My game wants me to create a new account!

By TSTO Tips
May 21, 2013 //
120

Don’t listen to it whatever you do. You don’t need a new account – the servers are just having trouble.

If you ever get a message that you need to create a new account, back out, hard close your game, and consider a delete and reinstall. If that doesn’t work, it’s because the servers are having bigger problems. Put down your game for an hour or two, then try again. And NEVER create a new account with the same email address as your old one. Doing that may just erase your game.

One more thing – don’t panic. It’s probably not just happening to you, and your game is still okay. This is just something that happens from time to time. Usually it’s just a matter of waiting it out.

Note: if this happens, it’s always a good idea to check the Origin server status, and you can do this here http://www.origin.com/status

Simpsons

Categories Gameplay

The level 29 walkthrough (part 5)

By TSTO Tips
May 21, 2013 //
13

This is a case of “be careful what you wish for”. Within days of a new level being released, there are constant cries on Facebook of “I’ve finished everything”, “I’m bored”, and “when’s the next level – there’s nothing to do”. This time, it’s “will this level never end!”. Well finally, for me, it seems to have done. And the result is the final part of the level 29 walkthrough starring Agnes and Seymour Skinner (and if you missed the last part, you can find it here).

When we left them, Seymour was crashing anywhere anyone would have him, Agnes was missing him, and Carl needed to be free for the next stage of the quest:

1. Couch Surfin’ USA Part 4 True to all the precepts of Buddhism, Carl is there to help Seymour out (although he was hiding behind the Tire Fire in my game in plain sight of Agnes when he made his offer):

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Principal Skinner: It’s more that I want to avoid her. Not upset her.
Carl: Dame diff. Take any mat you like. Morning prayers start at 3am and never end.
Principal Skinner: Thanks. Wow, these mats are comfy. POW camp comfy!
Carl: Yeah. We got them used.
Skinner spends the next 12 hours, give or take all-day prayers, crashing at the Springfield Buddhist Temple. Keep Chief Wiggum free as he finishes.

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2. Couch Surfin’ USA Part 5 Chief Wiggum has an offer for Seymour:

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Principal Skinner: Oh, thank you, thank you. Finally an actual house.
Chief Wiggum: That is, if you promise to guarantee that little Raplhie gets A’s in every class from here on out.
Principal Skinner: In all honesty, Chief, no one would ever believe that. It would turn our laughing-stock school into a veritable guffaw-cooperative.
Chief Wiggum: It’s called quid pro quo – and old Latin phrase meaning “gimme what I want”.
Principal Skinner: So, you want me to trade all that’s left of my integrity for a roof and a bed? You have a deal.
Ralph: Yay! I now have a Princey Pal!
So, having traded away just about the last remnants of his integrity, Skinner spends the next 12 hours crashing at the Wiggum House. But obviously there’s a remnant or two left as Ralph and his learning challenges mean that, for Seymour, this is hardly a long-term proposition. Keep Agnes free as he finishes.

3. The Prodigal Skinner Part 1 Agnes, in her own way, is happy to see her son again (it’s handy for the family reunion that my Skinner House is right across the street from the Wiggum House!):

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Principal Skinner: Ugh, I’m going to break into a Brown House and crash there. Everyone else is doing it.
Agnes: No Seymour, wait! I just can’t stand it anymore. All this time you’ve spent crashing has been the most irritating time of my life. Can you promise me, if I be good, that you’ll never crash again?
Principal Skinner: Okay, I promise there’ll be no crashing… *game crashes* (Note: Not a joke I appreciated when my game chose this particular point to decide that it couldn’t connect to the server!)
And to cement this touching reunion, Agnes and Seymour spend another 12 hours doing Silhouette Night.

4. The Prodigal Skinner Part 2 Seymour surprises himself by being glad to be home:

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Agnes: I enjoyed it too, Seymour. I know it seems like I’m never not mad at you. But that’s only because you constantly make me angry.
Principal Skinner: Maybe there is another target in town that you can mock and humiliate?
Agnes: Hmmm. I could go razz those bags with skin tags at the Retirement Castle. Bunch of pathetic nitwits with no house or child to live with. Because their children locked them up in there.
Principal Skinner: Wait, children can put their parents there and just leave them?
Agnes: You don’t have the short and curlies, Seymour! (Note: Not something I’ve heard before in this context.)
Principal Skinner: No mother, I don’t.
With that, off Agnes goes to the Retirement Castle to spend the next 24 hours taunting old people.

