how to get started help booklet - virtual worlds for · pdf filehow to get started help...

How To Get Started Help Booklet

Table of Contents

LOG-IN/REGISTRATION ........................................................................................................................................1 SELECTING A SERVER...........................................................................................................................................2 CUSTOMIZING YOUR AVATAR CHARACTER.................................................................................................3 DECORATING YOUR PLANT BABY PLAYHOUSE...........................................................................................4 PLANT YOUR VIRTUAL GARDEN .......................................................................................................................6 SELL FOOD ITEMS IN THE FARMER’S MARKET.........................................................................................10 SPROUTING AND CARING FOR VIRTUAL PETS: PLANT BABIES............................................................13 EXPLORING IN THE IDEA SEEKER UNIVERSE.............................................................................................14 PLAY THE CLIMATE CRISIS GAME .................................................................................................................15 FAMILY FUN ADVENTURES ...............................................................................................................................17 SUNPOWER FOUNDATION CENTER OF LEARNING ...................................................................................20 ON LOCATION KID REPORTERS.......................................................................................................................21 GIVING TO OTHERS..............................................................................................................................................21 MUCH MORE FUN..................................................................................................................................................22

How To Get Started Help Sheet

Circle 1 Network & KidsCom.com 131 West Seeboth Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204

Toll Free: 888.272.7742

1

LOG-IN/REGISTRATION To get into the Idea Seeker Universe, select the log in button called Play Now/Sign Up Free!

If a player has not yet registered, click on the New? button on the left hand side. If a player has already registered, enter the user name and password that was selected during the initial registration.

New players click here

Previously registered players, enter Idea Seeker user name and password here



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SELECTING A SERVER After a player logs in, they will be directed to the page to select a server. There are two available servers:

1. Tree Ring (the blue servers). Blue servers are Ultimate Safe Chat servers and require no keyboard skills since children use pre-set phrases to talk with others. The Tree Ring server is a great way to introduce younger children or non-English speaking children to the social interaction, game play and exploration of the Idea Seeker Universe.

2. Greenhouse Effect (the green servers). Green servers allow kids to safely chat by typing their own words. Those words are then filtered through the Keep it Safe, Keep it Clean™ Dictionary. Words not recognized by the dictionary as safe/clean appear in red and are not permitted to be posted on the site until appropriate edits are made. This server is geared toward older kids with good keyboard skills looking for social interaction with game play and exploration. Servers are monitored by trained adults from 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. CST.

Once a player has selected a server, they will be directed to one of three locations in the Idea Seeker Universe: Jardim Forest, the Beach or the Palace Foyer. Players can also click on the map/world icon to navigate (located on the top of the page) and select a specific location to visit. However, before exploring the Idea Seeker Universe, many players like to update their personal dashboard. The personal dashboard is a navigational pane located at the top of their page. Each dashboard is specific to each player and is only accessible by that player. The personal dashboard allows players to quickly find different areas in the Idea Seeker Universe and helps them to gain an understanding of where things are located. The dashboard allows easy links to:

1. Reading the Sarillion monitor newspaper which describes what is going on at the Planet Sarillion

2. Choosing a role and customizing/dressing their avatar character

3. Decorating and making their houses energy efficient

Map/world icon



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4. Planting their virtual garden

5. Sprouting their virtual pet helpers the Plant Babies

6. Play training mission and climate crisis games which are both online and offline at their local libraries, museums, botanical gardens and school gardens. (see the News for what activities or events are going on in your local area.)

7. Check their bank account balance. Kids earn virtual points by playing in the world and earn KidsKash points through their parents online shopping or purchasing them directly.

8. Make a safe home page and manage their teams.

CUSTOMIZING YOUR AVATAR CHARACTER Free players are called Allies. An Ally user can get five outfits by clicking on their dashboard character dress-up button. The initial visit will include a quiz in which users will select a role for their character and are given an additional outfit that corresponds with that particular role. They can experiment with different clothes, hairstyles, skin color, etc. to dress up their character. Then they can walk around the Idea Seeker Universe in their selected outfit as a way for them to showcase their creativity to others. To access the Dress-Up Game just visit the Changing Hut on the Beach or the Character Dress-up button on the dashboard.

Premium or paid members are called Idea Seekers. Idea Seekers can purchase many more outfits using Virtual Points to use to customize their character. Idea Seekers have a star around their feet when they are walking around in the Idea Seeker Universe.

Personal Dashboard

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DECORATING YOUR PLANT BABY PLAYHOUSE In keeping with our “green eco-game” theme, kids have the opportunity to create and decorate an energy efficient house. There are many furniture and accessory items to purchase in the furniture stores. Players are given a few starter pieces with their new house and can buy more using virtual points. Some items provide important information about going “green” at home and when moused over, reveal a practical energy efficiency fact. This provides kids an opportunity to bring “green learning” to parent’s household purchasing discussions. To decorate their home, click on the Plant Baby Playhouse button located on the navigational dashboard bar at the top of the page.

