I have to admit it…I often forget that TSTO is not a way of life, but is merely something we do while the rest of our lives are happening. There are times, like right now, when it feels a bit more consuming, because the “fun factor” gets over-run by the “grind factor,” and I lose sight of some of the good things that EA has done in an event, that are actually designed to provide entertainment, and not grief.
Yes…they killed crafting. Mostly. Yes, there is now far more content to buy with game cash…but that is offset with the Item Limits, and a dearth of room around our Zoo. There are loads of new characters, including Sarah Wiggum…but most are one-offs that nobody has really heard of, or can’t remember. There are loads of new decorations and animals, but it really is an entire event based on just smidge of an idea. They are giving us more free land tokens…but we can’t use them around the Zoo Zone.
In the last paragraph…we see examples of the classic “Everything’s Great!” that a Bliss Ninny (not a derogatory term) may portray, along with the overly Pragmatic, “BUT!” that seems to come with every positive being offered.
The fact is. I wish I WAS a Bliss Ninny. It is the sad irony of being a crankier-by-nature kinda person, that we often wish we were not so.
But, telling us that we are being cranky doesn’t help…trust me on that.
“Just be happy…how hard is it to wake up each day and just decide to be happy?” I often hear my bliss ninny of a wife say to me. She is clearly of the “glass half full” sector in the world. She is one who can disregard pragmatic reasoning in even the most dire and obvious circumstances, and simply say, “Oh well…it’ll all turn out!” And it usually does…because I find solutions.
The pragmatic, cranky types have to step in and fix the problems, or answer the hard questions, or simply take control so others don’t have to.
It’s like that with this blog. There is a reason that Alissa (along with some helpers) has built as blog that is the “go-to” solution for countless TSTO players worldwide. She and the team, along with the community we have built, provide answers for those too confused or perhaps too lazy to figure out for themselves. EA is simply awful at documentation and support. Period. Without this blog, and this community, the game simply wouldn’t be as fun, or as easy to play for most who come here.
But, there’s the rub…
When you do something for more than 5 years, people just take it for granted. And when you take something for granted, you start expecting more, and more, and more…until those who provide the service, start losing their “bliss ninny” view, and slide into the dark, angry hole that is the opposite of bliss.
But, like the opposite of love, the opposite of bliss is actually apathy. People who are pragmatic (and perhaps seen as “cranky”), are not apathetic. They are passionate about the problems, and are always looking for solutions to fix and make things better. Apathy would be bad for this blog…or any endeavor in life. Because, “Meh…I don’t care,” is a stutter step away from “screw it…I’ve had enough…I quit.”
But, we endure. And continue to play, and provide, and know that MOST of the people who read what we write, actually appreciate our efforts to help, and improve the game playing experience.
This is NOT a plea for attention…or another, “why don’t you love us?” backhanded attempt for adoration and praise. Quite the contrary.
What this is, at least for me…is to remind you that We Are Players Too…
And, just like every other player who whines about something they don’t like in the comments (and there are plenty), we have the right to like or dislike something in the game, even at the risk of offending a Bliss-Ninny who simply loves everything, no matter what EA shoves at us.
Let’s make one thing clear… when you whine about a post, or how we write something, or how a calendar is laid out, or if we are quick enough for a “Should You Buy” (which are 99% opinion by the way), you aren’t doing yourself any favors.
You may have noticed that Alissa is far more quick to say, “here we go again” when someone whines. And I am more inclined to revert back to my old reactionary self, and simply say, “bite me,” or lash out at someone who doesn’t take the time to consider HOW MUCH TIME we put into every post.
But, I will say that the last round silliness over when to start the calendar, and how to do the math, brought me very close to simply blowing it off in the future. They take a LOT of time (not the math) in the execution of the calendar, art, stats, and graphics. But, I have a new solution that I’ll share next time out.
