Friday Filler – The Question About Land Use and Item Limits

Thank Grog It’s Firday!!

Well…let’s face it…if I tried to play the “I’m so wiped out” card again, you would start putting my pleas into the “CrankyOldGuy who whined” box and just ignore me. The fact is, I am tired…but it is all about the tail end of this freakin’flu and not anything to do with the game.   This mini-event has been a breeze, and I finished it all on Tuesday. I’m enjoying the time off to design…when EA isn’t messing with me.

This has also given me a ton of time to ponder some of the biggest questions about our game, and the weird new way in which EA is doling out land.  As you will see (by way of my new screen-grab app and editing tools), I have loads of one…and a dearth of another.

Let’s dive into Land Use Planning 101…

We constantly hear people whining about needing more land. It is a complete conundrum to me, as after playing since almost the first day of the revised version of this game (October 2012), my problem is not enough land, but the ridiculous item limits that EA places on players.

I’ll state why I think it is ridiculous first…and then offer a solution.

There are two primary points to why item limits are ridiculous.  The first should be obvious, as EA is the primary developer of both TSTO and SimsCity. The primary goal of SimCity is to build a huge, functioning city, and let its inhabitants live/work/play in that city. It’s a chance to play God. Sound familiar, if you replace “God” with “Skyfinger?”  It should.  So, limiting the number of items you have available to place in your town is stupid…not only because it limits the game play, but also because it limits the profit. That’s right…profit.

If EA really wants us to gobble up all of the Premium Items, they would be smart to make their purchase and placement as unlimited as possible.  It is NOT a matter of server space. These are digital baubles…and the storage mess for things placed “in the attic” of our games, proves that packing loads and loads of clutter in storage doesn’t change anything.  It is a coding issue in regards to being able to handle what is “in the grid” without glitching.  And trust me…Glitch it does.

The solution to both problems?  FIX THE DAMN CODE!!!!!!!!!!!

I will not be spending real money on this game until they do.  As it is, KEM farming provides about the right flow of Bonuts for me to buy what I want, with more than enough land to place it. However, I am now at that annoying place where I am making decisions based on the number of items I am allowed. So…I have STOPPED handing them money (which I did for the better part of 5 years) and now am happy to play on “house money.”

The “need more land” issue is more perplexing…because it is clear to me that some people simply don’t make good use of the land they already have.  As you will see in this video, I have LOADS of items…with lush, detailed areas in my TSTO world…and still have loads and loads of surplus land.

So there you have it… I actually have more than 170 squares of land…and yet, after playing since October, 2012, I am apparently “out of space” when it comes to the number of items I can place without my town going nuts…or looking like a bad acid trip.

As for those of you who doubt that detail is important?  Take a look at this AMAZING stadium by one of my neighbors.  It was worth any item limit…it is gorgeous…

So here’s the deal, EA…you want to keep us playing, and spending money on Premium Items?  Stop being stingy with the land (Free Tokens for land you don’t want, in a weird corner of our towns is a PITA)…and stop with the item limits. We will keep designing, and playing, and coming back if you just unshackle our freedom to design!

OK…CHECK BACK TOMORROW for an even more important building project!