Q & A

I can't unlock the "Visiting the Pub" task. (or any other) What did I do wrong?

You need a certain amount of Canal Karma to unlock each task. You can earn up to 200 Canal Karma in each task and all Karma adds up. So you can make up for performing not so well in one task by getting higher Karma in another task. The game only counts the best Canal Karma scored for each task. So: If "Visiting the Pub" requires 300 Karma to unlock. You can unlock it by collecting i.e. 150 + 75 + 75 = 300 Karma in the previous three tasks. All too difficult? Then just the read the last answer on this page.

My Phone/Tablet gets hot and this game drains my battery!

First of all: This is a 3D simulator, not Tetris. Therefore the game requires some more CPU power. But in Options -> Performance are some possible countermeasures:

Half Display Resolution: Displays the 3D world at a lower resolution. This can improve performance on "slower" devices and lower the stress on your device.
Limit FPS to 30 (preset on mobile devices). Limits the frame rate to a reasonable 30frames/second. Disable this if you want a more fluid game (if your device ist fast enough). This option does not apply when playing in VR mode.
Shadow Range: You can turn shadows off by setting the range to 0. This lowers the stress on the cpu a bit.

Does this game have a free cruise mode?

Yes it does! This is the last level of each area (except the mini games). Normally you have to unlock the free cruise mode by collecting enough canal karma in the previous tasks. But if this frustrates you too much then there's another, simple way to unlock the free cruise mode . Just look at the last answer at the bottom of this page...

How do I finish the last level (cruise-free levels) of each area?

Basically, you don't. There's no task to complete on the last levels. Just cruise at your will. If you want to finish just press the menu-button.

I constantly fail in the level "Endless Joy". Is there a trick?

The Endless Joy has a length of 70ft. That makes going around sharp corners a bit tricky. First rule on sharp corners: Slow down well before the corner. Anyway, if if you see that the boat won't make it then go in reverse gear to stop and move a bit back. Then, in forward gear again, navigate your stern away from the bank, maybe reverse a bit more then proceed slowly.

Since version 1.4. the "Endless Joy" is also equipped with a bow thruster. That might help a bit.

I can't move the tiller control! or The tiller control moves on its own!

Maybe you've configured the game to use a gamepad? Either use that gamepad to move the tiller or disable the gamepad in the options. Another possibility is if you've enabled tilt control (which is usually only useful on mobile devices).

There's some dark shadow above my boat. Or anything else with the shadows is completely wrong.

Due to incompatibilities with some (especially older) devices the display of shadows may be sometimes wrong. You can try to set the Option (Options->Other) "Fix Shadow display" to "On". If that doesn't help, the shadows can be turned off by pulling "Shadow Range" (in the "Performance" section) to "0".

Help! This game is far to difficult.

Starting with version 1.2 I included an option to cheat yourself and unlock all levels (but not all boats). Just enable the "Gongoozlers Mode" in Options -> Other. (since version 1.8) Older versions require you to use the following trick: On the Title screen click/touch 5 times on the Version number and then once on the Narrowboat logo. "Gongoozlers Mode" should appear. If not, then try a second time.