Happy Musings Thursday my friends! I’m back with another musings post for you. I’ve got some thoughts, so let’s get to ’em…
So once again I’m writing a musings post a week later than I wanted to. I had every intention of getting this post knocked out last week and then the week just got away from me. It’s amazing how much a week off screws up your entire workflow.
Between trying to catch up on Act 1 posts, catching up on actual work (you know the stuff I have to do to pay my bills), and things at home last week just went by in a total blur!
So here we are with a musings post about my trip to Disney and some initial thoughts on the Black History event…a week late. Sorry! But hey, better late than never right?
Anyway, let me kick things off with some thoughts about the current event in TSTO…
One word comes to mind when thinking about this event and that’s… meh.
It’s not terrible. It’s not spectacular. It’s just there.
The dialogue is certainly a step up from the Holidays of Future Past event, but everything else seems stagnant.
The prizes are ok, but I’m becoming less and less enthused about the idea of Mystery Box tokens on the prize track. Once in a while is one thing, but every event seems pointless. Having to collect a significant amount of event currency for something I didn’t want the first time around is frustrating. Especially since it’s the second to last prize on the prize tracks, so if I want that final character, I still have to collect the stupid mystery box token.
Speaking of event currency…EA definitely made this event harder…for sure. They really upped the currency requirements with this one, as many of you have noticed/commented on. It’s like they tried, in a terrible way, to make the game more challenging.
And we’ve been asking for a long time now for EA to make the game more challenging, and for the record, the currency totals don’t bother me. It’s still achievable, you just have to go back to the 4x a day login requirement. What erks me about it is it’s not really a challenge. It’s more of the same rinse and repeat we’ve been complaining about for a long time, just a more annoying rinse and repeat.
I feel for EA, to some extent, I really do. They try to listen to players and make changes, and when they make those changes it kind of blows up in their faces. It never seems like players are truly happy.
We complained that the events were too long, so they made them 4 weeks instead of 6. Then we complain that the 4-week events are too boring.
We’ve complained events were too hard to achieve, so they made them easier and we complain there’s no challenge.
I think the problem is, EA is listening…but only half-listening. They need to really stop and listen to what players are really asking for. Unique events that are both fun and challenging. But not challenging in a way that will drive you to boredom. Challenging in a way that makes you think.
They’ve had success with this in the past, things like the dig site, or the casino games. Those elements add a little bit of challenge and a lot of fun to the games.
So keep it fun, keep it challenging, and keep it fresh. Don’t recycle the same concept over and over again.
Oh, and for the love of skyfinger…EA will you please raise the freaking item limits! You’re BLEEDING players because they’re restricted by the item limits. I’m not one of those players, but it’s a complaint I hear daily. So raise the item limits!
As usual, I’ll reserve my final judgments on this until the event is over (or nearly over), but those are just some initial thoughts/takes I had on the event.
Oh and as a side note in all of this…Wookiee and I had a funny text exchange about Sky Finger’s appearance on the Splash Screen. Let’s just say the Wookster had some thoughts…and let’s just say he thinks Sky Finger on the Splash is all kinds of wrong…
Personally, I just thought it was cute how Sky Finger was getting a check-up and the little stack of band-aids. But anyone else think like the Wookster?
And speaking of the Wooster…now onto the second part of my musings post…our trip to Disney! 
We had such a blast, and the little Addicts are becoming such Disney pros! Riley is now at the right age for characters. She’s more excited by them than scared…which is a stark contrast from how it was the last time we were in Disney World!
Sam, on the other hand, is still figuring it out. He gets excited by seeing the characters he knows (like Mickey, Pluto, and Woody) but freaks out if they get too close! I think, though, we go enough times that he’ll be over it soon!
We were there for a week, but only did the park 3 days. (1 day at Hollywood Studios, and two days at Magic Kingdom) The rest of the time we enjoyed the many other offerings of Disney…our resort, other resorts, and we even played mini-golf!
The view from Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Rivera Resort!
King of the Bus!
We stayed at Port Orleans-French Quarter and ate way too many Mickey-shaped beignets. Including some that were infused with Fireball whiskey (although they weren’t Mickey Shaped)! Riley and Sam had a blast at the pool and splash pad, we roasted Marshmallows, watched movies under the stars, and Riley even made a tie-dyed Mickey shirt!
Park wise, we couldn’t do a whole lot at Hollywood Studios. Even though Riley is tall enough for Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror like rides…there was no way I was getting her on them! We did, however, spend plenty of time in Toy Story Land…where Riley met her idol Bo-Peep! And we had lunch with Fancy Nancy, her other idol! So she was in heaven!
Magic Kingdom side of things, we did get Riley to ride Mine Train…she said “i like it, but I’m never doing that again”…and we did all of the Disney classics. Plus, we were there the Monday after the Superbowl, so we watched the Superbowl MVP parade…which was a pretty neat experience.
And yes, we rode the Skyliner!
All in all it was a great time! Kids saw lots of characters, we rode lots of rides, and made memories that will last a lifetime!
Oh, and if anyone is thinking about taking a trip to Disney (land or World), Universal, a Cruise, or a trip to Sandals…my sister is a travel agent and planned our entire trip for us. She made everything totally stress free..and all of her planning is free when you book through her! So if you’re looking for a little help planning a fun family vacation you can check her out here.
You can find more photos and videos of our Disney trip on my Instagram (@AddictsAlissa), just tap the circle that says Disney 2020.
