Thank Grog It’s Firday!
Like many of you, between the Covid-Craziness, more politics than any human should have to endure, civil unrest and a clear letdown in our favorite diversion from all of it (TSTO), I found myself trying to find new ways to make the old ways feel new again.
This is common with the modern version of humankind. We seem driven to be discontented with “the status quo” and are in a seemingly constant state of “the next best thing.” Unfortunately, this constant game of “wanting more, but enjoying it less,” has brought us to a point in our existence where more really is less. Less fulfilling, less gratifying, and far less hopeful. And yes…I am talking about the game this time.
But, as I talked about in my last Filler, I have decided to “go back a few clicks” to a more simple time, when I wasn’t obsessed with Bonus %, and could actually slow down enough to design my town, in spite of the Item Limits.
Here are my first baby steps to reclaiming my “Zazz.”
I like that word. It is so silly. But like loads of silly words, it makes you smile when you say it. Zazz…it makes you want to do “Jazz Hands” while it rolls off of your tongue and between your teeth.
Zazz for me is just finding a bit of Joy where you least expect it. And trust me…there is nothing more sad or maddening than having someone take away your joy. Just ask Lucinda Williams.
Well…I don’t have time to look for my Joy in Slidell…or West Memphis…and I sure as hell don’t want to be the one who took hers. So I am on a mission to find my own missing Joy…my Zazz…my reason for tapping.
Like so many other things in life, you have to begin by uncluttering. I find that the busier, and crankier, and more distracted we get…the easier it is to let the clutter happen. It is a weird twist of reality. Being cooped up for weeks and months, you just start compromising on keeping everything in order, and clean. I mean, who in the hell is going to see it? No wonder we wear sweats and tees 24/7/…But, I digress.
In the case of TSTO…as I explained last week…my dissatisfaction with the Item Limits created a giant space of “PlopperVille” where I just dropped much of the stuff I won from events and updates that I really couldn’t place.
Stadiums co-mingled with mansions, weird random retail buildings and even more random decorations. Nothing had context…it was just there. Taking up space…growing almost weekly.
But, as I realized…after a few weeks of having to get rid of Wailing Walls (which I had bought to profusion because of their Bonus% ratings), to make room for anything I wanted to place (because I was at the HARD Item Limit), I was not only reducing my Bonus%, but also getting nothing of real value and satisfaction in return.
What is the BIG DAMN DEAL (BBD) about Bonus% and Farming, if you can’t do anything of value with what you accumulate? Sooooo many hardcore Farmer/Cash Gatherers have towns that look horrible…because they are too busy accumulating! And yes…I am still talking about the game.
So…the first step to de-cluttering and Getting Back My ZAZZ, was deciding that a ton of tennis courts just didn’t need to be part of my reality.
So I stored a TON of them. Two Hundred and Thirty Two, to be exact. It cost me 2.25% for each tennis court stored.
That was 211.5% lost in Bonus. But, ya know what? I hardly notice it with my Donut Pond operation. I lose 3-6 donuts per cycle. BDD!
What I got back, was 232 items I could place, before hitting the hard limit again.
And ROOM...I got some room...to make sense of my design.
In my original design, I had justified the massive mess of tennis courts as a way of making the area a “Minimum Security Prison,” where all of my most spurious criminal types had their ill-gotten homes, in a “gated community.” It was a weak-ass attempt to make sense of the excess. I even had to HIDE the tennis ball machines behind the building.
But, now…even this small change, allowed me to REALLY make this a “gated community, with a few tennis courts, water features, the “Alcatraaaz Mansion,” even the “Palm Springfield Resort” (because, nothing says ill-gotten gains like Palm Springs…and yes that is a shark tank behind the resort).
It’s a start. A small start. But even just tapping, and moving, and casually designing, burned up a half hour of time…which is waaaaaaay more than I have been dedicating to TSTO over the past several months on a daily, and sometimes weekly basis. Getting rid of clutter…making sense of the mayhem…taking time to design? It’s no BDD to get back my ZAZZ!
