Archives for category: Origin
« Older Entries

Do you have any inactive accounts with friends?

By rcsprinter
June 14, 2013 //
58

I received an email from Vampryss today raising a good point which has been discussed before, but not really solved.

I have noticed in my 100 friends, that some do not appear to be active anymore. I do not mind, they still give me my XP/cash, however I would like to clear those not playing now and make room for active players (I like to see how people do their towns) Perhaps some people that have multiple accounts have forgotten one of them :S. This way, if they have, maybe it will remind them and they can respond as to whether they will be using it anymore.

His suggested solution was to do a post asking for people to comment any of their Origin account names with friends, so that if readers have any of those people as friends they can remove them to make way for new friends who are still playing.

So, below, please only post the names of abandoned accounts – this is not a general “add friends” section. This is only a trial run to see how it goes, but hopefully it will be effective in unfriending inactive players.

20130613-072003 PM.jpg

Tags , ,
Categories Friends, Origin

Outsiders’ Musings XII: a little more outside than usual

By rcsprinter
June 2, 2013 //
31

Hi all, welcome to my weekly post. This week we have a guest author, Mike Shuman. This might clear up something you were wanting to know! (Also, I’m still having issues connecting to the site, so this post has been sent by email, which should explain anything that doesn’t look quite right.)

Hello, this is my first guest post thanks to Rcsprinter. One topic I’ve seen questioned substantially on this site is “How DO I Add/Delete Friends on Origin?” I’m going to instruct you how using the Origin client for PC or Mac. Downloading the Origin software gives you a lot more options for maintaining the “social” aspect of Tapped Out whereas on your devices you can only search User IDs and add friends. As of this writing there are no mobile apps for Origin however they are claiming to be working on bringing it to all mobile platforms according to a few sites I’ve come across. Also even going to Origin.com will only allow you to manage your password, email and basic information but will not allow you to manage friends. As you can see in the screenshot below although I’m with Origin through Tapped Out it doesn’t even reflect that on my profile.

aPKF2SddjK8uBUGa2DBM1nOcXwLap0Kngb2dRPLvnBG1YQognWk65lfqZ0wYDftQy6CPYDpsWvUbi1p6Y1MRp3TxykWCjVqhNUTQm3sjXL0-GemYfyFAKIWHwg

So needless to say right now the BEST way to manage your friends on Tapped Out is by going to https://www.origin.com/us/download and downloading for either PC or Mac. The instructions are pretty much self explanatory and once you install you will see the Origin home screen. Here you can access the Origin/EA game store which closely resembles Steam. Go to Login and enter the SAME email and password that you use to log into Tapped Out:

6HS2obqyclK9amZTVcbtGkIB4uH-Pyc6FVFRh5mIQ8SQ_Cz4KTKC3oOPcoGbfGCoAfkXv1rw3USsxCs1lJ0d74pu83uSKzELKIBBYUaX4IPcRSh5GPnJtjcjvg

Once you log in you’re all set. To the far right on the top of the page you will see a square with what looks like a head with or without a number in it. The number indicates how many friends are online currently. Clicking on that will give you a new pop-up box of your friends list. This is where you manage your friends. And ta-daaa that’s it. You can navigate the program fairly easy and you only have to have the friend box without dealing with the store if you don’t want to. BUT as with anything EA related this is the confusing aspect of the software: If someone has friended you through Tapped Out you can accept the request within the software and also unfriend, block, etc. However if you are searching for someone through the software and that person does not have the software on their end, you can NOT add them. I know, it’s ridiculous but the point is, this software is definitely valuable for deleting friends to those that want to and accepting any request sent through the game. There’s also a CHAT option but I’m willing to bet the farm that the person has to also have the software. Again until EA/Origin get in gear and release mobile apps, this is the only way for me to manage my friends. If someone knows of a better way, I as well as many others are all ears.

VGXzaaMKI4TqJVPbfUs3YO6_AW7ccHqFvdusB2yxSjQkBDlzCrs0KQy_lh383FJh0x5Fu9tp2pE0pKjHrmRJhvs2EysIBixsyHflldOi48i94FGZ1EyZA8xkNQ

I hope that I was able to extend a little knowledge to some people with my first guest post and also hope to be able to bring you many more in the future. As long as Tapped Out is available I will be right there tapping away as I know many of you are. Have a nice day!

