Hay Day - Travel Diary Helsinki, Finland

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I’m going to Helsinki in a few hours to visit our favorite game maker Supercell. I will be flying from my home here in Japan all the way to Finland by Finnair. I’m so looking forward to visiting the company and attending Games First (#GF15).

Why not keep your eyes out for my tweets, and posts on Facebook. I’ll also upload some videos of my time there after I get back.

In the mean time how did it all start? Well I got a message you see and it said.

Quote:

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Hi Ricky,
I come with a special invite this time.
We are going to have a gaming event in Helsinki called Games First, organized by us at Supercell.

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I thought cool this looks good and checked the links.

Links
http://gamesfirsthelsinki.com
https://www.facebook.com/GamesFirstHelsinki

The message also said

Quote:

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We thought it would be the ideal time to have a small get-together here in the Helsinki headquarters with a couple of valuable members of the YouTube community and it was suggested that we should definitely bring you on board for Hay Day too!

The visit to Supercell would happen between May 11-17

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Of course, I said I’d love to go and go I will.

Congratulations, Ranger, you so derserve it! Have a great time there! :cool:

Ranger, what a lovely and well-deserved honour! Ty for letting us know. Enjoy!
Barb

That's awesome Ranger!! Congratulations!! Can't wait to hear about your visit! :) :)

That so cool Ranger!
i look forward to hearing more about your trip.

Hope you have an amazing time!

Hooray, Dear Ranger!

I hope you have safe and easy travel, and a wonderful time!
I can't wait to hear about this amazing trip of a lifetime!
Congratulations!:D:caticon::thumbsup::heart:

How exciting! Congratulations and can't wait to see those videos!

Oh wow, Ranger. This is so exciting! I can't wait to see your updates and vids. Have a good time! Say Hello to SC from us.

Wow .... What an honour Ranger 👏...... Have a fantastic time hun, looking forward to seeing all your pics & videos on your return .😄

Have a safe journey, have fun , but behave 😜

What an honor and privilege to be invited, and how awesome that you were able to say yes! Looking forward to your "reports"!

Congrats. Hope you have a great time! Are they paying for your flight?

Thanks everyone for your kind words.

Day One - Japan

'Twas a beautiful morning here in Japan. Woke up at 6am. The sun was up to welcome me to another day.

Left at 6:20 as an hour away from my nearest city. Even at this time it was standing room only on the train as packed with morning commuters off to work or school.

After arriving in Kobe purchased my return tickets to the airport. The bus was also packed but at least I could sit down for the hour long trip I'd have to take.

Guy next to me was snoring even before his head hit the back rest. Nice comfortable ride with no issues.

Got to the KIX the airport I'd be leaving from. WOW. Talk about busy. Checkin-in at the Finnair counter was easy as pie. Friendly staff.

Now for security. Oh my goodness that's a queue. 20 mins later still in it but much closer.

Baggage check for carry on was easy. Just take off your belt, remove iPhone, place bag on tray then holding up my trousers hobble through the scanner.

Safe. No beeps. LOL

Had 2 litres of tea in my bag but only 1L bottles are allowed. Had to drink it all vefore I left the area under the eyes of the security staff.

She was so shocked that I drank it all in one go. Who needs to breath when drinking. The Awe or Shock on her face made me smile.

My flight is now ready and boarding so I guess it's time to get my seat. I'll let others go first as no rush.

The crew look smart in their uniforms. Plane looks dirty. Needs a wash.

Time to go.

Thank you for sharing this, Ranger. I am enjoying your trip, and looking forward to reading about the rest of it.

Have a wonderful time, a reward well deserved.

Have a fab time ranger! Look forward to see what SC put on for you all attending :)

Give them all a high 5!

Congratulations - what a great invite! I'm sure you'll have an amazing time!

I'm looking forward to your updates.

PS: very pleased to hear your trousers stayed up!

That is really great Ranger. have a wonderful time and look forward to seeing the videos 😀😀😀😀

This is exiting, congratulations 🎉 I am looking forward to your travel reports and pictures :D
Have lots of fun!!!

Congrats, Ranger! Enjoying your reports. Have a super time!

It's so great to have you visiting us!! See you in a few hours :) :) :) :)

Can't wait to see you man!!! :thumbsup::cool:

Cheers,

Nick

I have finally arrived in Helsinki. The weather here is warm and feels like a wonderful spring day.

The flight was relaxing. Lots of movies, free beer called Karhu, and some nice food.

The beer was pretty good so I tested 8 cans. Can't wait to try more of the local food and dishes in country.

The flight was a little bumpy on occasion but the views from the window during the flight were beautiful.

Since I left in the morning and arrived here in the afternoon I chose not to sleep on the flight. I'm still high on excitement so don't feel tired at all yet.

The airport from the air doesn't look very large but is very modern. Moving through immigration was a piece of cake. Just scan your passport, stand still for a facial scan and all done.

Was met at the exit by my taxi driver. Very sociable gentleman and full of good information about the city. I'd recommend his service again.

I had so many questions about the views as we travelled to my hotel. Passing buildings built in the 60s/70s then into the 50s and older.

The differences in architecture are interesting. I'm gonna try and get some photos when I walk around the city.

Upon entering the hotel I was met by Nick, Junpei, and other members of the supercell team. All are wearing supercell t-shirts and hoodies. I so can't wait to get mine.

Sorry I won't be selling it to anyone but I'll let you see a photo of me wearing it later. LOL

In total they will be 12 YouTuberbers but I will be the only Hay Day one. The schedule for me sounds really great. I'm so looking forward to meeting more of the international team who are all here this week.