I’ll keep you posted…
In the meantime, several of you asked if there were other mobile games that I played, and for months and months and months (and years), the answer was “NO!”
But, now…ironically…I play a game that is ALL about clutter. One of my daughters tipped me off to it. The name, and premise just seemed silly…but, the fact is, I really have fun. I’m not addicted...yet. But, it is very relaxing and entertaining.
There are loads of side premises. It is a “Design Game.” It is a “Memory Game.” It is a “Beat the Competition” game. And yes…you can play it for FREE! It basically only really allows you to play every 4 hours…before it needs to recharge for more “plays,” (unless you are dumb enough to spend real money on it). And if you aren’t careful, you can get locked out for up to 48 hours. It may be the perfect “Non-Additive- Addictive” game out there.
And yes…it’s all about clutter. With each pass of each “Scene” more and more items are added to the screen, forcing you to remember and tap each one, without a mistake, within a set amount of time, to maximize your score for each attempt.
This is a typical “first scene” when it opens up for the “searching” part.
But barely halfway through the “Scene…”
Look how many new items have been added to the scene…and yes, you have to tap them accurately…and in order…and within an ever-shortening window of time.
OH…and there is an Ongoing Murder Mystery that plays out. AND you get to build and design an island…rich in cool rich people stuff from the 1920s.
It’s supposed to be very good for “brain health” (the memory/reaction part).
So what doesn’t it have? The Simpsons….and this community.
I will keep playing TSTO…especially as I am getting back my ZAZZ again. I will be bored with the game…and challenged and fulfilled with the design aspects again. It may be the best we can hope for.
But, even a little ZAZZ is a BDD after so many months of “meh.”
OK…so it’s the weekend…JUST FOR FUN, See How Many Different Items You Can Find Between the Two Scenes. There are a TON. (click the pics to enlarge them).
I wanted to thank you for recommending June’s Journey. I am having a real blast on there so far. I like hidden onject games,murder mysteries and decorating so this is right up my alley and right now I need a stress reliever. Thanks again!
Your town is more interesting than mine. Mine is just rows an rows and rows of buildings with road infront. The only thing I spend time on is back gardens (the simpsons’s is really big because of the amount of crap in it), nuking because of all the crap, and making random stuff accurate to the show. AKA the street with Moe’s, the town hall and the school
Unfortunately, if you are trying to make things “accurate” with TSTO, that boat left the dock years ago. I keep all of my original town intact, and now just concentrate out of trying to make the clutter make sense.
Focusing on designing & need some clarification on “what counts” in the item limits.
1) does a road/dirt/water “tile” count as an item?
2) Bridges: does this mean that when you design a road over/next to water, the “railing” counts as an item?
Thank you in advance 🙂
So…Road, dirt, water, does not count. But yes, anytime you convert a “road” into a bridge or water with “railings,” it counts. I had tons and tons and tons of those, because they make the water look more interesting and real. Without them, it can look like a succession of ditches. But, alas…I had to sacrifice more than 2/3rds of them.
Dang…. But thanks for the info.much appreciated.
🤘😁👍
Standard Operating Procedure for me is NEVER ever clutter: always maintaining priorities of creativity w/immediate item placements… ‘still sparkling joy’👌🏼🤓
http://imgur.com/gallery/3v8rPiT
…Going on 7 years now the item limit BS has essentially required further ‘hard-line creativity’ of downgrading dozens of bridges, which has become the ‘fortunate’ solution for my personal scenario, allowing for still maintaining of max %, but will likely still eventually require more storage of minutia, but thankfully not just yet😏…
The bridges…I miss my bridges. They were first to go…
So far, haven’t missed the tennis courts, at all.
I tried June’s Journey for a few weeks, (it was recommended by some costumers I follow on YouTube) but having to squint at the tiny screen to try to find the target items gave me a headache. I think I’d like it on my Mac’s big screen. My vision is definitely not getting better as I age. : /
Yep…you can play it in larger formats.