And that’s where the quest seems to end – with Seymour and Agnes living dysfunctionly ever after.

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Categories Agnes Skinner, Carl, Chief Wiggum, Couch Surfin' USA, Level 29, Principal Skinner, Retirement Castle, Skinner House, Springfield Buddhist Temple, The Prodigal Skinner, Walkthrough, Wiggum House

Will Gil have a Yard Sale deal?

By TSTO Tips
May 21, 2013 //
22

This is a question a few people have been asking and, honestly, I think it’s unlikely for lots of reasons – the most important reason being that it would be guaranteed to spark an outcry from players who paid full price for the items, something that EA may want to avoid after the overwhelming outcry over the Whacking Day extension.

Gil’s deals haven’t been updated in the files (and, I know, there’s still a post due on exactly what they are). There are no dates at this stage indicating whether a deal is on the way. And none of the deals includes anything that was launched later than level 22.

So, if you’re waiting for Gil to appear and offer you a special price on any of the Yard Sale items, my feeling is that you could be waiting a long time (and, sadly, there’s nothing yet to suggest a sale on donuts, either).

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Categories Gameplay

Repost: If I’m buying donuts, which donut package should I buy?

By TSTO Tips
May 21, 2013 //
60

People have been looking at the posts on the Squidport expansion and calculating which donut package they would need to buy to get everything they want. So here’s a repost of something from about 6 weeks ago on which donut package is the best value – but remember that the quest buildings look like they’ll all be available for game dollars…

Before answering the question, I just want to give the usual reminder: you don’t really need to buy donuts if you don’t want to. While premium items are tempting, they’re not essential. You can play Tapped Out perfectly well without buying a single premium item – that’s one of the great things about the game.

Now, if you do decide to buy the donuts, how many donuts should you buy? To a certain extent, that depends on where you are in the game (are you at the bonus levels?) and how lucky you think you are (are you on a winning streak with the Golden Scratch-Rs?). But to buy one of all the premium items, you’ll need around 3,000 donuts, which is quite a lot.

Assuming you have some real world cash burning a hole in your pocket, then what’s the best package to buy? The table below shows what you need to spend on each donut package, the number of donuts you get, and the price per donut in each package (with a little rounding). The prices are in US$, but the price per donut holds in other currencies:

Package Price Donuts Price per Donut
A Dozen Donuts $1.99 12 $0.17
A Stack of Donuts $4.99 60 $0.08
A Tray of Donuts $9.99 132 $0.08
A Truckload of Donuts $19.99 300 $0.07
A Store Full of Donuts $49.99 900 $0.06
A Boatload of Donuts $99.99 2400 $0.04

To buy or not to buy? Always remember that the choice is yours. The game doesn’t make you do it!

HomerSimpson25

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Categories Donuts, Prices

Is there a limit of how much you can store in your Inventory?

By TSTO Tips
May 21, 2013 //
11

I’ve been getting this question a lot over the past few days and, surprisingly, I don’t think I’ve ever answered it in a post before. So, is there a limit on how much you can store in your Inventory, as there is in many other games?

The good news is that there isn’t one – you can store as much as you like for as long as you like. In fact, some people have been known to store their whole town while rebuilding – although I haven’t quite been so brave. Because the Inventory is really only a set of pictures representing each type of building or decoration you have, anyway, with a number next to each one indicating how many you have, it’s relatively easy on your device memory, which is probably why EA haven’t felt the need to place a storage limit.

So, if you’re redecorating and getting ready for the Squidport expansion (see a few posts below this one), feel free to store as much as you like in that little cardboard box in the left-hand corner of your build screen.

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Categories Gameplay

7,000,000 hits!

By TSTO Tips
May 21, 2013 //
18

In the last few hours, the blog reached 7,000,000 hits. And I know hits are not everything – but, on a really good day, it’s also getting 100,000 individual visitors, and I’m really happy about that, too! Thanks to all of you who drops by regularly for your continued support, especially to those who’ve been visiting since the very beginning.

