Crade of the North Questions + Frustration

[HisChildBeth]

I have made it to Cradle of the North w/only 2 small helps from the forums, and earlier only had to restart Witch island and Lonely Iceberg once each. Restarting is OK to a certain point because I haven't gotten to the really high levels yet, but that's what worries me.

I have gained my towers, but I have only used 2 and don't know what Frost and Mud do yet. I have gotten different spells, and I think I have learned how to use them appropriately by guessing, but when I go to the next island those spells are not available. What gives with that? I still have the towers I gained available, but not the spells?

I'm guessing that the new things we are getting we are going to need for later levels at least by what I have seen with the Arrow and Fire towers. What drives me nuts is the only way you learn what these new things do and how to use them is by trial and error. It seems that it is more likely you learn what they don't do by getting your hero killed and having to restart an island. Then you have all the tedious looking for different hidden objects all over again which can be hours of tedious, time consuming work if you don't cheat.

I really dislike having to cheat and I think it is bad lesson to be teaching, but who wants to spend hours looking for jewels and ice crystals all over again when you have already done that. All it does is make game play longer which looks good when quoting how many average hours of play time you get for your money, but not much else.

Why not have a simple read me file that says when you get a frost tower it does "xyz", or "a shaman has "xyz" abilities and is good for situations "xyz". That I don't think is cheating. It is explaining what different elements of the game do.

I think as the levels get more difficult there is going to be a lot more mistake making because you don't know what the different elements of the game do and it will require completely redoing an entire island multiple times. I think if that happens then I won't be finding Totem Tribe as enjoyable, and will probably quit playing.

I would much rather have the opportunity to say pay a penalty on my score or some other type of penalty if I choose not to go back and look for 50 stupid ice crystals that took me over 7 hours to find! This is when I am going to cheat and use the map to find the ice crystals. I found them once without cheating and I don't want to have to waste all that time again and again and again until I figure out what a Frost and a Mud Tower do. What a shaman does and how many you need, etc. I have a strong suspicion that it is going to take several tries to figure out how to use the different towers and characters before I'm able to keep the shades from killing the heros. Oh, there is the shield of protection that will help if I use it right, but of course I haven't been told how to use it. There is also another spell I got, but I can't even remember its name let alone know what it is supposed to do and how.

By the way I can't pick up the heros and move them out of the way fast enough to keep them from walking right back and getting killed because the shades, and other bad guys, are programmed to go right for them. Why can't we have the ability to pick them up, not just drag them a short distance, and drop them in the back of beyond?

Also, I haven't been able to figure out if it does me any good to keep moving my battle flag around once battle is engaged. I feel like doing something rather than just watching the little guys run around once I have done everything I can think of. If it does no good to move the flag around to where it looks like the battle is heaviest, it would give me more time to reload and cast a spell or to repair buildings.

FRUSTRATED!

[berserker]

Spells have no relation to towers. Spells are obtained from idols once you claim them and schrge them. So naturally since you don't have same idols at the next level, their spells are gone as well. Towers on the other hand are passive defensive structures. Imagine them as your archer that stands still and shoots all the time.

[HisChildBeth]

I guess mud towers throw mud and frost towers somehow dump frost, but how do you know when to use them?

So if I don't have a spell that I got on another island then I don't need it for the island I am on, but that doesn't mean I might not have it available on another island. Is that correct? How do you know how to cast a spell and on what? Just try and see what happens?

If I am fighting a shade, do I just use trial and error to see what effects them? I imagine it would be the same for other things you have to fight too.

Do I need to move my battle flag around to where I think the fighting is the strongest, or do I just leave my flag in the same spot and let the characters go fight where and what they want? That would leave me free to charge spells, figure out how to cast them, try to keep the heros from getting toasted, and repair buildings.

Last one but its long ---

On Cradle I managed to extend my "sight" out into the void pretty far with towers and I have started putting my flag out in the water where it looks like there might be a sand bar when the "tide" goes in and out. I did this on the Lonely Iceberg and found a bunch of jewels so I tried it all around Cradle island and when I stuck the flag out in the water by the penguins my little guys "walked on water" so I moved the flag to the pedestal and they walked across the water right out to the pedestal and low and behold their was a chest I found on another spit of sand and I managed to get some kind of necklace and some jewels. Was I supposed to be able to do this?

