Hey Howdy Hey Tappers!
Welcome to another edition of From the Mouths of Addicts, where YOU get to sound off on anything and everything in the world of Tapped Out! It’s been quite a while since we last had a From the Mouths of Addicts Post, but there’s no time like the present right?
This email came in from Blue Drogo about his thoughts on the current state of TSTO, from a long time Tapper perspective. I read his email and just thought it was well thought out and deserved to be spotlighted on the site.
So without further ado here’s Blue Drogo -Alissa
Hi fellow tappers,
I have been playing this game for 8 years now and I wanted to share my thoughts as an experienced player and how I think EA has been letting users down.
To introduce myself first, I like to challenge myself playing freemium games not making a single real money purchase. This is exactly what I have done with TSTO and 2 other phone freemium games.
First thing first, I am kind of a hardcore optimizing maniac if you like to call it this way, getting things for cheap and waiting patiently until my donuts have the most optimizing use has been my go to in the first seven years of play. Getting donuts for free and optimizing the process has been what I was doing for my playtime on TSTO. Some of those methods are really well known in the community, like kwik-E-mart farming or bloodmobile xp with the xp collider and the infamous “%xp and cash walls” available for cash…
Not really a big fan of theme setups, I’m am only leaving in my town cash producing building all stuck togheter to have my 430+ characters radius hit the most building with a 2155.86% bonus to xp and cash when my god tapper is not up and ready about 1 time a day.
Over the last year or so, I have have been able to achieve over sustain in donuts. Althought this was the ultimate goal, the game now feels a bit more gray since it has no real challenge anymore. I can just buy what I want when I want. While most of players would think this is great, it only removes any challenges or optimization or the 4 daily loggin I’d have to do before. I am getting more about 10 bonus level daily (30 donuts/daily loggin) having xp collider 100% of the time.
What I think broke the game:
- God 24h task (777 777$ is converted to 7 mil cash when only 1000% xp and cash bonus which is what I had when I bought him, I have now over 3.6 billion cash)
- 05 % xp and cash walls available for 1000$ (10000 walls nets you 500% xp and cash)
- Mystery box (known to be the last late game grind with the most xp and cash bonus per donut spent)
- Being able to convert cash efficiently to donuts using bloodmobiles and xp collider at 2000% xp and cash bonus is ridiculous
I am now at a point where I do not want my xp and cash bonus to go up since it triggers the level bonus too much and don’t really need the donuts anyone.
At each event, I can log only 1 time a day and get all achievement with rusing from time to time. Fun has been drain from my game… The solution to this I think is making other endgame goals.
As a hardcore player, another thing is really pissing me off at this moment. I have constant disconnects from the server as well as been logged off from my account about 1 or 2 times a week. When I logged in, it acts like I was a brand new level 1 player and I have to relogged in to my acount, sometimes making log errors when I do so. I then have to wait about a day, retry login and it works half of the time. As if an algorithm for near item limit cap towns was kicking out those players who slows their servers. (also playing on a less than 1-year-old phone)
EA should be releasing at least 1 big update each year
- Upping the item limit
- Smoothing server latency
- Solving disconnects and log errors
- Introduce new endgame goals
- Enlarging town
These yearly changes could have a big impact on making the game fun again, at least for me and several other hardcore players.
Hope to be with you again in the next year, because those 4 events a year is not what will keep me around.
Have a great day,
Your fellow tapper Blue Drogo who would like to have an incentive to keep playing.
Thanks, Blue Drago for sending us your thoughts!
What are your thoughts on the state of TSTO? Where do you think TSTO went wrong? What would you change? Sound off below, you know we love hearing from you!
