribe in VV3 going strong. She's thoroughly enjoying VV4 so far but feels the advance it's made over VV3 is not as much as she'd expected. But hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it ... change a winning formula too much and one risks ruining what draws its audience in, and I can see LDW have wisely been careful not to tamper too much with this delicate balance.

Myself personally, well I love exploring ... I don't know what the limits of the game engine are, but my wish list for VV5? I'd love to have an island 10 times this size to wander over and explore Perhaps chunks of the island could be hidden and revealed only afterwards as certain puzzles are solved.

Things I like....

• Choosing villagers
• Moving construction sites around before building begins
• The Mausoleum instead of graveyard (brilliant!)
• Collectibles decorating the village
• The buildings seem to get built faster

On the other hand, a lot of it seems like stuff we've done before, like:


But I'm not done yet, so I guess there are enough new things that I like and things I haven't seen yet that I might like.

Overall, good job.

I absolutely love this game!

Although I miss the Tribal Leader role, I am enjoying the game very much so far! (Only have the first 7 puzzles completed)

Absolutely! THANK YOU LDW!!

This will be the first time in a long while I've neglected my VFamilies!! As usual when they're new, I've been on the computer every available minute playing VV4!!!

I bought it today - <<<<<swoon>>>>>

I wont allow myself to play until I catch up with my editing work but I decided that even though I like to pay 6.95 for my games and even though I wont be able to play for a few weeks, this little company has given me so much pleasure that I wanted to pay 19.95 as a way of giving back.

I looked at the game guide and my heart was pitter patting!

thanks LDW, thanks for this wonderful game!!!

I love the game! Thank you!

I usually will only pay 6.99 for my games and only one a month but I love these games so much that I pay the 19.95 and get it as soon as it comes out. Great game! To be honest I got bored very fast with v families but the vv games are always great!

Thank you LDW for all of your games and especially for this one

This one has an extra helping of that magical quality that we find in all of your games. VV4 has won my heart and I love the new features, especially that 'spyglass' that helps you to find the kids in a hurry

Thanks to all of the team (even the little drooler), who put so much time and effort into creating a game to lighten everyone's heart. @->-->---

Still waing for VV 4, but have played the other 3 & absolutely loved them. My Grandaughter started playing just befor she turned 5, too. Hard to keep her off the 'puter after that. Thanx for a truly GREAT game.

I agree, VV4 IS THE BEST GAME EVER! I love it!

I'm a 60 year old Granny enjoying VV4, this is the first VV game I have played. It might start a Granny/Grandad group.

Thank you LDW for a very enjoyable game, kept me out of mischief for quite a few hours now

I thought that after Puzzle #16 was solved

It gives some tech points, useful if you want to change your villagers' clothes!
for example!

I have tech points out the kazoo. And indeed, changing clothes is about all there is to do with them.

Or a Granny/Grandchild group! All the LDW games are about the only ones I know that are enjoyed equally by young people, their parents, and their grandparents.

I love the series as I stated many times in many posts. I also would like to see things i have suggested before, like traveling to the other parts of the island for visits and bringing back maybe kids or relatives, that kind of thing. I so much appreciate the new burial mausoleum. And I am one of those that won't spend 5000 tech points for clothes until i have finished everything else.
I would love to see the ability to go back and forth between the old areas of VV 1 - 4 and I would also like to see a genealogy tree. With hundreds of islanders in 1, 2 3 & now 4 to keep track of it would be cool to see the relationships and hair coloring, etc. that carries down through the generation. So, I think it should show the parents always, not just til they are 14.
Also, the red crabs are so clever. However did you do that. Make the kids run back and forth while you drop a villager on top of the quickly disappearing crab. It is just so clever.
In other words, I am the gushing LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT just for what it is. Whatever 5 becomes, it will be an interesting exploration. So, LDW get to work! Get us #5 - the sooner the better.
OH, forgot to mention, I'm one of the Grannies, 73 years old and loving it.

That's why this thread is subtitled (Say Thanks & give us your first impressions). The developers fully realize that not everyone will be happy with the game. It's only by you providing your honest opinions that they can know what impression the games have on you.

I do think that some people still don't understand the difference between a casual and a core game (other than the price tag). Casual games don't incorporate evolving levels of challenge. They aren't nearly as intense, or for that matter as detailed. They also don't usually have a defined "end point."

They do provide hours (days; weeks; months) of relaxing game play. You can play for a few minutes to a few hours, then pause the game and come back a day or even a month later and pickup where you left off. All, without having to have an instruction manual the size of a college text book to tell you what key sequences are required to make a monkey jump up in the air and throw a ball while dodging falling apples.

