The staff loves to get "first impressions" & feedback on the games!

Please use this thread to tell us what you think.

WOO HOO!!!
THANK YOU LDW! THIS IS A WONDERFUL WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR!

Once again, a beautiful game! Of course I love it! I think we're going to have to work a bit harder in this game, which is fine. I'm feeling my way through, trying to not look at hints until I'm stymied. Yay! Hours of fun, and a game that works!! (yes, I've spent too much time on Zynga games, thank goodness for LDW! You restore my faith!)

I think its pretty fun. I don't like the tutorial cuz it doesn't tell you how to get ride of the people gaurding the wood. Also I don't like that they reused villager and clothing. Other than that I love it!

its frustrating. I can't seem to get but one totem down no matter what i do.

Early Happy New Year To All!!
I never post just observe, but I stopped in to say ty for the new game. It is AWSOME! Will purchase tomorrow.
Thanks to the LDW team.

ok make that rarely ever posts. lol

Wow, I have been out of it! Last time I checked, it still wasn't in beta now it's done! While I can't buy it right now (spent too much money on something else lol) I just know from playing and buying other LDW games it's awesome! If I get any extra money, I will buy it though!

i cant wait to finish work so i can get home and buy it! it looks amazing well done LDW!

This game is a beautiful piece in the Isola puzzle! Love that it's kinda tough. Thanks for the hours of entertainment!

This is an amazing game I love the story ! I love how each game continues the new story to finally unmask the secrets of Isola ! Each game keeps getting better and better thank you LDW for making your amazing games ! you outdid yourself !

This game is great. I love the extra 'challenge' with the heathens and the god powers are interesting. Haven't unlocked all of them yet, though.
Can't wait to discover more while playing the game. Thank you, LDW.

The wait was worth it - what a challenge!
Thank you LDW

Happy New Year to LDW and all the players!

Awesome game, I love the new challenges, LOVE LOVE LOVE <3

Love- I have to change my sig to VV5!

This game is really a challenge - you don't have to think too much, this is a game that should be played. Just try out what pops into your mind - it's FUN

i think VV5 is great! i love the fact that its more challenging

Thanks LDW for such a nice game again. Your games are beautiful, work perfectly and it is a wonderful story. I have all your games and I love each one of it. You guys make such a wonderful difference it the game world. I will buy in the beginning of next week.
Greetings from (an US citizen in) Saudi Arabia

I have finally got the hang of it. So i'm in love ..... again.

I have no idea where to post this, there are so many options, so I'll post it here. I was extremely apprehensive at first. "Show them whose God?" Being devout in my religion and putting my God first in everything, I was bothered by this. Then I played the demo. WOW! Tearing down "heathen" totems, converting others! So far it is wonderful!!! I understand the viewpoint of anyone not liking it b/c of "playing God" but I, so far, really appreciate it! thx ldw!

Hi and Happy New Year!! So i'm sitting here all day playing VV5 and my 12 yr old son looks to see how my tribe family is going. my son ask about the mask and i explained. he leaves the room and 2 minutes later he comes back and says "mom the heathen children that wears yellow are bullies". just like in real life.
I tried not to laugh, but it does look like they are. great game

I'd like to make a counterpoint to Gardeningdeb's post.

As someone for whom faith is also important, I find the idea of forcibly converting people by destroying their articles of faith to be obnoxious and abhorrent. Missionaries forced their faith on others, children were taken from their tribes and "had the Injun beat out of them" to make them convert, people have been butchered, and the cultures of entire peoples have been lost because of the frothing need to make others believe as they did.

Faith through fear and violence will breed resentment and warp the core of that faith-- just look at the Westboro Baptist Church, picketing the funerals of dead soldiers. How is that about love?

I like that there's the option to use kindness and positive God-powers to convert the masked people. If there was also an option to allow the masked people to tear down their own idols instead of having the visiting tribe do it, it would sit much better with me.

I find the converting people part somewhat tasteless no matter how it's done. But it's just a game, so I try not to associate it with anything real.

What I really find aggravating are those yellow heathen bully children. They are obnoxious and out of control. With some practice and tricks you can learn to deal work with the other yellow guys, but the kids just run around and -- here's my big complaint -- make people drop things. I've lost TWO rare collectibles this way. Given how VV goes, it's not likely I'll see them again in my playing time. Chasing after the collectibles has never been one of my favorite aspects of VV and this just makes it annoying.

Still, it's shaping up to be a good game. Seems easier to figure out what's needed for the puzzles than some of the other VV games, and once you get the hang of the heathens it's pretty smooth sailing.

I have to agree with the last two comments, though I love the game. 'Converting the heathens' just sounds so bad to me(knowing what came/comes about with real religions converting the unbelieving). That's really the only thing that bothers me, but then I have to remember it's a game.

i think it a great game i think ldw have done a good job on it

I am about to ??? that rascal yellow mask kid... ::whimper::

same i lost 3 rare relics because of that kid!

I let anger get the best of me, have since prayed about it, and apologize to anyone I may have offended. I tried to delete this post, but it wouldn't let me, so I'm putting this here instead. I am not apologizing for the above post, just the one I am currently replacing.

GardeningDeb, I think we're all just making comments about our own reactions to the game. No one is criticizing your comments or your reaction, just because ours have been different. I think it is the nature of mature people that they can have a rational conversation about something while they disagree or just have different viewpoints.

And I think the people that have responded are also religious people, so it's nothing to do with "dissing religion".

Anyway, it's time to focus our hate where it's really deserved: The yellow-masked kid who makes us lose relics!

Well, IMO there's nothing wrong with talking to someone and convincing them to join your religion, like the villagers do. Someone said that they would prefer that the heathens tore down their own idols, and you can do that- just keep track of who was previously a heathen, and only use them to destroy idols.

We do want candid discussion of the game and its impact on everyone who plays it, but we want the discussion to stay focused on each individual's own personal opinions. I don't believe that anyone has made any comments that directly criticize other members here, despite the fact that there are some strong opinions being expressed. We are monitoring this discussion to make sure that it doesn't 'stray across the line' established by our Forum Rules. I will ask that people refrain from taking the discussion too much into the area of 'real world religion' since that inevitably leads to flame wars and/or personal criticism. The game is, after all, about the inhabitants of Isola and their history - not about Planet Earth and its various cultures. We will remove any comments that we believe stray over the line or invite others to do so.

Well I can only say what I think by the trial. It won't work on my 'game' machine (netbook), but will work on my work PC. Unfortunately I won't have time on that to handle those rascal heathens.

I would have purchased the game if it worked, and I think LDW did a wonderful job on it. The graphics are lovely, and I think the idea of making everything hard (even lighting a fire!) really good as it makes you work more in the game.

Regarding the heathens, and where you want to take your ideas from that, I view all games as that, games. I trialled a game that killed animals to get past certain levels, and didn't like that so didn't buy it.

We just need to be happy with the games content for ourselves, and either buy it and be happy, or pass and find something else. It's not related to anyones post in general, but I did think there could be some different thoughts on VV5 as some of the innocence has gone - which didn't bother me.

Great job LDW. And please, make sure your mystery game will work on netbooks.

I've been a big fan of the VV games, but on this one I'll pass. While it's only a game, I find the concept offensive. Surely, a team this creative could have come up with a better storyline.

