Virtual Villagers 2 - The Lost Children

Virtual Villagers 2: The Lost Children

Two curious villagers decide to adventure into the cave that had long taunted them and find themselves on the western shore of Isola, with new mysteries to solve. They also discover a small group of abandoned children and, as with other games in the series, attempt to build a society anew.

BASIC STRATEGIES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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