Greetings SmallWorlds citizens, it's Kent Kronkite here with an exciting report on a fantastic new space here on SmallWorlds that I know you're going to have a lot of fun with!

The most recent Winter Olympics were held on February 12-28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Approximately 2,600 athletes from 82 nations participated in 86 events in fifteen disciplines. I so enjoyed watching all those talented athletes pitting themselves against the snow and elements. A snowy winter scene is a beautiful backdrop for all those exciting and competitive events.

If like me, you had a hankering to try out a slalom run while watching the Winter Olympics, we've designed a fantastic experience for you here on SmallWorlds so you can experience just a little Winter Olympics excitement for yourself!

Visit the Winter Sports space in SmallWorlds

Citizens, you just have to come and try this for yourself, it's such a lot of fun! Firstly, you enter the Winter Sports space, and find the Snowboard and Ski Kiosk.

Peanut, the friendly NPC will greet you and ask you to sit at the bench of your choice. Once you've decided whether you'd like to make your way around the course on either a snowboard or a pair of skis, simply sit at the correct bench. Like magic, skis or a snowboard will appear on your feet, and you're ready to go.

The picture above shows me trying on both the skis and the snowboard. It was difficult to make up my mind which to try first! Once I'd decided on the skis, I had a tremendous lot of fun skiing around the course. Here's a picture of me on the slalom run.

As I swished around, I imagined myself as a competitor in a skiing event at the Winter Olympics. It made it quite exhilarating. Due to the fact that I was skiing alone, it was of course rather easy to win my race!

Complete the Mission & get your Rare Cup of Hot Chocolate!

We've got a fun mission in the Winter Sports space for you to do, and if you get to the end you'll get a steaming cup of Hot Chocolate. This is a Rare item which we're giving you for free.

What's special about the Hot Chocolate is that it's reusable.  That means you can drink it and it will still remain in your inventory for you to enjoy again and again.  Please be aware that this is the only consumable Rare item that is reusable - so don't try doing the same thing with any of your existing rares.

Race Your Friends!

Come to the Winter Sports space with your friends and you'll have some fantastic fun racing each other. I wonder if Snowboards are faster than Skis? I'm not too sure, and of course there's only one way to find out... and I am sure you'll all have great fun doing so!

Skis and Snowboards: Exclusive to the Winter Sports space

As you make your way around the Winter Sports space, you'll notice a few new items you may not have seen before in SmallWorlds, items like Igloos and Ski Flags. For those of you wondering, you won't find these for sale in any of the SmallWorlds stores, they have been created specifically to add a special winter sport ambiance to the SnowPlanet space.

Also, the skis and snowboards are only available within the space. That means that when you leave, your skis and snowboards will stay behind. The next time you'd like to feel the winter wind through your hair, and the feel of snow crunching under your feet, they'll be right there waiting for you!

Warm yourself up again by the campfire!

When it's time to finish your run, it's just wonderful to sit down by the cozy fire and get nice and toasty again. If you've completed the mission, you'll get even cozier with your cup of hot chocolate.

I just know you'll all have lots of fun in The Winter Sports Space, one of SmallWorlds newest and most exciting spaces to visit. Remember, the Hot Chocolate will only be given away for two weeks, so make sure you visit soon!

~Kent Kronkite

It's the day where the 'Wearing of the Green' takes place in honor of the color of the shamrock, a national symbol of Ireland. The wearing of the green spreads much much further than just clothing... on St Patrick's Day you can purchase green food and drink.  Some cities even dye their rivers green!

We simply love the St Patrick's Day celebration here at SmallWorlds,  it's such a lot of fun, and of course we welcome any chance of increasing our chances of meeting up with a Leprechaun!  We've got lots of ways you can join in the Luck-o-the-Irish celebrations.

Lucky St Patrick's Day Package

If you want some extra luck, you really should take a look at this package.  It includes your very own Luck-o-the-Irish t-shirt, with a Lucky 4-Leaf Clover on the front!  

Who knows, wearing this lucky t-shirt may even help you spin a big prize on the Spin to Win... although I'm afraid we can't guarantee it.

The t-shirt is an Exclusive item, which means that you can only get it as part of this package. Exclusive items may be re-released as part of a different package at a later date, but they will never be available for purchase in any official SmallWorlds store.

This package will only be on sale until midnight 24th March SWT, so make sure you get your lucky t-shirt now!

St Patrick's Day Theme

Go to your space settings (click the wrench icon in your space info toolbar), click on the St Patrick's Day theme from the drop-down theme menu, and you'll activate all kinds of St Paddy's Day fun!  Fancy an Irish Stew washed down with a Pint o Guinness? Choosing the St Patrick's Day theme will activate all kinds of fun item replacements in your space!

Stock up on a few Donkey Head Spells... they transform into the Leprechaun Head Spell. Throw this one at a few friends to create your very own team of Leprechauns. What could be luckier?

The picture above shows a few of the theme replacements, although you'll see lots more when you activate the theme in your space, including green fireworks, Irish stew, horse shoes/shamrocks appearing on doors, green spa pool water and more. The colors of the Irish flag (green/white/orange) will appear on beach umbrellas, disco mats, the 50's bar, as well as all flames (candles, fireplaces and outdoor camp fires). What else can you see that's changed in your space?

St Patrick's Day Room and Mission

Make sure you're wearing green before you head to the St Patrick's Day space.  There you'll find the best Irish bar in the Emerald Isle! 

There's also a door that takes you to the St Patrick's Day Mission: Can you help Lenny the Leprechaun? All his precious gold has been stolen and he needs your help to get it back.

There's also a special bonus mission in the mission space... but you'll have to find it!  It's hidden away because if you complete it, you'll get some top-secret information - a sneak preview of something new that's coming up soon!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

It was obvious to me that my usual red suit was not going to be good enough, and so here I am wearing my own St Patrick's Day outfit. I'm feeling very lucky in my new 4-leaf clover t-shirt, so I think I might have a good chance of finding and finishing the special St Patrick's Day bonus mission.

Then I think I may have a small drink in the St Patrick's Day space to refresh myself, before heading back to my space to redecorate using the St Patrick's day Theme.

May the luck of the Irish be with you all!

~Honesty Blaize

Hello darlings, it's Coco here with some exciting style news! I've been up burning the midnight oil with the Smallwear clothing design department (I of course added in a couple of drops of my favorite perfume just to make sure that the midnight oil was smelling just gorgeous). We've had the most marvelous time coming up with some new items for your SmallWorlds wardrobes.

Today I'm here to unveil four fabulous items that I know will truly enhance the looks you've all been working on...yes, there's bound to be something here that you are sure to adore!

Coco Finds her Inner Cowgirl

Do you know sweeties, I did not even know I had an inner cowgirl...that was until I tried on these new clothing items! Yes, there's something about my new leather cowboy boots, my new sweet rose patterned tube top and my gorgeous new leather jacket that really brings out something very 'earthy' in me! And, there's another exciting item too, one which should  really come in handy if you're attending any live music or other such event... and (like Coco, of course) you have all the right connections. It's a Backstage Pass! I saw Dan SmallWorlds wearing one over a white T-shirt earlier and it looked just fantastic.

Leather Jacket

An essential item in anyone's wardrobe, this jacket is made from the softest leather you can imagine. Darlings, you'll simply love the feel of it under your fingers. If you're wanting to look smart yet casual, this gorgeous leather jacket is the perfect item for you.

It's available for both guys and girls, and of course Smallwear stocks it in lots of different colors. You could go for classic black, or really step out with something more striking!  Whatever you choose, rest assured that you'll be looking great.

Cowboy Boots

If I were not such a stylishly refined person, I might say something like "Yeehaa Cowboy" quite loudly when I popped these boots on.

Of course I simply cannot quite manage to say things such as these, so I shall leave those kinds of phrases to you. These boots are really just darling,and I was very very pleased to add a pair to my SmallWorlds wardrobe. They look great on guys and girls and I know you're going to love them!

Rose Patterned Tube Top

Simply one of the prettiest items available in Smallwear; girls, don't you agree? You can really create something special with this top: it comes with the option to customize your very own look. Choose your own background & foreground color for something really stunning!

