Ten Days With Castaways: Virtual Villagers 2 Playthrough, Part 4
Over the last couple weeks, I have decided to chronicle my experiences with a group of villagers in the hit game, "Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children" (AKA Virtual Villagers 2) by Last Day of Work (and available from Rampant Games). Of course, me being who I am, I couldn't help but inject a little bit of role-playing and my twisted imagination to abuse the game a little. Or a lot.

Since the game allows you to rename your little villagers, and you begin with seven... stranded castaways... So here's the story of ten days on Gilligan's Island, as simulated by Virtual Villagers 2.

Day 7: Gilligan and Mary Ann - Swingers!
In case it you haven't read the reviews, the Virtual Villagers games process time and events even when you are not playing it (unless you pause it). This means that things can go out of control while you are asleep or off at work. So you need to be careful when you set up commands (or you need to pause the game, or let it run at 1/2 speed while offline). And if you neglect to take the game off of double-speed... well. This can happen to you!

I thought one more kid would be useful. Help around the island, stuff like that. Gilligan and Mary Ann were putting in the effort, with my encouragement, but nothing was forthcoming. I had stuff to do, so I clicked on "Parenting" as their skill to work on, and went on to do stuff for about three hours. I'd neglected to reduce the game speed down from double.

When I check it out again hours later, Gilligan the sex-fiend has managed to seduce most of the women over 30 on the island. He's got three children. Mary Ann is in the middle of getting the now 27-year-old Jethro to come hither into the ol' wedding hut, after having two children of her own from different fathers. I break that off in a hurry, seeing my population already pasty the danger threshold. How am I going to feed all these kids... Wally, Betty, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead?

Sure, Ginger and the Professor may be getting up in years, but they are still healthy. The Professor has been furiously working on new technology. But now we're faced with a very tough decision. Do we put that technology into medicine right now, extending the lifespan of our two elderly castaways by perhaps an extra five years? Or do we keep working on increasing farming, so that we can maybe feed this excessive population courtesy of the irresponsible Gilligan and Mary Ann?

In the end , the sacrifice is made... the older generation must give way for the younger. We keep working on farming. The Professor toils away, trying to figure out better ways of feeding the village.

Day 8: The Castaways Begin To Depart
The village is starving when I next check in on it, many hours later.

The Professor died near his post, a victim of old age and malnutrition. The villagers gather up his remains, bury him in the graveyard with a nice tombstone and flowers, and then go back to worrying about food. There is still nearly an hour left (1/2 year in villager time) before the crops will come in. Many villagers' health levels are dropping from hunger.

While I set the kids to hunting mushrooms once more, I find that the Professor left his legacy for the village. With enough tech points now, I buy the final level of farming. That enables the villagers to discover a solution to the algae-choked lagoon (and no, I'm not tellin'). Putting the entire village to work, we manage to clear the algae, which allows us to fish once again.

An... unlimited supply... of fish! The entire village dives in - literally - and returns with fish and shellfish of various kinds. The food supply quickly builds up to ample levels, and the threat of starvation is now forever removed from the tribe.

During this time, Gilligan also becomes an Esteemed Elder, his big ugly totem now joining the Skipper's. He's a master farmer, builder, scientist, and he's also ... apparently... a very skilled parent. He also knows a thing or two about healing. A true renaissance man, that Gilligan!

At the end of the day, Ginger joins her beloved Professor. A skilled doctor, researcher, and a master farmer --- not to mention famous movie star --- she is mourned by all, especially her son, Bob, who is now the preeminent researcher on the island, currently working on a cure for cancer using fish oil and coconut tree leaves.

Their legacy lives on....

Virtual Villagers: The Lost Children Thoughts After Eight Days
I have spent over a week of real-time on this village now. A funny thing happens with these Virtual Villagers games --- you have to spend so much time with the first and second generations of villagers just helping them survive that you do get a little attached to them. The game loses something when they start to die off.

Although it also loses something when the main threat to their survival - starvation - is removed. The game remains interesting - there are tons of goals and missions to be achieved still - but with that challenge overcome, things do become a lot more laid back and less compelling. You don't need to "play" the game anymore so much as just check in on it and guide it. Which is probably about right for a casual game of this kind... after all, it has been over a week.

(Vaguely) related stupidity:
* Ten Days With Castaways, Part 3
* Ten Days With Castaways, Part 2
* Ten Days With Castaways, Part 1
* Dead Villagers
* Virtual Villagers 2 Developer's Diary
.

Labels: casual games

- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 5:00 AM (Permalink)