Well, back to that yellow rascal kid. He is apparently holding my villagers back from harvesting, now. I woke up to find them almost completely out of food (had 41 food in storage, with 38 villagers who need to eat) though the noni bush and the farm had ample food to harvest. He was standing in just a way that when they either went to harvest or were bringing food back, he'd run them off. That little guy is annoying me so much. I hated to have to use the bees on him, but my villagers have to have food.

Cherry don't feel bad. I have stung him with bees and struck him my lighting. I just dont like him.

He is definitely a little brat, uhhh rascal! When I need him/her to stay out of my villagers way for a while

I don't come out of hiding often, but I thought I'd give my two cents.
I'm a heathen in rl Once, the local Baptist church tried to frighten me into converting. So I wasn't particularly thrilled with the concept of 'converting the heathens' first.

Then I started thinking it through a bit more. I guess my interpretation is that they are faithless in a more literal sense, that they have had some great misfortune and have forsaken all gods, spirits and other deities. The totems are not religious necessarily, more of a symbol of the smaller clans within the tribe, a sign of ownership.

And these little guys are failing miserably at surviving.(Weeping Master Farmer gets to me more than he should)My first thought? Oh man, did I curse these guys? Is this my divine vengeance, did I make the ground barren, put a hex on the ailing healer?

But again, I stopped and thought a little bit more...Our tribes die instantly without my Godhand guiding their every move. There have been tribes I have to babysit on the *hour* to keep them from dying off. And these heathens, they have no guidance only their wits. Our villagers have always been sorely lacking in that department

So the heathens, they are badly in need of help, help I can't give them until they have some faith in me again. My villagers have to be my hands and words for me.

Another thought I had, maybe the masks aren't "real". Because they have no faith in God-me, maybe I can't see the heathens as they are. All I can observe is their behavior and basic personality.

And lastly....Swarm of beeees 8D HAHAHA YEESSSSS

msnana, I'm starting to not like him, too, and now another, older heathen is always following him around, so it's even worse.

MissKathy, I might have to try that instead.

When it comes to the "little rascal," I really prefer to use

On the subject of religion, conversion, totems, etc, I think some people are reading too much into it. First it's just a game not real life. Second the "heathens" have lost their "faith" in Isola and the Guiding Hand. The player's task in this game is simply to restore their faith in the fictional place called Isola, and the Guiding Hand.

My mother calls me a heathen .. because I am an atheist ... as an an atheist I would not have Idols to destroy i do not out anyone on a pedestal .... as for the game I am hooked love it ... even that annoying little tyke and she has lost me 4 rare items .. but that is the fun .. they will turn up again .. probably!! ..... I am trying not to use the guide .. I like a challenge!

Before I let a child start even pick up a collectible, especially a rare one I pause the game and clear the path of heathens. Caution, Don't use bees to clear the path! If you do the child will drop whatever they are carrying as soon as they hit the swarm!

NO time to read the above statements, gotta get back to the game. But WOW! Excellent game! Great puzzles. Just got it yesterday evening and here it is 28 hours later and have played it so far for about 10 hours. i am hooked. Just out of curiosity, i have all but 1 relic and 5 more to go on science but am wondering if there is an intentional slow down after playing the game a few hours... WOO HOOO... guess i gotta pace myself... and look ma, no cheats! You guys RULE! Keep them coming!

I think with the and the rest of the puzzles that this is by far the most challenging of the vv series. Thanks Aurthur and all the gang at LDW for another great game. Can hardly wait for the next one but I know that this one and 4 will keep me busy for months to come. Keep up the great work. I love it and want more of it.

I LOVE the 'heathens'. What a great addition to the game!
I HATE that the women who are nursing still can't do a thing except walk around carrying their babies. Women have ALWAYS taken care of business when they have babies. My son was only 3 weeks old when I went back to work. I doubt any tribe could do w/o a member like that.
I LOVE the totems and figuring out how to destroy them w/o looking at the guide. I do believe this may be the best Virtual Villagers of all! Congrats on the great job!

As someone mentioned in an earlier post that we must remember this is only a game. I've noticed that many people on different games (here as well as others) are starting to take the games way to seriously & that takes the fun out of the games.
That being said...
I just played the demo and as soon as payday rolls around this weekend I'm buying the full version. I love how everyone at LDW keeps the new VVs fresh and interesting. I especially love the extra challenge with VV5.
Keep up the great work! I can't wait to see what you challenge us with next.
(And maybe you'll explain the purpose of the dreaded GC from the original VV)

I was lucky in that someone bought the game for me !!!! and I LOVE it somuch!!!
thank you to the team at LDW for another great game!!!!
and thank you to - you know who you are but you have told me not to thank you anymore !!! lol

Wow, it's been awhile. I've been away for months and I get back to find that the game is already out!?! Awesome! I just got done with the free trial, and it was brilliant. VV3 was my favorite, because it was the hardest in my opionion, but this? The graphics are amazing, it's a challenge, and it's a totally new virtual villagers experience. I definately have a new favorite. I really can't imagine how this could be topped.

I can see why the whole "convert the heathens" thing could be a little unsettleing to people, it even made me, (not the most religious person in the world,) a little uneasy at first, but I think in the context of the game it's totally fine. It's not like we're beating them or anything, although I am a little guilty of dropping bees on the yellow masks to get some firewood.

Overall I say six thumbs up, coming from me and my two little sisters. I can't wait until my parents get paid, I'm getting the game instead of my allowence this week.

I played the demo first and wast completely mystified as to what I should be doing. And I loved it! Having played the previous VV games I knew the basics and that there are secrets on the island and I spent a while flying my villagers around the island. I have made a little progress but am happy to take my time. First impressions are good, I think it will be a great game to play.

Loving it.

I bought it today,and so far i am not liking it as well as the other VV games.

Personally, I think people are taking this converting thing a little too seriously. I know the phrase "convert the heathens" comes on a little strong, but remember its just a game and your villagers aren't forcing them, they're trying to show them the truth and restore their faith in Isola.



Anyways, I love the aspect of our villagers being captured. The guard heathens make the game so much more challenging and strategical. I love it. However, I feel like the map wasn't designed as well as VV3 and 4. Their maps flowed together. VV5 looks like VV1 and 2 in that everything looks randomly placed. Also I know this is a small thing, but before each game had its own design for huts until now. Why do we have the same huts as VV4? The rushed-looking map and reused hut design really seems lazy to me. Although, in my opinion the creative new storyline and the God powers saved VV5 from being a complete flop.

I dont see a problem with the reuse of the huts. and i dont see everything being randomly placed either.

I love the layout of the Island. It's my favourite I think. Maybe VV2 a little more, but I'd have to wait for the lake to have water to pick the winner.

I also don't mind if the huts are the same - haven't really got that far into it yet, but they were pretty huts so that is okay with me. I noticed they seem to walk faster too, which is a really big improvement. Or is it they are running from those heathens.

i love VV5! it is super unique! but i sort of miss the sidebar with the mask thing that gave you tips when you clicked on him... have any of you noticed that this is the first VV without an ocean?

love the game, do not care for the orange villagers sound effect. It is simply the most annoying part of the game

As always with LDW games, it's very pretty. I like that it's much more difficult than the previous games as well but I'm a bit concerned that for "Casual" gamers it's a little TOO complicated (the Tutorial stops at telling you to build a love shack but there's a LOT of steps to be able to do that before you can get the next step and so many of them aren't obvious). I also can't stand the "kiting" aspect, it so tedious.