To decorate your house click here



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Players are then directed to the following page where they choose the style of their house. As an Ally (free member) players are able to select the Plant Baby Playhouse to get energy efficiency learning and fun. Idea Seekers (paid members) can select more advanced house versions. Free membership provides an extensive play experience, while premium membership can be paid or earned and provides access to advanced levels of content. Click Select and Decorate.

Once in the room, players will already have several items in their inventory that can be placed in the room. Simply click and drag on the available items to place them at the desired location. To change the direction in which the item is facing select the object direction button. To change wall or floor colors, click on the circle pad of buttons located on the bottom right of the page.

Select the chair by clicking on the item and dragging it to where you would like it placed.

Select this button to change the direction that the chair is facing.

This button allows you to select the color of the walls.

This button allows you to select the color of the floor. This button allows

you to save your house.

Notice when your mouse pointer is over an item that is environmentally friendly, it glows green and gives you a description of the item benefits.

Select this button to purchase more furniture.

Click Select and Decorate



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PLANT YOUR VIRTUAL GARDEN To plant a garden just click on the My Garden link in the personal dashboard. Here you can plant fruits & vegetables following the same instructions for decorating your house. Once your garden is ready for harvesting you can use it to make healthy meals for your avatar character.

To make meals, click on a fruit or vegetable plant. Then click on the clock in the navigation pod. A screen will ask you if you want to save the item to make a SnapTasticTM food or feed it to your Plant Baby. If you want to prepare a snack, click to save the item. After you have harvested some fruits and vegetables, proceed to the SnapTasticTM Kitchen to prepare a snack.

Click on the cookbook and select one of the USDA approved recipes.



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The recipe below is for Snappy Fresh Salsa. You must have tomatoes, peppers and corn harvested to prepare this recipe.



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Once you have prepared and eaten your nutritious snack, you are able to do some SnapTastic dance moves! So, to do a little dancing, just proceed to your house and place the food items on a table, counter or even the floor. Then save your house and return to the world. To eat the item, click the “My House” button to walk around in your house; click on the food item to eat it. Then you can dance! Just click on the Choose your Move button.

It’s also great fun to invite your friends over to enjoy your beautiful garden. To enter your garden, just click on yourself or a friend and select garden on the pop up avatar card.

My House button allows you to walk in your House

Choose your Move button



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To learn more about the fruits and vegetables you grow in your garden, click “More Fun” in the blue tip area that displays a Fun Food Fact. This will open a window that contains lots more about your favorite foods.

A fun trivia question or joke will pop up first—click “Click to find out!” to get the answer and move on to the Fun Food Facts. Every so often Dr. Norm, Will Allen or another Master Idea Seeker will award you with a prize for checking them out!

Click “More Fun” to open window



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Photos of food items in real life

Page gives nutritional info about the food and explains what it means

Watch here to see if you earn a free item

Clicking Next provides even more nutrition info



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SELL FOOD ITEMS IN THE FARMER’S MARKET

Players who grow food in their gardens can earn Virtual Points by selling their food items at the Farmer’s Market in the Village. The Farmer’s Market is a fun way to teach kids about the benefits of buying locally-grown produce—keeping money in the local economy and reducing the fossil fuels used to transport produce long distances. Players can also buy fully-grown food items at the Farmer’s Market, but for more than what the player can earn by selling food items. This reinforces the benefits of growing one’s own food.

Click on purple arrow to enter Farmer’s Market

Click to buy harvested food items from the Market

Click to sell harvested food items to customers at the Market



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As is the case in the other stores on KidsCom.com, players can “haggle” the price of their items in the Farmer’s Market, whether they buy or sell their food items.

List of items customer is looking for

Items player owns and can sell the customer

Refreshes screen with a new customer and new list of items

Go back to Village



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SPROUTING AND CARING FOR VIRTUAL PETS: PLANT BABIES Plant Babies are the virtual pets of players and can help them in their game play. Each new member can select a plant baby and then gets a seed pod which when “fed” sprouts to reveal their chosen Plant Baby. Additional Plant Babies can be purchased in Jardim Forest or from the player’s Plant Baby Central, however, each virtual pet requires care and feeding to stay powered up. All players get Plant Babies and if kept powered up, can walk with their character around the Idea Seeker Universe world locations.

Plant Babies are powered up by feeding them hunger and anti-cloud power items that the player has purchased using virtual points. Purchasing new items is a game and gives the player the ability to “haggle” for better prices from store owners – both company stores and kid stores. Players can also find free items for their Plant Babies throughout the Idea Seeker Universe including the Restaurant, the Help Hut and the Planet Status page. At library or other partner “On Locations” families are often given free codes for virtual items.

Free item



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EXPLORING IN THE IDEA SEEKER UNIVERSE There are many ways to travel through the Idea Seeker Universe. Let’s begin by selecting the Planet icon map link.

Once a player enters the Idea Seeker Universe solar system screen, begin by clicking on the Jardim Forest icon. This is where players will find The Field Museum of Chicago and learn about saving wetlands and endangered animals. (If a player logs in and out during a same play session, they will already be “cookied” so their character will be dropped into the screen that was last visited.)