Listening to all the others chat about Boom Beach or Clash of the Clans is interesting. I feel a little challenged here as I know almost nothing about these games.

I downloaded the COC game as we will do a live event this week but I'd much rather farm for veggies and feed my pigs.

I'm now relaxing in the lounge area. I've met some of the presenters from Games First and hope to pick their brains later.

By the way check out the website for Games First. This event is gonna be awesome.

My room is simple but comfortable for one person. Has a bathroom and bedroom area but the bed looks great. I so can't wait to test it out tonight.

I love king sized beds. Little worried if I can sleep though as I usually sleep on a futon and a bed is now unnatural for me.

Okay I'm signing off now. Will report back later.

Enjoy your visit, Ranger! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. Look forward to reading all your updates. Happy and safe travels. :)

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Wow, fantastic pictures!!! Beautiful city!

Hi all
I ask for a help
I update my devise so now I lost my hay day farm
I try find solution within the game but there is no "contact us" button in the game
I am sorry if I post in wrong place
Thanks in advance

What wonderful pictures! Thank you for sharing these with us.

thanks for taking the time to post :-)
how convenient having this sliding bedside table, perfect to play Hay Day in bed ... and I would have opened the wine bottle first lol

Loving your updates thus far...and the pics! I believe I'm jealous! Looks like such a beautiful place and the weather looks fantastic!

Cool:thumbsup:
Could you please ask them to re-tweak the derby back. I can't do any decent crop/animal task since they set time limit on them.

I decided to take an evening stroll around the city when one of my fellow YouTubers went shopping.

As you've seen from the photos I've added the city is a mix of different architectural styles. It's wonderful. The way they blend do well.

You turn left it's one style, as you turn around you see another and so on. I will surely do more exploring as the city is not that big.

I felt so comfortable walking around. If it's your first time you will notice how the buildings are not really tall.

The couples here are much more tactile. Very different than that of Japan.

I felt like a real tourist though as I walked around as there was do much for me to take in.

I love the paths & roads. Very similar to the path options in the Hay day town.

For myself I have to get used to the traffic coming from the wrong direction. Almost got hit by a tram that seemed to want to kill me and put another mark on it's tally.

8pm came and it was off to dinner. Two black vans pulled up and I was expecting to be arrested

The vans had really great chairs inside. So much so I fell I love.

Dinner was great. We went to "Kappeli's "I had Kappeli's Fish Assortment (cold smoked salmon, smoked salmon mousse, chargrilled whitefish, smoked vendace and organic scrambled egg) for starters. Next I chose Reindeer Sirloin (roasted sieglinde potatoes, beet root crumbs, chargrilled parsnip, roasted and crispy onion and dark rosemary sauce). For dessert I chose Sea Buckthorn Cheesecake with organic frozen yoghurt. For drinks we started with champagne so I had three glasses, then one glass of beer followed by a liquorice drink. Twas a good evening.

I really enjoyed this part of the day as.

It all sounds so exciting! Great pics! What a beautiful place. Your description of your dinner is making me hungry.:o Have great fun and thank you for sharing your experience.

Wow! So far the beverage tally is 2 liters of tea in the airport, 8 beers on the plane, more beer in your hotel room, 3 glasses of champagne and a beer at dinner...Is this some sort of new derby task!?!

It looks like it's very early spring; no leaves on the trees in Helsinki yet!

Love your journal. It's fun to have you posting in writing, especially since we are so familiar with your voice that we can hear you narrating. Looking forward to more entries and photos. If it's okay with the people in the photos, can you let us know if they are anyone we would recognize from the forums??

Wonderful pics Ranger, looks a lovely city😀

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Dear Ranger,
Your travelogue is fantastic, thank you for sharing your great adventure with us!
My keyboard is acting up, so please envision all kinds of excited, happy, congratulatory and heart emojis

(I'm also very hungry now, viewing those scrumptious dinner courses. Yumm!)

Thank you, Ranger, for bringing us along with you!
I send my best wishes to the Supercell crew!

I hope you can sleep!

This is fabulous to see, thank you so much for sharing and really looking forward to the next instalment. Is that Nick on the right, in the SC sweatshirt?

It's so bright here. Go to bed late it's still light outside. Wake up early. It's light again. I'm not sure if it actually gets dark here. I think I found the land of perpetual light.

Woke up at 3am this morning but didn't head out into the city till 5am. My bed was really comfortable and I didn't want to get out of it.

Went for a morning walk down to the bay. Very quiet. Just joggers and the market guys setting up their stands. The city in the morning is very relaxing.

Even though it was early I didn't feel it was too cold but then again I'm crazy.

Returned in time for breakfast. Oh my god it was fantastic. I loved the fact I could take a freshly baked loaf of bread and cut off what I wanted.

The selection of meats and cheeses was good but for me the best dish was the porridge that was cooked overnight.

Twas really good. I'm absolutely gonna eat it again tomorrow. It was creamy but nutty as well.

Around 9:30 we left the hotel to take a short drive to the Supercell office. From the outside all you can see is a simple logo high up on the building wall.

You'd never know this was the location of such an awesome game till you walked in the door and saw the lift under maintenance image.

The have a COC builder repairing it.
Upon reaching the 6th floor we were treated to a tour of the office.

I got to meet the Hay Day team. I was so stoaked. I really felt like a VIP being introduced to them.

Known for my videos and asked for my views made me feel very proud. They even offered me support as well for the future.

In the area I could see fan mail, posters, images or past designs, Japanese decorations from the train ads in Japan plus much more.