As always we love hearing from you guys…so if you have an opinion or take on something going on in the game (or something that should be going on in the game), please send it along to us TSTOAddictsblog@gmail.com…
Thanks for all your comments, a little update on my situation, achieved money cap of $4.294. 967.295 and will maybe grind the donut cap, that will be my next grind. (no one i think done it)
As a player with 5 games not connecting to the server can be a problem. Luckily I have maxed out on cash so I can buy RTT to get donuts to speed thru. It is a lot better than the days when you had to buy white fences to avoid accidently using your donuts to speed through a task. There have been many problems fixed which make the games less challenging in a good way. I am glad the days of having to log in 5 times a day 4 hours apart to get every item are gone. The dialogue is better so I spend the donuts to speed through tasks (I could wait for A to post) on one game. I no longer have to KEM farm, buy mystery boxes, etc. I even reduce my bonus % storing hidden item to make my game go faster (going through 10 donuts boxes each time you enter takes time). I no longer have to send characters on tasks. I do miss visiting towns and community challenges.
For those who want to keep the game going by giving EA cash, I suggest EA open a task list for people to donate (e.g. (1) More Land (2) More Items (3) …). EA could identify all the area they are willing to work on and players can define what is important by donating money to an area.
CONS
Game App has its own official social networks (Facebook, Twitter accounts) that EA neglects to use in order to engage with Tappers. You’ve got to communicate with those playing your Game App (maybe even drop us a hint to spend a 💵 or the Game App will cease – but also listen to the constructive criticism from Tappers and act on it!)
Game App is broken, filled with glitches that EA won’t address – or fix (ie feel free to read the Ratings & Comments on Google Play Store, you will discover most are not pleasant!) Does anyone ❤️ ‘that sound’ during the Login?
Game App is plagued with Network Issues (ie doesn’t matter if I have Wi-Fi with 500mbs or 5G with 300mbs, I get the Bart Simpson Screen of Death whenever EA has Network Issues), so I spend 🍩’s to rush through an Event vs put up with that (I don’t have the free time).
Game App takes up too much Gig (I got plenty of space on my devices, but randomly you will get a Tapper posting here on TSTO Addicts and they get to discover why it’s important to have lots of Gig freed up)
Game App does not work for every OS (we’ve been warned before that older Android OS such as Nougat 7.0, as well as older Amazon Kindles, are no longer working – update your devices).
Game App isn’t fun anymore (it’s still fun, just not as fun as the beginning when we had Levels to achieve), the Event Formats are stale (they are! I don’t care if you’re a Long Time Tapper, or a Noob, we need new Event Formats!)
Game App became a clunker once we had to port over Krustyland (we benefited with new Land, but now with so much Content over the years? we need more Land freed up where it’s obvious! we have so many characters and so few of them actually visit Krustyland for a Task!)
Game App started (Springfield Heights), then discontinued building upon (Springfield Heights), ceased certain Incentives (ie Friendship Prizes, Community Achievement Prizes) and the only plus is a Mystery Box (Tappers have a way to obtain prior Content).
I am going to stop here, or else I could be writing an Essay on how awful things have become over the years. I will summarize it with the fact that EA has moved every Game App (except TSTO) off of Origin Accounts onto EA Play / EA Play Pro. I believe this is part of the reason why there are too many glitches ….. and why this Game App is still free to download (but there has to be an end date, because I don’t think this Game App is profitable enough to continue).
Switching to EA Play / EA Play Pro would move this Game App to a paid subscription, but it would also grant you access to a variety of other Game Apps by EA). Both offer up a means to play the same Game App(s) on a mobile device (smartphone, tablet) and a computer (laptop, desktop). The Network is working, but if it’s down for maintenance? EA notifies you in advance!
I think that’s enough to think about and ask amongst ourselves what it would take to improve this Game App, what would we be willing to pay, what would it take to open the communicate with EA and know that they received your constructive criticisms / suggestions. 🤔
Well I started Tapping on March 2013 (wow! this Game App has been going on longer than most!) and over the years things have changed within the Game App, as well as in my Personal Life, but let’s try to break this down to the PROS and CONS
PROS
Game App is free to Download
Game App has no Advertisements
Game App is easy (ie there are no Battles between Tappers)
Game App has New Content (via Events and Mini Events)
Game App has More Levels than similar Game Apps (it’s also lasted longer!)
Game App is free to play (you don’t have to spend real 💵, you have that option if you want certain Content)
Game App is available 24 / 7 / 365 (in theory – lol!)
Game App is fun (sometimes, not as much as it used to be!)