While I'm not vehemently agains the "convert the heathens" style I do find it a bit on the nose in a game that's already fairly non-inclusive of non-traditional aspects (the games are full of straight, white people where the woman is the only one involved in child rearing and now we're adding a one true religion to it?).

Speaking of the women, I was really hoping that this time we'd see women actually able to do SOMETHING while nursing. While I don't expect them to be working I was hoping for maybe able to collect items and mushrooms like the kids or at the very least I had hoped they would be able to be used for conversion, I mean they only have to talk, surely they could do THAT with a baby in their arms?

The last drawback is the fact of kids dropping rare items when encountering an aggressive heathen. Man, SO annoying! It's hard enough some times to just SEE a rare but to then have it dropped? OUCH!

Having said all of that, it's not all bad. The visuals are adorable, I love the sound track and effects (the heathens crack me up) and am quite interested in the new aspects of the game play (god powers, conversion etc). For me it looks like it's really going to satisfy that urge for slightly harder gaming that I've wanted from a VV game (each one has been getting a little bit harder, requiring more brain power but this one seems to have taken a huge leap in that respect).

All in all, though there's a couple of things I find annoying I'm growing to like it more and more as I play Thanks again for a new and exciting challenge!

In my earlier post I probably was a little too critical about the using the same huts and the layout of the map. I still stand on my opinion, but I could have worded it less strongly I guess. It's just that I always looked forward to what the new huts would like lol. But, on a different note, I love VV5. It has to be one of my favorites. The God powers give me something fun to do while I watch my villagers do their thing .

****MAJOR PLOT SPOILER****

It gives away a big answer you get from completing one of the puzzles. It's as big as the uncovering of the vines in VV2 and its also as big as when you drop a villager down the hole after removing the boulders in VV3.

Some things I like, some things I really hate.

Kudos for bringing back the game of tag, that was one of the cutest things in any of the games. I love that just as much as I hate the jumping game...and why didn't you fix the bug that forces teen adepts and masters to go jumping, too?? That is probably the most annoying thing about the game. I cannot tell you how many stews were ruined, and had to be started over from scratch in VV4, because of this game.

Why are there so few collectibles showing up? And why have you changed it so that we no longer get credit for them if a kid drops one? I've lost easily two dozen rare collectibles because of that little Rascal brat who needs to be hauled off to the woodshed and horsewhipped! ROFL

The game is beautiful, and a real challenge (mostly because of the yellow guys). But you really need to fix those two things in the next revision. Just my 2 cents.

Currently running 3 tribes, one all level 2 tech and just about to get first level 3 other two tribes very early on just about to get 2nd or third level 2 tech and neither fixed the field yet but getting there. ( I tend to run more than one tribe with different setups/combo to see which does best)

Love the game - doesn't bother me about the converting heathens as it fits with the game ethos - here we have a tribe who once believed in me but lost faith through certain events...

Dislike that the heathens can make the children drop collectibles and mushrooms really frustrating in fact specially when you know that rare probably won't reappear.

Overall big plus from me

All of the Virtual Villagers games are World Class (looking forward for VV 6)

I love it! I've solved all the puzzles, but I still have a lot of heathen villagers and am hoping to convert them (especially the rascal).

My only complaint is that the

Once again LDW, GREAT JOB!

I must confess, I hated this one at first. But now that I've gotten my sea legs I'm REALLY diggin it.

Beautiful artwork, LOVE the new hairstyles! Yes, I'm the kind of goddess who selected her tribe by how cool their hair looks. Just because you're being held captive n tormented by hostile natives doesn't mean you can't look fabulous.

Thanks for another fun, engaging & surprisingly personal gaming experience. &#57431;

Now, that I'm mostly finished except for a few rare relics & science objects, I have a better view of the whole game.

Meh. 3-1/2 out of 5 stars. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't *great*.

Sorry, LDW, but I thought the previous versions were better. Getting through the last conversions with nothing else to do was tedious and had nearly zero pay-off.

The main lingering problem with all the VVs (I've played all 5 now) has been solving all the puzzles and then not having anything to do while you're still short a few relics for the collections or in this case, also waiting on the heathens. I'd really hoped that the balance would be perfected in this version, but it isn't.

There are still not enough building projects. It would be good to do hut upgrades. And more housing should be required for a population of 90!

And markers on the detail page for villagers so it's easier to see where trainee, adept, and expert split.

I also didn't really like the puzzles -- I thought they were too simplistic in some cases, or just tediously repetitive in others (like constantly using lightening to scare off the heathens and then re-dropping villagers to work, lather, rinse, repeat).

Plus I missed potions in the lab. I missed the different levels of the areas like the lab or the hospital. These were really some of the things that made VV fun.

And I got only a few events -- out of 13 events, I got two repeats. I would think it would be easy to program events not to repeat.

I've thought that most of the past VVs were harmonious and fun environments, but the heathens made VV sort-of aggravating, and I didn't like that mood change.

All in all, some of the lingering issues don't seem improved and it wasn't as polished as some of the past outings.

I did like that when you convert the Master Farmer heathen that It would have been a fun progression if this had happened with each of the Master heathen conversions.

And I do appreciate that LDW is looking for new ways to take VV so that it doesn't get stagnant. Can't say I loved the heathen interaction and conversion process, but kudos for breaking out of the box! I can see the story line moving to reunite the villages on the island, and maybe the the next VV is a more linear map building a road between the villages with the puzzles related to interim spots on the road (barriers, etc.), road building materials, reunite each village as you get to it, etc.

Again, I know I will love this game (if the stupid 1 hour version would actually WORK) when I finally play it, but I agree with SquishedFairy, nursing women that can't work annoy me. I think they should now work for maybe 30-40 minutes game time, them work at a slightly slower pace until the baby is old enough to go around on his/her own. Great job anyway, LDW!

I loved it right away!
Then I made so many mistakes in the first couple of games I played...
And each game takes soooo much time to get anything accomplished,so now I'm a little frustrated.

I LOVE IT! Thank you LDW - the best VV yet! Much more challenging and interesting and no more of those stupid potions. The heathens are a riot. I finished the first one and working on my second. Getting very easy to beat those heathens now. Cute ending.

PLEASE give us a new Virtual Families now!

I couldn't wait for this game, and i'm a little disappointed in the respect by the time I got
I never had this many complaints with the other games, just sooo frustrated that I can't finished
Is it me or in this version there is less to do???

scallerbar,

I suppose technically you won't be able to "complete" the game. That's part of the fun. It is ongoing. The trophies are fairly unimportant. It's not meant to be finished in a few days.

One of the good things about this particular game is that

With the new game I really miss finding herbs to mix potions or prepare stews for my villagers. That would be my only complaint aside from the heathens going after elderly villagers and children. Other than that, I love the new game and have been playing nearly non-stop since I downloaded it. Good job LDW.

I love VV5!

The map is gorgeous. I especially like the river and waterfall and the rocky pools. The powers are a nice touch and solve several of the "problems" from the previous games. I like that there is more than one way to solve some of the puzzles.

I like the different heathens and wish there were more of them, or that new ones would continuously arrive from out of the jungle. That would have added a layer of difficulty.

Overall, I'm really impressed and I'm really enjoying the game!

People are saying in this thread that the game is more challenging.