The best parts for me was the chance to sign my GC name on the chalk visitors board, seeing the live global login map, and shaking hands with team members.

The live board is a map of the world and is located in the entrance. You can see lights for every login to the Supercell games as it happens.

Green is the colour for Hay Day. There were so many people playing when they should be sleeping. So cool. You guys really need to see this.

I'd love for Supercell to have a live camera on it at all times and live feeding it out to us all.

We tested the fact that you can see yourself login in and a light lit up at the Helsinki location. Sweet.

In the Hay Day area. I got to see the real guitar used in the commercials. The hen house, the pig sweat machine, plus some cool graphics.

I'm looking forward to chatting with the team more later this week.

I did get to see the rest of the departments as well but for me the Hay Day area was best as this is my baby.

Now it's snack time. Free drinks galore plus some sandwiches from downstairs.

After this we will head off to Games First. Then later tonight a party. I'm not sure what time or if I will be able to get up early tomorrow.

The man in the blue is Junpei. He is the boss for my region in the world. The man in the hat is Nick. I'm the one in the Hawaian shirt.

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Brilliant thread Ranger. Thank you so much for sharing so much and so well!!

It all looks amazing! I'm very envious!

Thanks for sharing this Ranger. It all looks and sounds great. I too , am very envious - especially of that amazing food! A bit scary that someone might catch on that I'm playing when I'm s'posed to be sleeping....

Wow, that food! So my burning question is...how much weight do you think you will gain with all that yummy food!? XD

Ranger.... It sounds like your having a fabulous time over there. I ❤️ being able to put a face to a name , so it was nice to see a photo of you.

I only stared reading your thread this morning & Ive not stopped laughing 😄😄

Its like reading a blog of what my 12 yr old son dreams of every night ....... Food 😜

You better pick yourself up another Hawaiian shirt before you return home, in a bigger size hun , because I don't think you'll fit into yours for much longer with all that fantastic food 😜😜

Looking forward to the evening meal already 😄.

ps.... Have a word in Nick's ear & find out WHEN any HD merchandise will be available for all us HD addicts to buy 😄

All that champagne too....... Made me think..... How about whilst the supercell staff are sleeping off their hangovers,find a tool box and do some work on the Misery boxes and WOF ? I'll settle for carriages, 5 windmills a tractor and a pennyfarthing on mine.....

More great reading about your trip!

The food looks fabulous...and I think I gained about 10 pounds just looking at it, so if I were you, I would take Helen's advise and get yourself another shirt or two while there, so you will have something that will fit you between now and when you return home. :p

Ranger, I never envisioned you as a foodie. Enough of the food pictures. We want hay day pics. Or won't they let you take pictures of the office or that cool board. If I get out the cheerleaders to chant hay day, hay day,hay day loud enough would it work? Pretty please.

Thanks for this diary, I´m so excited to read this because you are in my home country :) I appreciate your comments and hope you have a great time here in Finland. Say hello to all SC team and say we love Hay Day :D

Wonderful photo journal, Ranger! Thanks for posting so frequently, and thanks for letting us know which of the folks was Junpei, Nick, and of course our beloved Haydini!

I'm with Helen; see if you can lobby for some Hay Day teeshirts like the ones on display in the town gift shop. I noticed last week (or at least recently) there was a "caption this cartoon" contest with the animals in the gift shop trying on tee shirts? Could this be a sign??? Fingers crossed.

In the food saga...
In last night's dinner menu, you forgot to mention that there was creme brulee!!! And the porridge did look fabulous. I'm a big fan of steel-cut oats cooked overnight. Now I'm going to have to hunt down barley!

As Tiggerr mentioned, the log-in board sounds fabulous. I loved your comment about how many folks were logging in when they should be sleeping. I, too, would love to see a photo of it. Even better would be a world map somewhere in the game where we could see how many are currently farming on each continent.

I'm really glad you went there Ranger, thanks for sharing your story with us :caticon:.

Ranger, you had me hooked after "testing" 8 beers on the plane. It sound's like you're having a wonderful time and I'm looking forward to more updates! Please also ensure you are filming that light up board thingy at around 10am Helsinki time tomorrow and are focusing on Spain, specifically. I would like to see myself log on. Thanks!:cool:

Wow Ranger, awesome pictures!! Glad your having a great time. I agree with the others, it would be nice to see the world map and anything HayDay;) especially some merchandise!! :cool: Can't wait for more updates!!

I will video this board later and upload for you as well.

There are some rules we have to obey when taking photos in the office but I will share all the ones I can.

This is a still image but imagine this flickering with lights. You can see the time zones where people should be sleeping.

It's so cool.

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This was taken in the communial area. Great place to relax and work with others or even party.

Supercell really looks after it's staff and provides many such spaces for its members to interact or refresh.

Excuse the darkness of the image but the logo was more important for me.

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This one is at the entrance to the lifts. It's a COC builder but still very cool.

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If you are a COC player we are going to be doing a live event. I will be on one of the teams but am still lost by the game. They don't have any coffee kiosks or candy machines. LOL

They do ride pigs though so that's cool.

Today's main focus was to be Games First. This is a chance for games companies to make their pitches about new upcoming or existing games in a 3min slot.

The event hall was a short bus ride away from the company and/or hotel.

Upon entering we were asked to remove shoes and give a really cool pair of slippers. They are kind if like boots and higher than I'd normally buy but actually quite cool.

Next we went to the registration desk to get our passes for the whole event.

