I am going to start with making a disclaimer…undoubtedly one of many in this post…which should alert some of the more “literal” in our readership that they may not agree with everything I am about to write. That’s OK. I am simply letting you know , before I make you upset (which is what most disclaimers are really all about. Right?)
And to that point, I am of the age when most of the commercials on the evening news (remember the evening news?) are for pharmaceutical wonder-drugs that will cure what ails me…but whose disclaimers are actually several times longer than the actual “meat” of the commercial copy. You know the ones. “Two pills daily may help your painful hammertoes!” followed by, “not guaranteed to fix hammertoes, may cause swelling of the joints, redness of eyes, painful ear growths, loss of hair, projectile vomiting, leaking orifice condition, and possible death in some cases.”
This post will not cause any of the above…but COULD cause rising blood pressure in a large number of “Star Sensitive” players.
Here’s why…
I’m A TAGGER…and love being tagged!
For those of you not familiar with street slang…”tagging” is the same as applying graffiti to something…usually with spray paint…or in this case, a digital tap to the buildings of a friend or family members that are “tag-able”.
Yes. I understand that in the REAL world, tagging is selfish, destructive, and a horrible inconvenience. I know. I have huge flocks of wild turkeys who regularly “tag” our yard, driveway, and house (who have also come to know the wrath of my BB gun). And, I’m sure that some of you would love to shoot those who tag your town with a BB gun…but can’t, because it really is just a game, and doesn’t really mean squat in the big picture of life.
But, I get it…if you get tagged, or tag enough, you COULD lose half a star in your Conform-O-Meter…and that would be awful!! I mean, who doesn’t want to tell the world that they are a “Conformist?” and got there by showing the world that they are not only Conformists…but also Gluttonous, Lazy, Socialists???!!!
I get it. They are STARS…and every good child knows that earning a star is good. Right? Except when one of those stars if for being Lazy…
In·do·lence – noun – avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness. (And yes…the EA/Gracie programmers are making fun of you for caring).
Are you starting to see the ambiguity of caring about “righteousness?” There is nothing worse than someone who is self-righteous (says the old man lecturing people about righteousness).
And, while I digress…I think you get my point, and why I just don’t give a rip and a half about whether people tag me or not.
In fact…I LOVE being tagged, because it takes time to find buildings that are tag-able. And, most important, it leaves a calling card from the person who has tagged me.
Let us not forget (for anyone who has heard this story and forgotten…you could be suffering from the side effects of the hammertoe meds) that I STARTED THIS ENTIRE TSTO CHAPTER OF MY LIFE…because my grandsons got me to play, and liked tagging my town. It was how we let each other know across the miles that separated us, that we were thinking of one another.
In fact…my grandson Zach, who recently turned 12, has come BACK to TSTO after a layoff of a couple of years…and now tags me, and I him, just to let one another know that we are still alive (me, more than him…as he is too young to take hammertoe meds).
It is like giving one another a “Digital Hug.”
Zach’s New Town…he’s just starting again…
Add to this, that some of my longest standing neighbors, who have now become friends, tag me regularly. I smile every time I see it…because I know they are thinking of me, and took the time to hunt down my elementary school, which is now waaaaaaaaaaay off in a far-flung part of my Springfield.
But, the longest standing, and random of my long-term friends/neighbors, is a woman (at least her player icon is female) who has been tagging my town RELENTLESSLY for years. She became a neighbor when I first started writing for Addicts in 2013…remained a faithful tagging friend through all of the years at TSTOFriends…and is now back here again at Addicts. Her screen name is tjbmurph, and she is almost ALWAYS the first to tag my town after an Event is over, and we are able to tag again.
When she didn’t this time…I panicked, and thought that maybe she had quit the game. But, nooooooooooooooo… even better…she hit the Qaud-Fecta of annoying (to those who are easily annoyed), she had everything in the air that could possibly fly, flying across her screen.
If you think that some people are picayune about tagging, those folks pale in comparison to the people who hate things flying across the screen. Again…not surprisingly, I LOVE making things fly. As I wrote about a couple of posts ago, my friends, neighbors and family need to know that Norbert is going to be flying in my town, almost perpetually from now on.