Try teaming this ravishing little top with a mini skirt or jeans  (and your new cowboy boots!) and you'll be looking really stylish!

Backstage Pass

As I'm sure you've already guessed, Coco has lead a fascinating life to date darlings, one which has included a great many Backstage Passes to all kinds of events.

Oh yes, they are absolutely an item worth having if you can get hold of one! They certainly open many doors and they enable all sorts of interesting experiences that you may not otherwise have. As well as being extremely useful, they look really very 'cool' too don't you think? I can really see these teaming very well with your t-shirts and singlets. Why not buy one for yourself today - who knows where it might lead you?

Give your wardrobe a real "Lift"

The great thing about new items is each one you purchase gives all your existing items such a wonderful "lift". Buying one or two new items can give you so many different looks when you combine them with the clothing items you currently own.

Style is of course all in how you put it all together. Yes my little sweet peas... just imagine you becoming like the artists' blank canvas and your clothing transforming into a stunning palette of gorgeous colors. Really you're all such a gorgeously stylish bunch, aren't you? Coco feels very excited to see what looks you'll come up with.

Combine them all for a trip straight to Nashville

Just as I told you; my gorgeous store is getting better all the time - do come visit and treat yourself to a whole new look. When Smallwear first opened, it was so easy to step out in-world looking fantastic. With these four new items, your capacity to put something together that's truly head-turning just got even easier, darlings. Do enjoy the new items, won't you!

~Coco SmallWorlds

Hello citizens, and a warm welcome to March! I do hope that you all managed to win your Prism of Beauty and then combobulate your items to get your simply gorgeous unicorn last month.

Excitingly, this month brings with it a whole new Loyalty Challenge series - the Magic Box Series! Starting with the new item this month, you'll need to collect each of the three magic boxes in March, April and May. Then in May you'll be able to visit the Combobulator Laboratory and transform those three magic boxes into a mystery reward item! The reward item is always so wonderful, that it's well worth making sure that you complete your Loyalty Challenge tasks each week.

I know you're just longing to know what this month's item is. Whatever it contains within is cloaked in secrecy. Indeed its a conundrum that we at SWHQ have been unable to crack. It's a box in which to hide something very special, very precious.

The Box Of Mystery

It looks remarkably like a box I saw once while traveling in Russia. I visited a very old museum, and this box was reportedly used by a sorcerer. The box was something he took with him wherever he went, he would never let it out of his sight. No-one ever knew what was in it, but legend tells that when he would open it a glow would emanate from within, and hauntingly beautiful sounds would fill the room. Oooooo! I definitely want to make sure I do my weekly challenges so that I can have my very own Box of Mystery. Made from extremely rare wood, complete with solid gold fittings, it's a truly unique piece. I'd just hate to miss out!

Loyalty Challenge Items are a Great Investment

I'd like to take this opportunity to point any new citizens (welcome to SmallWorlds!) who may be reading this article to something we published last year which contains important information about why Loyalty Challenge items make such a great investment.

The value of Loyalty Challenge items have always risen in price after they are released. You could even think about obtaining two Loyalty Challenge items, so you can Combobulate one set and keep the other. You can win one, and purchase another!

To win the Box of Mystery, you'll need to complete four weekly challenges before the end of March.

What's the Weekly Challenge?

The weekly challenge is to complete one Featured Mission, or one SuperRewards task each day for three days in a row.

The first weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 1000 tokens and move up to Emerald level.

The second weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 1500 tokens and move up to Sapphire level.

The third weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 2000 tokens and move up to Ruby level.

The fourth weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 3000 tokens and move up to Diamond level

As you complete each weekly challenge, you'll see your gems 'fill up' in your gem holder on the right side of your screen. The lines underneath show how many daily missions you have completed for the week.

Like to know more?

Once you've completed a weekly challenge, you won't lose that challenge if you skip a week or if a new month starts. When you complete the Diamond level you get the collectible for the current month.

To get all three Loyalty Challenge items in the Magic Box series, you'll need to complete four weekly challenges before the end of March, four by the end of April, and four by the end of May.

To read information about the Loyalty Challenge in-world, just click on your gem holders which are located at the top right of your screen.

Enjoy earning your gems in March!

There is just so much to do here on SmallWorlds, I just know you'll have lots of fun earning your gems in the month of March. Don't you just love it when we're at the beginning of a new Loyalty Challenge series.

I'm so looking forward to adding a really lovely magical and mysterious ambiance when I display my very own Box of Mystery in my space soon!

~ Honesty Blaize

Hello citizens.  It's my great pleasure to unveil some gorgeous new items for your kitchens. I know that many of you have been looking forward to adding more accessories to the room that is always the heart of any home.

The first new item is wonderful for sharing with friends.  The second should significantly simplify your SmallWorlds breakfasts, and the last one I feel is a rather essential item in anyone's refrigerator!  Introducing: a coffee maker, a toaster and a bottle of ketchup - all available in Ace's Appliances.

Coffee, Anyone?

Let's start with this very stylish looking coffee maker. There have been many times when I've invited citizens back to my space for an interview, and I've felt embarrassed that I was unable to offer them a really good cup of coffee.  Well, those days are over for me, and they can be for you too.

Let them eat....Toast!

My favorite breakfast is a very simple one - it's toast and coffee. That's why I was so delighted to get this darling toaster.  It glows red when it's switched on, and as you can see from the picture below, the toast really does pop up when it's done!

Real Ketchup for your Hot Dogs

I've always felt that the hot dogs we have here in-world needed just a little extra ketchup, although I was far too polite to say anything. I'm delighted that now I can pop on as much as I want to. Perhaps you'd like a little squeeze on your steak dinner? I recall a childhood friend of mine had a Scottish father who used to put some on his porridge in the mornings - just imagine!

I'm off for my second breakfast!

I'm sure you'll love these new kitchen items as much as I do. I'm overjoyed to see the the range of SmallWorlds kitchen items expanding, and what's more, I'm sure as eggs (excuse my pun!) that we'll be seeing more in the future.

Mmmm, I think I'll just have to go and make myself yet another cup of that delicious coffee, and of course another round of toast. The ketchup, however, is staying on the kitchen counter until I have hot dogs for dinner again.

~Honesty Blaize

Greetings citizens. I'm about to let you in on a little secret about me... I am a closet Trekkie. Yes, Star Trek has long been a true favorite of mine - and I confess that Captain James T Kirk is a bit of a hero to me! I like to think of him as "who I'd like to emulate if I were not a journalist". Being the devoted newsman that I am, I spend very little time ever thinking such things, but now and then the thought pops up.

As you can imagine, I was thrilled when the Art Department called me into a secret space in SmallWorlds to unveil the new space-themed items. I tried to keep my journalistic objectivity well in hand, but I just could not resist indulging some of my carefully hidden Star Trek fantasies once I was alone in the space.

I had such a lot of fun and I am quite sure you will too once you incorporate a few of these marvelous space-themed items into your space.

Match the new items with a new theme!

We've got a wonderful range of Themes here on SmallWorlds which would complement these new items perfectly. The most obvious is of course 'Deep Space', but you might like to try 'Terraformed' or even 'Frost Moon'.

You can pick a space theme by clicking on the Spanner Icon in your space settings bar and choosing "Theme".

The New Space Items

• Airlock Door - A reinforced airlock door with open/close functionality
  

• Airlock Window - A windowed wall with emergency shutter - can be set to open or closed
  

• Configurable Wall Corner - Sides can be configured to fit a variety of situations.

• Access Hatch - A ladder providing access to the maintenance levels. Sends out a pillar of light when in a darkened space.
  

• High Tech Wall - A wall containing important circuitry.

• Solar Lamp - A solar charged lamp, with on/off function.

• Plasma Generator - A machine capable of harnessing the energy within plasma cells - has an animation cycle.
  

• White, Green and Yellow Plasma Cells - Containers holding concentrated plasma energy (mission object).
  

• PDA - An advanced PDA device (mission object).

