You get back a tile for any tile you place perfectly (i.e. all 6 edges are fittingly matched). There are many guides in the guides section which point that out. To manage to lay as many tiles as possible perfectly, you should try to avoid complicated edge patterns in the neighbourhood each time you place a tile (so that holes you leave behind can be filled with matching tile with a higher probability). There are less guides which point that out. Mine is one of them, see https://ad.gamersky.info/@steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3264929352

This way, you should gain enough momentum to be able to close structures AND fulfil high quest numbers you have to place at smaller structures in order to close the other structure. Nevertheless, this ain't easy unless you reach the relaxing phase of the game (see my guide) - for closing a structure you should quite plan ahead and should have at least several dozens tiles in your stack (esp. if closing the structure needs some rare tiles). At any rate, you should't try to close several structures at once unless you're already deep in the realxing phase.

You can find some more helpful details in my guide.

You are not doing anything wrong. That is how the game is designed to work. You need to find a strategy to minimise the extra building you need.

It's a tricky game. To do very well you really need to plan well. It's all about building up your stack size.

So if your game is going well then you will get that number back. I've had situation where I've ended up the tree quests in the 3000-4000 range and, like you, thought I'd never fulfil them. Guess what... I did. :)


Here's a comment I posted recently on another thread that you may, or may not, find relevant.

Quests do basically grow as the game progresses.
There are two types of quests. The common quest (the ones with the + target) is always x more tiles than the LARGEST group of the given type. So a 300 forest and a 500 forest will mean next quest is 500 + x.
The other type of quest is the fixed amount quest. These are somewhat smaller than the size of current biggest in group. And usually require being added to a smaller group of given type.

If things are going well on your map you might consider keeping[, for example,] 2 forest groups similar sized. That will restrict the size of next common quest. So you will end up in a situation where you can join the two forest groups together and satisfy a whole bunch of quests at the same time. I think the most '+' quests I've got at once by doing this is around 35 (plus a similar number of flag quests I'd collected along the way).

Thanks for the tips, but I have now uninstalled the game. I find this contradictory design rather annoying, so you can't really chill out while playing. The game/quests force you to play a certain way, at least if you want to get a bit further and I personally don't like that

I can understand that.
But there is a sandbox mode (called 'Creative') if you really just want a completely unconstrained mode.

You can create stuff like this:
https://ad.gamersky.info/@steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2628489357

Originally posted by hipsu:

Thanks for the tips, but I have now uninstalled the game. I find this contradictory design rather annoying, so you can't really chill out while playing. The game/quests force you to play a certain way, at least if you want to get a bit further and I personally don't like that

Ah, ok, then of course my guide has nothing for you. But as mbutton15 already has pointed out already, you should definitely give the creative mode of this game a shot. Dorfromantik offers different modes for different player types (apart from the classic mode):
- a creative mode for those who don't want to be bothered by tactics and strategics (so that they can focus on artistic virues if they want (or, like you, just chill)),
- a hard mode for those who seek a special challenge, and
- monthly challenges that give you even some more variety of game play.

Originally posted by mbutton15:

You can create stuff like this:
https://ad.gamersky.info/@steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2628489357

Looks awesome!

It's not that I find quests and the limited number of tiles bad in general, I even like it when the game has an ending, what bothers me is that the quests force you to play the game in a certain way and take away your freedom of choice. The quest design should perhaps be reworked, because in my opinion this is the biggest weak point in the game.

Originally posted by hipsu:

what bothers me is that the quests force you to play the game in a certain way and take away your freedom of choice.

I mean, that's how puzzle games work. They "force" you to solve the puzzle within the parameters you're given.

Perhaps this game just isn't for you?

You don't have to complete every quest puzzle piece. If you get a piece that's a really high number just use it like a regular piece. There's no penalty for that. With that said, you can close groups as often as you like, completing some quests and ignoring others.

Originally posted by hipsu:

If you play for a while, certain areas are marked with flags indicating that you should close the area. The problem is I keep getting new quests that require an extremely high number of trees/fields and so on. So if I complete an area, I'll never get this number back together before I run out of tiles. So the quests block each other which is kind of a weird system or am I doing something wrong?

Just wanted to chime in with my tuppence-worth of experience here too. Because as a fairly new player in this game myself, I think that, yes, you may be misunderstanding it a little... (Or, as you say "am I doing something wrong?").

Because as @kairibee says above, you can CHOOSE which quests you want to try for, and which you just ignore. So if a quest comes up that you don't want to do just then, or you're in the middle of something else, or you think you're going to run out of tiles too soon and not worth the try - then just don't, and use the map hex for some other type of tile, and it will go away. You'll get new quests popping up after a while again, so it's not like you'll be blocking your progress either, if you were anxious about that.

Also, a point you may not have realised yet, is that when you have quests/flags that are still open (i.e. not closed out) yet, then the next quests of the same type (e.g. forest type, or fields type) will be bigger than the one you're working on. Which most likely is the reason you're experienceing that you're "getting new quests that require extremely high number of trees/ fields and so on..."
If you stick with only a few quests at a time and get them closed off, before starting (too many) new ones, then your next quests will be of a much more manageable size.

And finally, a 'beginner's tip" straight from a beginner's mouth:

A lot of the advice in guides etc and in discussions on the forum here, are for how to get a *HUGE* and essentially self-perpetuating map. Where the strategy is all to do with placing 'perfects'. Which is all true, and good advice, if that's what you're aiming for.
BUT - as an example: I myself am an 'adventure- and quest-type' player, and love doing many quests even at some cost of perfects. I aim at keeping placements at 5-matches or better for most tiles and have settled into a 75-85% perfects rate, while giving relatively high priority to the quests I choose to do, and with that still easily manage to get maps beyond the 40-50.000 points mark and getting above 100-120.000 points with a bit of thoughtful play. These maps are, of course, not self-sustaining and will die after a while for lack of new tiles. But if you're happy at a decently sized game (even if not 'huge') and like hunting for quests, then that might be a strategy you could be happy with, perhaps?
Rather than plain giving up on the game altogether...

Originally posted by mbutton15:

https://ad.gamersky.info/@steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2628489357

That's Fabulous

Originally posted by MrPurple33:

That's Fabulous

Doesn't quite compare to this effort. :)
https://ad.gamersky.info/@steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2655407097