Some Random August Musings…

Happy Musings Thursday my friends! It’s been a little while since I’ve shared my thoughts with you.  To be honest, crazy summer mixed with slow game activity has really limited my TSTO related thoughts these days.
Anyway, now that we’re halfway through August and in the middle of a new TSTO event I thought it was time to muse a bit about TSTO.  I’ve got some random thoughts, so let’s get to ’em…

-So I’m reserving my overall thoughts about Simpsons Babies until the event is over, or at least almost over.  However, initial impressions are pretty good.  It’s a simple questline, with great dialogue, and it’s minimal work involved to unlock the prizes.  The perfect event for August, just as the summer is winding down.
A lot of the buildings are great, and some we’ve been asking for for quite some time. (Frink’s House, Captain Dodge ‘ems, etc.)  And sure the characters are just different versions of existing characters, but they’re fun.  And at least they’re characters, not costumes.  10 new characters in all.  Which brings the character total, once this event is over, to 429.  Not too shabby.

-Of course now that I’ve discussed the event briefly I’ve got to address the “game crashing crowd”.  Totally sucks that this crashing bug is going around.  It really does.  And I know it’s easy to think EA doesn’t test the game before the release it, or it’s a massive issue.  But keep in mind 1) It’s not impacting everyone.  In fact, it’s a small portion of players that are impacted.  Those players on older Android devices (I’m thinking from earlier than 2016) and some Kindle users.  Not all Kindle devices are impacted, although most are.  And if you’re playing on a new Android you’re not experiencing the issue.  Also, I’ve yet to see someone on an iOS device have the problem…but I could be mistaken. (In fact, last night after I wrote this I saw the first report on iOS) So try to keep that in mind when you start screaming the comments about the problem.
Totally sucks.
I, and I’m sure most players, agree it’s awful that players are having problems.  But screaming about it over and over again in the comments of nearly every post isn’t going to help you, or anyone else. It’s just going to annoy people. (although this has gotten better of late)
And the second thing to keep in mind…EA does test the game before they release it.  However, it’s not always easy to test it on every single device.  Think about ALL of the variations of iPhones, Android Phones, Tablets, etc. that have come out just in the last 4-5 years. That’s a lot of devices to test.  I remember a couple of years ago, when the Family Guy game was having some problems with various devices, TinyCo was looking for players to come to their HQ with their device so they could try and isolate the problem.  As they were unable to replicate it on their own.  So, just because there’s a bug doesn’t necessarily mean the game wasn’t tested.
I’m sorry to say…if you have an older device there’s a good chance you’re going to have problems playing TSTO as more updates come out.  I’m honestly surprised they haven’t phased out more devices.  I remember when Krustyland came out in August 2013 they eliminated support for the iPad 1 (and the game stopped working completely on it), which at that point was only a little more than 3 years old.  And some of you have said you’re playing on devices that are 5 years old…

-So enough about that, let’s talk about something non-baby or crash-related.  We’re just about halfway through August, which means we’re nearing the time for the annual THOH Event!
What are your thoughts as we approach THOH time?  Do you think EA will stick with this Multi-Event process or change it up?
Personally, while I enjoy the dialogue, timeline, and prizes of these multi-events, I’m hoping for something a little more challenging in terms of gameplay.
Not opposed to a 4-week event, in fact, we’ve been advocating for it for years now, but I’d prefer something a little more challenging.  Something to keep us engaged in the game for longer than 30 seconds at a time.

-Speaking of THOH, as we talked about a couple of weeks ago during the Simpsons News Links post, how cool does this year’s THOH episode look?  (you know episode 666…just like they planed!) I would not object to a Stranger Things themed THOH event this year, not by any means!

And that’s it guys, my latest round of random TSTO Musings. Thoughts? Care to share your own musings on the Flanders Family Reunion?  Sound off below, you know we love hearing from you!

18 responses to “Some Random August Musings…

  1. I guess I’m the only one who doesn’t want neighbor interaction. I’ve been playing years and never had a neighbor. The longer I play, the more determined I am to not get one. Gettin’ crazy in my old age.
    I remember losing my game at the start of the casino event. It does suck to sit by and watch everyone else enjoying their game, but I didn’t complain too much because with all of today’s technology, I’m happy when anything works at all.
    I do like this event. I got Marge first thing when I woke up this morning, but now I’ll just busy myself with other things like the rail yard. I still think this is way better than me setting alarms in the middle of the night so that I can get everything. I don’t mind not being challenged. Tappa Tappa Tappa

  2. i love the Halloween stuff. now I just need freaking land tokens.. since I missed the one building that makes them. please for the love of Jebus give us some land tokens.

  3. Willand

    Yes! A Halloween Event that brings back neighbor interaction, that offers us the chance to craft, or spend Simpsons $ (and up our item limit!) That’s not a grind, but not the same format of 4 Acts over 4 Weeks (I miss Tapping Zombies / Ghouls in my Springfield, and toilet papering Buildings in Neighboreenos!)

    We have Costumes for Kid Characters, but we still can’t send all of them to trick or treat at once (make this possible EA!) 🎃

  4. TSTO still Lives ☺️

    Enjoying Simpson’s Babies (I honestly was expecting a “back to school” Event lampooning how kids hate going back to school, which could still happen, but I expect Halloween to be a priority for EA after this).

    August – symbolizes going back to school, last chance for a summer holiday, trying to beat the extreme heat …. and I wasn’t expecting it to symbolize the rebirth of TSTO (that’s the best way I can describe having 2 Events in a row after a looooong dormant period).