But that is nothing compared to TJB. Nothing I say. And I doff my aviator’s cap in respect! She had Norbert, the News Helicopter, the Alien fairy, AND SANTA all flying across her screen this morning when I checked. I LOVED IT!! I started laughing, and couldn’t stop for a solid minute…(before my hammertoe meds kicked in, and I got dizzy).
Look…people…what I am saying here, is that the world is a crazy, divided place. There are so many horrible reasons to keep compartmentalizing everyone…and building walls and fences and special clubs and ways to divide us, that adding another one about tagging or not tagging is just one more sign of “Sad” to me.
We are ALL players of the same game. It is a digital, padular-device-game that has no real bearing on real life…UNLESS YOU LET IT GET TO YOU!!
I understand… Some of you will never “get it.” Some of you allow the game to be the “One place that you can control in a world that is seemingly more and more uncontrollable.” It is a scary place. No doubt about it. And if you are steadfast about “no tagging,” that is your choice. But, like those who choose to be “exclusionary” in other aspects of their lives…they won’t be friends and neighbors of mine.
I am a non-conformist. I have earned my “Stars” simply by playing so long, and having more than 9200 items in my game (see? I ignore the rules!!), that the Star Algorithm gives me a Five Star rating, even if I am a TAGGER!
And let’s face it…the world is better BECAUSE of the rebels…the non-conformists…and those who paint smiles on our faces with their choice to be different. Right?
Here’s to a sky full of flying stuff…cascading over a town of tagged buildings. I am better for knowing you… your attitude exudes the REAL definition of FREEDOM!
Here’s to the non-conformist in all of us…
If you want more of my “non-conformist side”… (I know you miss my rants. Or not. LOL.) Check out CrankyOldGuy.com
Good post, tagging used to be my favorite too when I started!!!
I’m gonna pop sum tags!! Got 5 stars in my pocket!! Bring on the tags I enjoy them!! I think we need a promise to tag thread !
I agree! I like knowing that you guys are there…and because there are a limited number of “tag-able” buildings, it makes it kind of a competition among my friends…who gets to tag Cranky first???
I don’t tag (IRL, I have zero artistic ability), so I always add friends/neighbors from the “promise not to tag” threads, but don’t actually care what people end up doing.
I built the recommended training walls and tags no longer affect my 5 stars. Tag me all you want, I like it.
I wanted to keep my 5 stars due to the multipliers it brings. But I have reach a point whereby I no longer maintain a 5 stars as it would be better to get the multiplier item directly. So I guess it wouldnt make much difference anymore if I am tagged
Another good point…
And, hate to add to this… but after a while, the multipliers are just silly. How much game cash do you need??? The fact is, most of the events have their own currency…
I agree, usually only use in-game cash for land (when available), occasional decorative items, & KEM farming. I only do 40 KEM at a time, so I am still accumulating more than I’m using.
I keep the bonus high so that it would be easier to get donuts from time to time 😛
I am saddened to be considered conformist. Don’t worry – I can take it. Though I would use the sobriquet completionist.
Patric, I loved this post! Full of positivity and lots of messages I think a lot of tappers could take to their playing style 😃.
It’s a game that’s handed to us on a plate for FREE that has costs many people money, time and their jobs so getting upset and “troll”y is disgusting and just unnecessary 😃.
I love the way you play with little traditions ❤!
You got the HT seal of approvement 😁👏
And now I can die a happy man! The HT seal of approvement is a rare, rare honor!
THE FLYING ISSUE: Artie lives in his Stonecutter outfit, Norbert is always using the airport but will never ever use his own plane, Kang/Kodos?will always be protesting/pirate and Homer only delivers presents if I’m going to be away from my game for 24 hours solid, which is never. As much as I loved all the flying tasks initially, the novelty soon wore off once I kept tapping them accidentally during an event and kept being zoomed all over the place. If Norbert actually did loops I might have let him fly, as it is once was enough and I made sure I left my game alone for 4 hours so as not to wind myself up😂……Gotta dash🛫🛩✈️…….💜X
I am not singling you out, Ella…as I have seen the same complaint from several others. But, when you tap Norbert (or any other flyer) by mistake…it is “User Error” not the character.
