Maps, Gifts, Events, 1000 Token Payouts - its the 1.1 Release!
December 16th, 2008 - Hilary Jackson
Those new Releases - Yes, they are definitely habit forming.
It felt so good to get that 1.0 Release out to you that just on two weeks later, we’re doing it again!
… and so, without further ado, and with much excitement from us all here at SmallWorlds HQ, we’d like to unveil to you, the SmallWorlds Community
Release 1.1!
As we hope you are coming to expect from our utterly brilliant team, we’ve got some exciting things to share that we know are going to truly enhance your playing experience.
1 - Worlds Navigation Map
The SmallWorlds universe is starting to grow so big we thought you might appreciate a little help finding your way around! You’ll now find a Worlds Navigation Map, by clicking on the Globe icon located in the top right corner of the main screen while you are playing in-world; making it nice-n-easy to get to where you want to go.
![](http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7016/mapsalertthumbfi0.png)
Once you click the MAP Icon (small Globe icon pictured at far right in image above) you’ll be taken to the cool looking ’slice of SmallWorlds’ image pictured below - the Worlds Navigation Map! From here you have immediate access to:
Featured Spaces
Top Rated Spaces
Popular Spaces
Missions
Shops
![](http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/4731/navmapgh2.png)
We’ll be updating the Featured, Top rated and Popular Spaces components of the Map daily to keep it dynamic and fresh.
2 - Published Events: Keeping you informed about in-world happenings!
We wanted to make it easy for you to find out about all the exciting stuff there is to do in SmallWorlds. Perhaps you’re looking for a dance party?, a fashion show?, an art exhibition? a coolest hairstyle competition? Well rest assured - you need never miss a SmallWorlds event again!
A small ‘news alert’ window will drop down automatically from the Alerts Icon (the clock indicated in the image above) with events about to happen in-world. There’s bound to be something on soon that you and your friends would like to check out together.
Oh, and if you are a VIP you can add your own event by clicking on the “+” sign once you’ve clicked on the Alerts icon.
![](http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4476/alertsiconthumbji3.png)
3 - Earn 1000 Tokens by Completing the “Loyalty Challenge”
Welcome to the SmallWorlds Loyalty Challenge! If you play any of the Featured Missions for four consecutive days, you earn 1000 tokens!
To find out which are the Featured Missions, click on the Worlds Navigation Map icon, then click on the Missions icon. You can then choose from a selection which is updated daily. You’ll also find featured missions by clicking on the Missions icon at the bottom of the home screen (its the Indiana Jones style hat).
Each day that you complete a Mission, you will see one of the four Gems appear next to the Alerts and MAP icons (see below). Each consecutive day you play a Mission, one gem will appear. When you have completed four days in a row, you will receive an in-world email confirming your success once the challenge is complete - and 1000 tokens will be yours! (and that jet-pack you’ve been coveting at Mysterios is getting ever closer)
![](http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1016/loyaltychallengeinterfavx4.png)
[each Gem becomes 'active' as each consecutive day of play is achieved]
You’ll be able to complete one Loyalty Challenge per week but you must play over four consecutive days to qualify.
Very soon we’ll be adding more ways for you to participate in the Loyalty Challenge other than just playing Featured Missions - watch the official SmallWorlds blog for more news on that in the coming weeks.
4 - ‘Gold - its the New Blue’ … New Capes for Moderators & Helpers
We’ve changed the capes for Moderators and Helpers to a truly distinctive Gold colour. They will also have an “M” (for Moderators) and a “+” (for Helpers) floating over their heads at all times, making them much easier to find when you need them.
![](http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/1382/modandhelpersnewcapesue6.png)
They are now better differentiated from our Founding Citizen (beta user) population who were gifted blue capes (marked with a ‘B’) upon our 1.0 Release. This did lead to some initial (understandable) confusion, but we feel that this change addresses this, and hope you agree.
5 - Wrapped Gifts
An important element of gift-giving is the surprise - and now you can give a beautifully wrapped gift to any of your friends in SmallWorlds. When you gift something from your inventory, you will be asked if you would like the gift wrapped (with a range of giftwrap options). You even have the option of adding a date so that your friend is unable to upwrap their gift until the date you specify!
When your friend clicks on the gift, it will tell them who the gift was from and how many days until they can unwrap it. You can also include a message that will be displayed when the gift is unwrapped.
With Christmas just over a week away, we’re all hard at work on our SmallWorlds Christmas gift list, and will be planning on leaving quite a few wrapped presents under more than a few trees!
![](http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8257/giftsonwhitethumbho0.png)
6 - Avatar Builder - Remove VIP Options Button
With the recent advent of the VIP club, those beta users who have chosen to remain in free-to-play mode are now required to remove any VIP options they were able to use while we were in beta-testing mode. This change needs to be made before they are let back in-world (unless they sign up as a VIP Club member).
![](http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/392/vipremovalvf0.png)
If you are having trouble doing this, we’ve provided a quick-n-easy “Remove VIP options” button in the avatar builder to make this a smooth one-click operation. Once you are in the ‘Edit Avatar’ window, there is a remove button (indicated above). After removing the VIP options, just save the avatar as you would after making any change.
7 - Don’t forget - 50% off 12 month VIP membership for all Beta users
We’d also like to take this opportunity to remind you about the 50% off 12 month VIP Club membership, available to all our beta users until the end of December - get in quick for this great deal!
![](http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/1987/betauserspecial2ng0.jpg)
We’re sure you’ll enjoy the new features in our 1.1 Release. As always, there’s more to come, and we look forward to making SmallWorlds an even more engaging social entertainment experience for you in 2009!