I guess I agree, because this game has DOABLE challenges... whereas many (if not all) of the previous versions essentially required finding spoilers to tell us what to do. In THIS version, while we have sometimes gotten a little stuck, had to try a few things that didn't work, etc etc --- stuff makes sense and can be figured out (so far anyway, I have 9 or 10 of the puzzles done thus far)

On the conversion thing.... the details that are shown after completing one of the puzzles make a BIG DIFFERENCE, I think, in how many people would see the game.

I wonder if you should have included some of those details at the outset, making it all so much more palatable.

Major kudos!! I've been playing almost nonstop for 2+ days now, and loving it all, just can't "put it down". I've liked all the VV games but this one is smoother, more tantalizing in its challenges, and more "doable" as Cindy522 just said.. I have no temptation to look at spoilers to get past my current head-scratchers. It's a beautiful setting too.

I have found a nice bug, though, which probably will make everyone else jealous!! For at least a couple of hours that little Rascal has been trapped in a landscape feature and can no longer chase my villagers. I'm not complaining! The Heathen concept is great, once I figured out that it was loss of belief in the real game-"god", myself the Guiding Hand, rather than some religious mystery. Finding different ways of converting them is fascinating! The different totems make me think outside the box, and the solutions are often amusing.

You've outdone yourselves again, LDOW, and I thank you so much for your creative, high-quality, engrossing games!

I just finished the game. Yes, I loved it, and Yes it was much more fun to play than the previous games.

As opposed to the previous games, this one had a guide, that if followed, actually walked us through the game. Well done LDAW!

Personally I saw no religion as such. I felt that as each totem fell the power was in knowledge, and assimilation was a very positive thing.
I am looking so forward to the next game from you all.
If I have one problem it is that while the Villagers lived longer, as I neared the end of the game I was totally lacking in children!
That is, until I remembered we could rejuvenate an Esteemed Elder and have a child that way!
~~Kathleen

I loved it.

I actually like the game, despite one major aspect I find distasteful. I was, however pleasantly surprised at the newer concept, again, even however much I dislike the overtone. I'll leave my comments on that later.

I was prepared for "another VV game" and really wasn't all too excited about its arrival. Though some of the basics are pretty much the same, there have been new concepts put into it which make it feel it is it's own game and truly an addition to the VV saga. Tearing down totems and using powers to solve puzzles is refreshing.

Now for my soapbox. Anyone who reads this, please understand from the get-go that this is my own opinion and is driven by my own view of religion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and beliefs. I am not, nor will I ever belittle one's faith.

I have read some of the previous posts and I have to agree with some of what I read. I almost did not get the game due to its religious overtones. My first negative reaction was to see the word 'heathen'. That turned me off right away. I think it would have been better served to refer to them as 'savages' or 'natives', as they were supposedly there before "my" tribe arrived. Developing "god" powers was not the best term to use either. Maybe if 1) there was a way to lowercase the word 'god', that may have been better or 2) just refer to it a a spirit. A Tree Spirit, or a Wind Spirit. or "The spirit of the first Tribal Chief". Even if the ghosts from VV _ The Secret City had come back to grant you these powers, it would have taken out the religious overtone and the parts of organized religion I dislike.

This game brings 2 things to mind. One would be the "Door Knocking" religions that feel compelled to "convert" everyone to their way of belief, and secondly, it brings to mind the way some religions have settled in a land and built missionaries and temples and set out to "educate" the original people of the land.

Now, I have read the story in the game. I realize that the object is to make the "lost" believe in what they once already believed in, but the terminology and catch phrases and imagery give it a different appearance than what is meant and the realization we are supposed to be giving back the hope and faith to a people who once had it, yet lost it, came too late in the game that the original thoughts and feeling are already set.

There have been debates on this site regarding religion and boy have they become heated. I am not looking for debate. Nor am I looking for agreement. I am simply stating it as I see it in my own head. I was fine with the VV games when it was not so "religious' in nature. True, there has been some aspect of it in past VV's but they were nondescript and fit the ambiance of tribal times and stereotypical primitive tribal ways based on the earth and nature.

Although I made a mod of it, and I may seem hypocritical, I also didn't like "The Hand of God" Idol, with its emitting rays of Godly power. This is why I chose to place the plant with a mystical gem that may be just reflecting the rays of the sun like any prism does.

This to me kept this good game from being what could have been a truly awesome game and worth a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. I personally know of 2 people will WILL NOT get the game for what it appears to represents. It's a shame. I, myself, try to disassociate what I see and try to weave in the past games methodology.

This has spoilers, I would mark them if I knew how.

I love it, thanks! It is very addictive!

Biggest problem I seemed to have at first was that it took a long time to get a Master Builder. I had been building for 2 days straight, built all the huts, the statue, still did not have a Master Builder.

Found 2 problems with the Guide document:
1. On Puzzle 5 it says a Master Builder is needed to start the work. Fortunately this is not true, I don't know if it is Trainee or Adept, but I was able to complete this without a Master. Otherwise they all would have starved.
2. Puzzle 7 is the one that requires Master Builders, not just to start it, but they are the only ones that can work on it. The guide does not tell this.

Also I noticed a bug that occurs in the hospital and the mausoleum. Whenever I place multiple villagers there, they think they are embracing, even when not touching. Also in the hospital, I have to place the villager in JUST the right spot or he will do nothing, not start studying medicine.

Another bug, children do not seem to be learning anything in school.

Finally, I am still trying to figure out how to convert the heathen with yellow and red masks. Evidently an earthquake makes blinking lights appear on top of their masks, but there is no way to tell how many times it takes for them to be converted. Haven't seen any spoilers on this, does anyone know?

One more thing, I wish there was some way we could make more villagers like to run.

I have to say that I agree with Gamemastr1's 'soap box' nearly 100%. I had a few technical complaints about the game itself, the final collectible in both lab and relic section were dropped by children after being chased off by the child masked villager, and still have yet to respawn.
While the mildly annoying and off-putting tactic of turning mothers into useless caricatures of true motherhood remained for the fifth installment, as well as a complete lack of ethnic diversity, *(which is not some insurmountable feat by the way)*
which is old news. And at least for myself; Was a minor irritation that I was willing to ignore for the sake of a good, clean, game that could be played by parent or child without any awkward concerns about what might come up during a game.

However,I found the thinly veiled Monotheistic theme to be over the line, inappropriate and shameful. Particularly so. for a group that was so proud to have received the the 2005 Parents' Choice Recommended
Award.
http://www.ldw.com/press_releases/VillageSim_award.pdf

I have been playing and enjoying the Virtual villagers Virtual families since the beginning and simply shrugged off elements in previous games that seemed to be uncomfortably ministerial in nature.

Virtual Villagers 5 simply went too far. The representation of the non-believers as "Heathens," "Aggressive Heathens," and even "Scary Heathens" was truly repugnant, intolerant, small minded and had to place in a game that had no age appropriate warning. The excuses that I made for myself, when I initially started the game, (eg. that The god being referred to was really the game player, etc) quickly wore thin. The ruse of implanting indoctrinating ideals into a child friendly game, truly repugnant,(I had an event wherein; This quote is obviously not referring to "The Hand" which is me, but to some (most likely)Monotheistic ideology.
Even the direct references to me/you/the gameplayer was subtly changed in this version, through the statue.
We went from occasionally seeing individual villagers, or events, where they worship "the hand from above" which was euphemistically the mouse cursor we used to move our little villagers about; To "The Hand of God." statue that they now worship at.
I won't even get started on "the Filthy encampment" where the non-believing 'heathens' are relegated after my little fascists whites take over the island.
Furthermore the fact that you have to scare the last few into belief seems terribly fitting for an immoral game that makes a mockery of both the believers of any faith, and non-believers alike. Shame Shame Shame on you "Founder" of LDW Arthur Humphrey and "Co-Founder" Carla Humphrey.