As just a pragmatic wake-up call, this is a very, very, very simple game by any standards. In every event since EA has gone to Three Acts, to “Get It All” you simply have to log in 4 times a day, for between 30-60 seconds…and do the primary event action (clearing and sending people on tasks). The rest is almost inconsequential. People become obsessed with finishing as fast as possible, so they can gather a few Free Bonuts. But, it is very, very, very rare, that you can’t finish an event, even without neighbors, and without dropping a single donut on a Premium character, or to rush the game. If you can’t log in 4 times for less than a minute, your life may in fact be too busy to play this game. Simple? Repetitive? Perhaps boring? Yep. And placing the things you win may be a bigger, more time-consuming task…but is NOT required to finish the event. M’Kay???
It is the rest of the optional, “you choose to tap” stuff that can take more time.
HERE’S A WARNING….
With Alissa ready to give birth any day…and the events becoming more and more similar and simple, our patience is going to be even shorter. I still work full time…as do Safi and Joe. Alissa works full time, and is going to be a new Mom with Riley at her side. We are not likely to have our Bliss Ninny Hats on…and will likely not “live up to the standards” that you may wish (two posts a day instead of three…and maybe not as much detail in the posts we do).
So, give us a break. It’s a game. It’s not even a very difficult game. It’s mostly just grinding every 4 hours…for a minute or two. Unless of course, you are a blog writer that provides information to tens of thousands of players. Then, it can REALLY be a grind, and very time consuming.
TSTO is supposed to be a form of entertainment. Stop taking it so seriously. It’s a game. It’s always been a game. It is not a way of life. It is not a culture. It is not a religion. It is just a game…
And, there are no right or wrong ways to play…only in whether you take it as it comes, rather than whining about what isn’t there. We’ll call that the Bliss Ninny- Pragmatist Compromise. It’s a great way to live life.
OK? On that note…I’m going to step away from the keyboard, and let the weekend wash over me. Enough TSTO for a bit.
Time to find the Bliss in the REST of my life!
This guy knows how to smile through the rain…My Grandson Jake!
The perfect combination of Bliss and Pragmatism!
And if THAT didn’t make you forget about the stupid calendar…or not enough land…or Item Limits…or anything to do with TSTO…
TRY THIS ONE ON FOR SIZE…
There…don’t you feel better now? I know I do!
Did anybody notice a change on the bonus percentage for money and xp?
I think I went from 250 to 450% in the last days. Is it possible this is the secret bonus from Heights and does it apply to cash now?
The xp bonus% for SH is no longer hidden, it is reflected in your total…no more trying to figure out your true bonus % 👍😀
Bravo! Absolutely love this!
I think I may be a pragmatist masquerading as a bliss ninny….
Why?
Well..most of my family thinks I’m this goofy immature fun and shenanigan loving 31 year old lego and nerf buying man child…
The reality is:
I play tsto and other video games as an outlet to creativity and maintaining my sanity as I punch the time card of life everyday running 18-20 hr days with not enough sleep, because my job sucks and I’m the family taxi driver…
I think the ‘fun loving’ started dying around June 11, 2005 when I walked across the Sheridan High School football field and accepted my diploma/adulting timecard….I like to think I maintained most of my fun loving nature for the first 10 years after….then my dad died, life took a hard right turn into the wall…and yeah….I won’t go into to the details of the personal internal struggles, but yeah the last almost 3 years that he’s been gone? Tsto and video games…
Ain’t life grand…..*goes to prep for work*
Rob,
Happy to have you on my “pragmatist” team! Life is like that…it come in chapters of “crap” that force you to alter, cope, and evolve…but, those who make it to “the golden years” become somewhat proud of the scars we gather over the years. I won’t go into the series of events that I had at your age…but suffice it to say, at the time, I really felt like my life was stamped in stone…
Looking back now, I see that every challenge offered a chance to take an action of “free will,” to evolve, improve, and perservere…with he result being a life measured in success not made of “things” but of the legacy of love and family that now surrounds me.
I tap for the same reasons you do… relief. Hang in there, my friend. I hope you find the bliss…and when you do…make it your touchstone for when life is “less than blissful.”
Thanks Patric!
My hope is that like you talk about, this ‘life is taking a dump on me’ feeling will eventually evolve into a job I can love for a good 15 to 20 years while I find myself a lady, marry her, maybe have a couple kids, and build myself a little B&B here in the Willamette Valley that I can someday use as collateral to build a larger hotel….after that, if I live long enough beers by the pool, and maybe spoiling the grandkids rotten eh?.