Enter the Best Space-Themed Space Competition

I know that there will be many citizens who will be extremely keen to rush out and redecorate their spaces with these rather wonderful items! Johnny Wilde and I thought that you'd all appreciate the opportunity to win some wonderful prizes while doing so. Do take a read of his story which will give you all the details you'll need to enter the competition - oh, and the very best of luck!

Coming soon... Best Space-Themed Mission competition

We are also intending to run a Best 'Space-Themed' mission competition very soon! You may want to keep this in mind while you are designing your spaces to enter the Best Space-Themed Space Competition. Oh, I am SO looking forward to your entries!

Kent Kronkite plays Star Trek

There's no doubt about it citizens, this latest collection of items is my favorite so far. Another SmallWorlds staff member popped in while I was having my little 'play', and I was in full 'Trekkie' mode! I was having so much fun I managed to stay in-role. It was really quite a step-outside-my-comfort-zone moment for me!

Here's me standing beside the Plasma Generator, with the PDA device, Solar Lamp and some Plasma Cells at my feet.

If you keep reading, you can see I've also included a few more pictures of me interacting with the new items. I actually lost count of how many times I went in and out of that Airlock Door!

Beam me Up, Dan!

The Plasma Generator

Vital Circuitry Hidden in the Walls

The Access Hatch

Your Mission: Grab some space-themed items for your SmallWorlds space!

Citizens, I'm sure you'll enjoy these new items just as much as I have. I confess that I indulged myself with a few rather exciting thoughts which involved a total redesign of the SmallWorlds Chronicle Head Office, in a Space theme of course.

I ended up deciding that it was not really appropriate (Honesty gave me quite a stern frown when I brought it up after I had finished playing with the space items). She reminded me that it would most likely distract me from my work, which of course would simply never do.

So, I shall just have to satisfy myself with seeing how you all utilize these new items within your SmallWorlds spaces. I can well imagine that before too long it will be a 'Trekkies dream' out there in-world - and I for one am certainly looking forward to this with great anticipation! Just imagine all the the new space missions that are bound to crop up. Oh yes, I am feeling very excited indeed.

Do make a visit soon to Dan's Imports and pick up your very own Plasma Generator (and don't forget about all the other fantastic items). Remember - the future of the Starship Enterprise may be at stake!

~ Kent Kronkite

PS: Don't forget to enter your space-themed space into the Best Space-Themed Space competition, details here. You'll be in with a chance to win some great prizes.

Greetings citizens. I've got really exciting news to share with you that should have you all racing off to spin the wheel double quick! Spin to Win is landing on some really big Gold payouts for some citizens. There are a few of you around who may have wondered if that elusive 100,000 Gold was even possible to win. Well I can tell you that it most certainly is. Below I talk to Jake Sager who's just won 100,000 Gold!

Who knows, maybe you'll be next? Of course there's only one way to find out if you'll get lucky citizens...you simply have to Spin to Win!

Spin to Win every 6 hours - Win a prize every time!

If you want to increase your chances of winning that big jackpot of 100,000 Gold - make sure you spin as often as you can to maximize your chances. Remember, you are guaranteed a prize on each and every spin, so it's always worth the effort to spin as often as you can each day. I know someone who has set a 'Spin to Win' alarm on their computer so they never miss their chance to spin. You can spin every 6 hours.

Let's go and meet Jake, as well as a few other lucky Spin to Win winners.

Jake Sager - 100,000 Gold Winner!

Jake's been playing in SmallWorlds for almost a year and lives in Yorkshire, England. After all the bells went off here at SWHQ to signal that the 100,000 Gold had been won I went in-world to seek him out. He was certainly feeling very excited as you can imagine, and I think initially was not even sure that it had really happened! A quick check in his SmallWorlds account confirmed it, that yes he really had just won 100,000 Gold!

Kent: Jake, many congratulations to you on your very big win, you must be feeling so excited. You are our first 100,000 Gold Spin to Win winner!

Jake: Yes, I was so surprised and happy! In fact, at first I was not even sure that it was true!

Kent: Jake, do you try your luck on the spin to win wheel very often?

Jake: I've been spinning it around 2 times a day when I can.

Kent: Jake, I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering what might possibly be on your SmallWorlds wish list! Would you care to share with us what your spending plans are?

Jake: I haven't given it much thought yet Kent. All I know is that I'd like a Curious George Monkey Suit - but beyond that I'm not too sure!

Kent: What do you like to do here on SmallWorlds, Jake? How do you spend your time here?

Jake: I mainly do missions, try and level up and just generally hang out with my friends!

Kent: Thanks so much Jake, its been really nice to meet you. Once again, congratulations on your big win! Is there anything else you've like to say to the citizens of SmallWorlds?

Jake: Thanks Kent! The last thing I'd like to say is that I really thought that it wasn't possible to win and that the Spin to Win wheel was rigged, but I can tell you for sure that it's not!

(It was so nice to see that Jake was wearing his I ♥ Haiti t-shirt when we met. They are only available for another few days citizens, please do make your donation now to show your support to the people of Haiti.)

More Winners

Did you know that we have had almost 150 winners of 5,000 Gold, and even more citizens who have won 1,000 Gold? Here are a couple of the winners of smaller prizes, talking about how it feels to win Gold.

Ursula VMK - Winner: 1000 Gold

Kent: Hi Ursula. My congratulations to you! How long have you been playing in SmallWorlds and where in the world do you live?

Ursula: Thanks Kent, yes I was really pleased! I've been playing Smallworlds since September 1, 2008! I currently reside in Australia! :-)

Kent: How did it feel to win Gold on Spin to Win?

Ursula: When I heard they'd added another great feature to SmallWorlds, I was very impressed! Now this is something to look forward to! Those who don't like doing missions now have the chance to get something! Anyways, when I spun and it hit 1k Gold, I was ecstatic! Now that 1k Gold will be used for something very productive! Thank you again Crew!!!

Ursula: I love this new addition! This is something I think we all look forward to spinning every 6 hours or so! (DON"T FORGET TO GET SOME SLEEP!! :P) Even if you do not happen to get a "big" prize, the tokens really do add up!

Evil Ken-Evil - Winner: 1000 Gold

(I tried in earnest to link up with Evil in-world for a photo... but we kept missing each other! Here I am having a celebratory drink in her honor!)

Kent: I see that you were one of our 1000 Gold winners - congratulations! Do tell me about your win!

Evil: When I won - It was a early weekday morning. I logged onto Smallworlds.com and signed in (all the basics...). Suddenly the 'Spin to Win' wheel sped up. A few seconds later I was delighted to find that I had won 1000 Gold!

Kent: How tremendously exciting for you, not to mention a great way to start the day!

Evil: Oh Yes! When I received the 1000 Gold, I was delighted! Before I won this amount i had been winning the low tokens of 450 tokens and 350 tokens. I was thrilled, words could not explain it. Even though all of you may think, "oh it's only 1000 Gold", it's not just 'only 1000 Gold' its a FREE gift of 1000 Gold, which made me happy that I was one of the people who received it. :)

Kent: Yes, winning something is really quite exciting! Have your feelings about the wheel changed as a result of your win?

Evil: I for one love the Spin to Win wheel. Free and easy way to get Gold and Tokens just by a click of a button. Simply amazing! I am so happy - it's not like a few other games which you have to pay to spin the wheel and may not even get your whole amount of money back. This feature is simply fabulous. I'd love to see more features like this in the future. :)

Good Luck Everyone!

So citizens, there are just three of our lucky winners, but there are plenty more out there.

The wheel is an easy, free and exciting way to win a prize. You're guaranteed to win some tokens, or perhaps you too will be lucky enough to win some Gold. Yes, the "I won Gold on Spin to Win" club is growing by the day!

It's so easy to be in with a chance to win. Just log in to SmallWorlds and spin that wheel. Perhaps you'll be our next big winner!

From all of us here at the SmallWorlds Chronicle, we wish all citizens the very best of luck for your next spin!

~ Kent Kronkite

Thank you once again to everyone who participated in the competition. There were so many great entries and again it was with much relief that we were able to hand over the final decision to the SmallWorlds community. If you'd like to see the story which featured all 15 semi-finalists, you can view the Chronicle article here.