Below is in reference to the technical issues surrounding the ethnicity of villagers.
*As some may have already noted, the creators of the "rip-off Virtual Villagers game" titled "My Tribe," were able to give a broader representation of flesh tones without making race specific delineations that would have made some of the head graphics incompatible with some of the body graphics.*

I love the game!!!

At first I thought this one would beat me - getting a little gereatric here!!

The nice thing about the Forums Gamey and Wittious is that we can respect each other's opinions and still enjoy the posts!

Just converted (encouraged) my last heathern (I call them the Disillusioned) this afternoon. Yay!! No more hingahowas piercing my eardrums!! Perhaps now I can find the last of my collectables.

Well done again LDW!!!! :THUMBS UP:

That's an excellent name. It's a pity Arthur and Co. didn't come up with that; it describes them much better than "heathen".

I couldn't agree more on the names. Disillusioned doesn't have the intense negative connotation of "Heathen" and the variations of "Heathen" given to the red and yellow masks.

Hear, hear, Gamemastr and wittious.

I created a thread which was conveniently edited, locked and buried.

Shame on you LDW. If you want to avoid real-life subjects, then you should avoid real-life terms. You have lost my support.

That thread was not locked to avoid discussion, which we have always encouraged here, or even criticism of the game and/or LDW. It was locked because people were addressing each other in less-than-friendly terms, rather than sticking to a discussion about the game and LDW. The posts that began the thread, including yours, Vampess, have remained intact and readable. The thread will be back and unlocked as soon as possible. We have been fairly swamped with work surrounding the launch of the game.

Im starting to enjoy the game more than i did,when i started playing it.I didnt get a pregnant heathen,but im sure Arthur will fix that.i dont understand people that think all games should be for children.There are all kind of websites with childrens games.When my grandson spends the nite,he likes nick or cartoon network.I like the hand statue.People that dont believe in god are called heathens.I think Arthur did a great job.

LadyCFII, I dare you to put the posts back, and let the others decide.

But okay, then it'll conveniently take a couple of weeks to review, what, 8 posts? I'm not going to dredge that topic up, I'm done with the game. I had a hard time as it was to explain to my family: 'Ehh, there's a bunch of heathens and you have to destroy their totems'. My boyfriend got hung up about the ridiculous glow coming from the statue. I'm too embarrassed to play this game in front of anyone, or even mention it.

My feedback is very bad, I lost my money for a game with no action, no real interraction.

Some people loves to wait for a whole day to start something, I don't.

I don't understand why this game is so slow with a so poor AI and so ridiculous rules: to complete the statue or other "dares" there is no other solution then wait AN ETERNITY for some lasts pieces. Where is the X10.000 time button ?

About the "rascal"... how a little boy can terrorise up to 100 adults villagers; it's ridiculous, boring.

VV5 was my 1st LDW game but certainly the last one, there is nothing fun to wait front a computer waiting for... what ? I saw much more funny games on Youda or Kongregate... free

I love how the children sit next to the heathen master farmer and builder and comfort them.

I kind of like it and I kind of don't. Like the other VV games once the main goal is met I get bored with it, pause it, and forget it. I wish there was random, continuous quests to keep the game fresh. And I don't mean the collectibles. I mean things you can build, do, destroy, etc.

I like the game , it is a step ahead for the evoloving vv series. That said, I can see why alot of people had been upset with the theme. Whenever you have something to do with a religious nature that will happen. But my issue with it has to do what has happened to indegenous population of conquered lands. The view in the U.S. is probably different then in europe. We have seen it first hand here , some americans have native blood in their families too. In my family it was a loss of a culture and in the past generations something to be ashamed of . It was only whispered about ..... dont tell anyone . But now, not may people care who your gggrandparents were. Mine were not HEATHENS , that needed to be converted. They were just my family ......

This game has nothing to do with early colonization of North America, or the natives that were exploited, etc. It is a fictional game about a magical island called Isola, and this chapter deals with traumatized and lost inhabitants that do not believe in the player's existance and are independent of your control.

Oh and it is just a game, not a great philosophical debate, as most of you understand perfectly. As far as "God Games" go, this is a very tame and uncontraversial offering. If this game makes you want to debate religion, well I guess I am asking for trouble but go ahead, just keep it VERY civil.

Oh, thanks for the kind words from those of you who like VV5, and those of you giving more critical feedback, thanks for that too. We do listen.

I read the posts that Barbara moved away, and I understand why they were moved. On any forums, posts get locked, and moved/deleted just to keep order and reduce flamewars (or overly heated arguments) before they flare up. We are a tiny group of people, so if we lock a topic or whatever, it is because we cannot do this perfectly or spend a huge amount of time waiting for the perfect moment to intervene. Sorry in advance if we delete or lock threads that we think are going bananas! Barbara is very patient-- I usually just delete entire threads because I don't have time to sort things out or split threads.

Have fun!

As I stated in the begining of my post , I do like the game. It a big step head for the vv series. I only made point using the natives in this country because it is were my family is from. VV5 is about converting heathens, take it or leave it. You can play it or not . And like everyone LOVES to say, Isola is make believe place....... magic can happen there. What happens on Isola stays on Isola !

The sad part is- that really is NOT what its about - but it is MARKETED as such.

Arthur -- I think you have the game you envisioned... but people are mis-understanding what its meant to be because of terminology that is used CONSTANTLY throughout the game.

Reference to the player being the "hand of god" is said once. We see the word Heathen over and over and over, as well as seeing a representation of "a heathen" over and over.. seeing and interacting. While we do see the hand statue - as a representation that the PLAYER's HAND is "the god"- its not something to locate and deal with throughout the game, the way the heathens and the word heathen are.

The graphics included in the announcement/ what you see when you first come to the game from the email announcing it say Heathen over and over... and "God Powers", etc.

This is just human nature --- which happens to even the smartest of us... we remember what we see more than what we read... we remember what we saw or read many times more so than we remember something that we saw once.

===========
While playing virtual families, I totally "got it" that *I* was the power... they talked to me, they emailed me, addressed ME, etc.

Perhaps just "Powers" instead of "god powers" would suffice.
Certainly, I realize "player" and "dissillusioned" are weaker terms that do not have the same punch as god power and heathen... but, I suggest to you that there IS something that would work.

======
if the game really were about converting heathens to believe in God - fine, use those terms and people can take it or leaev it. BUT, thats not your vision, and you reveal it part-way into the game.

I suggest that in the future, you run the STORY by other people, as well as the technical aspects.

I have NO IDEA of the testing and such you do. I assume there is beta testing to look for glitches in the game, etc... but... I wonder --- do you leave out the flurishes then? Did your beta testers get to see the write-up about the game (the blurb used before purchasing), and see the intro video, and the mid-game video?

Certainly, some game aspects will not apeal to some and that has to be let go... BUT, I really think all of this could have been solved with some attention to the facts of human nature. No one can just SAY "this is a tadpole" and then draw goldfish, and repeatedly use the term goldfish, and use other goldfish-related phrases and items... and expect people to think "this is a tadpole"

It just doesnt work that way. (Even for well-educated scientists enjoying a leisure time activity)

I also have to say --- I love the series, I love the real-time... I love everyone in the house saying "lets check the people" when they first wake up, and "how are the people?" as they come home from school/work.

