Official Guide: General FAQ (CastleVille)

Info from CastleVille Forum:
About CastleVille

Come build an incredible Kingdom and create your happy ending! Work with a colorful cast and your friends to rescue your subjects from the gloom while establishing your Kingdom as the finest of all.

Who can I contact if I need help?

Customer Support

Where is the best place to talk about all things Castleville?

Our Official Forums of course. Click here to stop on by!

General FAQ:

Where can I change Zoom, or settings for Music and Sounds?

On the right side of the game canvas, there will be a blue button:



Clicking on this button expands to the following menu:



Here you can edit a number of settings as well as enter Full Screen Mode. To collapse this menu, click on the button and it will return to its original state.

How do I change my Game Language? 

To change your Language, first click on the Button directly above the game canvas. After doing so, you will see a list of available languages:



Click on the Language of your choice, and the game will refresh in the corresponding version.

Quests

What are quests? 

Quests are tasks which your subjects will ask you to complete. They are also an intricate part of telling the story.



How do I check the progress of an active quest? 

On the left-hand side of the screen, there will be icons representing the subjects you have an active quest for.



Click on their respective icons, and you will be prompted with your current Quest progress.

How can I unlock more quests? 

Quests can be unlocked either through progression in the game, or through exploration and finding new subjects who offer new Quests.

Castle Level and Reputation

What is Castle Level? 



Castle Level is a rating which increases as you add more Royal Buildings as well as certain decorations. It also increases as your Royal Buildings increase in level.

What does higher Castle Level mean for me?

Expansions often require a minimum Castle Level, so as your Castle Level increases, so does the amount of the map you can explore.

What is Reputation?



Reputation can be acquired when performing actions for a Neighbor at their Kingdom.

What is the benefit of increasing my Reputation?

There are a number of Consumables and Decorations which are purchased exclusively with Reputation.

Gifts



How do I send Gifts?

Simply click on the “Free Gifts” button at the top. Select the Gift you would like to Send, and select Pick Friends. On the following screen, select which Friends the Gift is being sent to. 

How do I open Gifts sent to me?

Click on the envelope located directly above the game canvas to the right of the Game Tabs:



Select the Gift you want to receive and click on it. Don’t forget to return the favor!

Neighbor Visits

Being a Good Neighbor is not just about sending Gifts to one another, it is also about working together by helping out in each other’s Kingdoms.

Visiting your Neighbors: 

To Visit a Neighbor, hover over their Facebook Photo in the Neighbor Bar and click on “Click to Visit”:



*Note* that if a green energy symbol is present, you are able to tend to this Neighbor’s kingdom!

Upon visiting a Neighbor, you will notice a Green Energy Bar:



You can have up to 5 Energy at one time to help a particular Neighbor with. You can perform most all the actions you can in your own Kingdom, such as feed animals, collect Coins from buildings, harvest crops, and even take out Beasties!

While performing actions, not only can you receive coins and other items for helping, but also possibly increase your Reputation. Reputation can only be earned through assisting your Neighbors and is necessary to purchase some important items from the Market.

To return to your Kingdom, simply click on the Home Icon directly above the Neighbor Bar:



Neighbors visiting your Kingdom:
After a Neighbor visits your Kingdom, you will see their Avatar on your game board. A Neighbor who has performed actions will try to grab your attention by waving to you. Hovering over any Neighbor waving at you will display their actions taken by illuminating those parts of your Kingdom blue. To accept their Help, click on “Accept” and your Neighbor will proceed to complete the actions in your Kingdom.

FAQs

What can I NOT do in my Neighbor’s Kingdom?

You cannot build or craft anything. You also cannot move anything on the game board.

What actions can I only perform as a Neighbor?

You can tend to your Neighbor’s Royal Buildings in which you are a Crew Member, as well as accelerate the collection of buildings and the growth of crops (you can even unwither your Neighbor’s crops!).

Does my Neighbor have to accept my Help?

No. Your Neighbor has the option to decline your assistance. This has no effect on the rewards you received for helping.

How many Neighbors can show up at my Kingdom at one time?

The two most recent Neighbors to visit your Kingdom.

Building Creation

How do I construct new buildings?

To construct a new building click on the Market Button:

 

Then click on the Buildings Icon at the Top:



Buildings are all listed under the “All” Tab, but can be broken down into categories such as Crafting and Resources by clicking on their respective tab:

What do Houses do for my Kingdom?



Coins can be collected from Houses at regular intervals when Taxes are due. The higher your Level, the better the Houses you can place in your Kingdom. Houses placed on Courtyard offer a bonus upon collection of Taxes.

What do Resource Buildings do?



Gather resources needed to help construct buildings or complete Quests. The time in between collections can be reduced if placed close to the resource it produces (e.g. trees and stones).

What do Crafting Buildings do?

 

Turn multiples of one item or multiple different items into something new.

There are three categories of Crafting: Forging, Cooking, and Artistry. Each type has a Crafting Building that corresponds with its type (e.g. the Workshop enables Forging).