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to our wonderfully talented winners.

Winner - Best Painting: Mrs Jassy

Mrs Jassy won a landslide victory in The Best Painting category - she received a total of 1,003 votes.  That number of votes also makes her our overall winner of the competition - which means she receives a total of 10,000 Gold for her win!  Congratulations, Mrs Jassy!

Kent: Mrs Jassy, well done to you for creating such a wonderful entry. As we can all see, you won by a lot of votes. How did it feel when you found you'd won?

Mrs Jassy: WOOOOOT!!! That's how I felt when I discovered I had won! Also, I felt so grateful to everyone who voted for me :) THANK YOU!!! Thank you SMALLWORLDS!!!

Kent: Have you been playing long?

Mrs Jassy: I've been playing SmallWorlds since January 15 2009...Just after the Snowfox was taken off the shelf...lol...I live in Montreal Canada...So if any of you start a conversation with me and you think I'm making a lot of typos...I have a good excuse..lol..I'm French.lol!

Kent: Tell me a little about your creative journey here on SmallWorlds?

Mrs Jassy: A couple of months after I started playing here...I discovered that drawing on the graffiti boards came easy to me...So I painted myself...(my avatar) and Zenzen Supernova saw it and ordered the very first Mrs Jassy Avatar portrait!! After that I had a list so long it took two graffiti board to write all the name of avatars I had to draw! LOL...I kept on bringing my price up...But they kept coming. I eventually never finished the lists..:(...I was longing to paint other things. And then Tin City and his wonderful EBAY came along and I had an other reason to paint again...And then your wonderful contest!!! I could not let an avatar painting contest go by without Mrs Jassy.

Kent: Where can we see more of your work?

Mrs Jassy: You can see my work all over the place...UAG..Ebay...The Bathroom again...Blaze's Art Inferno and so many more. Wheezy has even bought a couple of my pieces for her private collection...(What an Honor!) I also had the pleasure of painting her avatar portrait :)

Kent: I'm interested in what you like to do here on SmallWorlds? How do you like to spend your time?

Mrs Jassy: I paint, paint, paint, and I paint...And in my free time I hang with my real and fake life sister BadKitty, and we paint!!!

Kent: Well, it's something you are certainly very good at. Congratulations again on your fantastic entry - a well deserved win!

Winner - Most Creative: Christine Knight

Christine Knight swept away the prize for Most Creative Entry with a total of 983 votes.

Kent: Christine, my warmest congratulations to you on your win! How did you feel when you discovered you had won?

Christine: I was very excited! I'd joked with my friends that painting "Dogs Playing Poker" might give me a "leg up" in the competition (forgive me, I love puns), but I had no idea the theme would get such a great response. :D

Kent:How long have you been playing in SmallWorlds and where do you live?

Christine: I've been playing since Sept. 2009. I live in the USA, near Atlanta, GA.

Kent: How long did your entry take to complete?

Christine: It took a few days, but that's because I'm involved in several different projects, both here and in real life, so I had to struggle to get in the painting time I needed. Thankfully I got it done before the contest deadline! :)

Kent: Do you look anything like your avi in real life :- )  ?

Christine: She's a lot prettier than I am, lol! I do have dark hair, but my eyes are brown.

Kent: Christine, do you do a lot of artwork in SmallWorlds already? Where might we see more of your work?

Christine: Most of the art I've done so far is all over Smallworlds with different owners, but here's a few places to look: The Knight Gallery (my gallery), and the Knight Gallery Christmas Annex. My best piece to date is currently in the 2nd floor of United Artists Gallery (It's titled "Pegasus" and was in the Create Art "Myth" Show last month). And I have a new piece I hope to be able to auction with Ebay soon---It's titled "The Pool Room."

Kent: What do you like to do in SmallWorlds - how do you like to spend your time?

Christine: I love to visit my friends and to paint, but a lot of my time is also spent in working as Public Relations Officer for Paragon Plaza and our Monthly Art Competition. Sunnyd Rockon is our Chief Operations Officer; she's a real joy to work with and a terrific friend. Cheapin Dale and Clarice Racks manage our Thrift Shop, Hap Lo manages our Art Auction House, and Sunny manages our Donations Room. We have a great Board of Directors and some wonderful people who work as Judges. Everyone on our team is dedicated to promoting Art and encouraging up-and-coming artists---it's great to work with such amazing, dedicated people. And kudos to the artists---you guys rock!

Kent: It was a pleasure to speak with you, Christine - thanks so much!

Winner: Best Use of Color - Ibenezer Twilightlover

Ibenezer Twilightlover won the Best use of Color category by winning a total of 669 votes.

Kent: Congratulations, Ibenezer! You entry certainly got a lot of votes. It must have been very exciting to win?

Ibenezer: I felt really amazing when I saw I was in the Semi-Finalists. I never really thought I could get that far but I did and I'm glad. I feel really happy that they have chosen me to win and I thank all of you who voted for me! I've been playing in SmallWorlds for about 11 months and this is definitely one of the most exciting things to have happened!

Kent: Around how long did you spend on creating your entry? And, is it a true self-portrait?

Ibenezer: My entry didn't take much. It took like about 40 minutes to make. I do look like my avi in real life but not in the style of the hair. My hair is way longer but I tried to make her look like me!

Kent: Do you do a lot of artwork in SmallWorlds already? Where can we see some more of your work?

Ibenezer: Yes I have made a lot of different art works. I have sold some and I'd be really happy to share some with you. Anyone is welcome to come to my space to see more of them.

Kent: Thank you, Ibenezer, I'll be sure to come and make a visit sometime. Any tips for other SmallWorlds artists?

Ibenezer: Well I can tell all of you that painting is really awesome and you should try it sometime! I would recommend to you all: 1) Be creative, 2) Be yourself, 3) have enthusiasm for art, 4) always do the best you can, 5) make your greatest effort, 6) have a creative spirit, 7) passion for self-expression through art, 8) create and appreciate.

Kent:Thank you so much again, Ibenezer, and we hope you enjoy your prize!

The end of another successful SmallWorlds competition

Honesty and I would like to offer our most sincere congratulations to our three lucky winners.  Ibenezer and Christine have received an additional 3,000 Gold to bring their winnings up to 5000 Gold each.  Mrs Jassy has received a total of 10,000 Gold for being our overall winner! Yet again, it's been a simply wonderful competition and a lot of fun was had by all. We're looking forward to the next competition very much - watch the Chronicle (and the forums) for details!

~ Kent Kronkite

It's not long before Valentine's Day will be here. Yes, romance is definitely in the air, and we've got some fantastic item replacements to help you create some real romantic ambiance in your space!

We've got a special treat this year - a fantastic Valentine's Day package with a special exclusive item - a bunch of Pink Roses! We also have red roses you can purchase in the Valentines Day space.

February 14th also coincides with a very important day in the Chinese calendar, it's the start of the year of the Tiger - see below for our Chinese New Year theme replacements.

Valentine's Day Package

Ready to shower your Valentine with gifts? With this package, you'll be able to choose more than just one!  With no less than 10 boxes of special Valentines chocolates, 14,000 SmallWorlds Gold to spend, and our exclusive bunch of Pink Roses to gift to someone really special; I know you'll be rushing out to buy this great value package.

The pink roses are an Exculsive item, which means that they will only ever be sold as part of a bundle. Exclusive items may be re-released as part of a different package at a later date, but they will never be available for purchase in any official SmallWorlds store.

Valentines Day Space and Mission!

We've also created a special Valentines Day space and mission for you. Once you get inside the space, you'll be able to buy the new item we've released - a gorgeous bunch of red roses. The red roses are a Seasonal Item, which means they will be available for sale for a limited time only, but will be sold again in an official store at a later date (probably next Valentine's Day). 

The Valentines Day mission can be accessed from within the space, or if you'd like to you can go straight to the mission - have fun!

The Theme is Love!

Simply click on your space theme settings (click on the spanner icon in the space information panel). You'll see a new theme in the dropdown theme options list called "Valentines Day". Click this and you'll activate a whole lot of delightfully romantic replacements in your space!

