Billion Little Things

Apr 27 2016

There’ve been some small improvements here and there recently, so we tried to make a list. Grab a chair and let’s read, shall we?

Dungeons

  1. Warning icons pop out on the map when group is near to a boss (except when a cell has “!” mark and dungeons of Clarity).
  2. Learn more about dungeon room by tap & holding a map call (require app update) or hovering the mouse over it.
  3. Direction voices can be send by tapping on the map (this can also be used to re-send a direction command within the same turn in case of mis-tap or an error).
  4. Duel start notification whenever a group fights a boss.
  5. Low health notifications now work only when in duel/dungeon.
  6. Dungeons should now be more VoiceOver/TalkBack friendly on phones.

Sails

  1. Sail map zoom (pinch gesture on phones and a bunch on new zooming/positioning controls on a PC).
  2. Tap & holding (on mobile) a map cell or hovering it (on PC) shows distance to it.
  3. Tap & holding / hover own cell shows distance to the port.
  4. Tap & holding / hover others’ arks show their stats and contents of their hold (requires app update).
  5. Treasure location hints are marked with same color within one group. Different groups are colored in the “rainbow order” (“Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain”).
  6. Tapping on a distance hints shows the area where a treasure could be.
  7. The map now has three rings of buoys to make it easier to estimate where the ark is without seeing the whole map.

Forum Topic Subscriptions

Subscribe to the topics you like and have them all in one place. Here you can catch up with what happened, jump right into a thread or read all new stuff at one single page (make sure to tap “mark as read” when you done reading). Also you can enable/disable push notifications on any of your subscribed topics.

PC (web browser) version features

  1. WebPush. Now you can receive push notifications in your web browser to alert you on your hero stats changes, friend messages, guild council and forums. These notifications are opt-in, so if you want to receive them, open the hero’s page settings, enable WebPush and check the options you want (supported on Chrome 50+ and Firefox 44+).
  2. Central column on the hero page is now resizable by dragging the arrows next to it (with custom width setting for the sail mode, so you can make the map bigger if your screen allows it).
  3. Dungeon screen now has its own layout setting, which means you can put the map into the center column (and Control on the side) and it will stay that way when you’re in a dungeon.
  4. Allies block now also include godnames, names of the allies-guildmates are written in italic and the text there will try adjust font-size automagically to fit into one line.
  5. New Win/Loss popup, with recent duels/dungeons/sail info.
  6. Third Eye now looks like an eye. Also, it can now show the number of unread entries.
  7. A click on the new messages or Guild Council indicators will open all unread conversations instantly.
  8. Auto-scroll in messages / Guild Council should be less annoying.
  9. New keyboard shortcuts for those who like to do things fast:
    • Alt+T – opens Third Eye;
    • Alt+V – focus on god voice field;
    • Alt+G – opens Guild Council window;
    • Alt+U – opens message windows for all unread messages;
    • Esc – closes currently open secondary window (third eye, last voices, messages, etc).

Most of these changes are already available, but some will require an app update (updates are already submitted to the stores and will become available according to the stores’ policies). All these changes don’t affect game mechanics, probabilities, outcomes, etc.

Most of these UI tweaks are direct result of the feedback from players received over time (in some cases – very long time). So, if you have any ideas, improvements or bug reports don’t hesitate to send them via Ideabox, idea/bug/other or this forum topic.

Comments ( 20 )

To the Gods of Web

Apr 05 2016

Today’s update is for our beloved gods playing on a PC. The hero’s web page got a bunch of brand new features and under-the-hood improvements:

  1. Easy crafting feature has finally come to the web browsers – flick though the inventory with your mouse to check what’s craftable.
  2. God voice field in the Remote Control is now multilined, which is very handy for the new easy crafting feature.
  3. You can spot monsters wanted in Godville Times by a skull sign next to the monster’s name.
  4. Dungeon maps got a spring facelift and sprouted themed colors, a couple new icons and a brand new feature (inspired by sailing) – just click on the map cell to send a direction voice quckly.
  5. Web links in messages and Guild Council are now clickable. Also the messaging window got a nice popup menu, with some old stuff along witha new option to spar a friend right from there.
  6. If you’re using Firefox web browser, make sure to check out new WebPush notification feature in the hero’s page settings. Unlike the old notifications, new ones can work even when the hero’s page is closed. Also there are few additional notification options and you can subscribe for the forum topic notifications too! For now, this feature works only in Firefox 44 or higher, but hopefully other web browsers will support it too.