Tags , , ,
Categories Gameplay, Logging in, Origin, Outsiders' Musings

Why are there so many server issues at the moment?

By TSTO Tips
June 2, 2013 //
12

There would have to be server issues while I’m taking a break from my blog! Thanks to everyone who pointed people in the right direction. But the important thing to do if you can’t get into your game or all your friends are missing is not to panic. Like a bad relationship – it’s probably not you, it’s them.

As to why there are so many server issues – well, there could be a couple of reasons for this. The game servers seem to have more issues before or after a major update. I’m noticing it more now that the blog is on a dedicated server as well – things get a little glitchy when so many people are hitting it at the same time. (Even my Spamguard can’t keep up and just decides to put people’s comments in moderation while it sorts things out!)

But, the real reason I suspect is that there is significant server maintenance going on ahead of the Squidport update, with so many items added to the game at once, and the layouts of everyone’s towns changing to accomodate the seashore expansion. I’m expecting more of this kind of thing right up until the release of the Squidport expansion and probably afterwards as well. So, from the technical support page, here’s a handy guide to what you can do:

  1. Don’t panic or get angry.
  2. Check the usual sources to see see whether it’s something that’s just affecting you or seems to be affecting others, too. As well as this blog, take a look at the official Facebook page -  it tends to go into meltdown at any drop in playability.
  3. Check the status of the Origin servers at http://www.origin.com/status – they control getting you into the game, keeping you there, and whether or not you can visit your friends. If either the account or social servers are orange or red, this could be the source of the problem you are having. (You can also follow the status on Twitter at @OriginStatus). It’s worth bookmarking this page.
  4. Don’t forget to check the web page of your local mobile or wifi provider. It’s the second decade of the twenty-first century, but many of us are still not getting what we’re paying for. And it’s worth remembering that “unlimited data downloads” are not always unlimited. Some providers put a speed cap on your service when you reach a certain limit. Check your contract.

- also, read these posts on what to do and what not to do: I can’t get into my game or see my friends and My game wants me to create a new account.

lisa_screaming

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Bugs and glitches, EA, Error messages, Friend errors, Gameplay, Origin

Repost: All my friends have disappeared!

By TSTO Tips
May 30, 2013 //
23

Thanks to Mike Shuman for prompting this post.

The Origin servers have been a bit wonky for a few days now. Many players, especially Android players, have gone into their games only to discover that all their friends have disappeared. Like many of the other server problems the game experiences, this is yet another situation where the best advice is not to panic.

You can check the server status page at http://www.origin.com/status, but sometimes that won’t tell you anything – particularly if it’s a local server issue. Check the official Facebook page as well – if others are having problems, then there’s at least comfort in knowing that you are not alone!

The Origin servers run the social part of the game and this seems to happen at, shortly before, or shortly after every major update. Your friends will come back again – they always do – usually within an hour or two, but often less.

image

Tags , , , , , ,
Categories EA, Error messages, Friends, Origin, Server issues, Update

My Apple device shows a lower level Springfield and asks “Is this your Springfield?” after I played while logged in on Android!

By TSTO Tips
April 28, 2013 //
27

EA have finally decided to respond to some of the questions, issues and problems that have arisen since the launch of the Whacking Day update and the release of Origin on Android. This is one of the newer answers on their Tapped Out help page (you can see it here):

When prompted with the “Is this your Springfield?” question select “No” and then in the next screen select “New.” This will restore your town to your device and allow you to log into your town on both your android and iOS device.

1. Select ‘NO’ on this screen

rtaImage
2. Select ‘NEW’ on this screen

rtaImage2
It all seems a little counterintuitive, which is probably why it has many players scared that they’ll lose their towns. But that’s what EA is saying, and at least we finally have some official advice on this issue.

Tags , , , , , , ,
Categories Android, Apple, Bugs and glitches, EA, Error messages, Is this your Springfield?, Origin

I’m on Android but my Apple friends can’t see me!

By TSTO Tips
April 26, 2013 //
27

Here’s some advice from Irnmadn33 for Android players who can see and vist their iOs friends’ towns, but whose iOs friends are seeing tem as not having Tapped Out:

For those of you who have Android whose friends have iOS, if you can see and visit their towns but they either can’t see yours or it says to them that you don’t have TSTO, I found out that you need to make sure that your Origin account privacy setting is set to allow friends to see you. Hope this helps.