    We should all be thankful that TSTO Addicts (Alissa) is addressing the fact there are Tappers not being able to play due to their device. If it’s Kindle? Communicating with Amazon will determine if you need a new Kindle, or a different Tablet …. if it’s an Android device? Chances are your Android OS is out of date (or it could be just as simple to solve by installing a micro SD card to expand your memory) as Google warned last year that OS 6.0 Marshmallow and older would no longer be supported on Play Store.

    I feel your pain when I see your upset posts (this situation could happen to any device Kindle, iOS, Android OS), but I hope you are taking steps outside of TSTO Addicts to find solutions vs continuing to gripe (complain once or twice, then start to find solutions instead of continuing to complain). I will miss my fellow Tappers who are stuck in limbo.

    Now we got 2 Mystery Boxes (40 sprinkles per chance on kid Character related content) 😀

  5. Bring on THOH!!!

  6. Regarding the game crash issue – no I’m not going to complain about it – I can’t run the game on my Android phone. It’s running Marshmallow so that counts as an old version of Android. I also run the game on my Android tablet. It runs fine on my tablet. However, my tablet is running Lollipop – which is older than Marshmallow! So that’s pretty weird. I’m just happy that it works on one of my devices.

  7. Im am the official spokesperson for Halloween. Frankly im not sure why there isnt stuff for sale yet. Although the local Jewel does have their mums out already! Its a start!
    Literally just started watching Stranger Things on Sunday….almost done with season 1 and I am HOOKED! That would be a cool THOH event. As long as we get to tap on stuff roaming our towns and look for stuff at our neighbors’ hoods!! Summer is great and all…especially since our indiana winters seem to last 10 freaking months long. But i looooove fall!!! Bring it on!!!!🎃🍁🎃🍁🎃

    • I couldn’t get into Stranger Things but now on season 3 of Shadow Hunters 😊🇬🇧

    • sandytoes74

      I have been a good consumer of Halloween swag 2019 thanks to:
      At Home
      Michael’s
      Joann’s
      99 Cents Only Store
      and Disneyland (Haunted Mansion 50th Anniversary) 🖤🦇

      There are a few other Shops I will be visiting later (you can say October is my December). I would say Stranger Things and Sabrina in my favourites on Netflix (who knows how the Simpson’s will handle The Shape of Water, but I’m willing to watch and see on this year’s THOH)🎃

  8. Happy mid-August! I’m liking the game, and my 5 year old iPad hasn’t had any problems, so that’s nice. I like characters way more than skins, so, even though they are the “same” characters, they do different tasks and look different, so I’m a fan. I’ve bought a lot of the new characters as well (what’s the point of farming if you’re not going to enjoy the donuts of your labor!?) and it’s been fun buying new land and creating new spaces. I’m looking forward to THOH event, but I’m not getting hopes up too much; it’s easier to be let down that way, and it’s also better to be surprised. That said, it would be nice if they had a friend-interactive aspect, like tap on ghosts in neighbors’ towns, to encourage you to both stay on game longer and visit friends. Not sure if this is actually a good idea, as my game really only crashes when I go to visit friends, lol, but it’s still something different (or rather a return to something older). Either way, it’s been fun playing a few events after a (relatively) long lull. As a teacher, I’ve enjoyed losing myself in the game so to speak this summer, and I’m not super thrilled to go back to work, but it’s nice to see new kids’ faces and do all that sappy stuff that teachers like to talk about (but aren’t really super ready to do in August! lol). Hope everybody has enjoyed their summers (or winters, if you’re geographically opposite from me!), and I hope those with device issues are able to play again soon! Thanks again, addicts!

    • I also miss the neighbour interaction aspect of earlier events, dropping creatures and presents in neighbour towns 😊🇬🇧 I would be good to see this format again for Halloween or Christmas 🤞😊

      • Willand

        Yes! A Halloween Event that brings back neighbor interaction, that offers us the chance to craft, or spend Simpsons $ (and up our item limit!) That’s not a grind, but not the same format of 4 Acts over 4 Weeks (I miss Tapping Zombies / Ghouls in my Springfield, and toilet papering Buildings in Neighboreenos!)

        We have Costumes for Kid Characters, but we still can’t send all of them to trick or treat at once (make this possible EA!) 🎃

    • It may feel repetitive, it may leave one scratching their head when a variant Character isn’t invoiced (especially when the original Character is voiced) …. but this is better then another Character Skin (100% I agree with you on that!)😀

  9. I’d love a THOH event like the Winter 2016 event or something like that with wicker men and pagan things 🕸🔥👻💀😈🏚 Halloween is my absolute favourite holiday ✨

  10. As you know THOH is my favourite time of the year! I really want something special to happen. In fact I need it! Although I’m enjoying the ease of play with this event and the fact I don’t have to log in every 4 hours to get everything I definitely want to see more challenges in the future. Bring back the wonderful stonecutters quiz format with tappables and a reason to visit neighbours. More decorations to design with either by crafting or for gawds sake in game cash. We all have enough of that flying around. 🙄

    I’d also LOVE to see the return of the casino games. They were so much fun. Gosh even that darn wheel at this point would make me grateful. 😂

    Thanks for the musings posts Alissa they are my favourite posts to read here. ❤

    • Rusty Shackleford

      Yeah, the casino event was my favorite. I used every building from that event. Would love to see EA change things up a bit.

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