Btw, did you enjoy April Fools special? While we’re not sure if or when we’ll see it again, one feature from it is here to stay – whenever you vote for somebody’s god voice (both upvotes and downvotes) you’ll get a small drop of godpower. And remember, when a god voice is well liked by others the author may get a much more noticable godpower boost.

Comments ( 11 )

ZPG-Arena

Mar 23 2016

Let’s talk about the Arena today. Although it is already quite entertaining, there was this feeling that it needs to be more ZPG-friendly. One god may wish to bet on luck, but the other might have another plan. It’s time to bring in some justice here. Introducing a brand new Arena mode, with no influences or godvoices – a Zero Player Game as it is!

A few things to keep in mind:

  1. The heroes sent to ZPG-Arena won’t match those sent to the regular Arena, so no worries here.
  2. For now, ZPG duels won’t have extra rules or conditions of the regular Arena (like extra bricks to the loser).
  3. Due to the effortlessness of ZPG-duels, there is no free accumulator charge given for winning (although the winner will still restore 100% godpower).
  4. Arenalin artifacts and the like can’t be used for sending to ZPG-Arena.
  5. All other aspects of Arena fights are still hold true: pantheons, achievements and win/lost stats.

Enough about rules – how to get into this ZPG-Arena? There is no new button in the Remote Control, so here is how it will work with the old button. If you send your hero to Arena during the first 5 minutes of each hour (e.g. from 10:00:00 till 10:04:59, 11:00:00 till 11:04:59, etc) and confirm that you want ZPG-Arena you’ll get there. Outside of this 5-minute interval all fights will be held on the old and usual Arena, the one with the influences and stuff.

Make sure to use the latest app, because the old versions may throw some errors. (Also the game checks the time interval based on the UTC time, so for the folks living in the +30 min time zones the local time will be shifted: 10:30:00 – 10:34:59, etc).

Finally, we’d like to remind once again that the heroes’ levels and equipment are totally not important in the arena and won’t affect the fight’s outcome. Yes, even if it’s x3 times better.

Lucky dueling, everyone!

Comments ( 36 )

Trail and Catch

Feb 23 2016

While the happy ark owners were busy searching for booty in the open sea, everybody else back in Godville was wondering about their progress. Guess no more – it’s time to drop the drapes from the newly opened Pantheon of Catch and see it all by yourself. The zest of this pantheon: it counts only the full pairs of both manimals and fenimals.

Secondly, it will be helpful to address some unexpected confusion, which happened after recent addition of fishing. There was an old aura of baiting, which helped the heroes to find monsters of the day, monsters with special abilities or tame a pet, but it didn’t actually do anything with the real fish. From now on, this old aura will be called the aura of trail. Since the nature abhors a vacuum, there ought to be a new aura of baiting, but this time around it will help the heroes to get a better catch and make them fish more often.

Comments ( 19 )

Godpowerful Holidays

Dec 23 2015

As usual for this time of the year, snow sprinkles the fields. This strange white substance causes quite interesting transformation in the Godville’s fauna. Traveling minstrels report spotting herds of Satan Clawses and alike, carrying bags, allegedly, full of presents. Another kind of monsters – special Holiday ones – known to drop some “blue pills” also known as accumulator charges. These days even regular monsters run their pre-holiday errands, which means they might have something interesting and activatable. As a tradition, a merry town of Laplandville seems to appear out of nowhere just in front of the Godville’s gates.

This time around, there is one more present. A sudden and equally unexpected alliance of Mad Scientists and Godville Times Editors produced something special – Godpower Capacitor. This marvelous thing slowly draws godpower out of the Godville’s thin air for any god to use. Yes, with a flick of a finger – once a day – you can transfer its contents into your Remote Control and get a nice power boost for whatever you need!

However, there is a catch: the capacitor is one, but gods are many. Normally, once the capacitor is used it’s discharged to 0% and it will take some time to get the charge again. But since holiday air is very special and, you know, god-powerful, for the next few days it will always have at least 25%. Afterwards, things should get more interesting and will require a bit of skill and luck to take more out of it. Give it a try, let the force be with you!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Comments ( 42 )

Quest for Booty

Dec 03 2015

This world didn’t have a lot of water. Just a lake here and a river there that a hero may note in diary. But then, the giant construction happened. Under all the pressure of temples and arks the flat world of Godville broke down and made a big puddle. Finally, the arks are afloat.