I work from home, but had to be away for many hours yesterday. I was thinking about getting back to my people!

A woman I hired to do some work in my house was here today and saw it. She said "Oh, you have a village too" (a house she did some work in yesterday was playing as well). NEAT!

Ive found NOTHING comparable anywhere. Great job. thank you for continuing to come out with more. Im so on your side.

These are some of the only games we BUY for the PC. I have a shockwave account, and it will be available there eventually... but we choose to support LDW and pay for the game.

I love those little touches too mmc In RL, kids can be very sensitive and caring. We all need a little gentleness from time to time and I find it in all of the LDW games.

I think that is what the LDW games are all about - enjoying a game while appreciating the things that our little peeps do that we see in real life.

I like the debate (as long as it stays very civil). During testing we did have some pretty lively debates about some of the terms used in the game, but things like "God Power" never came up on radar, probably because it is a very well-established gaming term in "God Games" of all types.

The word 'heathen' was more grey, and has bad associations historically, even though the literal definition of the word, perhaps, does not.

On a final note (for now), I don't mind that the game is causing discussions and debates. I would rather make an interesting creative work than a bland, vanilla one. If you want to match gems or flip real-estate in a gaming environment, completely free of any chance of any potential moral grey area, those games are out there. Our games have always been about life in all of its beauty and glory, but also about loss and its meaning and impact.

Bravo Arthur!! You have all managed to do just that!!! :GIVES THREE CHEERS:

I think the game was great until the end...converting the last heathens.

The villagers have no purpose other than farming or healing, and it's boring!

love the game

What is the purpose of life?

I enjoyed the challenges set out in the game. Completing the game was rather anticlimactic. Had expected the 'filthy encampment' to become more than a just a passing through area!

I think that what is important here, is that THIS IS A GAME!
As all are aware, all of LDAW games are very family oriented.
Even the forum is run so any child can read here without a parents guidance.
And yes, a while back I had a post removed because it advocated the Villiagers stealing (Taking back what was rightfully theirs.)
And, yes, I understood the reasoning behind this.
We can look for religious connotations, or play it as intended by the designers.
I saw the hand as the major power, and feel that there is no put down to Heathens/Christians alike.
Not since the very first do we see anywhere that LDAW has produced a game that purposely belittles or defies the tenets of religion.
There are countless religions out there, and someone somewhere is going to intentionally look for and be offended by something in every game.
Lighten up and enjoy playing.
If you find the game offensive, stop playing it, delete it and find one of the unrealistic killing and shoot'em up games to play. They (Most other games) have nothing that offends any religion with the exception of death and carnage.
~~Kathleen
Who owns her words.

wasnt sure i would like it at first but after about 20 minutes of playing,I feel in love with it,just like the rest of them,lol.

I don't really mind about the heathens issue at all...
For me, VV5 is a major leap in the series.
Job well done, LDW!
Actually, the game is getting a little bit more challenging, and i like it.

My 2 cents worth:

1) No longer do I feel that my style of play is suitable for this series. I like to take my time and work up slowly to the final puzzles. Now, we're rushed to build up the villagers in order to have the powers to "revive" your founding members. The kick in the pants came from finding out if I didn't rush then my founding members don't even get a place in the mausoleum. They are just "sanitized" from the game. The original villagers are the ones that I get the MOST attached to so this is my biggest complaint.

2) The game is incredibly unbalanced. My buildings are done with 25% left on the last hut and I have ONE master builder?!? (Yes, I worked with my original villagers and the oldest one is 48 now and my ONLY master builder and no, I don't have the mausoleum done yet.)

3) Saddened to see that there's only 2 different collections in this game. The center of the island should have been lush with even more plants for potions, not to mention other collections.

I'm in the minority on the yellow and red-masked villagers, because I've long felt that the game needed some additional challenges and it's a great "fit" into the game. I also really enjoy the waterfalls and the lake. Sound and music I have no opinion on since I always keep the sounds off whenever I'm playing games.

Overall the pros don't overcome the cons and I feel strongly that this is NOT a fully fleshed out ending of the wonderful island of Isola. There should have been much more to do, because the center of any island is normally the lushest in terms of vegetation and the master builder issue should have been fixed rather than become even more unbalanced than the other games.

This game has been a huge disappointment to me in all areas. Maybe I expected too much since the other installments have been leaps and bounds ahead of the last one. Finding the center of the island should have been the culmination of all the other games and the most enjoyable. Sadly, it didn't measure up to any of the others, much less exceed expectations.

I posted this quickly as I was already losing things I wanted to say about it. Now that I've read the conversation on it I have a bit more to say. Personally I'm religious, but when I looked at this game I thought nothing of religion as it's just a game. As I do with any book, game, or movie I work with that isn't connected to real life matters. Also I saw someone that said that they didn't get many events, within my trial I got 2 events(both the same, but still more often than with the previous games) I also saw a comment on the tutorial not having enough in it, I thought the same thing at first, for those who haven't played at least one of the past games(I have I only had it on, because if I start a new game even if I've played previous installments I turn it on, because of any possible differences from them) they probably wouldn't have gotten far at all. It took me almost the whole time to get the fire going even though I already knew how.

Wow, really? After reading the previous posts, I have decided our world is doomed...if your offended by a game we have definatley not moved forward as a society. I have my own beliefs and not once did I associate those beliefs with VV5...its a game after all, which by the way is extremely fun!!!

Just an added thought...These games are quite mellow and peaceful compared to most of the games out there, there is no gunfire, or pits of bad things. In fact its a nice refreshing game (As are all the VV games). I would much rather play a game like this one than WOW or Halo type games.

I love how challenging it is. I love the whole twist on the "god interaction" and after playing my 1 hour trial...I had bought and paid for the game in seconds. I couldn't bare to let any VV game slip through my fingers You guys are doing an awesome job! You will never please everyone, that just comes with the territory. I say if you have anymore awesome game ideas...MAKE THEM HAPPEN !!!!!!!

You guys ROCK <3

Mish

I like the game. I've finished all the puzzles but still need 2 relics and one item for the scientists and would like a way to finish the scary and agressive heathens! They are most anoying.

I agree with pookies statement about rushing to build up your population. In previous games, I simply took my time building up the population and spreading out the generations. Here, I'm kind of forced to expand exponentially, well, not exponentially, but you get the idea.

At least food is in abundant supply.

I also agree with other people saying that we need more buildings, since the villagers are advancing in technology and what with the ruins. Also, the potion making stuff was fun in the previous game. This game is pretty good overall, although I really hate the rascal and would like a way to get rid of him earlier.

I liked how in VV4 I think it would be awesome if in VV5 we could to damage a random building that the villagers would need to repair (or have random earthquakes as in Virtual Families), so that builders could have another way to improve building skill. Of course there would be consequences when a building is damaged.

Yea I remember that, it was a pretty easy (if lengthy) way to train builders easily. Unfortunately the training drops off to a low level of experience at a time when we finish everything and the only thing left is to polish the temple and repair huts.

I love VV5! It's alot more exciting converting the heathens and tearing down totems!

Simularities and things I missed from VV4:
I missed the title in VV4. Didn't want to take the chance whether or not that was a spoiler.