There are probably a few more fellow Tappers can add (yes this Game App isn’t what it used to be, that’s up to EA and Fox – Disney to honour existing contracts and communicate with each other if there are changes to be made – such as an end date for this Game App).
My Personal Life comes 1st, along with real world responsibilities (my Job doesn’t allow me that much free time to Login and Tap). So, that’s reason enough to only Login 3 times a Week (there is more regarding this in CONS). 🤔
Thank you for opening up Pandora’s Box , Alissa! 😅
The only feature I want is to be able to”zoom out” more. Why is the the game so close in? I can see more than a few buildings at a time! So frustrating when you have a big town.
I’m feeling kind of the same way. Over the years I spent occasional money on donuts, usually during sales. Frankly I had better things to do with my time than KEM farming, but I would do a bloodmobile buy (and drain my treasury) about quarterly. After about 6 years my bonus percentage was about 800.
Then came the Spooky Wall glitch last Halloween. Before it was patched I purchased several hundred Spooky Walls, and my bonus percentage was over 4,000. And like that I’d unlocked God Mode in the game, and not just because I picked up God in game with my bonuts that piled up quickly.
Suddenly money was coming in faster than I could spend it, and I had thousands of donuts within a few weeks. After a month or two I hit maximum cash in game, where it’s remained.
It’s been a fun year of buying whatever I want, but the balance is off. And the events have generally been unexceptional and the writing worse, barely connected to the show it seems. Part of it is having the main game completed anyway, but there’s a certain ennui. On balance I’d rather keep god mode active but there’s a downside.
I suspect I’m not the only longtime tapper feeling this way. I guess it’s part of the late game, but worth noting.
Unpopular view but I have little sympathy for the OP. Blue Drogo hasn’t spent a penny but feels hard done by? Has purposely collected so many donuts that they’re valueless (what level do EA force you to do that?) and all that’s EA’s problem?
I honestly don’t get it. Yes, the game has issues, the events are undeniably formulaic and I’d love to be able to purchase buildings from past events that I missed, like the fire station and the airport. I’d love to collect all jobs not just send assign them to everyone too. Annoyances such as having to send 300 odd characters on a 60 min task that only needs 5 characters because the task doesn’t remove characters after the 5 has been reached and that stops you sending all on other tasks, and of course the Bart Screen of Death and the neighborino bug, but I’ve paid little for it over the years and what I have paid was voluntary, with no adverts, no subscription, no spam and I’ve been well entertained for it.
I’ve niggles, not complaints and far more praise than either.
It’s not perfect but it’s free and I’m not going to stop playing or griping about something I love because of a few issues. If the game designers and developers from EA do read these comments they’d feel pretty hard done by, I’d imagine, but if they do thanks guys your work is appreciated.
Well said. It matters little to me if this opinion is unpopular here. The fact is, that after so many years of playing this game, I still love it completely…the same way I love watching new Simpsons episodes every Sunday without lamenting that the golden years are behind us. The main thing is, I ask absolutely nothing from this game, yet it gives me so much happiness and fun. In fact, I hope that when the game actually does end, that we are able to have some kind of standalone version so I can continue to look at my town and continue making it nicer and nicer. I refuse to be the type of person who thinks the game or EA owes me something simply because I play their free game or even because I spent a bit of actual cash over the years. I refuse to be the type of person who thinks that the game should be designed around my wants and demands or because the latest update didn’t give me exactly what I wanted. I also refuse to be the type of person who thinks that non-stop complaining about the game is a way to influence EA into making it “better” for everyone or that the simple act of complaining is a way to express how much they still “love” the game. Of course, the game isn’t perfect. Why should I expect it to be? I have yet to witness perfection in any aspect of my life. It has issues that may or may not be important to EA or may or may not be something that they are willing to fix. For me, for whatever it’s worth, the server issues from time to time are annoying. I usually shrug my shoulders, and go do something else. Whatever. For a little mobile game, it has given me far more years of enjoyment than I have ever would have expected from something so laughably unimportant. It’s something that brings me a good bit of joy in a grey and meaningless hell of an a life.