Below you can see all the in-world replacements that will magically appear when you activate the Valentines Day theme.

A Gift for your Valentine

Perhaps you've got a special someone you'd like to invite to your place for a Valentine's Day treat? Make their visit even more meaningful by having a Valentine's gift all ready for them. We've changed the wrapping paper on wrapped gifts - they're covered in lovehearts! Of course the Valentine's Day theme will need to be activated to see the new wrapping paper.

Remember that the Happy Valentines package above comes with 14,000 SmallWorlds Gold to spend on gifts. Here I am in Smallwear trying to decide on a piece of jewelery as a gift for my special someone - can you guess who it might be...? I thought a necklace or ring would go just perfectly with the Pink Roses that come with the Valentine's Day package.

I confess citizens that I am feeling really rather shy about  going through with my Valenties Day plans, but I am determined to gather up enough courage to go through with it all!

I do hope you all truly enjoy your Valentine's Day gift buying, and the new Valentine's Day item replacements. They will be available in-world from today through to February 19th.

Chinese New Year

Valentine's Day coincides with another important day in 2010, the beginning of the Chinese New Year!

It's the year of the Golden Tiger, and to kick off the celebrations, we've already released our February Monthly Collectible, Lao the Golden Tiger - he's available in Mysterio's now!

To celebrate Chinese New Year in style, we'd suggest firstly making a trip to Mysterio's to pick up your very own Lao, and then activating the new Chinese New Year theme in your space theme settings (just follow the directions as indicated above for the Valentines Day theme).

Here are the replacements we've got for you, they will be available from the 9th of February through until the 19th of February.

We've also created a Chinese New Year space - where you can stock up on all the Chinese New Year items, and a Chinese New Year mission.I'm sure I hardly need to tell you which collectible you'd be best to wear when completing this mission - Roar!

Happy Valentines Day and Happy Chinese New Year!

Such a lot to celebrate citizens... it's really quite an exciting time! I hope I don't get mixed up with the two themes when I invite my Valentine to come to my space and accept her Valentine's gift! I'm a little worried that I might be so nervous that I turn on the wrong theme! I'd just hate to be wearing my Golden Tiger suit and letting off fireworks and accidentally frighten her away!

Anyway, I'm off to choose my gift for my Valentine, and I do hope she likes it.

~ Kent Kronkite

Hey citizens, if you live in the USA, I bet you're feeling pretty excited about this coming weekend!

For those of you not in the know, it's a day when two American Football teams come together to battle it out on the field. It's the most watched American TV broadcast... and the day on which it is played is now considered an American public holiday! Yes, it's Superbowl Sunday!

February 2010 = NFL Super Bowl XLIV

This year the battle will be fought between The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. I'm totally excited, and I can't wait to settle down on the sofa with some friends, some root beer and snacks and switch the TV on. I ask you - could a Sunday get any better than that?

New Clothing Release - Customizable Sports Shirts!

Yes it could - and the rest of the days of the week just got better too! We've released these awesome new sports shirts here on SmallWorlds so now you can show your team loyalty in-world as well as in RL!

Drop in to Smallwear and customize a sports shirt that will shout out to anyone who sees you just where your Superbowl allegiance lies. Choose a background color and a contrasting trim color, then finish off the look with a  sports themed logo of your choice: football, ice hockey or soccer. Hey, you could customize a different sports shirt for every single day of the week!

Do you know that there was one person in the office who actually raced me to Smallwear to check out the new shirts. Its not that hard to guess who, is it?  Hint 1 - it was not Kent Kronkite.

Yes, it was Coco SmallWorlds. She was off to Smallwear faster than I can shoot someone with my Toxic Waste gun in Magma Core Pro.

She took a couple of shots while there, and begged me to include them in the story. She's such a nice lady, I said yes, so here goes! Here's the customize window she opened up, showing you all the various color and logo options.

I don't really go for the light pink football shirt myself Coco. I'm pretty sure there are NO teams in the NFL wearing light pink with green trim.

Me? I'm going down to SmallWorlds to customize one shirt in Colts colors and one in Saints. Hey, I Iive outside of the US so I don't need to choose!

Sports Shirts - A Permanent Clothing item!

The other great thing about the new sports shirts is that they are a permanent item in Smallwear; we're not just releasing them for the NFL season.

Whenever the next big sporting event hits your town, you'll be able to drop in to SmallWorlds and grab your team colors!  You and your friends can even make your own sports team and suit up in the same gear.

Here's me in one of the sports shirts I grabbed this morning. Hey and for those of you who are into it, I hope you have an awesome time watching the NFL Superbowl this weekend - woot!

And a big shout out to the SmallWorlds wardrobe department for adding in the sport shirts.

At last, there's some clothing that's 100% my style!

~ Johnny Wilde

Hello ctizens.  Where does the time go? It's the first of the month already, which means that its time to unveil the new Loyalty Challenge item. I'm always so excited at the end of the month when I get called upstairs and the new item has the covers thrown off and we all get to see what it is! This month's item is really quite special. 

And here it is, the simply gorgeous February Loyalty challenge item. I have been trying to search for the right words to describe this amazing light-splitting gem, but one just keeps on coming back to me time and time again, and that word is.... Beautiful!

Don't you agree citizens, that the Prism of Beauty is the prettiest of the three crystal series items? I could stare at it for hours. It's amazing how it takes in light and then splits it into all the colors of the rainbow. I quite simply adore it!

It's a Unicorn - Your Combobulated Reward Item!

And if that wasn't enough, after all the months of waiting for information, 'the cat is finally out of the bag' when it comes to the combobulated reward item (and citizens, it's far, far more exciting than a cat I can tell you!)

I was literally shaking with excitement when I first laid eyes on this absolutely beautiful creature. If you've collected all three items in the Loyalty Challenge crystal series (Dec, Jan and Feb) I'm very excited to tell you that you'll be able to visit the Combobulator Laboratory, pop your three crystals in and receive your very own Unicorn!

This unicorn has a little magic surprise for you too - it shoots rainbows! 

Loyalty Challenge Items are a Great Investment

Take a read of an article we published a few months ago, it talks about why it is that getting your own Prism of Beauty is a great investment, as the value of Loyalty Challenge items have always risen in price after they are released. You could even think about obtaining two Loyalty Challenge items, so you can Combobulate one set and keep the other. The Prism of Beauty is so lovely that I shall definitely be taking my own advice!

To win the Prism of Beauty you'll need to complete four weekly challenges before the end of February.

What's the Weekly Challenge?

The weekly challenge is to complete one Featured Mission, or one SuperRewards task each day for three days in a row.

The first weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 1000 tokens and move up to Emerald level.

The second weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 1500 tokens and move up to Sapphire level.

The third weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 2000 tokens and move up to Ruby level.

The fourth weekly challenge you complete, you'll win 3000 tokens and move up to Diamond level

As you complete each weekly challenge, you'll see your gems 'fill up' in your gem holder on the right side of your screen. The lines underneath show how many daily missions you have completed for the week.

Like to know more?

Once you've completed a weekly challenge, you won't lose that challenge if you skip a week or if a new month starts. When you complete the Diamond level you get the collectible for the current month.

To get all three Loyalty Challenge items in the Crystal Series, you'll need to complete four weekly challenges before the end of December, four by the end of January, and four by the end of February.

To read information about the Loyalty Challenge in-world, just click on your gem holders which are located at the top right of your screen.

Enjoy earning your gems and meeting your unicorn in February!

I hope you have a ton of fun earning your gems in the month of February. It's always even more exciting when you know there's not only the new Loyalty Challenge item to win, but an exciting visit to the Combobulator to look forward to as well!

I'm so looking forward to introducing my Unicorn to my Fire-Breathing Phoenix. I'm sure they'll be firm friends - I certainly hope so anyway! Now I just need to come up with a name for him... or is it perhaps a her? I think I'll wait and meet my unicorn first and I'm sure the right name will come to me.