Noooooo my name was in the system but no pass. I almost died with shock. The number one Hay Day Youtuber can't get in. LOL

Luckily I wasn't the only attendee that day with this issue so I got a hand written pass. Now I could wander freely without being removed by the security.

Inside the hall you had a communial area for all to mingle. Around the room were been bags, hammocks, couches and other seats but mainly you had to stand.

To the right was a candy stand. You could take as much candy as you wanted. Sweet. Literally. I felt it was my duty to partake of this buffet of candy and I did.

In fact I would return here on many occasions to reintroduce myself.

I'm so dreading the scales when I go home. I was 95kilos when I left. I wonder what I will be when I get back.

Around the room in a variety of locations you could also find refrigerators of free drinks. Both alcoholic and soft. The beer was locked though as it was for the evenings party which would start at 7pm.

The hall was long and split into 3 key areas. As you walked down its length you could see two very large screens displaying the attendees names and information.

Was really cool to see my name come up many times. Lots of companies and their teams plus other key members from the games community were also displayed.

To the left of the hall was the games area with many arcade machines. Racing, skiing, bowling, shooting, pinball plus more. Was a popular area where you could show off you skills to the praise of others around you.

At the far end of the hall was the bowl. This was a large closed of area with seating for all. We'd sit here to watch the game companies present their new games.

For me the highlight was watching two Youtubers both from different backgrounds talking about how they started, why they make videos, plus much more. Even the audience questions were valid.

I think the main point from this was that these days we Youtubers can really help the games companies but the match has to be good.

The pleasure you take from a game has to be there, it's not for commercial reasons. Our fans have to believe us as we spend a lot of time building trust.

Also that the gaming companies need to know us before they approach us. This initial contact is very important.

Prior to this talk we were treated to a history if the gaming community in Finland. It was actually quite cool to see the people that made the games for Nokia, for other devices.

To hear their words was like more candy falling from heaven. I wish it were not so rushed though as I'd love to have heard more from them.

After these two activities we had the first session from the games companies. There were some interesting games. Some very similar to what we play now but with a subtle change so as not to be a complete clone.

We would not be able to see the second session as would head back to the company for dinner.

Dinner was to be at Supercell but in the end we all went to a local restaurant. The food was not bad. Mash potatoes, sliced gherkin, red berries and reindeer. All washed down with beer.

Dinner over we returned back to our hotels to dump off bags and get ready for the evenings party.

Upon arriving the set up was the same except the bowl was now closed off. The beer was unlocked and the bars were selling some strange ♥♥♥♥tails.

I didn't partake of them but the guys said they were good but sweet or strong.

I must admit this kind of event is not really my kind of thing. I enjoy the option to dance to good music and let my hair down but this was more like standing around and just talking.

Our passes had a game on the back and I wish I had done it. The prizes were pretty cool but I didn't know this was the result of the game.

It was basic al a Janken/Rock Paper Scissors game with a subtle variation. Interesting and designed to get us to mingle but I'm actually quite shy.

I had a few game companies approach me and I listened to them. Got a few business cards but the games they tried to promote were better for others and not myself.

One company said we have a game but can't tell you anything but it's coming out but I can't say when.

For me this was like teaching a student. Trying to get information from someone who doesn't quite have the language to express themselves.

I wandered around and again partook of the candy, drank a few cans of beer. Played the arcade games and chatted.

My highlight of the evening was to have my photo taken with a really beautiful lady from the Supercell team who also plays Hay Day.

I felt like a superstar and it really made my night. Some of the guys here are famous in their own countries and often have this happen. For a first time experience. The feeling creates a good feeling inside a left me with a high.

After the party we all went our separate ways. Some to other places some back to the hotel.

For me yesterday was good in that I could head about Finlands gaming history.

Hear about YouTube channels and how it effects the industry and see some presentations.

I wish I could have had a history takeaway or some handouts from the talk as really interesting.

Oh, Ranger! The map is better than I could have imagined! I see a bright green dot in New Zealand that must be some of our Hay Day friends logging in! It's amazing to see the dots lighting up on little islands all over the world. Even seeing the Clashers' red dots is fun...the lone dots logging in up in Alaska and Iceland.

For clarification for me...the dots just flash when someone logs in? So the 'fireworks' in Europe are not staying lit, just continually flashing?? Looking forward to the video. :cool: Your work on YouTube has been my introduction to video support for things that I do. It's wonderful that the games companies are acknowledging the role you folks play in the success of their products.

I hope their chocolate and jellybeans take less time to produce than our Hay Day candy!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ranger

I will video this board later and upload for you as well.

This is a still image but imagine this flickering with lights. You can see the time zones where people should be sleeping.

It's so cool.

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Fascinating. Ranger, thank you very much for posting the global board. One of my neighbors mentioned she lives in North Africa and I see the green dot.

I wonder if we see more blinking lights a few minutes past the hour and half hour. Maybe they are the hardcore players logging in just to dump derby tasks with low points from the board. :)

Thanks so much ranger. It sounds so exciting. Wish we all could have gone with you. The board is fascinating, the logo is just too cool and now I won't feel so bad eating spaghetti for dinner. Have loads of fun.

LOVE THE STORIES :)

More food pix please -- it is interesting to see the foods of other cultures :)

Ranger, thank you so much for your reporting; this is one of the most interesting topics so far! Well written, wonderfully explained and the pictures are just the cherry on the top. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Looking forward to many more stories 😊

Hey Ranger

Thank for sharing your experience with us.
I love your videos, always search for your theads, so fun and informative.
You might have to chanche your stategy throwing away all townies, who wants to visit three shops, I'm 32 in town, and almost every visitor wants three shops:smirk:
I was laughing, reading your comment about the early sunrice, I'm from Denmark, not so far from Finland. During winter it's definitely an other story.

