Tips

On this page, we invite players - especially senior ones - to set out tips on how best to play the game. This may include how to avoid pitfalls, what you might do if things go awry but will not include any tricks or hacks.

How to avoid spending crystals unnecessarily

 * Ensure your dino den is not in your village unless it is hatching an egg.  This is the most common way of wasting crystals.
 * Move resource producers to the side of the village where they don't get in the way.  If you are a more senior player, consider reducing your resource producers and using the market.
 * Begin picking up coins for your chain immediately after the freeze and don't continue chaining once the freeze occurs.  Every tap is recorded! Remember, crystals are worth much more than the few coins lost on a broken chain.

What if you have spent crystals without meaning to and want a refund?

 * Write in to support and explain what happened.  They are not ogres and there are many reported instances of refunds.  It can take time so be patient.  Abusing them will guarantee failure.
 * Do not bother complaining on the fan page.  Without a support ticket, you aren't in the system and won't get on their radar.
 * See also our Support page.

TinyCo Support isn't responding

 * Do NOT start a new support ticket.
 * Add to your existing ticket (either via responding to the automated email you got or by going onto the support site) politely asking if they have gotten round to you yet.
 * Moaning on the fan page might help you let off a bit of steam but it won't help you get your issue resolved.  Probably best not to do it (or, if you must, moan without mentioning your TinyID).

Support has closed my ticket without even looking at it!!!

 * Re-open it by responding to the automated email or by going into the support site, finding the ticket and adding a new comment.
 * It's likely that the software did this automatically, so be nice to the humans who will eventually read your ticket!

What if you spent millions expanding when you didn't mean to

 * Forget about it.  Don't bother lodging a support ticket.  By the time they get round to it, your expansion will undoubtedly have completed and they don't give refunds or take expansions back.
 * This is one you'll need to live with; sorry.

What if your game doesn't load? Or crashes? Or just misbehaves?

 * Please see this thread.
 * It has also been reported that running the game off an SD Card can be slow.  Run the game your device's main memory.
 * If all else fails, lodge a support ticket.

Tiny Social is bust. I can't visit my friends or send them gifts

 * Please see this thread.

How do I take a screenshot of my village?

 * On iOS devices, press the Home and Power buttons simultaneously to get a snapshot of the screen.
 * On Android, usually hold down the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously (your device might be different)
 * It can be done on older Kindle Fires but it is very complicated - see here
 * For larger villages, you will need to take a few snapshots and merge them together with a photo editing program.

How to request a new feature

 * This is not something TinyCo support can help you with so don't lodge a support ticket.  This only gums up the works.
 * Mentioning it on the fan page may get a bit of traction but don't overdo it.  There are people who ask for the same things over and over (sometimes every few days) and the TinyCo folks who read it must feel like they are being nagged.
 * You can vote on our Feature Requests page.  We have seen many features on that page get implemented.  Obviously, the most popular ones are the ones that TinyCo will consider the most (assuming they actually read the page).

How to maximise coins/XP

 * Don't be limited in what your stores can do by resource production. Similarly, don't be limited in the number of stores you can have by resource producers (and housing for villagers) taking up all your village. Ditch resource producers as soon as you can and and use the market.
 * If you have the time and inclination (and within reason), go for the shorter recipes. They produce more profit and XP per day than the medium and long recipes.
 * At lower levels, the Coffee Shop generates heaps of profit and costs only social currency
 * Read these 2 very good threads (including the comments):
 * Power leveling guide for new players
 * Importance of maximising XP

How to get ahead of the challenges

 * The new weekly themes usually come out on Thursday evenings US time. We usually have a page devoted to theme up within hours.
 * In the meantime, many helpful villagers let folks know what's going on the challenges.
 * Check the theme page, especially the challenges to ensure you understand what will be required of you and what limitations (e.g. time limits) there will be on you in order to get the crystal reward.
 * If you don't know the name of the theme, browse the recent posts list on the wiki and it will be obvious where to look.

I need to know about the various challenges and quests

 * Check out the Gameplay play, which lists every challenge in detail.

I can't find something on the wiki. It's too complicated

 * Use the search box at the top right of each page and just type in a few letters. It will usually come up with what you need.
 * If all else fails, we have a complete contents page here.

What other resources can I read?

 * Have a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.
 * And read this page in full.  It is Tiny Village's official FAQ.