It took me ’til Saturday to read and reply (usually it takes me ’til Monday, or it comes off too political and I delete it). 🤔
I had to take another look at what I have in my Springfield, adapt at what you said last week, an I began removing any Building, Decor, etc (basically anything that didn’t offer a Character Task and was just repetitive Decor) …. so my Bonus % went from 1,001.6 to 750.3 …. and I honestly don’t see a difference in the amount of Simpsons 💲or 🍩’s I collect (but I did create a good buffer against the Item Limits warning). 😃👌🏻
Queue The Damned’s “Keep ’em Alive” ’cause that’s all I ask about TSTO (keep it alive!) –
https://youtu.be/LR2W8ZoU8EU
Do I still find TSTO irritating at times? Absolutely! But, I have a better understanding of the fact it’s only a very small dedicated EA Staff maintaining this Game App (fyi they will still get called out for being L-EA-Z-Y, such as Act 2’s glitch preventing certain Noobs from obtaining Event Currency). 😂
Thank goodness this household has not turned into ‘Viagra culture’ (I want more, I want bigger, etc). We could gladly downsize, especially if it was purely solar power with less reliance on NV Energy. That way, as we get closer towards retirement, we can still afford to financially donate to our favourite charities. 😃👌🏻
I am enjoying remodeling my Springfield. I didn’t buy an enormous amount of Wailing Walls and Tennis Courts, but I did have other Decor (Trees & Bushes & Flowers – landscaping – it looks so cool, but it was pushing me over the Item Limits!) Especially in Krustyland (it will still look fun when I am done, but there will be less clutter and plopping – that’s my goal!) 🤔
I would probably enjoy it more if I saw less of the Bart Simpson Screen, but at least there’s still a working EA Network (too many Bart Simpson Screens basically means “stop tapping for the day” and I’m fine with that). 😂
I have not found another Mobile Game App on par with TSTO, or as a replacement in the event this Game App comes to an end. I know I will only tap less once the new Console / PC Games come out between 2020 – 2021, but I try not to think about TSTO ceasing to exist (that would just be sad!) – and this household would probably only do Console / PC Games on the weekends (too busy during the week). But, I really don’t want to think about TSTO ending. 😥
we found a new board game that’s a take off of Monopoly (BOO-opoly!)
https://imgur.com/a/lvSW3qC
I’m going to have to nod in agreement that one has to maintain Zazz (an interest in a Game – Mobile, Console, PC, Boardgame), so I am happy to see you have found a new joy with June’s Journey! 😃👍🏻
https://www.cyberpunk.net/us/en/
Definitely going to enjoy Cyberpunk 2077, but also waiting for Ubersoft’s Skull & Bones (actually we’ve been waiting for 3 years, along with everyone else!) It means less time on the TSTO Game App, but definitely not less time as a TSTO Addict. 😁
https://skullandbones.ubisoft.com/game/en-us/home/
Well everyone please Stay Safe, I’ve never stopped working, definitely overdue for a vacation (staycation), but I’d feel better if everyone was working (and their kids, grandkids, safely continuing education at home).😀👍🏻
Currently I am having a very passionate affair with Minecraft since the nether update. I haven’t given up on TSTO yet, but she needs to start making a bit more of an effort to be the best she can be. Of course I am talking about the game.😜
For those not in the know the nether update has involved some of the most monumental changes to the game in its history.
Clearly they’re not just using a part time pizza guy to work on game updates!
Great post I need to find some Zazz, I like that word also, haven’t done any designing lately, I also play a couple of shooter games but they don’t give me Zazz like tsto used to do, bring on the Zazz 😁😀
If you build more…it will come. Or something like that.
Pat how much did June’s Journey offer you for that add? Free t-shirts not enough?
Nah. People just ask me for suggestions. I suggested.