~ Honesty Blaize

Hello there citizens, I'm here to report on the results of our latest exciting competition. I'm sure it's felt like a simply eternal wait for all of you who sent in your entries!

Kent and I have spent lots of time looking through them all, and  we've chosen what we feel are the top 5 in each of the three categories. Our 15 lucky winners have all received 2000 Gold, and the top award in each category  (chosen by you, voting below) will each win an additional 3000 Gold! Voting closes midnight SWT on the 3rd of February, so get your vote in today.

By the look of the entries, I think we can confidently say that a lot of fun was had. It may even have encouraged some of you with little or no art experience to embark on a new and rewarding hobby. Kent and I would like to thank all of you who entered the competition, we've had a ton of fun judging it!

Which 3 artists will you choose to vote for?

It's with a true sense of relief that we now turn the competition over to the wider SmallWorlds community to choose the winners in each category. Kent and I found it tremendously difficult choosing the top 5 within each, so we're awfully pleased it's not up to us! When you see the talent displayed below, I think you'll agree that it's a very difficult choice.

With 15 talented artists to talk to and very limited space, we decided we would not seek comments from the semi-finalists, but we will be conducting in-depth interviews with the three lucky category winners when voting closes.

'Best Painting' Category

This category is for the painting experts. What we said was: "Painting skill will be paramount in this category. We are looking for an excellent likeness of your SmallWorlds avatar, and a great picture as a whole." Here are the five we selected from the many excellent entries:

The Five Semi-Finalists - Best Painting

Best Painting Semi-Finalist 1 - Viola Fats

Best Painting Semi-Finalist 2 - Tunococ Coconut

Best Painting Semi-Finalist 3 - Mrs Jassy

Best Painting Semi-Finalist 4 - Sleiya Ajiyeh

Best Painting Semi-Finalist 5 - Kota Phillips

Most Creative Entry Category

These entries were judged on 'the whole picture', with emphasis placed on the background, as well as the placement of the avatar in the picture. Points were awarded for creativity in this category, as you'll see from the winners below!

The Semi-Five Finalists - Most Creative Entry

Most Creative Entry Semi-Finalist 1 - Idda Ratherbehome

Most Creative Entry Semi-Finalist 2 - Gothik Man

Most Creative Entry Semi-Finalist 3 - Joe Schmoe the 2nd

Most Creative Entry Semi-Finalist 4 - Ryo Yogashiva

Most Creative Entry Semi-Finalist 5 - Christine Knight

Best Use Of Color Category

This category was aimed at less practiced artists. We encouraged entrants to make their painting bold and colorful. We looked for paintings where it looked like the artist had a lot of fun creating it, choosing paintings that made us smile!

The Five Semi-Finalists - Best Use of Color

Best Use of Color Semi-Finalist 1 - Ibenezer Twilightlover

Best Use of Color Semi-Finalist 2- Natalie Pratt

Best Use of Color Semi-Finalist 3 - Frost Rose

Best Use of Color Semi-Finalist 4 - Diogo Lus

Best Use of Color Semi-Finalist 5- Lalaina Jameson

Cast Your Vote before 3rd February!

We'll leave the poll open until midnight, Wednesday 3rd February SWT. Do make sure you get your votes in before then; tell your friends and get them to vote too! I'll be doing a followup report, complete with interviews with the three category winners in the week following. I can hardly wait to see who wins!

Finally, we'd like to offer our congratulations once again to the 15 very talented finalists above. Good luck to you all. I'm so looking forward to meeting the three citizens choice award winners.

~Honesty Blaize

Hello there dear citizens, it's a pleasure to be here! I'm Coco SmallWorlds, and I'll  be coming to you from within the Chronicle every week when my new column is launched in the first week of February! I'm SmallWorlds very own virtual fashionista - I like to call myself a Virtualista!

Perhaps you are just like me, barely able to tear yourself out of SmallWear...so busy creating fantastic new looks. If this sounds familiar, I've got something you're absolutely going to love!

Coco's Weekly Style Icon Competition

Each and every week you'll be able to enter your outfits into my weekly style competition - click here to enter your look this week! There's a chance for you to win one of two prizes of 2000 Gold if I choose you as one of my two weekly "SmallWorlds Style Icons".

Have you visited Smallwear yet? Oh it's just divine... always such a thrill to come up with a really unique new look. I've seen some truly chic citizens walking around since we opened the store. Don't be shy darlings, play around with all the different color combinations, grab some nail varnish and jewellery, and then it's time to accessorize, accessorize, accessorize - and you'll come up with a truly unique look that's bound to turn heads.

Shelley - our resident NPC

Oh, and have you met Shelley, the SmallWear NPC? She's really a very sweet girl, always willing to help and you can have some really funny conversations with her. Pop in and meet her - she really adds an extra dimension to the experience of updating your wardrobe!

I'd like to take you on a short tour around Smallwear - I'll show you some of what's available for guys and girls, and I'll show you what Dan SmallWorlds and Kent Kronkite ended up choosing (with a little help from Coco of course!).

Try before you Buy!

Oh what a terrible morning it was when I awoke in my long johns on the day of the 2.2 release. Even though I was warned, nothing darlings could have prepared me for the shock. I let out a very big shriek, which had Kent running to my rescue, dear man. He of course was also wearing long johns, which only made me shriek once again!

Once I had recovered enough, I braved my way to Smallwear to make my clothing choices. I'd never been out in public in my underwear before, so it was really rather a challenge for poor poor Coco!

I'm sure that like me, you'll love the "Try before you Buy" feature, meaning you can experiment with different colors before you make your purchase choices. Just click on any item and then click Try On. Keep trying till you find the perfect look - it's delicious fun!

Clothing Vouchers

It was such a relief to discover clothing vouchers in my inventory to pay for some of my clothing. I found that if I had enough vouchers for an item, my vouchers would come up as a payment option.

Really, getting dressed up again was so much fun I quickly forgot my terrible embarrassment!  I simply LOVE my purple dress, black shoes and black "punk" belt.

And darlings, just look at those stockings! I could not resist a pair. You can even customize the stripes! I chose black and purple - Fabulous! There's plenty more luscious offerings that we ladies have available - Oooooo I love it!

Smallwear for Women

Here's a few views of some of the options in Women's clothing - simply gorgeous dresses; short and long skirts; baggy & skinny jeans. Very stylish tops and jackets. And all in every color imaginable. You'll have to come in to see the full range. Here's a shot of me in those hilarious long johns!

And another shot of more gorgeous items. Really, you'll simply have to come visit and see the range for yourself!

Oh and lets not forget those accessories... they'll really jazz your look.

Smallwear for Men - Dan & Kent get dressed!

When I met up with Dan in SmallWear he declared that he felt that the long johns were the most comfortable thing he'd worn all year! I told him very strongly that under no circumstances was he going to be allowed to keep them on. He was a little resistant, but once he took a look at the options available, I think you'll agree that he made some great choices! 

Kent the dear man, was so happy to have a little assistance... I really tried to lead him into some more interesting fashion territory, but he is very attached to his style and really, I must say that it does rather suit him! He would only try on his new outfits on in privacy, so here we are in Honesty's space (while she was out!). What do you think of these new looks for Kent?

'Style with Coco' & Club Virtualista

Darlings, do check out my new column next week in the Chronicle. I'm just so excited...it will include:

• Ask Coco - A fashion Q&A, you get to send your fashion issues direct to Coco
  

• Weekly Style Tips - essential and simply unmissable
  

• SmallWorlds Fashion Icons - weekly competition winners
  

• Club Virtualista News
  

Do remember to enter your fantastic fashion creation this week on the SmallWorlds Style Icons competition forum thread. I'll announce this week's winners in my very first column!

Club Virtualista

As well as 'Style with Coco' in the Chronicle, I've also formed a brand new club in SmallWorlds that I'd simply LOVE for you to join.

Simply search in "Groups" for Club Virtualista and join me on my quest for impeccable virtual style! I'll send weekly messages to club members: fashion tips, reminders to enter my weekly SmallWorlds Style Icons competition, and invites to in-world style events. I'd love to have you as a member, so I'm hoping you join today - Viva the Fashion Revolution! Here I am inside Club Virtualista, our club space. Come and join me for a glass of bubbly sometime - of course it's the only thing we drink in here!