Taking the advice of lots of people, I’m getting ready to move the blog over to WordPress.org where I’ll have a degree more flexibility in the design, among other things. The move should be barely noticeable, as the address remains the same – and it’s still WordPress, basically. At least they’ve told me that it will be barely noticeable. I’ll keep you posted on what’s happening and when.

As regular readers know, this is something I’ve been doing at each milestone: if you like what you’ve been reading, please consider making a small contribution to the upkeep and maintenance of this blog (and soon the hosting fees!). The buttons say “Subscribe” but everything here is free and will always be. And if you’ve made a contribution before, please don’t feel you need to do so again.

So, if you would like to make a US$2.00 contribution, you can use this button:


And if you would like to make a US$5.00 contribution, you can use this button:


Thanks once again for your support.

bart-simpson-01

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Categories Gameplay

What ratings do the decorations contribute to – and how much do they contribute?

By TSTO Tips
May 21, 2013 //
15

Last week I posted on the buildings and the ratings they contribute to (and if you’d like to take a look at all those posts, you can start here). This followed a post earlier in the week about the number of points at each level you needed to maximize your Conform-o-meter ratings (and you can read that post here). But what about the decorations?

The decorations largely contribute to your Tree-hugging and Vanity ratings – and unlike the buildings, different decorations make a different contribution. Here’s the first part of a chart showing the decorations, the level they unlock at, their cost, their XP on placement, the rating they contribute to, and the points they contribute. This post takes you from the beginning of the game up to level 14 (I’ll be updating the original posts on this soon, as I’ve discovered some new information in the files).

Decoration Level Cost XP Rating Points
Shrub 3 25 3 Tree-hugging 10
Tree 3 100 10 Tree-hugging 40
Bench 3 270 30 Vanity 27
Kiddie Pool 5 100 10 Vanity 40
Parking Lot 5 175 18 Vanity 50
Brown Fence 6 135 14 Vanity 50
Garbage Bin 7 175 18 Vanity 60
Shrub 7 70 7 Tree-hugging 30
Large Hedge 7 325 33 Tree-hugging 90
Small Hedge 8 220 22 Tree-hugging 70
Newspaper Dispenser 8 325 33 Vanity 90
Tree 8 220 22 Tree-hugging 70
Dumpster 9 1000 100 Vanity 180
Trashcan 10 70 7 Vanity 30
Tree 10 385 39 Tree-hugging 130
Planter 11 850 85 Tree-hugging 160
Tree 11 595 60 Tree-hugging 130
Bart’s Treehouse 12 25000 2500 Vanity 100
Shrub 12 135 14 Tree-hugging 50
Brown Fence 6 135 14 Vanity 50
Snapdragon 12 270 25 Tree-hugging 80
Jebediah Springfield Statue – – 15 Vanity 610
Parking Meter 13 270 27 Vanity 80
Tree 13 135 14 Tree-hugging 50
Flowers 13 520 50 Tree-hugging 120
Gazebo 14 5600 560 Vanity 450
Phone booth 14 1200 120 Vanity 190
Flowers 14 385 40 Tree-hugging 100

Part 2 tomorrow…

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Categories Bart's Treehouse, Conform-o-meter, Decorations, Gameplay, Levels, Tree-hugging rating, Vanity rating, XP

What buildings should I tap on when I visit a friend’s town?

By TSTO Tips
May 20, 2013 //
80

A couple of days ago, sarah m asked this question, which is an important one to know the answer to if you want to be a good neighbor:
Which buildings take the longest to regenerate income (i.e. which buildings should we tap to provide the most benefit to our friends?…I try not to tap Simpsons House, the Brown House etc. as I know they regenerate super quickly)

First, there are some buildings you shouldn’t tap on. Sure, they give you a small amount of cash and XP, but tapping on them doesn’t help your friend at all – they’re Channel 6 and the Open Air Stage. If you see a dead crop at Cletus’ farm, though, tapping it may revive it. And tapping on the Simpsons’ House, the Brown House, the Kwik-E-Mart and other buildings that generate rent quickly isn’t helping your friend as much as you can. (You can graffiti the School, Moe’s, the Police Station, and the Town Hall as well, but that’s for another post.)

