Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!
Lately it seems, that with event on top of event, TSTO has become predictable. Often times we can figure out what’s going to happen in the game before an event even hits. Let’s face it it’s all become a bit monotonous.
An Event hits, there’s going to be some element of excitement during Act 1…Act 2 hits that excitement level dwindles a bit, since really Act 2 is a replay of act 1…and by the time Act 3 hits everyone is so bored and over the event that we just want it to be over already. But it wasn’t always like this…
EA used to do some super cool things with events (and in some cases they still do). These cool elements made TSTO stand out from other freemium games…and honestly I’m not sure why they stopped with some of them.
While I’m sure many of us have different opinions about what’s cool and what’s not…I think having played this game for nearly four years and blogging about it for just about three years gives me a unique perspective. Heck I’ve been moderating your comments about what y’all like and dislike about this game for three years. 😉
So here’s my take on some of the coolest elements EA ever added to TSTO…
–Stonecutters, the original one in 2014, was by far the coolest, most engaging event to hit TSTO. It hit before events were broken up into Acts. There was one set list of prizes to earn, BUT there were twists and turns and different elements to unlock various other prizes.
The best element of the original Stonecutters Event? The Sacred Parchment puzzles. Each day a new riddle would unlock involving a character and a task for said character. Figuring out the riddle and completing the task would earn you even more prizes than what was listed on the original prize track. It got people talking and engaging with various gaming communities, it was different and most importantly it was fun.
EA hasn’t done this since…and it’s shame. They tried with Christmas 2014…but it missed the mark. It didn’t have that same element of mystery that the Stonecutters riddles did. Santa’s Daily Tasks for Christmas 2014 simply listed a task to complete and you had to do it to earn prizes. This was cool, but with Stonecutters only giving clues it made you think and engage.
The Stonecutters Sacred Parchment prizes are still far and away one of the coolest things EA ever did in TSTO. And they really should bring that back for future events.
–Feeding the Trolls from September 2013. This was probably one of the coolest, non-event, things EA ever did in TSTO. Not only did they outright say via the in-game dialogue when the Halloween Event would be hitting but they called out various bloggers, forum posters and hackers in the dialogue as well. It showed EA was aware of what was going on in the community of TSTO. It showed that they were engaged in what the players were thinking…and it was just down right awesome.
All you “newer” players, trust me on this one…everyone who played during the fall of 2013 thought it was awesome, in one way or another, and many still talk about it to this day. This was one of the coolest and engaging things EA ever did in TSTO.
-Community Prizes…the right way. Community Prizes (originally started in 2013) are/were what make TSTO a game like no other. The entire Community of TSTO working together to earn a special set of prizes. No other, popular, game brings that element of everyone play together to their events. And it’s really a shame that EA stopped doing this. It was incentive to visit your neighbors, engage with them…work together for a common goal. And some of the community prizes were just freakin’ awesome!
It’s a shame EA’s stopped adding the Community Prizes as an element of TSTO Events. Halloween and Christmas 2013 are some of my favorite events in TSTO because of those “extras”. (even Tap Ball last year) And they really gave a purpose for the social element in TSTO….
Community prizes were one of the coolest things EA ever did in TSTO…and I really wish they would bring them back.
-Neighbor interactions during Events. Having played various other mobile games they all have some element of social/neighbor interaction…but only TSTO does it, in my opinion, the right way. 
For many TSTO events of the past they’d have a social element where not only do you help yourself by visiting neighbors…but you help your neighbor too. Often you could collect something from your neighbor, but leave them something to collect on too. For example…Christmas 2013 you could earn event currency from visiting your neighbors BUT you could also leave them a gift. And when they opened that gift they’d find event currency for themselves. A perfect give and take…
This neighbor interaction, when it’s done as a give and take (and it’s not always done that way, as we saw with Superheroes 2), is one of the coolest elements of TSTO and what makes it stand out from other games.
-“Easter Eggs”…no not the kind the Easter Bunny leaves behind. No I’m talking about hidden elements in the game that, once discovered, often lead to free hidden donuts! I can’t really remember other games doing this..and it’s really a neat aspect of TSTO.
During Stonecutters you’d earn free donuts by tapping on the table while the characters were signing the Stonecutters song, Halloween 2013 (and more recently Deep Space Homer) you could earn donuts by completing a hidden task and various other events have had these hidden easter eggs in them. It’s super cool and makes the game fun and exciting when you uncover these hidden bonuses!
“Easter Eggs” continue to be one of the coolest things about TSTO.
Of course with nearly 4 years of content EA has done a variety of cool things to TSTO…Discounted Gil Donut Deals, regular free donuts, the Monorail and loads of other things. The list above is simply my take on some of the coolest things about TSTO..and what makes it stand apart from other games. Now if only EA would bring some of these super cool elements back…
Do you remember these things? What would you say is the coolest thing EA ever did in TSTO? Which from the above list is your favorite? What would you like to see them bring back/add? Sound off in the comments below, you know we love hearing from you!