As for how I play, I, too, have maxed out my money, and farmed donuts to the point where they are meaningless. Like Bob said, I fail to see how this is a problem, for me, or from EA. EA knows this is how the game is constructed. For everyone complaining that EA doesn’t reward long-term players, well, this is your biggest reward!! Many players tapping feverishly for years will quite easily be at this point. Unlimited money, unlimited donuts. When I maxed out my money, the game even said to go buy a 1000 bloodmobiles for the donuts. If anything, this lets me do whatever I want in the game. I don’t need to keep sending everyone on tasks if I don’t want to. I can take days off without thinking I am “losing” donuts or currency or other such progress. Loyalty rewarded!
Argh. This is already a ramble and to keep it still at 51% coherency I’ll just say two more things. (1) If you don’t like playing, then you can always simply stop…if you can…which many won’t be able to. After so many years, it has become a part of your daily (or less) routine. And I get it. It feels weird when I miss a day because of…life, and other intrusions. But, for others, the ones who have obviously moved on from the enjoyment aspect of the game but not from the habit of playing it, well, an addiction is an addiction, especially if you have grown to hate it, but still do it. Too many people seem to hope for the game’s end just to cure them of their habit. (2) I also hope EA doesn’t bother to read posted comments about their game. The internet doesn’t seem built for praise. But even still, like Bob said above, I also would like to sincerely thank them for the many years of fun, and will hope that I have many more years to come.
P.S. I agree with Mi Mi below. I also miss crafting!!!
I miss being able to craft things and events like whacking day.. That was fun. Now the game isnt too much to look forward to but i cannot stop playing after like 10 years
I have played the game for years and still love it! I like the format and the fun new things we get for prizes. (I did not care for crafting items since I ended up having too many things I couldn’t use.). I love the dialogue during the events! So clever and funny! The only thing that annoys me is the frequent Bart screen and having to re-sign in. But it’s still my favorite game. I have given up on other games, but not The Simpsons! I’m thankful for all the help from tsto addicts!! You all are the best! 💛. Stay healthy!
I have a huge glitch. Most of my characters are stuck in a job called “Live in Fear.” When I click on the Simpson house it seems to end, but the characters are still stuck there.
If an uninstall/ reinstall does not work and since you can’t store the Simpson house, I would try storing characters and their buildings.
I really like the building that allows you to send out all the characters on jobs all at once. I wish we had a way to collect the rewards at the same time when those tasks are finished. They could have the collect all completed jobs feature as a statue like they do for collecting from all the buildings.
Hello there.
I’ve been playing this game since it came out. My biggest issue is the land tokens. With all the money l collect from buildings n character jobs l can’t use my loot to buy land. I need land tokens. So why am l getting money from buildings? To do what with? I certainly don’t need more houses. I do have land to get with tokens. As my base is becoming very cramped up. I’m at the highest lvl you can get at. I would prefer to use my loot from buildings to buy land. Takes me 40 mins to go through my base. Maybe you could come up with a little solution to the land.
And yes. Fix the issue with getting booted off game. I have the same issue. 😞
Plz keep us entertained as l do enjoy the game and the events.
🙂✌️
I wish I knew what these tricks are you mention. Bloodmobile? God? Free donuts are slow to get.
http://tstoaddicts.com/2018/07/27/addicts-5-year-look-back-kwik-e-mart-farming-for-free-donuts/
I certainly agree that KEM farming/rat trap trucks/mystery boxes probably ruined the game for me. With a 1000+ donuts at my fingertips, and the ability to easily create more, the game has lost any challenge. I regret that I ever raised my XP above 2500. I’m at 5500 XP and don’t even send characters on daily tasks any more, Having a game where I can always easily get whatever I want is not a “game” any more. I probably need to turn off the collider and store most of my JEBs to play the game like I used to.
But I do take issue with never spending real money on the game. I’ve enjoyed this game from the very start (I got my free donuts in 2012 when it was removed from the store for months due to connectivity issues). I do personally feel an obligation to spent just a little money each year on a game that has brought me so much enjoyment for eight years. From EA’s point of view, this is not a game; it’s a business. Without users financially supporting the game, EA will never have incentive to expand and improve the game.