The only reason you’re able to tap on a building is if it’s ready for your friend to collect rent – but they haven’t been around to do it. Your tap effectively collects the rent and puts it in the bank for them so not only is it there to collect when they go into their town again – you’ve also restarted their rent collection cycle while they were away. Which is why, if you really want to help your friends, it’s good to tap on the buildings that take the longest to regenerate.

Here’s a handy list of the buildings (and a decoration) that take 8 hours or more to regenerate:
2 days: Burns Manor; Krabappel’s Apartment
24 hours: Duff Stadium; Pimento Grove; Springfield Penitentiary; Springfield General Hospital; Volcano Lair; Holiday Tree; Santa’s Village
16 hours: Fat Tony’s Compound – Phineas Q. Butterfat’s; Springfield Library; Springfield Observatory; Orange House
12 hours: White House; Hibbert Family Practice; Sprawl-Mart; Santa’s Village; Sleep-Eazy Motel; Mapple Store; Wiggum House; First Church of Springfield; Skip’s Diner; School Bus
10 hours: Asia de Cuba; Legitimate Businessman’s Club; Howard’s Flowers; Springfield Cemetery; Springfield Pet Cemetery
8 hours: Swanky Fish; Springfield Coliseum; El Chemistri; King Toot’s; Jake’s Unisex Hair Salon; Sir Putt-a-lot’s; Springfield Buddhist Temple; Blue House; Aztec Theater; House of Evil; Mausoleum; Super Collider

Thanks to everyone who helped to fill in the gaps that inexplicably appeared between writing this post and posting it here. That should mean that any building missing from the list takes less than 8 hours to regenerate.

tappedout_jpg

Categories Gameplay

The level 29 walkthrough (part 4)

By TSTO Tips
May 20, 2013 //
18

When we last left Agnes and Seymour in Part 3, Agnes was sitting alone on a bench feeding the pigeons and wondering where here son had got to. Meanwhile, Seymour, tied of crashing at willie’s Shack, approaches Edna with an unlikely proposal…

1. Couch Surfin’ USA Part 2 Edna is quick to make her position clear:
Edna: Ha! No way, Seymour.
Principal Skinner: Please let me stay at your apartment, Edna. It’ll be fun. We can do our own version of Silhouette Night!

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So it’s back to crashing at Willie’s Shack for Semour Skinner for another 12 hours. Keep Reverend Lovejoy and Agnes free when he wakes up.

2. Couch Surfin’ USA Part 3 Reverend Lovejoy is a little more welcoming:

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Principal Skinner: Thank you, Reverend. I haven’t been able to get a decent rest in days.
Reverend Lovejoy: Well, I hope our evening activity night won’t disturb you. It’s Bingo Night.
Principal Skinner: Bingo Night! I must flee before Mother comes to clean you out. I’m sure God won’t mind if I leave the church ducking out through this stained glass window.
Agnes: let’s get ready to roll them balls!
And it’s back to crashing at Willie’s Shack for Seymour for the next 12 hours, while Agnes spends 4 hours hustling at Bingo. Keep Agnes free as he finishes.

3. Mom is the Loneliest Number Part 2 Agnes is missing her son even more:

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Reverend Lovejoy: He asked me if he could crash at the church. I had assumed with your approval, of course.
Agnes: I’m sick and tired of his crashing. All he ever does is crash! If he crashes one more time, I’m done with him. DONE!
Reverend Lovejoy: Well … let’s not do something hasty. Why don’t you relax, get the frustration out, and think it over some more.
Agnes: What I should do is exercise. I need to build up strangth, so I can spank the hair off him.
And, with that, Agnes changes clothes and spends 6 hours sweeping up the town.

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The walkthrough continues…

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Categories Agnes Skinner, Edna Krabappel, First Church of Springfield, Gameplay, Level 29, Principal Skinner, Reverend Lovejoy, Walkthrough, Willie's Shack

What might be coming up this week in Tapped Out?

By TSTO Tips
May 20, 2013 //
137

Honestly, that’s very difficult to say. Just like the anticipation before Whacking Day, we don’t really know when the Squidport expansion will land, but we know there’s exciting stuff on the way. The Yard Sale end date is unclear – it could end this week or it could end next week (while the date in the files says May 29, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything). But because it’s unclear, we really can’t be sure when the next big thing will begin.

