Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I need to pay to use SmallWorlds?
SmallWorlds is free to use, and when you join you get a small amount of currency with which you can start setting up your personal space. For our official launch we are planning to introduce premium accounts which will give you access to many new features, items and tools, such as virtual pets, an Instant Messenging and Voice Chat client and a lot more. Premium accounts will be available at a very small and reasonable monthly fee. We will also allow players to purchase extra SmallWorlds currency for shopping and other in-world activities.
2. Do I need to download and install anything on my computer in order to run SmallWorlds?
SmallWorlds runs inside your web browser, using the Adobe Flash Player. Around 95% of users already have the correct version of Flash installed in their browser, so you probably don’t need to install anything. If you don’t have Flash installed, it is a quick and easy process as the Flash player is only about 1mb in size. It can be downloaded from the official Adobe website.
3. What is a Beta Test?
A beta test is where we invite people in to help us test SmallWorlds before we officially launch. This gives you the opportunity to take a sneak peak at what is to come, and gives us the opportunity to make sure that SmallWorlds is stable and the features are balanced and well received. It is important to note that the world will be completely reset just prior to our official launch. For more information on this please review our Terms Of Service.
4. When is the official SmallWorlds launch date?
At this stage we are planning to officially launch of SmallWorlds in October 2008. While we are fairly confident of meeting this deadline, we may encounter unforeseen issues that may take extra time to resolve. We will be keeping everyone up-to-date as we get closer to the launch date.
5. What sort of computer and operating system do I need to run SmallWorlds?
SmallWorlds will run on all operating systems that support the latest version of the Adobe Flash player. Currently this is Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X v10.1+ and variations of Linux. We support most web browsers available on these platforms. SmallWorlds has a lot of rich, moving graphics, so we recommend that you run it on a fairly recent computer with a minimum of 512mb of RAM. As SmallWorlds is easy to access and free to use, the best way to determine if your computer meets the requirements is to try it out!
6. What else do you have planned for SmallWorlds?
We have a very rigorous development schedule for 2008 which will include the development of many new widgets, games and features. We will be working with media partners to bring you all sorts of new media widgets for video, audio and other forms of digital content. We plan to build numerous action, strategy and puzzle games that you can play as a duel (directly between 2 players), with a group, or in tournaments. We will be adding larger outdoor spaces where groups of players can build their homes and create new and interesting places for others to explore. Later this year we plan to release Game Building tools that will enable players to create an infinite variety of games and worlds to entertain themselves and others.