Awwww 😍 Little Jake is just too cute!
I must be one of the lucky ones as I am able to use the land tokens around my zoo area. My wife, however, can’t, yet we both have our zoos in the upper right corner of our Springfields, butted up against the mountains. I can use tokens both on the bottom side and right side of the land allotted bh EA, yet my wife can’t on her Springfield. On a side note, she can’t get the monorail to trigger either (probably because she jumped the gun & gathered too much trash in her dump…just a guess because we were never able to get an answer from EA).
As to what camp I fall into? Heck, I’ve been playing since year 1 of the game. Used to not be able to get all the items in the events (thank jebus they got rid of the prize wheel as I was never lucky with that), now I finish acts days ahead of time. I seem to play out of habit, not out of excitement. But in my nearly 52 years on this rock I’ve learned things never stay the same. Everything changes. You either roll with the changes, or walk away to save your sanity & blood pressure. It’s a game. Like a TV show, if you don’t like it, change the channel.
For sure, no matter what you plan for, life will throw you a constant stream of curve balls. I don’t understand the folks who complain about “something unseen” happening in their lives…that IS life. If you knew what was going to happen, you’d be all seeing and all knowing…oh, yeah, I think some people call him God. The upside is, you’re also not responsible for all the bad s**t that happens, only our egos tell us that we can control events and other people. “If only I had…” is truly the most ridiculous statement we can make, as if we had some unseen power to affect events….oh yeah, God again. The nicest (and hardest) thing you can do for yourself is to try to be just human and don’t take responsibility for things that are out of your control…which is practically everything. Not saying don’t plan for the worst, just don’t make it your life’s work…if your not drowning in ego-driven guilt, life can be pretty sweet. Bliss Ninnie signing out.
thanks to tsto, now whenever i see someone say IS,i naturally assume they are talking about Itchy and Scratchy. That really confused me in ebron’s comment until i realized IS meant something lese
Sorry…you’re right, the shorthand lingo becomes automatic after a while. Makes for a confusing read😆… wonder what “that Itchy & Scratchy life” would be? 🤔 Perilous, at best 🔪💣💥🔨😬
😀
Karl… please send me a screen shot of your land soured the zoo zone… I am curious as to if you are seeing it the right way, or if you really were blessed with a random anomaly.
Tstopatric@gmail.com
I have buyable land next to where they opened up land for my zoo too. I think it’s because i have a lot of land available and hadn’t maxed out purchasing land in that area.
I sent you the stitched together screencaps. I think if I had used the land tokens to get the spaces to the right of my zoo zone, it would be all I could get, nothing further to the right of it. But below, I could land token all the way down to my Krustyland/ISLand in the bottom right corner of my Springfield, which abuts against the furthest allotted land in that corner.
I view another site besides this one to get just the basics of the events that are happening. Sometimes they have stuff before you (they will post future stuff) and sometimes you have stuff before them. I appreciate all the work you guys do and for a lot of items, common sense is in order as to whether you should buy something. I usually don’t need a SIB post to make up my mind about something, but they are nice to have. I was a more serious player before completing Leve 60. After that, I mellowed out a bit and now if all my characters have reached their tap out times and I’m late tapping them out, it’s no big deal. It’s just a game. Although I do try to tap out characters for events during the same time everyday…6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, 10pm (if I tap this one later than 10 no big deal. There’s plenty of time before 6am when it’s time to wake up to tap again).
I’m sure you all feel the pressure to post stuff quickly, but I think we who read the posts also need to chill as well. We’ve become an instant gratification, I need it now society and that doesn’t make it easy on any of you. And some people really need to read the posts all the way through before asking questions. I always see a question about something in the game that was clearly discussed in the post. And not just one sentence either. Sometimes that topic is a whole paragraph and people will still ask about that element in the game.
I have gripes about the game but there’s nothing I can do but just play along with what I’m given, although I have commented my frustrations like many others a few times.