Yes. You have to slow down, and be careful where you tap…or move the screen up or down to avoid them. But it is also a chance to delay your tapping….and just enjoy the ride. Right? Kind of like a “slow down and smell the airplane” kind of moment.
Na. I have chubby fast fingers😂
Step away from the runway Patric 😂
I think of it less as “user error” and more “friggin’ Norbert, deliberately getting under-finger.” I was so happy when I figured out how to kill that task by storing the piece of runway where Norbert’s plane is stored when not in use. (Put him into the task by mistake.)
In any event, I am happy to have 100 friends who avoid tagging my town, and I avoid tagging theirs. But if you and your friends enjoy tagging each other’s town, then great. Doesn’t make my way “wrong.” I love my 5 stars. 😀
Why do the flyers have to be tappable at all? They are simply a graphic of the job…if you want to access the player, you can go to their base to tap them (you’re going to end up there anyway). I never understood the reasoning behind having the flyers themselves tappable, it is a nuisance.
Yaay. With you 100%. During events when you want to tap elusive critters, it’s a pain in the culo😂
I’ve been avoiding getting Arnie Pie specifically because of his flying jobs, but you just reminded me that he has a Stonecutter outfit. I’ve had it sitting in my inventory forever! He’s one of the last few permanent premium characters that I don’t have (have about 10 left to get).
I still like Norbert flying around, but the alien is kind of glitchy in the air so she spends her time spreading glitter with her friend (whose boss is usually trying to get airborne in his fruit bat costume but doesn’t quite make it).
So yeah, I like flying things. And moving things. In the Family Guy game, I have a couple of perpetually flying cats, a flying airplane, and many moving vehicles (although I had to cut back on those and alternate to leave some room for pedestrians).
I’m Banksy, guess what I like?😂Seriously, I still actively search out taggers. I’ve lost some neighbours because of it too. Neighbours who actually stated that they loved tagging. Guess I’m too much for them. It doesn’t bother me one iota tho. Be tagged or unfriend me. I love the animation too. My percentage thingy is 1,200 approx, so I’m sure I won’t miss 1% here and there. I still search for SSB in OS but only for fun. I have dozens and dozens of training walls in my SF because I design a lot with them, I’ve no need to hide them. I like the challenge of trying to obscure the doors too. IRL, I love graffitti art and I’ve posted some Simpsons stuff on The Addicts Flickr page which went down well with readers. I don’t appreciate numpties who just spray their initials in black paint on buildings. That offers me no artistic merit whatsoever, but to do it in a creative colourful way can really brighten up a drab derelict building/area. I always have my camera handy to capture new stuff when I’m on my travels. I just love self expression in its many forms. Well gotta dash, lest the police trace this and I lose my anonymity😂🎨🎨🎨🎨…….💜X
Oh….that it were true! Would be so cool if Banksy was actually a tapper/tagger. But, loved the rest of your post!
Thanks Patric! Your article was a great read (as always)….☺️💜X
I suppose I’m the non conformist here, because everyone else seems to like tagging. I don’t. I asked for friends who promised not to tag. If they do despite their promise not to.. I delete them after a few times. I made an exception during the last event because there was no spray paint can, and people tagged without meaning to. I have a great group of neighbors who respect each other’s property. They don’t have loud parties either. 🙂
OK. So…I’ll bite. You make it clear that you DON’T like taggers…but, knowing it really has so little impact on the game, the question remains, “Why?”
I start the same political conversations with the same question when I can’t understand the logic of the other person… and TRULY want to hear a rational reason for the “Why?” part.
For me…it just feels like another silly division of players have dug their heels in. I mean…logically…it doesn’t hurt a thing, and takes less than a second to clear. It’s fun. It’s interactive. It’s engaging.
Now…your turn. WHY do you cling to the “no tagging” rule to the point of deleting neighbors??
