Virtual Villagers 5 - New Believers

Released on December 30, 2010, Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers is set on the island of Isola.
This time, the villagers discover a mask in the forest. When a group of villagers go to investigate they are captured and imprisoned by a group of masked heathens. The "heathens" are actually Isolan natives from the era before the newcomers arrived in A New Home. Damaged emotionally by the tragic events revealed in The Secret City, they have lost hope and become fearful and superstitious. The aim is to break out of the prison and convert all the heathen villagers back to believing in their ancient ways.
The "heathens" have installed sacred totems that the villagers must tear down in order to progress in their own chosen fields of study as well as giving the natives an opportunity to restore broken structures and rediscover sacred things.

Larger than any previous game in the series, New Believers is described by the developers Last Day of Work as a "god game", in that players will experience being the "god" of the exploring villagers. In light of the game's concept, the player earns energy through the faith of believers and acquires powers that he or she can aid his or her tribe; such powers include the creation of storms, droughts, sun lights, and butterflies and bees. The game's new concept is also reflected in a new faith-measuring meter in the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen.
Many fans of the series questioned the wisdom of putting out a game where people who have arrived as outsiders to a new land go about "converting" indigenous heathens. However, it's clear that the newcomers actually believe in the same principles as the native Isolans once did, and that the natives are converting back to a former belief that nourished and strengthened their tribe.

Skills

In this installment of Virtual Villagers there are 6 skills your villagers can master. The more experience they get in a skill, the more efficient they will become at it. Skill levels they can reach are apprentice, adept and master.

To start your villager on a skill, just drag and drop your villager on the project you want them to work on. For an unskilled villager, it may take a few tries to get them to pick it up, so keep trying until they get it. Once your villager has successfully started work, they will pretty much keep working by themselves, with the odd break to eat or do laundry or any of the other leisure activities. If your villager has several skills, they will predominantly work on their highest level skill, though they may sometimes decide to go and do something else for a while.

Your villagers’ highest level skill will be listed in the character details at the bottom of the screen when you select the villager. In the villager’s detail menu you can see all the villager’s skills.

In the detail menu you can also set a preferred skill by ticking the box on the right of the skill. Your villager will then focus on this skill, even if it is their lowest level. Note that they won’t always work on this skill, though, just with increased frequency. Also note that it can be dangerous to set a male villager’s preferred skill to parenting, as he could double your population while you’re on the loo.