FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The frequently asked questions article serves to address common questions about the game. Expand a category to view its contents.

If you experience problems with the app, your user account, the website, etc. please report the issue/issues here!

General[edit]

Question Answer
I cannot find Turf on either Google Play or App Store, why? Your country is most likely not one of the countries where Turf has been officially released yet. Why countries outside of the official ones cannot download the game is due to the technical nature of Turf itself. All zones and other major game elements have to be placed by hand, therefore it requires work to establish a fair, balanced and rewarding gaming environment. Please contact us if you wish to assist with building a game environment in your local area.
Where can I find a walkthrough of the in-game menu? You can find a walkthrough of the in-game menu in the game rules.
I experience technical issues, please help! Please file an issue ticket and we will try to help resolve your problem.
Where do I start if I wish to learn more about Turf? Please start by browsing the introductory content, for example the game rules. It should be a good starting point if you wish to get your feet wet on TurfWiki.
Is it possible to view my score from previous rounds? You can view your round points in the emails sent out after every round. If you are in the top-100, then you can see them in warded as well. You can also view your Turf game sessions in Warded, coupled with statistics and a map of the zones taken during the session.

Gameplay[edit]

Question Answer
How do I play? Start by opening Turf, and make sure you enable the GPS (it will ask you to enable it). See that green guy? That is you! By looking at the map, you should be able to find a nearby zone. Go ahead and enter it, then stay within its boundaries for 45 seconds and it will become yours! You will earn a certain amount of points for each taken zone, and to keep playing the game, just keep on raking in those points! For more information on the topic, please see the rules of the game.
What is a zone? A zone is a virtual area situated in a physical location in the real world and is a central game element in Turf. Zones are represented in the game by the red, yellow or green dots or polygons in the map view. When you stand inside the borders of a zone you perform a takeover, or a take. By taking zones players score points and achieve various medals. Players indirectly rank up by taking zones, as more points are gathered.
I entered a zone, but I could not take it for some reason, help! Another player must have recently taken the zone, and therefore blocked it for a period of time. A blocked zone is marked with black and yellow stripes and a clock symbol within its borders on your map. You will have to wait for the block timer of the zone to run out before you are able to take it. If you already own the zone, you can not take it again until at least 23 hours have passed. See revisits.
I have just taken a zone. How long will it be mine? Until someone else takes it, or until the current round ends. Each minute it is in your possession, it gives you a certain amount of points.
What is block time? Block time is the duration of which a zone is not able to be taken by any player. This time duration is dependent on the rank of the player who performed the takeover of the zone.
How long is the block time? From 10 minutes up to 25 minutes depending on the rank of the player who took the zone. A player starts at rank 0 with a block time of 10 minutes. When reaching level 60, the current max level, the duration of the block time is 25 minutes. A revisit will only block a zone for 5 minutes, no matter the player's rank.
What is takeover time? Takeover time is the required time you need to be physically present in a zone to perform a takeover. The takeover time is dependent on the rank of the player which performed the takeover of the zone.
Is it possible to get a shorter takeover time? In the beginning of your Turf career your takeover time is 30 seconds. As you level up (by earning points) that time will decrease all the way up until rank 60, where you will get the shortest possible takeover time of only 18 seconds. Your takeover time can be further decreased in two ways: Having the GPS on will grant you the GPS bonus, granting you a five second decrease of your takeover time. By becoming Region Lord you receive another five seconds deduction of your takeover time. Thus, the shortest achievable takeover time time is 8 seconds.
What is a revisit? If you manage to keep a zone for at least 23 hours, you will be able to take it again. This is called a revisit. A revisit gives you half the usual amount of takeover points (i e: if a zone takeover is worth 250 points, you will only get 125 for a revisit).
What is an assist? An assist (or assisted takeover), is when two or more players are present in a zone when a takeover of that zone is taking place. The player which has completed their takeover time first will take the zone as usual, and any other player present in the zone will perform an assist. This will yield the assisting player(s) the takeover points but not the ownership of the zone. Many medals include
Why do certain players wear a crown in Turf? They wear a crown due to acquiring the Region Lord bonus by owning the most zones in a region. A Region Lord is awarded a crown (see: Wardrobe), and a takeover time bonus.
How does the game decide where my home region is? The region where you have taken most zones during the current round is considered your home region. It is possible for a home region to change mid-round. If, for example, you start a round in region A, and take at least one zone there (and in no other region), then region A will be considered your home region. When you enter a different region, region B, you need to take more zones in that region than in region A before region B is considered your new home region.
What does a green plus sign (Sign green.png) on the map mean? A green plus sign indicates that a zone has been added or modified on that location since you last opened Turf.
What does a yellow sign (Sign yellow.png) on the map mean? This symbol indicates that a player recently has taken a zone.
What does a red sign (Sign red.png) on the map mean? This symbol indicates that a player has taken a zone from you.
What does a green sign with an e (Sign event.png) on the map mean? This symbol indicates where event zones are.
How do I report a zone issue? All issue reports are made in the Turf Game Issue Tracking system. A guide on how to proceed can be found here.