I’ve never quite understood the “why” either. Maybe if it had been called tagging instead of vandalizing it would’ve made a difference? Do people feel vandalized/abused if they’re tagged?
I like it, I don’t mind being tagged at all, but I try to remember not to vandalize the neighbours that don’t like it. Tag or no tag it seems to have had very little effect on my righteousness. I think consumerism was the last one to get five stars (maybe a reflection on my real life habits). 😀
I enjoy playing tag with my neighbors. We had a great game going while we waited for the winter update to hit. Great rant Patric!
Erm… I’m a real life “tagger”. I could send pictures to prove this, but that would obviously someday in the near future help the local anti tag mob (around here, also known as police). So I don’t agree with the “bad thing” of it.
Also, it is a misconception of “righteousness” for me when I see writing with spray paint flagged as a “not right” thing. I could speak for hours and convince many people that writing with spray paint alone does not qualify as wrong without appropriate context and circumstances. Actually, it seldom does.
That said, when my girlfriend (which doesn’t even play anymore) introduced me to this game, we were friends of each other and as such we had only one friend to visit and just guess how we spent our tree daily actions. That’s right, the Elementary School, Moe’s Tavern and the City Hall.
As I began to realize after some dozens of level ups, every level up I have to buy a whole lot of shrubs and junk to get the stars back. So when the last event was over, for the first time I’ve saw the “righteousness” star level drop. And clicking Sideshow Bob at Other Springfields didn’t help.
The solution came instantly. Around 20 Training Walls are now available in my Springfield. You may tag me mercilessly, I’ll always have 5 stars.
Boom! Or should I say sppppssshhhhhttt! (The sound of spray paint?)
I kind of thought the same thing. I honestly don’t care for people who just tag. To me, that really loses its creativity when you paint the same stylized version of a word all over the place. But I love graffiti art. Some of the people who do it are really talented and are truly artists. And they make the city so much more colorful and beautiful. It makes those dull gray walls and tunnels and bridges so much nicer to look at.
I love tagging, too. Early on, I sought friends who would tag me, and to this day some of us still tag each other. (And funny enough, the reason I wanted to be tagged was that cleaning it up seemed to be the only way I could get my stupid star rating up before I unlocked the training wall. Now I just like it for the nostalgia; my rating never drops anymore.)
I’m a rebel too. I’ve been playing for over two years and have never had a friend in my game even once. I’ve never had five stars but have worked my way up to a nice percentage. I probably wouldn’t mind tagging if I did have friends, though. I love that we can all chose to play different ways and it’s still fun for most people.
Point made!
Wow, that’s hardcore! I tried to do the playing solo thing when I first joined because I hate this trend of online multiplayer, but I gave up after a couple of events when I failed to get a few prizes on the track.
I’m glad I got neighbors after that mainly for the prizes you win along the way as you visit though.
*Psssshhhhhttttt!!!!* Tag! You’re it!!!
I’ll remember that! 😉
😂😂👍
This is the best article of yours I have ever read! I totally agree about the tagging. I have friends who don’t want to be tagged, and I respect that. However, I tag my husband’s town, and he tags mine all the time. We have never had an issue with it. Never suffered lower stars because of it. Maybe it’s because we arent that popular. Now, the flying items? Can’t stand the helicopter. I accidentally tap on it all the time, and it takes me all the way to Channel 6! Ugh! Artie stays in his stonecutters outfit because of it. In regard to commercials about medicine… I am always laughing that the medicine sounds more dangerous than the ailment! Nice article. That was a good laugh.
Thanks!
And glad to meet another “hug tagger!”
I’ve never really understood the need for the 5 star rating. Like it really doesn’t do anything besides give you 5% bonus on XP. If we never had it in our game in the first place no one would care if they were tagged as it would not be effecting them. I’m the same as a lot of people, tag away on me, it’s great to see a different icon sitting atop of my buildings when I’m clearing house. And those that do care, lighten up! It’s just a game!
