Thank Grog It’s Firday!
Look. I’m gonna cut right to it. I’m not in the best of moods to be writing today, as I am dashing this out, before heading off to a funeral for a friend. If you think you are tired of hearing me writing about maudlin stuff…imagine how I feel, living through a bunch of maudlin news. But, it seems to come with the age. At this stage in life, the lottery for a long life and the “expiration button” seem to be just a click away. But, I admit to being rattled a bit by the “selection process.” So many really good people gone…early by most standards…when so many jerks are still around. But, that’s life. Nobody said it was fair. And the randomness of “who goes when,” is what should keep those behind appreciating the little things in life that make us happy…like TSTO and this great community of tappers!
And….let’s face it…most if not all of the news we got in TSTO was anything but maudlin! We finally got an answer (we think) for the final stage on the Golden Goose Realty. AND (speaking of “Finally”), we got a tool that we have been asking for in TSTO, almost as long as there has been a TSTO!
Let’s take a look…
Let’s start with the Golden Goose Real Estate “final chapter.” Up for question was whether or not the GGR would reset, and allow players to start collecting Free Land Tiles, once new land was added. But, as we saw this week…the answer appears to be, “NOPE!” The GGR didn’t reset for those who had “tapped out” of land beforehand. Whether it will in the future, is still a mystery.
And, to confuse things even more, we are getting more land tiles as part of the prizes during the event. Those of us who are still getting them every 12 hours with the GGR, really don’t care that much. And, if this is all of the land we are going to get for a while (as it seems that this is the last of the unclaimed land on the map), I’m not in a huge rush to grab it all.
I do find it interesting, that there seems to be a relative split between the “Gotta Rush To Get It All” types, and those who are happy to just take the game as it comes, not obsessing with what we might still have in unused land, or every single item. It’c called moderation, folks. And it is a good way to live life. Take your time…enjoy each stage…be happy with things as they come, rather than festering for what you don’t/can’t have.
The paradox of giant amounts of unused land, while facing item limits if you design too robustly, is not lost on me. But, like everything in life, there are limits. And it seems…that the big cosmic joke with the GGR, is that it forces you in some ways to just start gobbling up land you might not be able to use to its fullest, with the imposed Item Limits in place.
There’s some huge life lesson there. I’m just too tired of funerals to care right now.
EA is like that. Talk about “the mysteries of life.” Is this all by a huge plan, some strange way of rewarding and then taking away? Who knows? It could just be that someone forgot to send the memo to the guys programming the event…that we got the GGR during the last mini-event…which would add to my belief that EA uses teams for different segments…who rarely actually talk to one another. Or, like so many seemingly random and incongruous aspects of this game, the master plan is only known to the creator…and not for us to fully understand.
Oh well…
But, just when our heads were almost raw from scratching them in wonder, we DID get the Full Town Photo Tool! And it is super cool!
I am not kidding about how long we have been asking for this. As memory serves (and a bunch of old archived emails supports), one of the original TSTO hacker-dudes, a guy who went by the name of “spAnser” had worked on a way to hack this, clear back in 2013. He was thrilled….and thought that maybe EA would want it. Not so much.
But, what is amazing about the way this tool works, is that how quickly and seamlessly it works…when it works. You do need enough free memory…and it does take a couple of minutes...but the result is pretty cool!
My Current town…CLICK TO ENLARGE…it’s HUGE!
It really shows how much land I have that I haven’t tapped yet…and why I am thrilled with the GGR to help get it all faster (except for one square…right?). I have already started redesigning a few chunks on the fringes. But, looking from this view does make me appreciate even more the huge chunk of parks, forests, and the Buddhist prayer forest in the middle of my old town. It is also far easier to see my original inside joke…my huge “Peeing Man,” something I added in the first couple of months of playing. Still makes me chuckle.
And in some weird way, it really helps me appreciate the evolution and history of tapping in my town. There it is…right in the middle…the very first few weeks and months of playing this game…virtually unchanged. The Simpson’s house…next to Flanders…and all of the decorations, town square, and edifices of the first year of tapping. A few minor details here and there flipped or shifted to make room for the monorail…but for the most part, a real snapshot of my “early life of TSTO.”
It’s like a life review…right before they pull the plug. But, that would be jumping to conclusions…and trying to “understand the mind of EA,” who for us is the omnipotent all-knowing power that has a great plan for us, yet undetermined.
Or. It’s all just a huge random computer program that has lasted far, far longer than anyone thought it would.
Either way… take the time to enjoy it. Don’t rush. Appreciate what you have…and pay attention to the details. It’s a game. It’s supposed to make you happy.
Here’s the deal folks…the past few weeks (three funerals in 6 weeks) have pushed me toward simply appreciating every day as a gift. Life is simply too fragile to take for granted.
As a followup for those who are following…Terri is doing OK. Waiting for her surgery, and enduring several rounds of chemo. But, her spirit is bright…and her courage amazing. Continue the prayers…she says they are working.
Unfortunately…I was shocked to hear the news about a good friend and former teammate from my high school football team, who was getting on a plane last week…had a heart attack…and died. He was in great shape. A great guy. His family is in shock. So…like I said, you just don’t know. Today we will grieve…and secretly be thankful that it wasn’t our time. We’ll balance out the difference between suffering from some dread disease, and having the time to say goodbye, or having “the power on the server switched off” suddenly with no real warning. I’ll let you guys decide which feels more fair to you. I think I would choose the former…it gives you time for one last, big party.
What it comes down to is a feeling of impatience, that sometimes gets in our way. The feeling to do it all, have more, and get everything the game of life offers, sometimes ends up being the wrong way to play.
Do things that matter. Enjoy every day. It’s all a gift. An amazing, short, unpredictable gift. Enjoy the ride…and stop wasting time trying to figure out the next destination. The answer comes soon enough.