Thank you all for all of your hard work and many hours you spend on this site.
Bliss Ninny? or Pragmatic? 🤔
I guess if I tend to bounce between the two, it’s for valid reasons (well, valid for me). EA deserves every “thank you” and 👍 when they deliver it. EA also deserves every 👎 whenever they “screw the pooch” (especially glitches that ruin game play that are not fix in a timely manner).
I understand that EA can’t appease every Tapper, but it often feels like the Long-Time Tappers are being ignored (maybe most of us have reached the point where appeasing us 100% is impossible? Ok, I can agree with that).
I think Patric found the perfect way to step away from this Game App – spend it with family! I’m far enough ahead of the Act 2 Calendar that I can take the Weekend off from this Game App and won’t worry about it. I guess we deserve to appease ourselves vs letting a Game App do it. 😉
And yet… I continue to moderate comments. LOL… no rest for the pragmatist.
Yet, you also wisely encouraged everyone to take a healthy break from playing (sane advice I am taking) 😉👍
Hmm, which team am i on. I suppose i used to be on kinda both, but leaning more towards pragmatism. But then after the leukemia and bone marrow transplant and being lucky enough to survive, everything sort of changed. I wake up and squeal like i’ve won the lottery, and then thank my donor, and then yes, choose to have a happy day in honour of him giving it to me. Every day is a bonus day and i get pretty blissful about it. It’s probably why I don’t mind too much when the game goes to crap. I mean one, i can always come here, thanks to you guys, to find out what is happening, and two, it’s just a game. It’s fun. I like it. I don’t see it as a grind and i often visit my springfield more than every four hours. It makes me laugh. It makes my twin laugh when i call her and tell her the scoops i get from here. But when all is said and done, it is just a game. And when it ends i will probably miss this blog more than i will miss the game. Thanks for doing it, and for keeping doing it even when it makes you grumpy.
Amazing what perspective can be gained by near death.
Happy to hear you beat it, and understand how to chillax on things that aren’t important!
patric, your little “oregon man” is truly adorable. play it over & over & over.
I know I speak for many when I say I really appreciate what you, alissa & safi do. the game is fun & this site is a great help. the comments you received over the calendar were unbelieveable – but the replys were hilarious. give out the start date & the end date, what else do we need? we’ll either get everything or decide to spend sprinkles.
I enjoy your “cranky” commentary – so I know which team I am on.
sincerely, thank you
Yes! Another “team pragmatic” Member.
I liked the post very much. Too many folks out there whining about things that are inconsequencial. If you don’t have the minute or two to log in a few times a day then stop playing. I appreciate the effort you guys put into providing info and opinions while realizing you guys don’t actually code the game and are therefore not the object for discontent. I didn’t like tapped out at all at first and needed help understanding the point of events and grinding. This site has provided that for me so I say thanks and keep up the good work, cute grandson too by the way!!
I too am of the “silent but appreciative” tribe. I have been playing this game daily for 5+ years and still enjoy it every day – despite it”s shortcomings and annoyances and grinding (I suppose I am also of the Bliss Ninny persuasion as well). While I struggled through the early years alone (yet still blissful), my TSTO world changed the day that EA support actually sent me to this site for help, friends and advice. My skill and enjoyment increased almost immediately and I felt a kinship with other addicts that felt the same about this silly lil’ game as I.
Not a post goes by that I do not at least scan through and I rely on the SIBs for advice (or at times validation) and the Friday Fillers for erudite and intelligent (if at times cranky) insight on the game and sometimes “life it’s own self”.
Not to be overly dramatic, but I truly think that without this blog, I would drift away from the game in short order. In short, you are read, you are appreciated and you are all deeply respected for your willingness to share your abilities with all of us in the TSTO “Family”
Take some time off if needed, enjoy those babies, but please, don’t stop being an Addict!
You are stuck with me as long as the game is around, or my expiration date comes up.
Alissa and I have pledged to see it to the end…whatever that means.
Ditto. I’m with you, guys.