The heroes already spent some time near the water with their fishing rods and seem to be ready for more epic waterborne activities. The time has come to leave this sinful land and make some splashes on water. All heroes with completed arks are now ready to sail!

Open-sea navigation is not easy to explain in a few words, so here is a comprehensive manual. It’s highly recommended to read it before hitting the new Sail button in your Remote Control. Savvy?

Comments ( 34 )

Gone Fishing

Nov 12 2015

It looks like a new kind of hobby is spreading through Godville. Nobody knows how it all started, but more and more heroes, from beginners to the most seasoned adventurers, are being spotted sitting next to rivers, ponds and other water bodies, with an artifact attached to a line on a stick… They call it “fishing”.

Surprisingly, the loot is not just fish: it could be a golden brick or something else easily activatable. Taverns are already full of stories about a bigger catch fished out on a “bolder” bait. In the best ZPG tradition, divine influence is not required or it can even be harmful – nobody wants to scare away all the fish with noise or thunderclaps.

In the mean time, a few overly enthusiastic shipwrights got their hands on some ancient scriptures and realized why they needed arks in the first place. All this time they were meant to preserve life in this world – which in their heroic minds translates into finding a thousand pairs of twos of every kind and packing them into their arks, just in case.

However, there is a problem – heroes have gone back and forth through Godville countless times and all they saw were some genderless and occasionally male creatures. Where do they find fenimals? Well, checking the waters is worth a shot. While high-waters are not yet available due to the ongoing construction in Godville’s port, a recent fishing craze should come in very handy.

This new heroic undertaking won’t get unnoticed: Godville’s accountants are already crunching some numbers and the builders were noticed erecting something new in the pantheons area.

Some miscellaneous news:

  • a recent major update of Godville Android app has added support of Material Design, improved notifications and very handy Mini-Remote. Make sure to check it out if you haven’t yet.
  • if iOS is your choice (and the app was crashing recently), get the latest update from the AppStore as it might help you.
  • if you’re an active Ideaboxer keep in mind that your ideas can be accepted at any time of the month (unlike from just the beginning of the month like it used to be).
Comments ( 41 )

Bingo!

Aug 20 2015

Godville Times editors are always looking for the new ways to entertain the readers. Еspecially if it’s something interactive… like a crossword, but different. Bingo!

Yes, Bingo is a new newspaper mini-game – with a Godville twist in it. Instead of collecting boring numbers, here you’re filling a grid with pieces of artifacts. Yep, the real virtual artifacts from your hero’s pockets! Just pick a moment when your hero has something worthy in the inventory and “borrow” the required trophies for your divine needs.

Why? Because it’s fun. But there are other nice perks too. If you extract artifacts for bingo three times during a day your hero will get a nice gold reward. Also Top-100 of the luckiest players will be published in the next issue of newspaper. More on bingo rules can be found in this forum topic.

Let’s play!

Comments ( 43 )

Jack of All Trades

Jun 01 2015

A new development in the Godville’s Economy. Just after few years of relentless savings a hero guided by Kingdada managed to collect the first ever retirement fund (which btw consists of thirty-freaking-million gold coins). You may be wondering what in Godville could cost that much and who can possible have this kind of money?

Traders, of course! These are the people managing millions day-in and day-out, profiting off the artifact circulation. They cheat and swindle our poor champions every day while calling it a “service” and being in that business sure costs money. So, what could be a better investment for a run-down hero than a long overdue right to rest and leisure.

By buying a trading shop and jumping into a merchant’s skin a hero gets a new way to lead his life. All his usual trade-pray-rest-sleep duties can now be done at one place – somewhere around a cash register. Other heroes will come to sell their stuff, some monster will drop by to buy it. Also, he finally can sell his knocked tooth to some other trader for profit! Sure he can get a tax audit once in while, but that won’t stop him from being happy, because now he has a trade level counter and he does’t even have to lift up his butt!

But what about the god? He can now send his hero to do the trade or throw him back into battlefields. Also, he gets some leverage over Godville goods markets, with the new ability to place orders on the wanted items in Godville Times. And since the god has this 2-in-1 kind of a trader-hero thing he can now have up to 200% godpower to rule them all.

Let’s congratulate Kingdada, shall we?

Comments ( 149 )

High Five!

May 10 2015

Short and up to the point.
Five years ago Godville opened its doors.
Five years ago first gods and heroes were born.
Five years ago first diaries were made.
Let’s make our heroes a hell of a day today!
Thirty festive charges will hopefully come in handy for this.
Congratulations, everyone!

Comments ( 314 )