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Originally Posted by PerkyCox

LOVE THE STORIES :)

More food pix please -- it is interesting to see the foods of other cultures :)

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Yes, yes, yes!!!
I am eagerly awaiting your stories, and can't wait to see more pictures!
(Please don't stop your food stories either because of any teasing some forum members are playfully tossing - I love your descriptions; and everyone here loves you, so please don't stop!)

How did today go?
:caticon:

These are a selection of the meals eaten at my table. I had three of them.

The burgers are horse meat which I've had many times in Japan. For me being British I went for the fish and chips with mushy peas.

I had high hopes as love mushy peas. Noooooo the peas were boiled and just cut into pieces. Not the same.

Still the rest of the food was of a high standard so I was very satisfied. I washed the food down with two beers.

The restaurant was really good but a little too dark. It was hard to see exactly what I was eating which was a shame as it looked fantastic and also tasted great.

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I've never played Boom Beach but the other Youtubers have. We were given the opportunity to help ourselves so I also partook of the choices.

Now there are two kinds of t-shirts. One has the main character the rifle man and the one I'm wearing is the cartoon.

The number is limited to 500 of each size for men and women.

Each t-shirt is numbered and matches the box number. They use 100% recycled materials and are really comfortable.

I'm wearing one of them today for when we go to the race track. And have already had people say wow boom beach. Nice.

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The YouTubers get to meet the boss.
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The YouTubers squaring off for the fight of the century. My team is gonna plant them 6ft under
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In case you are caught short just use Gregs office to spend a penny or two.
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Two of the most important men in the gaming industry having a bro moment. I so loved that you could shake hands, chat, pose for photos with one of the founders of Supercell.

We all took advantage of this opportunity to bond. He made us feel part of the Supercell family. Which gives you a warm buzz inside.

This kind of attitude is common in all aspects of the company. Family, people, the best. And now I'm part of this. Sweet.
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Happy Birthday Supercell. And what a great way to do it than with a cool cake and pizza. Oh my god I've never seen so many choices of pizza in my life.
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The teams at Supercell really enjoy gaming. Just check out some of the titles on these. What a great way to refresh your mind and interact with friends at work than over a board game.
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Day three got off to a late start for some but as usual id gone for a walk out and around the city. Helsinki is very refreshing in the morning.

The air is clear, no smells of pollution. As usual few people were about but those that were looked like they too were having fun in the cool morning air. LOL

Today's activities were to be at the Supercell office. We are going to hold a live clash of clans battle on Saturday and as the only Hay Day YouTuber I needed to teach these guys how to plant crops and manage pigs.

Just joking. I feel so lost with the game as it's so alien to me. No bee hives, no visitors unless they are raiding you town to steal your gold.

I'm going to be on a Purple Cobras and we are going to bury Total Damage.

Yesterday's session was making the teaser video for the event so keep your eyes out for it. It's gonna be awesome.

I had the opportunity during down time to go to the Hay Day teams working area and chatted with two more of the team.

I saw some stuff that's so cool but I'm afraid I can't tell you just yet but watch my videos in the future.

One thing I did notice was how much they actually do listen to all players of the game. All your posts, comments, problems, gets filtered down and are worked on or looked at.

Your requests do influence thd game but at the end the game is a farming game so some requests will be rejected, some will be added to the possible list and others to the hey that's a good idea.

I think a Town character that looks like me will be the best change ever. LOL

I'm afraid my time was short but in that time I was left with a good impression of the support they offer us.

Videoing resumed and by the end of it my hands were killing me. Again and again until it was perfect. I so cznt edit to see the final cut.

The evening was to be relaxed as well. Just dinner and gazing over the city and checking out the landmarks.

The building we went to had the best viewing platform but getting to it was a challenge. A spiral staircase takes you up to the bar area but should someone come down as you climb up passing can be a challenge.

I had to hug the centre as the waitress came down with our champagne.

The view from the top was fantastic but due to the rain it was not as good as it could have been.

Dinner was in the same building so after we took team photos we went down for dinner.

The restaurant was nice. Little too dark for me but comfortable. My table included some of the Hay Day team so could enjoy the conversation a lot more.

The food was wonderful and as usual I ate lots.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ranger

One thing I did notice was how much they actually do listen to all players of the game. All your posts, comments, problems, gets filtered down and are worked on or looked at.

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Thank you, Ranger, for this post and the awesome pictures. I'm glad to hear that SC do listen to our concerns. Since you're there, maybe you could ask them to crank up the communication a little bit, especially around update times? For example, I would love to see something more than just "we are making some tweaks and balance". Some explanations on why certain changes were made, or how certain features work, would do wonders to make players happy! Please be our ambassador and our voice at SC HQ. :heart:

I love the game collection! I think a lot can be learned from the interaction among players around a board game. The fact that Supercell has so many of them (undoubtedly well loved :o) goes some way to explaining the effort they put into social interaction within their games even though the game table spans the globe.

...and now that we've seen the Boom Beach teeshirts (numbered editions, no less!) we are more than ready for the Hay Day ones to come out!!!!

More great info, Ranger...thank you so much! Unfortunately, about ½ the pics were missing for me. :(

It's really good to know that SC really does listen to what we are saying. :)

I think all the photos are there (for me, they are anyway) but just takes some time loading as there are a lot in one post -- so click "refresh" or just leave them loading and make a cuppa! :) :)

Ranger, great reportage! Thank you.