I am tremendously excited to be here and I'm so looking forward to meeting more of you in-world! I"ll make sure I drop in now and then to SmallWear to meet you, as well as to update my own wardrobe of course - do watch for me! Members of Club Virtualista will be given advance warning of some of my appearances!

Do come and visit my fabulous store, Smallwear; it's just full of truly gorgeous items. With all the luscious styles, yummy color combinations and fabulous accessories available for you, SmallWorlds is most definitely your fashion oyster, darlings!

Well it's ciao for now from Coco. I can't wait to see your Style Icon entries, I'm simply shivering with anticipation, darlings!

~ Coco SmallWorlds

I certainly hope you'll enjoy discovering all the new features as much as I did.  Here is some important information about the release to help you get started. In this article I've answered some of your most important questions, like "Why am I wearing long johns?" and "How do I teach my pet to dance the Fandago?"

Happy Version 2.2, everyone!

Clothes Shopping!

Citizens, I know you've been eagerly waiting for this... and now in-world clothes shopping is here!

Why not head to SmallWorlds' very first clothing store and check it out?  You can try on whatever you like, and purchase items only when you're happy with your new look.

Clothes are now held in your inventory, just like wearables, so you can take clothing items on and off while you're in-world. 

Hey! Where Have All My Clothes Gone?

The SmallWorlds developers are, in my humble opinion, the cleverest in the world.  So when they gave me a complicated explanation of why it was impossible to keep the clothes you and I were wearing under the old system, I just nodded a lot and pretended to understand.

The important thing to know is that they've had to reset everyone's avatars.  If you're an existing user you'll be wearing long-johns when you first jump back in-world.  The great news is that you'll find some one-off Clothing Gift Vouchers in your inventory, so you can head straight to Smallwear and dress yourself for free!

If you're a new user (or you create a new avatar), you'll get to choose a very basic outfit to start off with, then you'll be prompted to complete a mission to learn about changing your look in-world and buying clothes before heading to Smallwear.

Stockings, Dresses, Boots, Trainers and More!

As well as the clothing you're already familiar with, we've added some wonderful new items. New clothes for girls includes stockings, dresses, bracelets, and nail varnish. Boys have amazing new jeans, tops, trainers and boots.

And that's not all... now you can layer your clothes.  You could wear a t-shirt underneath a dress, or a short-sleeved shirt over a baseball shirt!

After spending a little time with the SmallWorlds developers, I now appreciate what a big job it was to open this first clothing store.  The great news is that now that the new clothing system has been implemented, it will be a lot easier to add more clothing in the future.  That means that new clothing items will start to be released more frequently than ever before!

Introducing the Home Page

The new Home Page is the biggest change made for Version 2.2, and you'll notice it straight away. It's designed so that you don't always have to go in-world to keep an eye on what's going on. You'll be able to look after your pet, grow a plant, play games and see the status of your avatar, all at a glance.

You can use the new Home/World button on the top SmallWorlds Toolbar to go in-world from the Home Page, and back again. 

If you click the World button you'll jump to the Landing Pad, unless you've already been in-world, in which case you'll jump back to the last space you were in.

You'll notice there are three tabs on your Home Page. Let's take a closer look...

The Me Tab

The 'ME' tab gives you immediate access to your avatars, pets, places, and XP information, as well as the new Spin To Win game. Simply choose the avatar you wish to enter the world with on the Avatar Selector before jumping to the space you want. 

If you're new to SmallWorlds, you don't need to customize your avatar before entering the world for the first time. You can just select a few basic avatar options and jump straight in.

The Community Tab

Here's where you'll find your all-time favorite newspaper - the SmallWorlds Chronicle! You'll find all the regular columns you know and love. Come visit! We're just one small click away.

On this tab, you'll also find your Forum links, so you can easily access the different Forum sections, your Citizen Leaderboard, and Current Events (alerts).

The Places Tab

The Places Tab is just what is says - a direct link to all your favorite SmallWorlds spots! This tab shows you a Featured Space, popular places, your favorites, and a whole lot more. 

Edit Your Avatar

Editing your avatar is now done in-world.  Just click on yourself and select Change Look.

Access to the Dance Studio is just as easy!  Click on yourself and select the Dance Moves link.

Edit Your Pet

When you get inworld, you'll notice that you can change your pet's look, name and description, just by clicking on your pet. 

Feeding and caring for your pet is all done through the Home Page... for now.

Select Change Name to change your pet's name and give your pet its own motto.

Select Change Look to change the way your pet looks.

Care For Your Pet

Your pet's head is now shown on your Home Page, and you can feed, pat and clean him or her straight from there! 

By keeping your pet happy, well-fed and clean, you'll earn points (these are shown in the award ribbon next to your pet's name).

When you collect enough points, you can 'spend' them buying some amazing new pet dances. Your pet could do the Fandago... or dance the Salsa or even some Ballet!

I've given you more details on buying these new pet dances just below.

Pat your pet to increase Pet Happiness
Click the Hand Icon once. Your cursor will change into a hand. Move this hand curser over your pet's head in a stroking motion (no need to hold down the mouse button). When the happiness bar is full, click your mouse to release it.

Feed your pet to increase Pet Health
Click the Food Icon once. Then click on your pet's head to feed it. Repeat this until the health bar is full

Clean your pet to increase Pet Hygiene
Click the Soap Icon once. Your cursor will change into a bar of soap. Move the soap over your pet's head to wash it (no need to hold down the mouse button). The faster you move your mouse, the more soap suds you'll see and the faster your pet will get clean! When the hygiene bar is full, click your mouse to release it.

Click on the Price Ticket Icon to buy new dances for your pet with the points you've earned.

About Pet Points

Pet points are gained and lost based on how your pet is feeling. If your pet stays happy (all three bars stay in the green) you will gain a pet point per day. If your pet is upset with you because you haven't been looking after it, (one or more of your sliders are in the red), you will not earn any points. If one or more sliders are at zero, then you will lose a pet point per day.

Pet points are avatar/pet specific, so if you have various pets it's a good idea to keep them all happy. Then you'll be able to buy dances for each of your avatars' pets.

The tricks that can be learned by your pet in-world have not changed with this release. You can still teach your pets tricks in-world by having them perform tricks they already know. The new dances are additional to these existing in-world tricks, and can only be purchased with pet points you've earned by patting, feeding and cleaning your pet.

Do The Fandango!

There are 8 new pet dances you can 'buy' for your pet using the points you've earned by keeping him or her happy, well-fed and clean. 

The new dances are:

• Fandago
• Disco
• Salsa
• Ballet
• Mambo
• Retro
• Thriller
• Moonwalk

If you've earned a new dance by being kind to your pet, you can have fun in-world watching your pet pull out some moves!  For example, if you've got the dance Thriller, simply type /pet thriller to get your pet grooving.

Your XP Progress is on the Home Page

If you're still on your way to earning your first 1000xp points, your progress will be displayed under the Avatar Selector on your Home Page. 

Don't forget that when you've earned that first 1000xp points, you'll receive 200 Gold! 

By far the best way to earn your initial xp is to complete the tutorial missions at the Landing Pad.

Once you've earned over 1000xp points, you'll see three sliders in that spot on the Home Page instead.

These show how many XP points you have for your top three XP paths (your three highest XP scores will be displayed).

Spin To Win!

Want to win Gold, tokens and other great prizes? Just click on the wheel to spin it. You'll win whatever prize the wheel lands on... instantly!

It's absolutely free to play, and the top prize is an AMAZING 100,000 Gold!

You can spin the wheel once every six hours. Set your alarm clock now, so you won't miss out!

The Planter

This new feature is going to be released shortly - you'll be able to grow your own unique plants to put into your space. 

Watch your SmallWorlds Chronicle for more details, coming soon! 

Your Home Spaces

Your home spaces are all shown in your Home Page. Instead of having to go to the same default space each time you go inworld, you can now jump straight to any one of the spaces that you own.