I would have preferred more colorful huts, like in VV3 and VV2, but I don't have any other complaints. I love VV4!

I think there will be a lot of mods for the huts, I tried one myself but will try some more to get a grip on it before I start posting them

I am in love with the VV series again
This has been my fav ! Before it was VV2 .

Hi everyone. I have downloaded the game and paid for the full version. It is great to play and I like how some of the tasks go down 1% per happening, like the removal of debris in the stream. I think it takes too long for someone to get to 'Master' level though as they are doing something constantly, ie - building or researching. I have collected all items apart from all the fish scales, which seem to have slowed down a lot in appearing. I just need one more level on the tree and then all tasks are done and levels completed. Just got to get my population up to 20 adults to honour the tree then its all completed. I hope there is another one out later in the year. Perhaps a number 5 ???.

Virtual Villagers series will be a hit, and the fourth installment will make Virtual Villagers the best village sim ever! I try to compares other games that look alike VV like Escape2Paradise or My Tribe but, Virtual Villagers is the best! BRAVO, LDW, thanks for work so hard on this games. All LDW games I loved, and all VV Series are the best sim game.

About Virtual Villagers 4, it is super-duper-hyper amazing! I am speechless to say, because it was so fantastic. The graphic was cool! The beach is like paradise with the life-giving flowing streams, realistic and fantastic! All of Virtual Villagers series is the best appropriate E or Everyone rated simulation games. The removable hut for another construction sites is genius idea ever!!!!! The blackberries, i think i suggested blackberries!

VV series, and also other LDW game is the best sim game ever! I love love love love it!

I love the game, though VV2 is still my favorite. I hope the next game has totems for esteemed elders, and a family tree.

Interesting ... there are little things everyone likes from every installment of the game ... the totems in VV2 for example, the tribal chief in VV3 ... no doubt LDW would take into account all these things when making a new game and of course would like to add something new.

But I agree with horsecrazy, a family tree would be fantastic. It'd be nice to be able to track parentage after 18. I suppose there would be a little of an issue with inbreeding given the small starting population ... is it feasible for couples to marry and stay loyal to each other?

I love VV more than any game ever - and I play a LOT of computer games! In fact, I've been addicted to the Facebook apps for a couple months now - and Virtual Villagers 4 has made me forget all about those - I'm back to VV and just loving it. I cannot tell you (the designers, the developers) how pleased and excited I am with every single Villagers game. This is just awesome. I can tell I will be up most the night playing this game - just started it a couple hours ago.

Hmmm. still looking for dried grass to start that fire - LOL!!!!

I LOVE you all for these great games!

TJ

I just finished. Personal record time; 71 game hours, mostly on Fast, and only 1 runner. Yay. Thanks LDW! VV4 was really good. I'm going to play it again, with more challenging settings, like all people who dislike running....
Anyway, I really liked the wind pipes, and the movable huts! It really makes the village seem more personalized with your own hut placement. Thanks again!

I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Thanks for bringing us a game that combines awesome with awesome! I love The feature when you pick your tribe members! * go's of to look for more runners...*

As much as I would love to say I love the game, I cannot. While I do enjoy VV4, it is the most frustating. The clues and puzzles make no sense and by now I should have solved the mystery. The only mystery is how long as I going continue playing before fully giving up.

Sounds as though you didn't download the Official Guide.

Please don't give up!! VV4 is the best game from the series, you can do it I'm sure

I love ALL things VV.... but 4 is fab, extra fab. I have been playing boring/dull fb games, and have abandoned them all. I just LOVE these games and want to offer thanks, for all the hours of entertainment you provide. Love the graphics, the collectibles, the new hut placement, not to mention the music that I find soothing and calming. Your game is fun, but NOT stressful, entertaining but challenging.... an absolutely perfect blend. THANK YOU LDW!

I also would like to thank LDW for their major awesomeness and making vv4 and many other games. I really enjoyed every single one of them. I also would like to thank Xay(or Heather) for helping me with the "extras"

It didn't help!



I would strongly disagree. While I'd gottan all but two puszzles solved, the story line has not come together and I have no clearly idea of how this island came about, The story behind the Golden child, why the children were left behind, etc. A better ending would have been a reconnecting of the whole island and seeing it healed whole, the story line resolved and then moving on to the next adventure. Plus the main problems I had with the other three games remain. Sorry to be a wet blanket, but even if I'd seen a father carrying a child, a mother hugging her little one or a drum being played, I might be more incline to continue with the game. Right now, the game is really just taking up Compture space.

MOCHA!!! Long time since we've seen you online! Hi!

Onto what I was going to say. Just so you know, there is going to be a 5th game, so of course this one wouldn't wrap everything up.