Do you have any more photos of the lovely architecture and street life? :)

I've really enjoyed reading your travel diary Rangers, and I didn't realise before that you were British - that explains your love of beer :cool: and fish and chips of course!

Loved the peeks behind the scenes at Supercell HQ, I'm now curious to know what the ladies loo is called seeing as the men's is 'Greg's' :confused: :smirk:

And good to know that supercell are listening to us :thumbsup:

My goodness, Ranger, your pictures and reports are so excellent I feel I'm right there with you! Thank you for sharing your adventure. :o

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Originally Posted by AsYouWish

Yes, yes, yes!!!
I am eagerly awaiting your stories, and can't wait to see more pictures!
(Please don't stop your food stories either because of any teasing some forum members are playfully tossing - I love your descriptions; and everyone here loves you, so please don't stop!)

How did today go?
:caticon:

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Ok ok I was just joking about the food pics, but as long as it got us a picture of the world log in board, I'm fine. Great pics and Info Ranger. Sounds like you are having a blast. Glad you got to talk to the Hay Day crew. Have fun!

Tigg

Re

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ranger

I think a Town character that looks like me will be the best change ever. LOL


I had to hug the centre as the waitress came down with our champagne.

.

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Would this his new character be chugging a can, by any chance, and are you sure it was the wall you were hugging ... all that champagne ...?

But seriously, although I have to confess that I have never made it all the way through any of your videos, I am loving this blog, especially the food pictures. I can really relate to this and sincerely thank you for including us on your trip, Ranger. Brilliant work.

That global light-up board is WAY cool. That CoC builder at the elevator is really cute, as is the door with Greg on it. Those are a lot of board games! I've never heard of many of those.

Are there no female HD, CoC or BB Youtubers? Is it just guys there?

I am also enjoying the food photos.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GladeMaid

But seriously, although I have to confess that I have never made it all the way through any of your videos, I am loving this blog, especially the food pictures. I can really relate to this and sincerely thank you for including us on your trip, Ranger. Brilliant work.

---

I too must confess I nodded off while watching one of Ranger's videos recently.

It's not the content but his soothing voice lulls me to close my eyelids so I must learn by osmosis.

It's as though Ranger added the music of Pachelbel to his videos. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOA-2hl1Vbc

Oh goodness I can not help it when I turn green. But at the same time I am very excited for you. Experiencing all, I mean ALL, must be a fantastic experience. Thank you for sharing. ALL the pics are fab.:o

After a hard day of driving BMWs, riding in Nascars, speeding round the track on a motor bike we went to dinner.

Oh my god was the food out of this world. The restaurant was called Zetor and kind of had a farm like image. Cows, and other farm animals decorated the place.

They had a lot of different themes. Klondike, sports, casino, country and western dance floor plus much more.

The place was busy with sports fans watching ice hockey. That's the figure skating event where grown men chase each other around with sticks and try to hit this small black object.

Looks fun but a little dangerous. As they can't seem to stop skating into each other. Guess they need more practice on the ice. LOL

We had an area towards the back that reminded me of the gold mining era in the USA but with Woden tables and checkered table cloths.

I could imagine country music and dancing would follow.

The menu is more like a newspaper and comes in 22 languages. I asked if I could keep as a souvenir and they said it would cost me. The supercell staff kindly added that fee to the bill.

Yippee. Thank you. Thank you.

I ordered Kasviskukkonen, the 300g Tractor Mans Steak and Blueberry Pie.

I'm still full now but then again we didn't start dinner till 10pm ish and we were back at the hotel at 2am.

I'd so recommend this place but if you have a week heart don't use the men's toilet. It will set it racing and you might blow a blood vessel.


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Yesterday was a national holiday. So waking up early as normal I went down for a sedate breakfast only to be told it would be an hour later.

Cool went of a walk and headed off in another direction to explore the morning city.

As usual it was quiet. I don't think Fins like getting up too early. The country seems so relaxed and laid back. Service is not hurried and every thing feels calm.

A complete difference than that in Japan. Back home I'd be squashed on any trains at 6am as everyone would be commuting to work. Even my neighbourhood would be busy with kids outside playing baseball before school.

Breakfast was the same as normal except this time I ate cheese cake. Wow. That's all I can say. It was really good.

I had a young Japanese couple sit down next to me. So as you do when meeting fellow country men I started a conversation.

They were in their honeymoon and happened to be from my part of Japan. It was so cool. The fact that they came from near my in-laws home was even sweeter.

They were so shocked, one by hearing Japanese from someone in Helsonki but also two by the fact we were almost neighbours.

I enjoyed an hour of their company and posed for photos with them.

Since our schedule was more relaxed today. Not needing to be ready till 12 I stayed in the breakfast lounge drinking coffee for hours.

The others joined as they woke up. Everyone looked so refreshed after having many hours of extra sleep.

We would need this later. During our time together we had a Norwegian family start chatting to us as they recognised one of us.

We ended up giving advice to their youngest on how to become a YouTuber. He was so chuffed to be given a Boom Beach t-shirt that was signed by his hero.

Later another guest who had overheard our conversation came and introduced himself and again we spoke about what we do.

People are so interested and my friends and I even though we maybe superstars in the YouTube industry or not are so relaxed, open and free to give tips.

Time rolled past and we had to go. The coach was comfortable, had WIFI and power outlets.

The journey was very long. I'll add more later.

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Why there are so many utubers there? They there for a new update?

Very cool, especially the car racing. And from those last 2 pics of the farm you can see where they drew their inspiration from for Hay Day!