How can anyone not be happy with that adorable face smiling at you😍 I’m enjoying my grandson so much, nothing can make me sad or mad. I’ll still P&M about item limits though😂 I would have never played for all of these years without the awesome hard work you guys do! Thanks again 😁😁😁
Meh, I don’t care.
Just kidding,I love what you guys do and thank you very much for it =). Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Sounds like it’s time for a break then. People take vacations from jobs, why not from something like this. It’s understandable. I mean, while I might want to share my thoughts and discuss the game, make jokes (that’s my favorite thing to do), I would not write a daily blog for this game. I just wouldn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad it’s here and I appreciate the work put into it, but since first visiting your site about 6 months ago I’ve wondered why you guys blog as frequently as you do. 2-3 blogs a week, split between 2-3 people would be plenty to cover the happenings of the game. You guys do 2 or 3 a day. And I’d stop doing calendars altogether. I’ve never followed one. They’re not necessary, and creating them entails a bunch of work for little benefit to players. Like you stated, the game is simplistic. There’s no strategy involved in completing an act, come on.
Well….. it has to do with responsibility. I’m not about to bail just when Alissa is going to have a new baby, and needs my support more than ever. That’s called being an adult…doing the things we don’t want to do, because we have committed to do them.
But I get your point.
We will be posting less…and a little slower on comment moderation.
I appreciate you guys!!! Takes lots of time and patience to run a website. I’m always patient with Should I Buy because I know they’ll be up with enough time.
I think that the work you guys do on this site is awesome. There will always be people that do not appreciate all the hard work that goes into creating and keeping up with a site like this.
Sometimes I get too busy with work and miss out on events or get behind. I love the idea that I can pop back on after a few weeks or even a month and see what I have missed out. I also like to see if a premium item is worth spending cash on or not. I am extremely grateful for this site.
Have a great weekend everybody and congrats in advance to Alissa on her new bundle of joy. Enjoy them while they are little!!
This site is awesome. Without it I would never have known how to play …in the beginning. Game is repetitive enough that within a few events most should be able to figure it out. Now I just enjoy the extras on the site.
Suggestions for newbies/ worrywarts/ pragmatists
1) want a should I buy? Can’t wait? Read the should I buys from last two major events. After that you’ll be able to predict allissa’s recos ~80% of the time. Good enough for a game.
2) want to know if you are behind on event currency? Determine max number of freemium characters who can participate. Determine amount of currency they can earn per cycle. Multiple by 5. Multiply by # of days since start of act. Are u ahead or behind? Close enough. Daily prizes, friend visits, extras just account for the 4th/5th cycle.
3) still confused? Read, post, read comments of past posts (yes in that order). We help each other here.
Another entertaining post, thanks Patric. Your calendar post was up to 107 conments, that’s crazy good. There’s not much apathy in your readers.
I’m a Bliss Ninny. I like almost all the events and characters. I lost 450 donuts this morning due to a fat finger rushing of 240 characters. I reset the preference to ask before spending donuts. I have no idea how the preference changed. I assume an update flipped it. I still had enough for Sarah Wiggum. It’s back to KEM farming. I’ll still be able to buy what I want, so I’m just moving on.
Challenging is more my style than whining. I hope I’m not upsetting you, but I may have. Please keep blogging.
Nope…we’re good. I have my limits…but you haven’t reached them yet.
And now…when I get torqued…I just play a “Jake Laugh!”
I guess I am “blissful” with this game. I not one who has to have every character or item, I didn’t obsess with when will X appear in the game. Through KEM farming and multiple games I don’t have to worry about “item limits” or if something is “canon”. If I want a “canon” only town I can create one. If I want a THOH only town I can create one. If EA expands the game in a way I don’t like (like new land only can be purchased with tokens), I let it slide. I can choose if I want to to jump through their hoops to get new content. Or I can just be happy with the game as is it was and ignore the new stuff. I can either set a alarm to get up (I don’t) or I can farm donuts (which I do) if I get behind or just want to get ahead. To me there are many strategies to get joy out of this game. Why else engage if you are not getting joy?
I don’t post here very often, but let me just say… I honestly love and admire what you guys are doing here. Not only for all the valuable tips and information you provide us with, but for the community you‘ve built. And the entertainment you offer aside from that, through Friday Fillers, WDTCFs, Addicts Live etc. etc.