Why should EA go out of their way to please a person who will never spend money on a game that he has played for 8 years, and presumably really enjoyed the entertainment of at one point?
I got all the Yearbook items, the rock and a hard place stuff and leveled up to 939. I’m the highest ranked player for Heights against my friends. Now the only challenge I have that I made up is to spend 12 donuts to rush the submarine to try to fill up the water with boardwalk tiles. Once that is done I have nothing left to do.
I agree with Blue Drogo. I’ve been playing since the relaunch and it has lost something of late. While I enjoy the multi-phase mini events, I miss the events of yore. I have enough donuts to buy the premium characters to help in the event, so I finish early almost every time. When I don’t, it’s because I only logged in once per day.
I don’t rush any tasks, save for the occasional time where I’m just short of the event task goal.
This fall, I hit the cash wall where I can’t earn any more in-game cash. And I let the xp collider expire so I would stop earning so many bonuts.
I will occasionally buy a donut package with real money but only when EA has bundled a prize with it.
I agree with everything you said but add a few more requests.
1. Reduce the grind. Have the sky finger monument be able to collect character jobs as well, not just cleaning buildings. I have 450+ characters . It takes 45 minutes a day just to collect income from all of characters with the XP collider turned on
2. Introduce a warehouse concept where you can house multiple items on the board (effectively hiding them inside another building and freeing up space in your town) while collecting income or retaining the XP% without cluttering your town with thousands of channel 6 news vans, jet engine bikes, tiki torches, tennis courts, walls, etc. My XP multipler is sitting at 18,108% (not including the XP Collider’s effect) so I want to declutter my town of about 8,500 jet engine bikes while still retaining by xp%.
3. Introduce long range goals that last month’s.
4. Introduce a new permanent 3rd currency sort of like the golden tokens where you can’t monetize easily. The game has gotten too easy when you can just buy some bloodmobiles to get donuts
5. The server errors, in game crashes, and freezing is annoying as hell. Fix this
6. Make the game fun again.
Great post blue drogo thanks for sharing it with us alissa
Great article. I have been playing for a similar amount of time. The game was much more fun when events meant you had to go into friends towns for prizes etc.
As I have mentioned previously, I would love to have a function to click on a building and see who I can send there.
Clicking a building to send characters on a task has been proven possible as they’ve done it in the past with moes Express.
Hello tappers,
I have been playing since the second Halloween event and check in to my town at least a couple times a day. TSTOA has kept me well informed, interested, engaged and given me a better understanding and appreciation of the game. Thanks to all that contribute and comment!
It’s been sad to see the game decline over the last two years but I’m happy that it keeps limping along so I can at least enjoy my Springfield that I built over the years.
At first I didn’t spend real money and eventually started purchasing a few donuts here & there. Then, I would normally buy the 300 donut bundle during every major event, realizing the game isn’t free to create, expand and maintain. After reaching the max level and getting hip to the XP Collider Rat Trap Delivery Truck method, I stopped purchasing donuts. It was easy to justify with the rapid decline and many problems and SNAFU state of the game. I’m about to spend to pick up a few of the items that require donut purchase and hope things get a little better with TSTO or at least don’t get worse.
Happy tapping, y’all.
I think most of us can relate to this post from Blue Drago & indeed much has been quoted before on multiple occasions.
The biggest single factor for me is the monotony of the tasks in each update. Surely EA even with the limits you now have, it’s not much to ask to mix the format up a bit.
Definitely need new land and although I’m not at the item limit, it needs to be increased by a bit. I would really like more land in Springfield Heights. That would really help in freeing up land in my town as I would be able to move all the mansions there.
Long time players need a new challenge to work towards. How about EA finally giving us another prize to work towards on the Road to Riches quest. The “Coming Soon” prize is long overdue. Or create a new challenge.
We also need better decoration/building prizes. Too many items lately just don’t fit in the town. Or they’re just way too big.
The event format is stale and it’s been said many times that we want something new, yet the format remains the same.
We’re all hoping for 2021 to be a better year than this one and that includes a better TSTO for us tappers. Hopefully we’ll get both.