Yeah!! I love this post, thank you for writing it! Not just for TSTO but for life in general. With all the ‘special segregation’ in the world today, I’m actually finding myself caring less and less about the swarms of people that are constantly standing up to announce that they are offended about something, once again. But in the TSTO world… I never understood the big deal when people are whining about being tagged. It’s just a game. I too have all the stars in my game, I tag, get tagged, and if it effects me in a percentage somewhere than I am unaware of it. I would actually have to go way out of my way to figure out if I should make myself upset over it. Games are supposed to be fun! That being said, anyone may tag me whenever they wish. Have FUN tapping friends!
Agreed!
I really don’t mind being tagged. I have enough walls to keep my 5 star bonus. In rare instance my rating does go down it usually goes back up in the next few hours, so I don’t see a reason to get upset about it.
Exactly.
🙋 I’m a tagger, & I’m not ashamed to admit it 😂 My favorite building to tag is the Town Hall. Sometimes I’m trying to quickly get through my whole list of neighboreeno’s, so I’ll grab the closest paint can I can find. Sometimes I get so caught up in checking out the designs that I forget to tag. Some of my neighbors, I’ve had for years, & we always tag each other’s (insert building name here) when we visit, or a nearby building if that one isn’t available. It’s possible I’ve had neighbors unfriend me because of the tagging. I think it’s all part of the fun of the game, or it wouldn’t be there, wouldn’t have withstood the test of time. I’m in no way saying it’s my way or the highway, everyone has their own preferences. I will say that if you’re my neighbor, just expect it 😂 If it bothers you, unfriend me, I’m cool with that too 😊 For the conformists out there, it would be nice to let it slide without a whimper unless it becomes a habit, *then* if it still upsets you to the point of not enjoying the game, unfriend (or stay miserable). Great post Patric, I’m starting to really look forward to sinking my teeth into what you write 😜 even if you won’t tag me 😂😂😂😂 👅
I knew there was a reason I liked you! Lol!
😜
Hi Pat! I’m glad you laughed as much as I did when I set them all going 😀
(For the record, sometimes I tap through towns so fast that I miss tagging you and always curse at myself. It does remind me to slow down though)
I used to be on the no-tag list, but I’ve reached the point in the game where tagging just plain doesn’t affect me.
Getting and keeping a 5-star rating has benefits so I understand why people are concerned about it though. I don’t tag, but I don’t really care one way or the other if someone does it in my town.
Doesn’t seem like a daily occurrence anyway.
i do need more flying stuff in my game as well
I don’t get why people get so bent out of shape about tagging. For one thing, it’s easy to eliminate the bonus hit (training walls). And worse case, your bonus % goes down by one percent. Most long-time players have bonus percentages in the hundreds, so one percent is nothing.
As for the flying characters, I can tell from experience that the tasks you see in a neighbor’s town are not necessarily the tasks they assigned. When you visit a neighbor’s town, you will see everyone doing outdoor tasks, even when they were originally assigned indoor tasks by the player. I had a B-town for a while and it was interesting to see what everyone was doing in my B-town. I think it’s totally random.
In this case, I really did set them all flying, lol
That’s cool. I’m not really sure how it works, but I’ve definitely seen characters in my B-town doing things that I didn’t assign them to do.
I did too, when I had my B-town (husband has since taken over it)
I would like to point out that there is a difference between righteousness and self-righteousness, since many people don’t seem to understand the difference.
And I contend that anyone claiming to be righteous…is in fact being self-righteous! LOL!
Yeah, well claiming to be righteous means you are likely being self-righteous, because you’re probably setting yourself above those who you don’t see as righteous. I tend to think of acts as righteous, more so than people. The large majority of people, myself included, are far too flawed for me to consider them righteous people.
I have all my stars and never mind at all when I get “tagged”! As you said, it’s just a game and one to enjoy! Tag away!
I kinda like tagging as well, it wasn’t until I started reading this blog that I found people didn’t like it and it can knock down a star. Played tag with my oldest an and now my 8 yr old is playing it, let her tag away! Tag on Patrick!
You just dropped ALL the mics in Micville and I love it!! I tip my hat to you sir; best. rant. ever.
Thanks! I have a box full of mics in the back room…
The part about your grandsons was great, COG. Here’s to tagging! Really, I take it or leave it.
Training walls.