There is also a secondary type of Crafting Buildings which unlock additional recipes as well as produce items necessary for certain recipes. An example is the Blacksmith.

How do Royal Buildings work?



Royal Buildings not only generate coins, but also increase your Castle Level upon completion. Many Royal Buildings require Crew Members to reach completion. This can be done by inviting your Neighbors or hiring the Duke to join your Crew. Like Houses, any Royal Building on Courtyard will receive bonus Coins upon collecting Taxes.


Royal Buildings/Crewing

Most Royal Buildings will require a Crew to complete construction. You can add Crew to your Royal Building by having Neighbors accept a Request to join your Crew, or hiring the Duke directly.

To start building a Royal Building, you first need to go to the Market by clicking on the Market Button:



Once in the Market, click on the Buildings Icon at the top, and then select Royal in the Tabs below.

Select the Royal Building of your choosing, and then place it in your Kingdom. Begin the construction of it and it will look something like this:



A Royal Building is not complete until it has a crew, which you can muster in a couple ways. Click on the building to open the Crew Recruitment Interface:



You will have two options available:



Upon having all your Crew Slots filled, click on Finish on the Crew Recruitment Interface and the building will be complete!

Royal Building Levels:

Royal Buildings require crew increases in Level the more they are tended to by your Neighbors or The Duke. Upon Leveling up, your Royal Building will award you a prize in addition to raising your Castle Level. The highest level Royal Buildings increase your Castle Level the most!

Royal Building FAQ:

Why can I not collect Coins from my Royal Building?

Royal Buildings must be fully crewed to be able to collect Coins. 

Can my Neighbor join more than one of my Crews?

Yes!

Besides helping me finish construction on Royal Buildings, what other incentive is there for someone to join my Crew?
When someone joins a Royal Building’s Crew, they will receive a generous amount of coins and possibly multiple Reputation when they tend to the corresponding Royal Building.

How do I join someone else’s Crew?

If a Neighbor sends you a Request to join their Crew and there is still a position available for you to join, you will be automatically added upon accepting the Request. You can also request to join someone’s Crew when visiting an incomplete Royal Building and selecting “Apply”.

Crafting

There are many items that can only be created through Crafting. With Crafting, you can turn multiples of a single item or a few different items into something new! There are three types of Crafting: Forging, Cooking, and Artistry. To be able to access a specific type of crafting, you must first construct the corresponding Crafting Building (e.g. Workshop for Forging).
To access the Crafting Interface, you will need to click on a Workshop, Kitchen, or Studio:



Once on the Crafting Menu, you will be able to select which type of Crafting you are looking to do. Scroll down and check out the list of items that can be crafted. Items able to be crafted will be indicated with a green “Make” button:



While the item is being crafted, you can check on how much time remains by hovering over the building you are crafting from:



Once your item is ready, simply click on the building it was crafted from and it will become collectable on the game board.


Crafting FAQ:

Can I craft more than one of the same type at one time?

Yes! You can craft a single item in each of your Workshops, Kitchens, and Studios at one time, but eventually you may build multiples of each Craft Building.

What do the other Crafting Buildings do?

The other Crafting Buildings (e.g. Quarry) not only produce items usable for crafting, but also unlock new crafting recipes.

Is there a way for me to speed up the Crafting process?

Yes there are a few. Once an item has begun being crafted, you can click on the corresponding Crafting Building and will be prompted with an option to purchase instant crafting. Also, activating a Hyper Craft available at the Market will enable you to instantly complete any item actively being crafted by clicking on the corresponding Crafting Building. Also, crafting an item on Courtyard will reduce the time required for your item to be complete.

Expansions 

Upon starting Castleville, the majority of the map will be locked in the gloom. To explore the locked out areas, you are going to need to complete an Expansion.

To expand your Kingdom, hover over a square of game map plagued by the gloom which will be indicated by being darkened. Upon hovering over a darkened section of the map, you will see the following:



If it has a lock on it, you are currently not eligible to expand to this part of the game board. If there is no such lock visible, you will see one of the following when clicking on the prompt:

 



The first display appears if your Castle Level is currently not high enough to complete the expansion, while the second one appears if you do. If you see the second prompt, there will be a list of requirements to activate the Expansion. Upon having everything necessary to expand, simply click “Okay” and your Kingdom will be expanded.

Expansion FAQ:

Besides increasing the size of my Kingdom, what other purpose does expanding serve?
Expanding, in addition to making your Kingdom larger, can also unlock new subjects, buildings, animals, and decorations.

Are all areas able to be unlocked if I have enough Castle Level, Expansion Gems, and Coins?
No. There are several sections of your Kingdom that can only be unlocked through Quests your subjects task you with.

How do I get more Expansion Gems?

Expansion Gems can be crafted in the Workshop from Expansion Shards. Shards can be given by friends, found by opening Treasure Chests or through other special events.