Thoughts? Sound off in the comments below, you know we love hearing from you!
PS…. the skyfinger in that dr office looks a bit… phallic…. like hm… NSFW kinda splash screen.
such awesome pics!!! I need to take my kiddos to…… Universal!!! to see the Simpsons… I would take my kids to Disney but they are NOT Disney fans.. they tolerate it but they are not crazy about it, and I plan to keep it that way… I rather keep them into Bugs Bunny, Animaniacs, Woody Woodpecker than MMC.. (Mickey Mouse Club)… Maybe because I have mainly boys and 1 girl, Disney is not part of our thing… My baby girl likes super hero’s and DC comics, for Toons.. so yeah… Disney can wait.. they already have my money for 1yr with Disney+….
As per the game… TSTO… the event is MEH… a D+ at most… and per the comment: “So keep it fun, keep it challenging, and keep it fresh. Don’t recycle the same concept over and over again” In a game like TSTO, I think, feel that, there is not much room to improve, maybe doing the event like an episode of sorts, but maybe, better yet, do every event in a different concept, example: 1 event more neighbor related, the next major event make it more crafting related, next event make it a 4 week concept, next event more balanced… yet I don’t know, I don’t get paid the big bucks at EA to think of ideas… I think TSTOaddicts should though… they/we all come up with amazing ideas…
Is it possible enough can agree that the TSTO Black History Month Event is hovering around a C Grade so far? (I’m being generous by currently giving it a C- , because some of the Content is nice, but this Event Format needs to go!) 🤦🏼♂️
At the same time, why does EA rely on the efforts of the TSTO Addicts Staff to do their job? Or other TSTO fansites? EA has a TSTO Facebook Page, along with active Twitter Accounts – how difficult is it to finance & hire an EA Bob (or Barbara) to post a Poll / Open a Thread for Tappers to give their feedback each week / month? 🤷🏼♂️
Team Disney (Theme Parks in general). ❤️ seeing the next generation get to enjoy Disney / Universal \ Cedar Fair …. they grow up so fast (it seems like yesterday my Niece & Nephews were awed by Cast Members as Disney Characters – now? they’re all teens who just want to go on all the Rides they can as quickly as possible!) 😃
We ❤️ our AARP and Military discounts (we have wounded in combat Vets as Family, others with orthopedic issues, so a Theme Park trip has it’s logistics). We are prepping for Universal Studios Hollywood and their Run / Walk 2020 – last time it was Minions, this time it’s Trolls (and there’s a new Ride – The Secret Life Of Pets Off The Leash – got to admire how competition brings out the best in every Theme Park!) 😉
Maybe we’re all finding more to do away from TSTO? Thanks for giving Tappers a place to share their thoughts, Alissa!👍🏻
https://youtu.be/YQizFKFKSRg
https://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/web/en/us/things-to-do/events-and-seasonal-activities/running-universal
Those photos are pure AWESOMENESS. My fav is the look on Sam’s face in the Mickey family shot. Priceless.
Right before we actually went up to Mickey he was screaming “mickey! Mickey!” Then we got up there and he was shy as could be lol
Glad you guys had a great time at Disney, we were at the French resort back in August. Of course the crowds in the parks were huge. Would like to go off season next time, what kind of temperatures did you have ?
As for this event, I cannot believe that EA are that stupid not to know that prolonging the grind was going to be exactly what players did not want.
They are quite aware of what is required to make this game entertaining again.
I went to Disneyland Paris when I was about 3 or 4 and would like to go again in the future. My sister left to go on holiday for 2 weeks this morning while my dad has been abroad to see his family for about 2 weeks now. Glad to see that you enjoyed it Alissa.
* I agree with you about the event, initial grade is a high C or mid B, would be lower if I didn’t get Sideshow Raheem, Lewis and Golden Goose Realty. I don’t mind the currency increase since the Halloween, Christmas and Simpson Babies events had the same totals.
* I like the fact that instead of a Valentine’s Day event (would’ve been nice to get some VD items as well), we got a Black History update even though about 70% (or the characters, tasks and a few decorations) are Black History related to an extent. The other 30% is just filler futuristic items that probably should’ve been released in the last update or in a separate update.
* It’s great that Carl, Dr. Hibbert and Lou have a key role in the event rather than just being focused on the Simpsons.
* There isn’t much to design in the event apart from the returning items and 2 prizes so far since the rest were characters, tokens or tasks (plus the school skin).
* Hibbert’s Father and Stogie seem like good premiums alone since they have good tasks and help with the entire event but I wish I could say the same about Hard Lad Nightclub and MovingOn.
* Now that GGR is available, I can stop complaining about the lack of land tokens in an update. I can now start complaining about the item limit.
EA, there better be a St. Pats update after this event since you skipped on it and Easter last year. Also please fix the Jay G Bundle, Rita LaFleur and friend interactions bugs that still have not been fixed in this event along with the 45 week long overdue item limit increase.
Unfun fact: next Thursday (27th) will be one year since the item limit was last increased.
It’s probably been discussed previously but its such shame that the events dont have you interacting with your friends to earn currency like they used to 🙁
Only a few dozen times !!!
Can’t hurt to mention it again!
*cough* Pay Attention EA!!! *cough*
Bring back Neighboreeno interactions and extend the friendship points prizeline!!!
~MIB 🕶️