So, if you want to join the speculation and you’re on the home page, click or tap on the link below the picture. And if you’re already on the post page, you have until the end of the picture to leave as quickly as you can…

tumblr_lvsjjkWwRG1qktr3vo1_500 Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories Gameplay

How many restaurants at each level do I need to maximize my Gluttony rating?

By TSTO Tips
May 20, 2013 //
27

Throughout the past week, I’ve been digging into the files to see how the Conform-o-meter works and how you can maximize your conformity bonus. If you missed these posts, or you’d like to re-read them, here’s a list of them:

  • Part 1 of a post on the regular buildings and their ratings contributions (from the beginning of the game up to Moe’s Tavern) is here
  • Part 2 of a post on the regular buildings and their ratings contributions (from Jake’s Unisex Hair Palace up to the Skinner House) is here
  • A post on the premium buildings and their ratings contributions is here
  • A post on the limited-time buildings and their ratings contributions here (Duff Stadium, the Springfield Coliseum, and the Sleep-Eazy Motel can be found here as they were all limited-time at the time – however, their contribution status did not change with the Yard Sale update!)
  • A post on the points needed in each category at each level is here
  • A post on the number of shops you need to maximize your Consumerism rating is here
  • A post on the number of houses you need to maximize your Indolence rating is here
  • A post on the number of buildings and decorations you need to maximize your Obedience rating is here

This post focuses on your Gluttony rating, and you can check check where you currently are with it by tapping on the stars at the bottom left of your main screen:

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You keep your Gluttony rating high by having restaurants for your town for people who are too lazy to cook (which covers just about evry one of your characters). Every restaurant, whether it’s regular, premium or limited-time, contributes 10 points towards the rating. Here’s a list of what can you build that contributes towards a 5-star Gluttony rating:

Regular Restaurants:
- Krusty Burger (and the Krusty Burger Franchise)
- Gulp ‘n’ Blow (and additional Gulp ‘n’ Blows)
- Java Server
- Moe’s Tavern
- Gilded Truffle
- Skip’s Diner
- Luigi’s
- Pimento Grove
- El Chemistri
- Businessman’s Club

Premium Buildings:
- Lard Lad’s
- Asia de Cuba

Limited-time Buildings:
- Phineas Q. Butterfat’s (Valentine’s Day event – no longer available)
- O’Flanagan’s Pub (St. Patrick’s Day event – no longer available)
- Swanky Fish (episode promotion – no longer available)

So, just how many restaurants do you need to get that 5-star rating for Gluttony at each level?:

Level Points Restaurants
1-10 12 2
11-13 24 3
14 48 5
15 60 6
16-17 72 8
18-23 96 10
24 108 11
25-26 120 12
27-28 156 16
29 168 17

As you can see, at some levels you’ll need multiple Krusty Burgers and/or Gulp ‘n’ Blows to be able to get to achieve 5 stars for Gluttony if you don’t want to buy premium restaurants, or you missed out on the limited-time eateries. And that means Krusty and whoever his Gulp ‘n’ Blow competitor is will need to get into the franchise business.

220px-Krustytheclown

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Categories Buildings, Conform-o-meter, Gameplay, Gluttony rating

What’s coming up after the Yard Sale – did someone say something about the seashore?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
158

For a few weeks now, I’ve been telling you about what’s coming next (and if you’d like to read those posts, just type “seashore” in the search bar). But a short time ago, Justeazy sent through a link to some images that may or may not display exactly what I’ve been talking about. If you would like to see some of them, just click or tap on the link after the picture, and if you’d prefer not to, there’s rather a lot of other great things to read (and really, this is very, very spoilery, so if you’d rather not know, please leave now!)…

benjamin-doug-gary-the-simpsons Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories Gameplay

What episode is the Duff-Barney Blimp from and should I spend my donuts on it?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
37

The Duff-Barney Blimp appears very, very briefly in the opening couple of minutes of “A Tree Grows in Springfield“, the 6th episode of the 24th season of the Simpsons. Like many of the Yard sale items, it’s one of those blink and you’ll miss it appearances, and it’s taken me since the update to acquire an image I can use in this post (which is why it’s the last to appear):

Duff-Barney Blimp 2
In the episode’s opening sequence, Homer dreams of being in the World Series, but his food and beer fixation keeps adding some very strange touches to his dream, including Barney as the Duff-Barney Blimp. In its few-second appearance, the Blimp drifts gently over the stadium, lets out a belch, and shoots backwards. But those few seconds were enough for the Duff-Barney Blimp to make its way into the Yard Sale at a price of 70 donuts.