Planet icon map link



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Use the Blue Arrows or the Transport Pods to go from location to location in the Universe.

PLAY THE CLIMATE CRISIS GAME The planet Sarillion is under daily attack and what kids do on the planet affects the health of the planet and triggers virtual world climate crises including floods, hurricanes, algae blooms and other eco-challenges. To see the planet’s daily status and see what actions can be taken, players can click on the planet symbol in their dashboard.

Transport pod to Palace

Your Avatar is indicated with a green circle beneath it.

Transport pod to Restaurant

Arrow to Kapokville

Arrow to Field Museum

Daily Planet Status

Zip Line



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There are many games and activities within the virtual world designed to provide kids information about climate change and being more energy efficient. To gain access to this valuable information, players can do any one of three things: 1) check the planet status page; 2) mouse over different objects within the Universe and if the object name appears just click on it; and, 3) click on the Expedition Planner for a step-by-step plan. The Expedition Planner is located in the circle navigation pod in the lower right-hand corner.

There is also ongoing random play throughout the Idea Seeker Universe with recycling, team meetings, restaurant play, training missions, parties and Cloud fighting. For example, the Clouds of Chaos (who are the evil helpers of the Darkness of Dumbness) appear periodically in different places throughout the world. The Clouds have the ability to “cloud” a character. If “clouded”, a player will need to cure themselves to get rid of the cloud that will appear over their head. To avoid being “clouded” players need to fight the clouds using a move called a “Waba-kick”. To “Waba-kick” a Cloud a player must sneak up behind them and walk through them. This activates the Waba-kick. If successful, the player’s character will flip with a kick, receive a message and get reward points for having eliminating a Cloud.

Click continue to be returned to the previous location.

3. Expedition Planner

1. Daily Planet Status

2. Mouse Over Objects



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FAMILY FUN ADVENTURES Players can also enjoy fun that begins in the virtual world and continues in the real world. An example of this is the biodiversity game that starts in the virtual Field Museum and continues on for bonus points by taking a tour of the real Field Museum in Chicago and completing a scavenger hunt booklet that is downloaded from the site. To start the virtual game play click on the Info desk for background information and instructions. Next, go to the Gift Shop to buy a digital camera to take pictures of animals hidden in the different locations on Planet Sarillion.

Once the player is at the location where the animal they are searching for was last seen, they click on different objects to snap pictures of the animal.

Gift shop for camera purchase

Info desk to start the game play

Photo Analysis Machine

Transport pod to Science Camp

Animals hide behind tents

Animals hide behind trunks



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Each picture that is taken will give the player valuable clues as to the identity of the animal.

Once all the pictures have been snapped, players will return to the Field Museum Photo Analysis Machine and select all the relevant photos by clicking on them. Use the purple arrows to scroll through all the pictures.

Arrange the puzzle pieces to get a picture of the chosen animal and earn a reward.

If done correctly, the player will receive 1000 Virtual Points.

Purple arrow picture scroll buttons



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Click OK and proceed to the Animal Adventure Message Board. This is where kids can vote for the best solution to an environmental problem. Kids can also speak out by writing a message to be posted on the Animal Adventure Message Board and also read what other kids have to say.

Print out a scavenger hunt booklet and go visit the museum.



Toll Free: 888.272.7742

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SUNPOWER FOUNDATION CENTER OF LEARNING In the SunPower Foundation Theater, kids attend avatar learning labs with real world experts and see videos of work done in a variety of scientific fields. They can also participate in simulations that demonstrate how alternative energy can be used to power everyday objects like water fountains to start their thinking about what causes our energy usage and how we can make changes. Kids will be able to ride a “solar-powered transporter” to the virtual Tech Museum where learning games are based on actual exhibits on energy in the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose.

SunPower Foundation Theater

Wind Power Game



Toll Free: 888.272.7742

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ON LOCATION KID REPORTERS We use the Scribe Room (located in the Palace Training Tower) to stream videos within the virtual world that have been taken by our Idea Seeker Kid Reporters. Interviews include Ed Begley Jr, scientists from the National Zoo and others.

When players enter a video booth, they are provided a list of videos to watch. Most of these were created by our “kid reporters”. Click on the title to start the video.

GIVING TO OTHERS At the Fountain of Giving (located in the Palace Courtyard), kids are encouraged to donate some of their Virtual Points to a charitable organization. This is matched by a corporate sponsor with real cash donations to benefit the charity. Currently the Wisconsin Humane Society is the featured charity.

The Fountain of Giving can be found by going to the Sarillion Royal Palace.

Fountain of Giving

Walk your avatar into one of the video booths



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MUCH MORE FUN

• Play for free or upgrade to premium memberships for more fun and money saving benefits for parents. Check out the home page upgrade button

• Lead a team and save endangered animals • Learn financial money management through buying and selling virtual goods • Learn how to garden • Practice cooking and then download recipes to make at home • Make friends around the world!

More things are added weekly. Have fun exploring, shopping and gaming “green”!

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