I‘ve been playing this game for a mere 1,5 years, but I seriously doubt I‘d still be playing it today were it not for tstoaddicts. Please, keep it up. I for one really appreciate all the time and effort you put into the blog. And I can’t help but love the rants every now and then 😄
I played for years before accidentally coming across yor blog. With my busy life style I was constantly missing out on event prizes. I am always hoping that I will see a post from you on my Facebook feed because there is always something worth reading. EVERY TIME!
TSTO Addicts has given me even more pleasure from a game that has always been my distraction from a crazy life.
I love that there are no spoilers and lots of useful information as well as several great points of view from people that, weirdly, I have come to think of as friends. (Even though we will never meet in person)
I hope you always get the same pleasure from presenting the blog as i have reading it.
I am one bliss-ninnie who truly appreciates the pragmatists in my life. I wouldn’t be nearly as blissful without them. Hopefully, my “little ray of sunshine” also helps keep them from going stark raving mad in such a chaotic world.
Pragmatists need to be needed, and ninnies definitely need help staying in the real world…kind of a nice ying/yang arrangement. 😋
You get it…
🤘😊👍
PS…..i miss the days MY 2 monkeys (now 11 and 15) looked at me like that….and when anything and everything i did made them smile THAT smile. 😍😢
I’m going back for another visit in October…can’t wit. They change so much every month at this stage…
For what it’s worth, I read all of your posts, and I’m often glad I skimmed through them too (esp Krustyland land grab info!!). I like the opinions about your buying habits, and I even like your “cranky,” practical advice. Thank you. I know it must take time out of your lives. I’ve leaned so much from you, and I’m grateful to have your database (and wealth!) of knowledge. APPRECIATED!!
Great post! Thanks to you all for everything you do 🙂
This has got to be the best post I’ve read on here. I think there are a silent majority who come here for the help and assistance you guys offer.
I read the comments sometimes and it makes me angry, and I’m not the one investing time and effort to create this site.
I use the site as a tool for the game. The calendar is my fav because it helps me judge how far I’m behind/ahead to meter my gameplay or buy premium help in an event.
I read the SIBs in case I missed some detail, but generally I’m intelligent enough to work out if I am spending sprinkles on something when it appears.
In my line of work I learned long ago that humans are quick to complain but slow to compliment. I include myself in that. So let me make a start in fixing this.
I really appreciate all the effort all of guys put into keeping the posts and advice coming, along with replying to posts from us.
Thank you and please don’t stop
I’ll finish with this thought – for every person who shouts and complaints there must be tens of others who silently appreciate what you do.
Have a great, blissful weekend
Finn
God bless the silent but appreciative ten! Thanks for the kind words.
Oh geez. Babies💖
Can not be thankful enough for this site as well as tapped out! My hubby, kids all had a game of their own…and still do. This is MINE. Im no gamer….but yes, this stupid game has me obsessed. I have fun…i get pissed….i get over it and hug the cat. Lol. We all have jobs…lifes….loves….this has been my escape from reality when i need it. My occasional gripes come and go. Everyone needs to remember…..its a game. Look up once in a while! Omg….is that the SUN? Lol Laugh it off….have fun…..
Remember the HARD work that goes into making this site a freaking community!!! Have a great weekend….EVERYONE!!!!! 😀😀😀Enough from this corn master…….🌽🌽🌽
Awwwww 😍
I admit I did forget about TSTO 😁
Patric, I have had a complete *swearword* of a week at work and those video clips of your grandson have properly cheered me up. Thank you kindly, and big hugs to you and yours.
Tappers! I have not remembered many lessons from my time on this planet, but one of them is this: do not, under any circumstances, *swearword* off a heavily pregnant lady. Ever. At all. Especially one who puts in time and care and effort into making your life a better thing. Play nice.
Have a tippety top weekend 🙂
thanks for everything all of you do… this is my go-to spot for answers… the site something i have never considered doing myself, but i am so grateful that all of you make it a priority and have made this a great community