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The question, of course, is this: is it worth 70 donuts? There are a number of arguments in its favor:

1. It gives out the largest bonus multiplier of all the Yard Sale items at 2.75% on cash and XP from all your characters’ jobs and all the rent you earn. As with the Duff Party Bus, there are very few other decorations that will give you a similar return per donut spent. For example, Mount Carlmore, at 120 donuts, only gives you a bonus of 3.5%, and the Springfield Sign at 170 donuts, gives you a bonus of 4.5%.
2. It has animation – it gently wafts in the breeze but looks like it’s belching when you tap on it.
3. It’s a limited-time item.
4. It’s Barney and Duff – what a winning combination!

There are also a couple of arguments against it:

1. No characters interact with it or even acknowledge its existence in any way.
2. It’s a lost opportunity to add sound to a decoration – after all, they already had Barney’s belch! (Or I thought so – it seems that it belches in the Android version but not in the Apple version!)
3. It stays tethered very close to the ground rather than floating upon high (although that could have been both distracting and difficult to position properly).
4. It’s from 2 seconds of a dream sequence and, like the Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons, doesn’t really have anything to do with “real” Springfield” – although all of the Halloween buildings and decorations would also fall into that category.

So, again, The Duff-Barney Blimp is not an essential purchase, but it’s still an interesting addition if you’re decorating your Duff Stadium.

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Categories Donuts, Duff-Barney Blimp, Episode promotions, Limited time, Yard Sale

What exactly are the odds of winning at Springfield Downs?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
42

Do you ever feel like you’re on a losing streak at Springfield Downs? Do you sometimes think that the only good thing to come from the track was Santa’s Little Helper? Then you’re probably not alone – because most players regard Springfield Downs as a bit of a loss-making venture. And the information available in the files supports that, because the odds of winning anything aren’t particularly good.

Some people bet according to the name of the dog – but the game doesn’t work that way. The dogs switch around and are accorded different odds each time they race. Instead, your chance of coming up a winner is tied to odds attached for the current race to the dog you’re betting on.

So, here are your chances of coming out ahead whenever you’re tempted to gamble away your $5000 game dollars at Springfield Downs:

Odds Dollar Winnings XP Winnings Chance
1-2 $6,250 75XP 50%
1-1 $7,500 100XP 20%
2-1 $10,000 150XP 15%
4-1 $15,000 250XP 10%
9-1 $25,000 500XP 5%

And if you lose, you get what the game terms 50 “consolation XP” – which is not that much consolation, really. Just as well it’s game dollars you’re being asked to gamble away and not donuts!

santas_little_helper

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Categories Cash, Gameplay, Santa's Little Helper, Springfield Downs, XP

When will the Yard Sale end?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
13

That’s difficult to say. Most episode promotions end the Monday following the episode, but this is a bit bigger than the usual episode promotions. In fact, it seems more like the Winter update, which was launched on January 11 and ran through until January 28 (that update included Mr. Plow and some Simpsons snowmen and came with level 25).

To try to answer this question, I went into the files to look for an end date – and the only one I could find was May 29. Now, this could simply be a placeholder, or it could be the real end date. To me it makes sense as a real end date as it follows the month on / month off basis that Tapped Out events have kept to since September last year – and it also supports the educated guess I’ve made that the Squidport event will arrive at the end of May and continue through June (and before anyone asks, there’s a post coming on this – but type “seashore” into the search bar at the bottom of the page if you want to see what I’ve written on it so far).

If EA gives the usual episode-promotion “one-day left” warning, I’ll certainly let you know. But the short answer to the question that heads this post is that we can’t be sure at this stage when the Yard sale will end – it may be Monday, or it may be that it run through until as late as May 29.

