Tapped Out on Christmas: What to Tap Now? Town Designs

Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!

Back with another edition of Tapped Out on Christmas!  I’ve been noticing more and more in the comments many tappers asking what’s next?  You’ve completed the Gift Card prizes (although if you haven’t…don’t panic you still have plenty of time…until next Tuesday to be exact), won all of the wheel prizes (again if you haven’t don’t panic…or feel one of the F words…you still have plenty of time) and you have no clue what to do until the next update.

And now we’ve gotten word that the Christmas Event has been EXTENDED another week!  What’s an Addicted Tapper to do?

Should you still be tapping Neighbor-eeno’s houses with Gift Cards?  Should you still be dropping gift bags?  Should you still be tapping your own presents?  Well over the next couple of days we’re going to take a look at things you can do to prevent yourself from becoming Tapped Out on Christmas and still keep your head in the game.

Today’s tip?  Town Designs (or redesigns) and working all of those new items into Springfield!

Sometimes with the excitement of a new update (and one as big as the Christmas one) we can be in a rush to just drop new buildings and decorations anywhere to get onto the next part.  (Guilty as charged!)  But now that there’s a little bit a lull in the game you can take the time to design your Springfield just right, and place those new items perfectly in your town.

I spent sometime this past weekend working all of my Christmas decorations into Springfield…and yes Halloween too.  The major improvement was creating a little Christmas village in my Springfield where buildings like ClausCo, Santa’s Workshop, etc could all go together and make sense.  Here’s what I came up with in my town:

Wookiee has created his own Wookiee Wonderland in his Springfield:

Looking for more ideas on how to design your Springfield during the lull?  Check out the Addict’s Quick Guide to Building a Better Springfield:

It’s All Good In The Hood: Consider The Neighborhood

House farming does have its perks, if you do it right. While I’m not a house farmer myself (come on EA give us more houses!) I do have neighbors who are. When done right house farming can make your Springfield look like it has nice neighborhoods where people would want to live. Don’t just stick houses here and there around Springfield, and don’t stack them all up on top of each other either. Consider your placement of each house, and how it will fit in a neighborhood setting.
Tip: Keep all of the ‘special houses’ together (Flanders, Simpsons, Wiggum, Skinner, etc) and keep the other houses together, in multiple number (Purple House, White House, Brown House, etc).

Location Location Location: Consider What Your Central Springfield Is

Your Central Springfield is the part of your Springfield that shows up the moment you and your friends open your town. First impressions are everything, so you want to have a really great Central Springfield that will make your neighbors want to look for more! If you don’t have an exciting Central Springfield your friends might not get excited to see the rest.
Tip: Some people like to put the Simpson’s house in the center of their Springfield, while others prefer a part or Town Hall. Try to put your best decorated building/decoration in your Central Springfield and keep up with it. You really want something that’s going to wow your friends!

Hardscape/Landscape: Consider Your Landscaping

Try to landscape each building. Think about how it would look in real life and be creative!
Tip: Check our our 2D design page for more ideas!

What’s In A Theme: Consider A Theme for Each Building

Think:  ‘If this building existed in real life, what would it look like” and try to create a theme around that thought. For example, Kamp Krusty would be in the woods surrounded by trees, water, and maybe some cabins. So design your Kamp Krusty area to include a lot of trees and shrubs, a river or lake, and maybe through in some Brown houses for the cabin look!
Tip: Keep up with the theme you’ve created for each building. Landscape when you can, and try to keep it in line with your design plan.

Park It: Consider Building A Park

Try and think outside the box here. Don’t just stick use buildings everywhere to take up space.  Utilize the decorations available and make a park. Use the table, gazebo, swing set, monkey bars and all possible trees and other forms of flowers and greenery to create a dedicated Springfield Park. Hey EA even gives you a Springfield Park sign to help make it happen!
Tip: Keep a theme to your park, and dedicate areas of it for specific things. For example keep the Monkey Bars, Swing Set, and Seesaw together to create a play area of your park! 

Be A Simpsons Addict: Consider How Springfield Would Look

Follow The Simpsons a little bit and try setting your Springfield like it would look on the show!  It’s fun to see how things are on the Simpsons in relation to where you put them in your Springfield!

What are some ways you’ve been keeping from getting Tapped Out on Christmas?  Doing some redesigning in your Springfield?  Want to show it off?  Be a Springfield Showoff and post your redesigns in the comments below, on our Flickr site, or email them to us at TSTOAddictsblog@gmail.com….and starting next week we’ll be showing off your designs!

All original art and content © Up All Night, LLC and TSTOAddicts.com
All Screen Shots of Game Graphics & Dialogue and Game Graphics from files ™ and © EA, Gracie Films and FOX