YouTuber War Challenge http://youtu.be/OYrCYuUUHZY check it out and prepare for war. #liveclash

This is one reason.

The other reason is for us to meet the company and them to meet us.

They love our work and really appreciate what we do.

Why not become a YouTuber in your own countries for Hay Day and you too may one day end up in my shoes.

In the meantime. Check the vid. Tweet about it, comment and share. Spread the word. A live event is coming tomorrow. It's gonna be fun.

Go go go Ranger, farmer are best warrior out there !!!!

Race car driving!! Looks very fun! :p

Just my 2 cents on meeting up with Ranger - :caticon::heart:

It has been so EGGciting to meet up, talk, and share thoughts. He is an aMOOzing guy, avid Hay Day player and I urge that you all subscribe to his YouTube channel for his sweet videos: http://supr.cl/R3DKNIGHT

Tomorrow we will meet up one last time before he leaves back home, but I am sure we will meet again. Soon! ;)

Cheers,

Nick

Fantastic posts Ranger, the only problem is I recon I must have put on 5 pounds in weight just looking at your photos. I am glad you have has a brilliant time, we have certainly had a brilliant time reading your posts.

I just watched the video link for the war challenge... no wonder CoC is called the dark side!

Just try to make it out alive Ranger!

More great details of your visit!

I would have loved to do the racecar driving...and hopefully they would let me drive...VROOM, VROOM!!

Your video of the prep for the COC war was cute!

Looking forward to more!

YouTuber War Challenge.

Purple Cobras vs Total Damage.

Live event starts at 12 noon Helsinki Time.

I'm on the Cobras team.

Tweet me some cool farming tasks. Would be funny.

#LiveClash R3DKNIGHT can you ...

Good luck! (Imagine me doing the Cobra hiss)

Plant those crops, farmer!! :D

Watching... - livestream - https://youtu.be/9APhR_xvywY

Super cool. Ranger, just saw you defeat. Bentimm1 army camp. Woohoo!!

Here's Ranger making the Clash professionals SWEAT!! :caticon::cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9APhR_xvywY

It was a blast hanging around, watching the Live stream from the set! A couple of pictures:

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I am sure that Ranger will post more photos as soon as he can + some very very interesting videos on his YouTube channel! :)

Cheers,

Nick

Helsinki is a beautiful city in a beautiful country with amazing landscape, history, architecture, calm, peaceful people and finnish salmon rolls 😻

I almost forgot their amazing heavy metal bands and elfish looking people 😻 (and Viking warriors 💖💖 )

Enjoy !

Love the cobra hiss! That was my first ever view of CoC. Ranger, I completely agree; they need more trees!! Another thing I noticed is that their characters are at least as weird as our townies. Finally, I knew that when an clan launches an attack, it reminded me of SOMETHING on my farm...well, it's the BEES! When I send all my bees out from the hive tree, it's like they are taking their little buckets out to gather "loot"!

Your travel report is very entertaining Ranger! It is interesting to hear about your experiences and see all the photos from Helsinki sights and the food, to the insider views of the SC building and the sponsored events.
It sounds wonderful!


The pleasure you have for the Hay Day game shows. SC did well to invite you. You seem to take like a duck to water to the event activities.


You said, "The couples here are very tactile. Very different from Japan."
What a tactful way of expressing how couples show affection in public.


The global login map is very cool.


Dinner on day three. "These are a selection of the meals eaten at my table. I had three of them." Having three all in one dinner? Or maybe you tasted three? That beats drinking all that tea in one go at the airport, he, he.


From Nick: ..."I am sure we will meet again. Soon! ;)"
He is ever the one to give hints about something planned yet to come. (What is "soon" according to Nick anyway?)


Thanks for sharing with us.

https://www.facebook.com/HayDay.R3DKNIGHT

Congrats Ranger on winning against Galadon's team on the YouTuber Clan War Challenge . Since you are Townhall3, I was wondering how your team would deploy you to attack the Townhall10s in the enemy clan. I must say you played your role brilliantly as a scout whose cannon fodder attack allowed your teammates to see the type clan troops defending the enemy base.

BTW, I have seen Youtube videos starring Galadon and his alter ego "Peter". Galadon is spot on when he mentioned your British accent is better than Peter's. :)

It was a blessing to meet you Ranger, had tons of fun and great conversations with you!
Keep up the great work and it was awesome reading your vlogs and seeing the pictures from your perspective.

Really hope we'll meet again on the next Supercell trip buddy! :D

Oh wow Ranger - congrats! And thank you so much for the diary. I love reading about your trip.

Day at the race track.

Well we finally arrived after a long drive through the beautiful landscape of Finland.

I must admit though that I didn't see as much as I'd like as I tend to shut out the world and close my eyes on coaches.

The grounds of the race track are split into two areas. The front being where they had all the cars we would drive, the maintenance area, the toilets, and admin lorries.

The first sight that attracts your attention is the row of white BMWs, the NASCAR car and numerous people with cool motorbikes and tight leathers.

Just past this you can see the stands and beyond that the race track that we would spend the next half day driving or crashing on.

First stop the admin van. We were introduced to the set up for the day and advised of one key point. You break it. You pay for it.

He then went on to inform us of the costs for gearboxes, busted engines, cars that are written off. Oh my god. I'm gonna drive like my grandma walks with a whole ocean between me and the next car.

I picked up the pen. Signed my name in blood and made my pact with them. All the while the voice in my head was saying "your wife will kill you"

Snack time was to be a sandwich but with thoughts of crashing and burning going through my mind I only ate one and it wasn't as settled as I'd like. Still it was tasty though.