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Categories Update, Yard Sale

How many buildings (and decorations) do I need at each level to maximize my Obedience rating?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
12

Throughout this week, I’ve been digging into the files to see how the Conform-o-meter works and how you can maximize your conformity bonus. If you missed these posts, or you’d like to re-read them, here;s a list of them:

  • Part 1 of a post on the regular buildings and their ratings contributions (from the beginning of the game up to Moe’s Tavern) is here
  • Part 2 of a post on the regular buildings and their ratings contributions (from Jake’s Unisex Hair Palace up to the Skinner House) is here
  • A post on the premium buildings and their ratings contributions is here
  • A post on the limited-time buildings and their ratings contributions here (Duff Stadium, the Springfield Coliseum, and the Sleep-Eazy Motel can be found here as they were all limited-time at the time – however, their contribution status did not change with the Yard Sale update!)
  • A post on the points needed in each category at each level is here
  • A post on the number of shops you need to maximize your Consumerism rating is here
  • A post on the number of houses you need to maximize your Indolence rating is here

According to your Conform-o-meter, to boost your Obedience rating you need to have public buildings to keep your people docile:

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Keeping the Obedience rating high helps move your Conformity Bonus to its 5% maximum, giving you extra cash and XP every time you tap. Every public building, whether it’s regular, premium or limited-time, contributes 10 points towards the rating. But it’s not just buildings that have an impact on your Obedience rating – there are decorations that have an effect as well:

- Stop Sign ($385 and unlocks at level 22) – 1 point
- Hail Ants Sign ($450 and unlocks at level 23) – 1 point
- Ambulance (30 donuts) – 10 points

So what are the public buildings that contribute towards your Obedience rating? Here’s a list (note that all buildings contribute 10 points except where marked):

Regular Buildings:
- Springfield Elementary
- The Nuclear Power Plant (each element looks like it contributes 10 points)
- Springfield Library
- First Church Of Springfield
- Jake’s Unisex Hair Palace
- Springfield Downs
- Police Station (1 point)
- Springfield Penitentiary (1 point)
- Town Hall
- Channel 6
- Springfield Post Office
- Hibbert’s Family Practice
- Springfield General Hospital
- Springfield Buddhist Temple
- Adult Education Annex

Premium Buildings:
- Aztec Theater
- Springfield Observatory
- Duff Brewery
- Krustylu Studios
- Lugash’s Gym
- Open Air Stage

Limited-time Buildings:
- Fort Sensible (Whacking Day event – no longer available)

So, just how many public buildings and decorations do you need to get that 5-star rating for Obedience at each level?:

Level Points Buildings Notes
1-11 10 1 You should maximize your rating once you unlock the School
12-13 50 5 Each element of the Nuclear Power Plant appears to contribute 10 points
14 60 6 You should be able to maximize your rating with regular buildings alone
15 70 7 You should be able to maximize your rating when you unlock Jake’s Unisex Hair Palace
16-19 80 8 As you unlock the buildings at these levels, you should be able to keep your rating up
20 90 9 You should be able to maximize your rating with regular buildings alone
21 100 10 You should be able to maximize your rating with regular buildings alone
22 110 11 You should be able to maximize your rating with regular buildings alone
23 140 14 You should be able to maximize your rating with regular buildings alone
24 160 16 This number appears in the files, but it looks like it’s a coding error
25 142 14 You’ll also need a couple of signs to maximize your rating
26 152 15 You’ll also need a couple of signs to maximize your rating
27-28 162 16 You’ll also need a couple of signs to maximize your rating
29 200 20 To maximize your rating, you’ll need premium buildings/decorations or lots of signs!

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Categories Ambulance, Buildings, Conform-o-meter, Decorations, Donuts, Fort Sensible, Gameplay, Hail Ants Sign, Obedience rating, Premium decorations, Stop Sign

It looks like the 3000 item building and decoration limit may be back!

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
82

As many of us suspected, the lifting of the 3000 item building and decoration limit that appeared without warning at the beginning of Whacking Day may only have been temporary. The limit was imposed with the Whacking Day update and seemed to disappear about a week later when it became apparent that snake egg deliveries weren’t possible to towns at the limit – and that egg deliveries could, in fact, push your friends’ towns over the edge.

But earlier this week, Shawnatshawn sent in these screenshots:

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Throughout the week, Shawnatshawn was the only person reporting this, so I held out a little hope that it was an individual game glitch – and the fact that it was occurring for Shawnatshawn during Whacking Day made me doubt that this was a general issue. That was, until this came in a few hours ago from Mike Shuman:

I’m sure someone has already posted on this but the 3000 building limit is back. I got the message for the first time ever just now… Now I have to go through my town and sell some non-essential decorations because I have a ton more things to rearrange. It’s funny how your inventory has no limit on the amount you can store yet they limit you it does on how much you can use. Makes no sense to me. I’m in deep trouble if they keep the limit when the boardwalk event starts if I’m already at my limit without it. Ugh.