Suggesting a zone[edit]

Question Answer
I want to suggest a zone, how do I do it? In the main menu there is an icon featuring a light bulb. Zoom in to the area where you would like to have a zone. Click on the icon. Tap on the map to place the corners of the zone... You get 3 suggestions every round (month). You get more if you are a supporter. Remember to make the size of the zone approximately 25x25 meters.
Who makes the decisions about suggested zones? The zone makers, the part of Turf Crew responsible for the placement of zones. Zone suggestions influence the zone placements made by the zone makers and help make better zone decisions, so keep them coming!
What size should a suggested zone be? The aim for the zone size is for them to be approximately 25 by 25 meters, but that can vary a bit depending on the location of the zone. E.g. if a zone is placed in an area where the GPS reception might be worse due to large buildings or dense vegetation, the zone then generally needs to be larger to compensate for this problem.
What indicates a good zone suggestion? A zone suggestion can be good in many ways. It can be situated in a historical place, it can have a splendid view, it can be in a park, it can be in a large square, or why not in a swamp so that you get a memory that you will never forget when taking it. A good zone can also be quite ordinary, but its location might be good for strategical reasons, that is, together with other zones it might form a nice tour.
What should I try to avoid when making a zone suggestion? Try to avoid placing a zone where it might become a hazard for the Turf players. Examples of such locations are highways, railways, etc. If you have to trespass to take a zone - it is bad. If a zone is indoors it is also bad. Another example is a zone that could cause turfers to leave marks, for example, leaving bike tracks over a waterlogged lawn. If a zone is inconvenient but not dangerous to take, then it is not considered bad. Please report bad zones by submitting a ticket on the Issues page. Zones where the GPS position is interfered by, for example, surrounding buildings can also be reported.
Why has the zone I suggested not been created? What you create/propose in the app is just a suggestion. Zone makers create new zones in areas when the activity increases and more zones are needed. When they do that they will look at the suggestions in the area and accept those that they like. Zone makers do not get notified upon new zone request. This means that even though your zone suggestion has not been created yet it might be in the future. If you think an area has been overlooked and needs more zones you should create a post in the subforum corresponding to the region of the location to get the attention of the responsible zone maker.
Can I become a zone maker? If you are interested in becoming a zone maker, please contact any member of the Turf Crew and they will help you. Please note that it is not possible to become a zone maker of your own home region in order to prevent possible exploitation.

Third party[edit]

Question Answer
What is Warded? Warded is a third party website that provides extended statistics from Turf, e.g. statistics about individual zones, carried out game sessions, rounds and leaderboards.

Rules[edit]

Question Answer
Where can I view the rules of the game? Please visit this article to view the game rules of Turf.
What do I do if I suspect that someone is cheating? Please contact abuse@turfgame.com if you suspect a player is cheating.
How many players are allowed to play on a single Turf account? When you sign up, your Turf account is considered personal. This means that you cannot share an account with someone else. Sharing an account is considered cheating in line with the established rules of the game.
What means of transportation are allowed when playing Turf? All legal means of transportation are allowed when playing Turf.
Do I have to stand in a zone for the full duration of the takeover? This is somewhat of a gray area. According to the rules you need to be present inside a zone during the whole takeover. However, certain players block the GPS signal when using public transportation such as trains or buses to take an occasional zone. This is commonly not considered cheating unless it directly or indirectly relates to abuse of game mechanics or intent of unfair play of some sort.

Account[edit]

Question Answer
Is the turf account personal? It is as personal as your Google account. It is not considered fair play according to the rules of Turf if several people team up and share an account. Account sharing is in other words considered as cheating.
Is it possible to change e-mail (gmail) and still keep the same turf account? Yes, it is possible. Follow the instructions on this web page. Remember to log in on http://turfgame.com first.
I can't get my old user name/account back, help! You have to use the same primary Google account (Gmail address) as when you installed the phone, then Turf should find your old account and user name. If you are experiencing issues, please submit a ticket on the Issues page. Another suggested way to correct a lost account/user name is to make a full reset of the phone, and then use the correct Google account when re-installing the phone. Await proper installation and setup of Turf before using additional Google accounts on your phone.