I too liked how in VV4
Also, a lot of the same hair styles that were used in VV4 are the same or similar to the ones in VV5. Like Caia in the [HUGE SPOILERS] Post your VV5 pictures here! In VV4, the same hair style was used, but with a flower in her hair instead of grass.

Have read all the preceding posts and respect every one's opinion...even the goofy ones! I would give the game 4.5 stars out of five. If there was a way of obtaining all the powers while keeping the tribe at thirty to forty villagers it would definitely be a five star rating. One hundred people running every which way is just too much for a senior citizen to contend with.

Oh, this is so irritating! I just love VV5, but just like the event in VF, where a coworker complains, and you lose all progress, this is almost a game spoiler. In my new village, they're doing really well, I almost had enough tech points to upgrade science, then an event just took away 2000 tech points! After hours of babysitting them, so the rascal didnt go to "watch people work", I have it all to do over again. Aaargh! Well, I guess thats life, haha.
(editing to counter that negativity, lol, I really do love it)
I did find a way to keep my founding villagers in time, after thinking I could save the crypt for later (whew!) I did it 2nd in the next village. I do like that its more challenging, it just makes it more fun when you figure things out. And I think the way the 14 yr olds lie around in the circle waiting to be told what to do, and your pop is at max is just hilarious! VV5 is going to hold my attention for a long time, thank you Developers!

I agree too many are thinking this is real life, its a game for heaven sakes. Enjoy it for what it is. My beef is that if you have earthquake, why can't it partly destroy a building ?, hence you have something more to do and to help other tribe members to build up their building skill. I don't know if its me, but there doesn't seem as much to do. I would definately in future games see more building, more collections and more to do. On the land in VW5 there is plenty of space for more buildings etc. And I think the tribe limit is too small. I am on my second game and really don't see how I will ever get the jenga badge before building my last building. And my biggest beef is once they become esteemed elders it is very hard to tell when they become a master in other areas so that you get the 10 as masters in everything. And I can not see if you set them for honouring why they can't build their devotion, as once the blue guys are converted well then you can't get that badge

While I agree with you to an extent - I would be fairly certain that others on this site will feel concerned about the level of violence in other games. They are still just games after all.

I very much enjoyed the other games - I have bought the entire catalogue of LDW games and have enjoyed playing every one. Therefore, when I got the email of a new game I bought it straight away.

When it loaded, I was concerned to say the least. I, like others, had been aware of what felt like slight undertones of religion in the other VV games. However, this one felt overt and hectoring.

Despite this, I played for a while and I can honestly say that this has become my favourite game of the series. If I choose to ignore the issues in the game which I find concerning I find the game compelling, challenging and very funny (child on time warp had me laughing out loud).

I feel that the challenges are pitched better than ever - I can work them out on my own (unlike VV4 where they were either so mundane and obvious as to make them pointless or completely obscure) and have plenty to keep me busy.

Others have complained about the converting of the last few mask wearers - saying it's boring and pointless. I am loving this aspect of the game. I completed all the challenges days ago but this is keeping me coming back. It also means that there have been challenging periods when my villagers have been hungry due to mask-wearers chasing them from the fish.

All in all, I like this a lot. It might be good for us all to remember when pundits accuse games designers of damaging the minds of children with images of violence that it is, after all, just a game.

P

Amazed and addicted as usual!
Of course I love it ! To handle those faceless villagers are quite challenging, but i like it. I like how it get more complex.

And sorry LDW, sorry to say this but....WE WANT MORE ! Please, next sequel? Don't tell us this is the final series of Virtual Villagers. We keep loving and loving it !

I decided to try the TRIAL version, as I HAVE to wait til Dec.,2011 to get it, TRYING my hardest to persuade hubby in getting it 4 my b/d 3/3, and so far it is DIFFER from the others. And this one WILL BE a CHALLENGE.
So far it HASN'T shown up on my game site, Pogo, and was wondering, IF I purchase it thru here, will my private info be SECURE on this site? Also, how will it come thru on my credit card statement. When I purchase thru Pogo, it comes thru as EA.com I just want to know WHAT to look for on my credit card statement.
Once I buy it I THINK I will enjoy this one as much as I have the others. As hubby and I were talking the other nite about this NEWEST one, we was WONDERING what would or IF there would be another one, the FINAL Chapter would be called.
We thought of VV6: Rescued of the Villegers. Where they would ALL meet in the CENTER of Isola and discuss HOW to get OFF of Isola. OR they DECIDE to meet in the CENTER of Isola and COMBINED all the tribes together and become ONE Isola, like Hawaii, and become suffient enough to VENTURE to other islands to EXPAND in trading and do commerce with others.
As always, keep up the good work on your games.

Happy gaming.

I have bought and played all of the V V games. However, I must say I do not find this one to be the best. Top of the list is a random character - Moka that has reached the point of just being annoying. I don't want to be annoyed when I am playing a game. I have always hated to lose one of my characters to old age or diseases, etc. This character I would just like to kill. I am also not really comfortable with the theme of the game.

Yes, your private information is very well guarded when purchasing thru ldw.com. LDW uses PLIMUS to process credit card transactions.

Plimus.com is an Ecommerce leading company processing payments for vendors and authors of software, freeware, shareware, CD, DVD . shopping cart and credit cards processing. They are certified as McAfee Secure Site.

Too tough for me I luv the earlier VVs but this one is too hard for me I prefer the laid back way of previous games,Can I have my money back lol

I opted not to buy the game after playing most of the demo. I felt it became more of a time management game and felt rushed. The previous VV games seemed more relaxing and casual, aside from trying to keep the tribe fed at the beginning of each.
Also don't care for the masks or the fact that the tribe I picked out being kidnapped by masked villagers.
By comparison, 2,3,and 4 were the better games.
Will now wait and hope a VF 2 will come out.

Its ok nearly completed all the puzzles,i have bought all other vv but i found its the same as the rest once you got a few techbnologies you can leave it running,Hate the mask idea seems like a delay tactic to make it last longer. I ask you since when would a grown up run away from a 5 year old? could have done with puzzles that could have been attempted from the start, not having to complete level 2 technologies.The whole set up is same old same old.Unless something Differnt is added to the next one i will not buy it, some was good the god spells but also thought working out which dyes to put in the pool was a joke
took a very short time

I would like to try the demo but it wont download

I have every vv! this one got me where I had to have hints on vv5 I am a bit disappointed though 5 times I have played this game vv5 and cant get all the collections like the previous ones. When I seen that others had got all the collections
I said wow at last we get them all I have completed ever puzzle
Finished the game 5 times but ooooooooooh not all the collections in every game I played ohhhhhhh when are you going to make us finish the collections. Great new one though ty

Cheshire

I had the same problem. I've only finished VV-5 three times, and never did succeed in completing all the collectible. Can't say I'm all that disappointed, it seams to be a standard issue for me when playing any of the VV games.

In one game I had, there was one rare science item that never did show up.

Swedane, have you tried

Yes, It will be a long time, if ever, I play it again. I like when I can decide the number of peeps in a game. To me, 100 peeps is about 50 too many.

I am now back to playing VV1 and 2. VV1 is quite a handful, as you can't use the numerical keys to zoom around the Island. But still, they are, in my opinion, more enjoyable and relaxing to play.