Walking on water is cool, but it doesn't seem to be consistent because I tried to get my little workers off the ring of sand between the mountains by the village where there was a chest, but they won't walk on water to get back to the village. Poor guys are frustrated, just like me. They just want to go home. I tore down the hut and put up a tower to try to get them back and extend my view, but they are still there.

As you can tell I'm a neat and orderly type so I'm getting very frustrated not knowing how different elements of the game work, but maybe that is part of the game?????

Thanks again for the help. I'm going to start re-doing Cradle. Oh, Joy! 50 ice crystals, but this time I'm going to use the map! No more 7 hours looking for ice crystals!

Thanks! :)

[berserker]

I guess mud towers throw mud and frost towers somehow dump frost, but how do you know when to use them?

Mud towers slow down enemies so they take more time to run closer and may receive more shots meanwhile. Ice towers can extinguish first at later levels. All towers are used automatically, all you need is to build it in proper place.

So if I don't have a spell that I got on another island then I don't need it for the island I am on, but that doesn't mean I might not have it available on another island. Is that correct? How do you know how to cast a spell and on what? Just try and see what happens?

Yes, since you can recharge spell as many times as you want, you may try to get familiar with one before engaging combat.

If I am fighting a shade, do I just use trial and error to see what effects them? I imagine it would be the same for other things you have to fight too.

Yes, different enemies have different weak spots and it's up to player to find them out.

Do I need to move my battle flag around to where I think the fighting is the strongest, or do I just leave my flag in the same spot and let the characters go fight where and what they want? That would leave me free to charge spells, figure out how to cast them, try to keep the heros from getting toasted, and repair buildings.

Once your warriors start fighting, battle flag has no effect. You better repair buildings/charge spells meanwhile.

On Cradle I managed to extend my "sight" out into the void pretty far with towers and I have started putting my flag out in the water where it looks like there might be a sand bar when the "tide" goes in and out. I did this on the Lonely Iceberg and found a bunch of jewels so I tried it all around Cradle island and when I stuck the flag out in the water by the penguins my little guys "walked on water" so I moved the flag to the pedestal and they walked across the water right out to the pedestal and low and behold their was a chest I found on another spit of sand and I managed to get some kind of necklace and some jewels. Was I supposed to be able to do this?

Yes, you have found a secret, there are plenty of them in this game.

Walking on water is cool, but it doesn't seem to be consistent because I tried to get my little workers off the ring of sand between the mountains by the village where there was a chest, but they won't walk on water to get back to the village. Poor guys are frustrated, just like me. They just want to go home. I tore down the hut and put up a tower to try to get them back and extend my view, but they are still there.


Unfortunately sometimes people do get stuck. You may try to drag them out manually bit by bit.

As you can tell I'm a neat and orderly type so I'm getting very frustrated not knowing how different elements of the game work, but maybe that is part of the game?????

Yes, this game is more like find is out by yourself and be excited about how clever you are :)

[HisChildBeth]

Thanks for taking the time to explain these various bits to me. Still not sure that mud and thunder towers do anything that can appreciable change how the game so I'll stick with arrows, fire and frost (sometimes).

I have made it to the Island of Worship, and I'm am stuck trying to figure out what in heaven's name those stupid pillars that have symbols on 4 sections, and only 2 sections move,are supposed to be doing. Some way they must connect to those 5 "altars" with colored flames on the corners that lit up when I gave the idols their goodies.

I have not a clue what all these little temples do either. One gave me a bunch of jewls some how when I was clicking away so I bet there is something in the others or in those altars if I figure out the stupid pillars work. I have a real hard time with puzzles that don't have a starting point I can figure out.

I got those chests open by playing around with that button and watching what the mountains and rocks did. Those little scounts are pretty stupid, but tireless, fearless swimmers in any kind of water. This puzzle is really a hard one! Whoever wrote it can pat himself on the back! This is tough and I've been working on it longer than I did to find the 50 ice crystals! I really hate to cheat, but pretty soon I may have to or I'll be one bald old lady. :D

[berserker]

I have made it to the Island of Worship, and I'm am stuck trying to figure out what in heaven's name those stupid pillars that have symbols on 4 sections, and only 2 sections move,are supposed to be doing.


You have to arrange signs so there will be no same signs in any row or column.

I have not a clue what all these little temples do either. One gave me a bunch of jewls some how when I was clicking away so I bet there is something in the others or in those altars if I figure out the stupid pillars work. I have a real hard time with puzzles that don't have a starting point I can figure out.

Since you already got buch of jewels, top 3 temples are of no use to you.