So, if you receive this message, you’ll have no choice but to store some items in your Inventory or sell them – and, as Mike points out, your Inventory has no limit as this stage.

Note: The messages may also be a result of a problem with the Yard Sale update which initially rolled some players back to the start of Whacking Day, or some other random glitch, but that’s unclear at this stage. I’m waiting to see what comments come in.

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Categories Building and decorations limit, Buildings, Decorations, Design, Gameplay, Inventory

Poll reminder: Which Yard Sale premium item do you buy?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
8

Just a reminder about the poll on the site this weekend…

As just about everyone reading this blog will know by now, 9 new items were released with the Yard Sale update – they’re all limited time and possibly only available until Monday (although they could be around for a bit longer). 2 of them are available for game dollars, and 7 of them are premium items. And as of Saturday, I’ve now posted on all but 1 of the premium items. Here are the links to those posts:
Should I spend my donuts on Frink’s Robot Dog?
What episode is the Excellence Prize Statue from and should I spend my donuts on it?
What episode is the Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons from and should I spend my donuts on them?
What episode is the Frinkosonic MHV from and should I spend my donuts on it?
What episode is the Giant Grasshopper from and should I spend my donuts on it?
What episode is the Duff Party Bus from and should I spend my donuts on it?
What episode is the Duff-Barney Blimp from and should I spend my donuts on it?

So, here’s the question: imagine that you’re only able to buy 1 of them – which one do you buy? Cast your vote even if you can’t or won’t buy donut items, so that we can help out people making this decision (and that’s why there’s no “None of them” option).

The poll will stay open for the duration of the Yard Sale, but vote early to help others make the right choice.

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Categories Donuts, Duff Party Bus, Duff-Barney Blimp, Episode promotions, Excellence Prize Statue, Frink's Robot Dog, Frinkosonic MHV, Giant Grasshopper, Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons, Limited time, Polls, Yard Sale

Why does Homer want us to make Reverend Lovejoy ride his train?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
7

As part of the dialog that launches the Yard Sale, Lisa and Homer have this exchange:

Lisa: So, this is our season finale – a fourth wall joke?! Aren’t there any characters or quests?
Homer: Well, I guess you could make Lovejoy ride his train for the finale – that kind of fits.

Why exactly does it fit? Because the last episode of season 24, premiering in the US on Sunday, 19 May, is called “Dangers on a Train“. Here’s the trailer from the ANIMATION on FOX Channel on YouTube:

Note: Homer also suggests that we make Carl celebrate his Icelandic heritage, and you can see why here.

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Categories Episode promotions, Gameplay, Homer, Limited time, Lisa, Yard Sale

What episode is the Devil Donuts Cart from and what rating does it contribute to?

By TSTO Tips
May 19, 2013 //
9

The Devil Donuts Cart is from episode 7 of season 24 “The Day the Earth Stood Cool“. It’s the third promotional item from this episode – the two others, the Cool Brown House and Cool Homer, were released just before that episode in November last year and were only available for a few days. Both those items were free.

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In that episode, the Simpsons family gets new cool neighbors Terrence and Emily from Portland – and the Devil Donuts business is how Terence earns his money, at least for the time being. Here are a couple of screen shots from the episode showing the Cart parked outside the Cool Brown House, and showing Homer and Terence enjoying a beer outside the Cart when it’s parked downtown:

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Strangely, the Cart improves your Vanity rating rather than your Gluttony rating (in the same way that the Laramie Vending Machine adds to your Vanity rating rather than your Consumerism rating).
But that can be forgiven just because it’s a great new decoration for your town that costs game dollars rather than donuts! And it also gives you 520XP when you place it in your town.

As a bonus, here’s a video from the ANIMATION on FOX YouTube channel of Homer trying to be cool to fit in with his cool neighbors:

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Categories Conform-o-meter, Cool Brown House, Cool Homer, Devil Donuts Truck, Episode promotions, Homer, Limited time, Vanity rating, Yard Sale
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