But that's not all! If you click on the Places tab you can jump straight to other places in SmallWorlds.

Two More XP Paths

There are now two brand new XP paths: 

Arena XP

Now when you play any Arena Games, you'll earn Arena XP instead of Gamer XP.  It's a great idea to start earning Arena XP now, because in the future:

• Professional gaming leagues will be limited to players with a certain level of Arena XP

• We'll be releasing better weapons that you'll need high levels of Arena XP to purchase.

Farmer XP

This feature hasn't been switched on yet, but we've got big plans for the future!  Keep an eye on the SmallWorlds Chronicle, because we'll be sure to tell you all about it just as soon as it's available.

NPCs

SmallWorlds NPCs (non-player characters) are evolving. Our first was Helper Barbie in the Info Hub. Now we have Helper NPCs and Shop NPCs as well!

The Helper NPCs will be working with the Helpers in the Information Hub. Feel free to ask our Helper NPCs your questions... but our real Helpers will be on-hand if you don't get the answer you need.

Remember that the NPCs are still learning.  They will continue to have further training so they'll get smarter and be more helpful as time goes on.

Shop NPCs are based in some public spaces.  They're not quite as smart as the Helper NPCs, but they'll help you if they can!

Zoom with your Mouse

ZOOMing just got a whole lot easier! Now you can use your middle mouse button to Zoom in and out. This is a great feature if you're in the middle of an Arena Game - it makes Zooming so easy!

Arena Gameplay Tweaks

We've been taking a fresh look at the Arena Games, and we've tweaked the gameplay a little, just to make the games more fun.  Why not challenge your friends to a game in one of the Arenas, and see if you can tell what changes we've made?

The Avatar Snapshot

Now you you change your clothes using the Inventory panel, adding and removing them just like wearables.  If you come up with a great look, why not take a snapshot?  This will update the picture of current avatar in the Avatar Selector on your Home Page.

Privacy

There's now an option for you to set your privacy setting, so that you can decide who can see whether you're online, and where you are.

To set this up go to My Profile > Privacy. Then set "Who can see I'm online and my current location in the people panel" to either Friends only or Everyone.

Changes to your Inventory

We've made a couple of small changes to the way your inventory works.

Firstly, you'll notice a new link for Clothing. You can use this to change your outfit whenever you'd like to.

Also, items that are not consumables will now be shown as individual items. For example, if you have 3 Imperial Chairs, you will see all 3 as separate items in your inventory. The items that will stack (you see one item with a count at the bottom corner) are consumable items such as magic and food.

Other New Features

In order to help prevent scams, items that are wrapped as gifts are not able to be sold. Also items that are marked for sale are not able to be gifted.

• Avatars can't be created and then instantly deleted. Both avatars and pets must exist for a minimum of 3 days before they can be deleted.

• All Imeem stereos and music players will automatically become Soundcloud music players. (Imeem was recently purchased by MySpace who have taken them offline).

• You can now use keyboard shortcuts (F1 -F5) for the bottom row of your action panel (the one with the lightning symbol at the bottom right corner of your window).

Enjoy Version 2.2!

Phew!  Writing such a long article has rather exhausted me.  I must confess to being astonished at the pure size of this release.  The SmallWorlds team have been working very hard as always, to make SmallWorlds the best place on the web. 

Citizens, I certainly hope you enjoy this new release as much as we've enjoyed creating it for you.  The whole team is charged up with excitement, hoping you'll love all the innovations we've made.  You can rest assured that SmallWorlds will continue to evolve and grow at an amazing rate over the coming year. 

I can't wait to keep sharing these changes with you!

~ Kent Kronkite.

It got me wondering just what info would be most useful to newcomers. First of all, a big friendly WELCOME to you! I hope some of the information below helps you enjoy SmallWorlds even more.

The Top 3 Questions Asked by New SmallWorlds Citizens

I caught up with Sunny Daze, who's one of our moderators. For those of you who may not know what a moderator is, we have both Moderators and Helpers here on SmallWorlds to keep it fun and safe for everyone, as well as answering any questions you might have. The best place to find a Helper is at The Info Hub.

All Mods and Helpers wear gold capes and have either a "+" or an "M" floating above their heads so they're easy to spot. Sunny shared with me the top three questions she and her team get asked by people new to SmallWorlds:

1 - How do I earn Gold or Tokens?

There are lots of ways to earn Gold in SmallWorlds.

1 - You can visit The Factory and complete offers which give you SmallWorlds Gold in return for the 'work' you do.  Easy!

2 - You can invite friends into SmallWorlds and be rewarded with CP points as well as Gold.  Citizen Points are really useful to start building up - CP's give you Citizen Levels, which are the most important attribute your avatar can have.  You even get a cool title, like Knight/Dame or even Grand Duke/Duchess!.

3 - You can complete Missions to earn tokens - click on the Missions icon in-world at the bottom of your screen - it looks like an Indiana Jones hat. There's a huge range of really fun missions to play.

4 - Buying SmallWorlds Collectibles and sitting on them for a few months is another great way to make money.Here's an article which will tell you all about it!

Oh and by the way, if anyone offers you a job in-world, please be aware that there are no paid positions in-world, and they will probably just be trying to scam you out of your tokens or Gold! See 'Citizens Beware' (below) for more info on scammers.

2 - How Do I get Clothing?

Currently you dress your avatar within the avatar builder, the place where you first design how your avatar looks.

But that's changing soon, and you're about to have some more wardrobe options! We're all waiting with great excitement for the new SmallWorlds clothing store which is opening shortly.  Watch the SmallWorlds Chronicle for details.

3 - How do I get a Pet and teach him tricks?

Wouldn't you like to adopt your very own dog or cat and teach them tricks? If you want them to follow you around everywhere, you'll need to sign up for VIP, otherwise your pet is limited to hanging out at your home space. You can teach your pet tricks like "follow", "jump", "spin", even "chase tail" - and there's lots more too! Read this page  - it contains some great information about training your pet.

The Info Hub & Landing Pad

The SmallWorlds Info Hub is the best place to go find a helper and get your questions answered. Helpers have a "+" sign floating above their heads and a gold cape. Don't forget to say Hi to "Helper Barbie", our robot receptionist... she is a little limited in the conversation department, but she means well!

The Landing Pad (pictured above) is an essential stop-off place for new citizens. If you do the Landing Pad missions you have a huge advantage - they're designed to help you understand all the different facets to playing SmallWorlds. You'll have a lot more fun once you're in the know!

The SmallWorlds Forum

1 - Info: They are chock-full of really interesting information on everything from Competitions, Groups to join, Missions to play (including how to build them!), and a whole lot more.

2 - Meet New Friends: The forums are really fun to participate in! You can meet some great people on there, and then hang out with them in-world!

3 - Ask Questions: Ask about anything you are confused about - you can start a new thread about anything, anytime! The SmallWorlds community is really helpful and friendly, and your questions will always get answered either by a fellow citizen or one of our mods or helpers.

Citizens Beware

Unfortunately, just like in RL, there are SmallWorlds citizens who will try to take advantage of you if you let them - so please be careful out there.

Phishing / Scamming

We've written a page in the Chronicle about staying safe, and we urge you to read it. If anyone ever asks you for your log-in or email, and offers you Gold or tokens for sharing it - THIS IS A SCAM. Do not believe them, and do not share your details with anyone. The most recent phishing scam we've heard of is where a few citizens are saying "I know Dan SmallWorlds and if you give me your log-in details / email he will send you Gold". This is a scam. You can report the citizen by clicking on their avatar and clicking on 'Report This User'. We appreciate any help we can get to stop this kind of stuff happening!

Have Fun!

To all new citizens, I'd like to offer you a really big welcome from all of us on the Chronicle team! We're here every week serving you up the latest in-world news. Speaking of the Chronicle, there are lots of really helpful pages in the Help and Tips section; please check them out sometime.

If you're after some serious fun, I can personally recommend our Gaming Arenas.  Why not try your hand at SpaceJump Rookie or Run Zombie Run?  There's something for everyone here on SmallWorlds.  I'm really glad you've joined us!

~ Johnny WIlde