The schedule for the tracks would be motorbikes and NASCAR first followed by racing the BMWs.

Bikes I passed on as past experiences made me feel unsure of my actions. Watching the others that jumped at the chance was like seeing children in a candy shop.

The excitement on their faces was clear to see whereas mine would be fear and dread.LOL

Now the NASCAR. I couldn't wait. I suited up in a standard looking racing suit. Made my way to the starting point to see my new baby.

She was beautiful. Two seats, roll bars, bolted down engine cover which would be raised later. Wow the engine was a beast.

Helmet on I approached the drivers side forgetting I was to be a passenger only. The driver looked at me and with a single glance sent the thought "LOL As if".

I still can't get used to the rest of the world driving on the wrong side. Being from England I find Japan very comfortable as the traffic follows the same rules.

The passenger side has no door. You have to squeeze through the window. I'm 6ft 2in and slightly large. Getting in was a challenge but after a twist and a push I managed. God forbid we crash.

I was to be the first and couldn't wait. The Go Pro was set up to record my baby like cries, screams of pleasure or which ever emotion came out.

I so can't wait to see it and then upload. Belts were done up. And we were off. It was fantastic.

The speed down the straights, the roar of the engine, the pressure that forces you to your seat, the banging of your skull as you are thrown from left to right.

This was to be the highlight of my day and I will never forget it. All to soon it was over but the grin on my face when I took off my helmet and balaclava showed my feelings clearly.

Now I would wait as others raced around and the crazy ones went on the bikes.

The motorbike rider was small and lectured the others on how to sit and hold on. Which ways to lean and to give him room to move.

For me just listening had thoughts of past incidents where I leant the wrong way or didn't hold on tightly going through my mind. I'm so glad I passed.

Motorbike riders are nuts. So are their passengers. But they all enjoyed. I like to watch but that's it. The wheelies, the almost laying down of the bike, the burst of speed. Great to see.

Lunch was to be a curry based dish and I partook of that as I felt much better. The thoughts of crashing now gone from my mind.

Time to go to the race cars. I was in the second group. We all had to follow the safety car around the track as he showed us the correct lines. Then back to change groups.

For Japan most cars are automatic but I have also driven manual as well. I'm just rusty. Cause the drivers seat and pedals are in the wrong place I double checked to make sure which ones I needed.

First guy told me the wrong order. Glad I double checked. The brake pedal was a pain to use. No light touch for this.

Started the car and the damn thing started to move off. Oh god no. The safety car was in front. Quick reflexes and swerved off to one side. Pushing that break for all it's worth and not stoping.

My first time in the drivers seat and I mess it up. Noooooo. The safety car goes by and I just follow. This time keeping my distance as now unsure if they would be effective.

Once around the track the safety car pulls away and I go like my grandfather does in his electronic car. Slow and steady. All others put there pedals to the metal and gun it.

All others shoot past at some stage. Twas fun taking it steady to get used to the course but I couldn't relax as much as I'd like.

The fear of damage was now back in the front of my mind. After a few laps we were to return back to the starting point and this I did.

By the second go I had watched the others. Some went off but no major issues so confidence returned. I decided to put a little more power into the engine.

It was awesome as I shot around the track. Then disaster struck. I started to lose it on the turn that was really tight. We were told to keep the clutch down and then just go into the sand.

This I did as I felt trying to gain control would mess me up. Now I sat in the sand thinking oh god I hope nothing broke.

My little bit of rebelling and driving fast was too much for fate. Now you know why I Hay Day and not Clash. The relaxed sedate life suits me fine. I can have my adventures in books or on the farm.

The safety guy took his sweet time coming over too me. I watched him all the way from his car to mine.

He looked at the car and said I could drive out and that I did. This was to be my last lap as the checkered flag waved me in.

There would be one more race with all cars on the track. I passed on this as my chest was burning and breathing was a little hard in the helmet.

I hadn't bashed my chest but have a persistent muscle problem that causes a tightness too many times to count.

The final races were cool to watch. One of my fellows went off in the same place (Bad Crash). Others in different locations.

The final race would be between two drivers. Damn was it competitive. 1st/2nd 3rd/4th. One simple mistake would cost them their position.

We loved it. Watching, laughing, cheering on was fun.

The race was over. Places were set and prizes were given. We all got cool sunglasses but only 4 got trophies.

The car that went off badly had gone through the sand trap up into the trees. The trees had been cut down and were now stumps.

The result was the front end was twisted. It would be an expensive fix and my mate was really worried. I tried to calm him down and had the Supercell team support him.

We finally heard the news that the company would take a hit on this one and not charge him. I was so happy as it was a lot.

They went to tell him and it was like watching a transformation. I really felt happy for him. Photos around the broken car were taken, jokes were made and still are.

He was on my team the Purple Cobras. Maybe Total Damage would have been better. LOL

We all then left the track for the coach ride back to town. Twas a long day.

Upon returning we hit another restaurant for dinner. Oh my god was it yummy. The place was cool but I've spoken about it in another post.

After the meal we all returned back to the hotel. This was the latest I'd been out in the city so would see a very different crowd if people.

Many out having fun and working ladies trying to part them with their earnings. I wished I'd not felt so tired as would have enjoyed walking around more.

Back to the hotel it was to be. 2am is not a good time to sleep at my age. LOL

Hey Ranger, I was not able to open the Facebook link. I got the message that the link was broken:confused:

Enjoying your Instagram:D