No matter if you are in the City View, in a house, or in a game – most of the operating controls of the Catan Online World are identical in any of these areas. Even though a game has additional game-specific functions, the basic elements that are available everywhere can also be found there.

City View and House View

No matter if you move through the city or enter a house, the following operation controls are the same in both areas. Inside a house you also have access to specific functions of the house. More detailed information is included in the description of the respective house.

The operation mask is divided into the following areas:

1) Main View

2) Chat

3) Avatar Bar

4) Status Bar

5) Button Bar

6) Map

Main View

In the Main View, you can move the figure that represents you through the area. You enter a house by clicking on it; inside the rooms you can also use objects by clicking on them. In addition, tool tips (small windows) are shown for the important objects, with indications regarding their function.

If the section does not completely fit into the visible area, you can reveal it by scrolling with the mouse. Simply hold down the right mouse key and move the mouse to scroll along the section.

Map

A map of your home island or of the current space is displayed here. Your own figure is represented by a green dot. Figures of other players, and houses, are represented by black dots. Your own house is represented by a red dot.

Chat

Through the Chat, you can communicate with other players in real time via text messages. The Chat consists of three areas: Text input, text output, and channel selection.

It can be modified in size towards the left and upwards by moving the mouse to the margin of the Chat (mouse cursor changes to Arrow symbol) and dragging in the desired direction with the mouse key held down.

To send a message, please click on the input field and type the desired text. Send the message by pressing the Enter key. In case you are using the install version, you also can copy texts into the input field using the Cut and Paste commands. Select the desired text and copy it with CTRL+C. Then you can insert the text with CTRL+V.

Your sent messages will appear in the text output area, together with the messages of the other players. The sender of a message can be identified by the nickname that precedes it.

Whom you are talking with at a given moment is determined by the channel you have chosen. One could imagine a channel like a room where people can chat. Via the channel selection to the left of the text output area you can change to other virtual rooms. The “local” channel is always the default option. Which players are present in this channel depends on one’s own whereabouts:

Further channels can be opened by:

1. Inviting other Avatars to a private chat; the channel then receives the other person’s name. Only this person can read the messages that are written in this channel. Of course, it is required that this person also be present in this channel.

2. By entering the command /channel [name of the channel] in the input field.

3. Depending on the Tavern / room, there are more standard channels:

a) Board Game Tavern / Main Room: Global-GC (Global Game Connection)

b) Board Tame Tavern / Tournament Room: Tournament GC

c) Card Game Tavern: Card Game GC

These channels extend across cities.

Avatar Bar

In the Main View, you can see the figures of the other players in the city and in the rooms. But only in the Avatar bar you can see important details about the other players. The Avatar bar also offers administrative functions as well as functions for contacting other players.

The Avatar bar consists of three areas: Channel, List of Friends, Ignore List

By using the tabs on top of the bar, you can switch between the different areas.

Channel (yellow): Here, all the Avatars that happen to be in the same Chat channel as you are displayed. Please note: Unless you are using the local channel, this list does not have to be identical to the Avatars present in the room. It rather indicates who included the channel in his/her Channel List and thus is enabled for reading.

List of Friends (green): Here you can enter any other Avatars you would like to maintain contact with. This list remains saved even after logging out.

Ignore List (red): Here you can enter a player you don’t want to engage in contact with. Players on this list cannot join games you are participating in. They can’t send you messages, and you don’t see Chat messages from them either.

On each of these lists, an Avatar is displayed with the following info.

1. Below the name you can see the current appearance of the Avatar. It will also show if he/she owns a pet, has received decorations, or is holding an office (Councilman or Mayor).

2. The status values of a player are specified to the right of his/her Avatar. The values are the expansion level of his/her house, his/her clothing level, and his/her number of resources.

3. There is also a button for language options (face). Depending on the area displayed, the button opens up different options:

Channel List:

List of Friends / Ignore List:

If you want to put a player on the List of Friends or Ignore List who is currently not present on your Channel List, you can do so by right-clicking the tab of the list you want to put the person on. A small menu with the following option appears:

Add

Choose the “Add” function and enter the nickname of the player to be inserted. Confirm by pressing the Enter key, and the Avatar will appear on the respective list.

Open/Compact

Switch between an open display where each Avatar is shown with all the information, and a compact display that shows only the name. Especially in the Tavern, where many Avatars meet, a compact display is much clearer. To get information on a particular Avatar, just move the mouse cursor to its name, and its “index card” will open up showing all the information.

Status Display

In the Status display you will find all the important game-relevant information regarding your Avatar.

Lumber	Brick	Wool	Grain	Ore	Gold
Money	Clothing Level	House Level

Button Bar

On the button bar you can trigger important functions. Not all functions are available everywhere. In case of unavailability, the respective buttons are inactive.

The functions in detail:

The Trade

You don’t always have the appropriate resources at your fingertips. In that case, you can trade with other players. Condition: Both players who wish to trade have to be in the same city and also in the same room or in the City View. Furthermore, in order to be able to view the other player’s offer, the channel should be set to “Local” and the Avatar bar to “Channel.” Important: Gold and money cannot be traded!

For trading resources with your fellow players, click on the Trade button.

The Trade menu consists of two parts:

1. Offer (above – red arrow): By means of the Resource buttons, you can set the number of the respective resources in the Offer field. Those are the resources you will deliver to the other player upon successfully completing the trade.

2. Request (below – green arrow): Just as in the Offer field, here you can set the type and number of resources that, in this case, you will receive upon trading successfully.

As soon as you have specified the desired trade offer, click on the button with the green checkmark for confirmation. Now the offer is displayed to your fellow players.

If one of them accepts it, above or next to the corresponding fellow player you will see a small Trade box containing your original offer and a hand with the thumb up. Now you can seal the trade by clicking the Accept button. However, the thumb is down should the other player reject the offer.

Of course, it is also possible that your fellow players send you an alternative offer. In this case, above or next to the respective player a Trade box with his/her offer will appear. Now you can accept the offer by means of the Accept button and also confirm your own offer. After the opponent has accepted the trade on his/her part, the resources are exchanged.

While trading, you can also specify requests in your Chat window and send them (just type them in and press the Enter key).