I've enjoyed all of the games and they get better with each new one. Can't wait to see what's next.
vh

Fix three things: The nursing mother issue where she won't let go of the kid for an extra hour, the jumping game where adults (shouldn't) drop what they're doing and race off...and GET RID OF THAT DEMON SPAWN!!!!! The game would be perfect without him! LOL

1. They are working on a bunch of nursing mother bugs/issues. Also, if you're pausing alot to grab relics, move villagers, whatever, it can seem to take longer. Also check the game speed setting.

2. Haven't really observed that myself. Occasionally teens might do that, but it's never disrupted work for me.

3, AGREED 1000%!! Having the rascal in was probably the worst design decision that the devs made, in possibly all of the VV games and they are really good devs. If there was a way to convert or get rid of the rascal early on rather than waiting for a certain god power to become available, I could be okay with it. For now, I just abuse the sticky spot glitch in the lake to maximum.

Seriously though, please don't add something that would be as disruptive as the rascal in VV6. I like the more relaxed atmosphere of the previous VV games.

In an earlier post, someone mentioned luring the kids over to the lake with butterflies, then hitting them with bees. The kids ran into the lake and got stuck. I tried this three different times...and each time that obnoxious little Rascal ran right out of the water again. I don't seem to have any sticky spots in my game. >:-(

You're probably doing it wrong. What I do is use butterflies to get the kids along the southern shore of the lake, grab and drop one of the kids onto the sticky spot. Then when the butterflies expire, lure the rascal over to the stuck kid and they'll keep the rascal busy.

Don't use bees because then the rascal and kids will attempt to hide in the water from the bees and don't actually get stuck.

They can become unstuck when you minimize the game (doesn't always happen, but there is a chance) and also when you close the game, so you'll have to redo it.

I have loved all the games from LDW but I can't seem to get on with this one! I have several issues, the rascal is worse than the Golden Child ever was, I just hate that brat! The third hut takes forever to be built, I had one game where one of my builders aged 6 years while building the third hut, I had 10 builders on it, and five were runners, got quite boring waiting for it to be finished, couldn't do a thing because I needed that hut to have more babies and couldn't get enough relics to boost my God powers. I have only had one Island event in that game as well and that was right at the beginning, there's never enough Island events in my opinion, it should have more to stop the game from being monotonous! When I use the butterflies to keep the kids busy, sometimes one or two kids will run off in all directions, they even climb the cliffs! My peeps seem to also get confused and I have had several "bathing" in the food bin!! Also I've had a number of collectibles show up right on top of the broken necklace and I can't get a kid to pick up the collectible because they're "confused". That's about all I can think of now......glad to have that off my chest!

Oh, and exactly WHERE on the southern side of the lake is the sticky spot? I don't seem to have one either!

You need to fill the lake first. Also, go to page 7 of the VV5 section and look at the thread titled 'how to get rid of the rascal forever(glitch)'.

I would link the thread itself, but thread links aren't working right at this time.

The rascal definetly gets the most complaints around here, so yea, you aren't alone in that feeling of the rascal being annoying!

Newly posted links work just fine; it's the links that existed prior to the forum crash that are broken. Here's the link to the thread that you mentioned.

Thanks Lady, now I can get rid of that pesky kid!!

I like the game a lot, and this one was pretty different from the others. I didn't find the puzzles as hard in this game, but those heathens definitely made it all a bigger challenge than originally expected. Good job LDW, and thanks for the great game.

I read a lot of the complaining in the forums for previous games in the series that they weren't quite religious enough and I guess this one more than makes up for it. As an atheist, a free thinker, and a secular humanist - the game just plain offends me. I was quite taken aback and am rather shocked at the radical departure from the other games in the series that were so very light-hearted and a sheer joy to play. This one is heavy in theme and a bit cruel in nature and I just can't get past it. I realize you can't please all of the people all of the time and I guess it's just my turn. I also realize that I don't have the right to not be offended (I only have the right to decide what to do about it)- but you did ask for feedback on the game and I was so startled by it that I simply had to offer mine.

I have one question about your post. How was the game cruel? It seemed pretty harmless to me. Yes it was a bit mean to hit the heathens with the lightning bolt but you have to admit it was kind of funny.

I tried VV5 and really liked it. I birthed some butterflys and both the villager kids and the blue masked kids laughed and sang and danced for 30 minutes until I shouted out"They've got to get tired some time" Then they dismissed themselves from the butterflys. Do the bees make honey? I put them in the woods.
I want to buy it next month. Goin to Tennessee this or next summer.

@Gambit, personally I didn't think the VV games needed any religion and if anything, the devs tried a little too hard to satisfy that.

I've read many who are disturbed by the idea of tearing apart another culture and converting the "heathens" to "their" belief.

The general answer has been "well it's just a game"

Since I've used computers to teach my children everything from spelling to fine motor skills... this game will NOT be in my house. "Mind what I teach you but it's okay if it's in a game."

NOPE!

I'm not offended by the whole thing, but I do agree that they went a little heavy handed with putting a little more religion into the game, if that's what the devs were trying to do.

I wonder if some dev responses would be good to get some insight to what LDW was trying to do, however I'm pretty sure they meant no harm.

Despite the obvious historical callbacks when you know a good deal about history, I didn't think of it as a religious conversion but more as restoring faith in themselves. Still, they did narrowly skirt a sensitive subject.

If answering peoples requests for more 'religion' (as vague as that is) is what they were going for, you have to give them credit for trying.

The totem rubble piles didn't go away. At least the encampment Don't like the sloppy totem rubble piles.

I found that I wasn't that interested in playing the game after a while. Would pause it for extended periods of time because converting the heathens just "didn't do it" for me. I don't like other folk pushing their religion on me, so I felt like a hypocrite doing so to the blue masks. When it comes to the red and yellow I have no clue, I guess some kind of god power will assist me. The other VV games were fun learning to fish and such, but the main task in my opinion to this game was have a lot of kids and convert others to your way of thinking. We used to have Mormons coming to our front door doing the same thing. I do not mean to offend anyone with that point. Just an observation.

I don't think it is basically trying to get the heathens to believe in god. I think they are trying to get the heathens to believe in the player. I think the believers are trying to tell the heathens that there is someone special (the player) helping them survive and live.

Ok Amazon I don't think what the heathens were doing was concidered a culture. They scratched and dug for roots like wild animals. Looked for bits of fish when the lake was dried up like wild animals and where hostile towards anyone who worn't with them like wild animals. If thats a culture I am very happy I am not part of it.

Hmm in my game the encampment is still just as messy as it was when the heathens lived there

Cyborg, you can find more information about the encampment here.

Thank you for showing me the post

I don't like your reference to the Mormons..those folks that "knocked on your door" have given up two years of their lives to do what they believe in. What have you done for two years to sacrifice like that for others. It matters not if you believe what they are saying, you should have respect for their privilege of saying it.
AND,
this game is not about religion it is about people that have lost their way so much so thoroughly they don't even want to show their faces. Can you imagine such a thing? I doubt you can.
GAMES ARE TO HAVE FUN!!!!
that's what this is all about, having fun.

I totally agree with you JackiDance. The people who go door to door telling you what they believe in is a scrafice of their time. They do it because they feel the need to do so. I respect every religion no matter what it is about. Also the game is not about religion. Think about it are you god? No you are just a human. It is about you trying to help the heathens find faith in themselves and feel free again.

I just love this game much better than the others the player now have more involvement with all the powers and much more

And a other thing


I just love it
By the way I completed all the puzzles in less than a week all on my own bar 1 and if I noticed the one thing I would done that too