I have no words to describe how awesome V V 4 is ... the longer I play the more intrigued and surprized I become. I have all the games (V V 2 was my old fav)but this one is tops now. Thank You LDW Team for your brillance and imagination. If I may make one very minor suggestion ... better clothing options for the guys.

I've been playing VV4 for a couple of weeks now and absolutely love it!
Even though I've solved all the puzzles and most of the trophies I'm still very much into the game which hasn't happened before.
I'm having a hard time with the collections though. The flute collection was easy but the rest are still unfinished. I still need two mural pieces but none have appeared in days.
At this point I'm just enjoying making babies and seeing what they look like. I'm trying to make a blond baby girl but that hasn't happened yet.
Anyway I love this game and hope there will be many more versions in the future.

Thank you, thank you, a thousand thank you's. Now back to the game .

I'm having the same problem with the collections. I've solved all 16 puzzles but I didn't see a mausoleum piece for a few days. I finally saw ONE today and it was one I already had. I'm at 8 out of 12 for those, 10 out of 12 for alchemy, 3 out of 12 for fish scales and 11 out of 12 for flutes. I keep getting common alchemy and wind flutes. I didn't see a fish scale for the first few days I started playing. I leave the game open for at least an hour at a time so I am actively looking for them.

That IS strange, only mausoleumpieces you DON'T have show up

Thank you for all of the Virtual Villagers games. I have them all & still enjoy playing them.
I received VV4 March 23rd, but had to wait nearly 2 weeks before starting it. I'm at 18 villagers now (2 still being carried) but have 1-13 of the puzzles done, all but 1 fishscale for the collectines, & started with 1 adult male. 3 nursing females & 1 child. Thanx for a splendid game!!!!

I wouldn't do so frivolously But I had one guy with an outfit identical to another's and a not wholly dissimilar head. And to top it off, he's immediately below the other guy in age.

I'm going for 10s of thousands of points for the next level of anything, and in THIS case I don't regret spending half a thou on making me--and, I'm convinced, the villager!--happy! The new outfit picks up nicely on his hair color, BtW.

And me, I'm a 62yo confirmed bachelor.

I don't usually bother with changing villagers' outfits at all in VV4. In VV2 and VV3 I'd change the doctors' clothes to white, so that they could be more easily spotted, but in VV4 we try to train every villager in every skill so in a way one villager is as good as another for healing.

The only times I have changed peeps' clothes were shortly after I got the game, and I wanted to see what was available, and some female villagers who have a rather unattractive mud-brown dress, which looks particularly bad with some hair colours. I've only done it late on in the game, though, when there's little or nothing else left on which to spend tech points anyway.

I bought VV4 two days ago, and am really impressed with it so far! I absolutely LOVE the background/map design for this one. My favourite addition to the gameplay so far is being able to place buildings wherever you want. Great stuff! Thanks for all your hard work, there are a lot of things to love about this game.

Also:


Aww, and while I was typing this I lost my first villager - how sad! He's being taken away to be buried now. Still, I've heard some interesting rumours about what happens when villagers die in this game...

As I began playing this new game, I became reminiscent of my very first VV(1) game and how it was such a breakthrough in gaming at the time. Now, when I check for new games, I automatically click, "Time Management" games. When VV1 came out, there was no category for Time management, so I want to express my gratitude for your leadership and creativity in game creation. This new game has the same element of "discovery" that appeals to me, as well as a spiritual element that touches my heart.

I know other time mgmt. games have come out since the first VV, and I admit I play them, but nothing comes close to the art, storyline, music, discovery and tasks that Virtual Villagers offers. And if there is ever a VV100, I will probably be playing it!

Well, one of my villagers just attained Master, so I'd better show up for the party. Happy day!

Daria

First, I'd like to thank the developers for another outstanding version of Virtual Villagers! I love this game! I NEVER get tired of it and will play it until you guys stop making it.

Secondly, I have a question.. Why do the villagers stand underneath a tree when it rains instead of going into their huts? It makes no sense that they have these beautiful huts, yet never use them(all except the LOVE SHACK)! Please allow them to get some use out of the huts for a change.

At least I would feel like my hard earned tech points would be put to better use when spent upgrading construction, if the villagers actually used the huts they've built.

Michelle

I really enjoy the Virtual Villagers. I am hooked on them. I have recently been disabled so it play a lot. I am learning something new every day. I was playing VV1 for 190 hours and I was just about 20,000 tech points away from making the Golden Baby. I got up and went to use the rest room and when I came back everyone but a 2 year old was dead . I don't understand.

I like the way you think. I would do the same thing. I bought the game 2 months ago and haven't been able to get it to play. I should have bought it on the LDW site. Anyway, have fun. I play these while i'm watching movies and doing my crafts.