For those of you who are experiencing this issue, please let us all know whether this works.

images

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Android, Apple, Friends, Origin

I’m an Android user and I can’t buy donuts. Why is that?

By TSTO Tips
April 25, 2013 //
14

A number of Android players have commented that they can’t buy donuts. Here’s a comment that cam in from dm753 suggesting one reason why that might be. While I’m not suggesting that it’s the entire answer to the problem, it could suggest an answer in some cases:

For Android users unable to purchase donuts:

I moved over from playing TSTO on an iPad to playing on an Android (something about gravity, a falling bicycle and a defenseless iPad glass screen forced the issue…)

Anyway… I’ve been unable to purchase donuts at all, as the email associated with TSTO on my iPad differs from the email I use for the Google Play store. I attempted to create a similarly named account with Google Play, but still no luck with donut purchases. On digging deeper, it appears that not only do both (TSTO and Google) email addresses need to be the same, but in addition, your Google Play account must be a @gmail.com address in order to tie in with Google Wallet and, thus, enable in-app purchases.

This is a major problem as I would really like to purchase the Snake Log and Snake Stump. I need more of them critters to whack – and both Origin’s and EA’s websites have been a complete dead end so far.

I guess until this issue is resolved, I’ll have to spend my money elsewhere (like on REAL donuts!).

Any additional advice for Android players on how to resolve this problem would be appreciated.

film_concours_donut

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Android, Donuts, EA, Google Play, Origin

What should I do if my game is acting strangely?

By TSTO Tips
April 21, 2013 //
42

This came in from Nici a few days ago and, based on some comments in the last day or so, I think many people will find it helpful:

With the introduction of Whacking Day to Tapped Out and the much anticipated expansion of Origin to Android users, there has been a significant increase in players experiencing problems and numerous glitches, some of which have been discussed here already. There has been 2 recent App Store/Google Play updates and an in game update which seem to have also caused issues for some people. A lot of the problems seem to have been resolved with the second update, but there are always those few who continue to have their games act strangely. In light of these issues I thought it would be useful to discuss some of the ways to reset or restart the game to try and resolve the problems. Often these strategies do work and then you can continue on as normal.

The first thing is not to panic and immediately think that you have lost your game or snakes etc. Close the game straight away if you see ‘0 snakes/eggs’, the start-up screen from the very first level or anything else that rings alarm bellls.

Try hard closing the game and reopening.

For Apple devices double click the home button, hold down the Tapped Out icon until it shows the little red cross in the top left corner and press on it. Then try reopening the game.

For Android users open the Applications tab and tap Settings, and next tap Applications. Tap Manage Applications, in the list of running applications, select the application you wish to close and tap Force Stop. Reopen the game.

You can also try logging in on a different device if you have one, iPhone to iPad for example.

If hard closing didn’t work try deleting and reinstalling the game from the App Store/Google Play. As long as you are an Origin user you should be able to log back in and find your game as you left it, hopefully restored.

If neither of these suggestions resulted in your game opening at your current level and you see the opening sequence, let it run through until you are able to access the Origin button, then log in using your username and password. Origin should save your game where you left it.

Another trick that can sometimes work is just to give the game time to reset itself. Try putting it down for a couple of hours after hard closing and then come back to it. Hopefully a miracle has occurred.

If you try all the usual tricks and your game still isn’t behaving itself you have 2 options. Contact EA Games about the issue and suspend your game playing or just accept it and start again from wherever you are in the game.

Tapped Out is a massive game with millions of people playing and there are always bound to be problems when updates and events are released. If you do experience an issue with the game; try the suggestions above one at a time and be patient. Hopefully all will be well when you log back in.

Thanks Nici! And Any has added another important point – even if you manage to fix or solve a problem yourself, you ought to notify EA of the issue anyway (with full details… what phone you have, which version of android or iOS you’re running, how far in the game you had got etc.) so they can look into it. They can’t fix problems they don’t know about.

control,room,homer,simpson,nuclear,power,plant-454cdd601c61917fd0f28e2924091e1c_h

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Android, Apple, Bugs and glitches, EA, Origin

My friends on Origin are showing up as not having TSTO (and other adding issues)!

By TSTO Tips
April 16, 2013 //
48

A number of Android players have commented that when they try to add friends in Origin, their potential new friends are showing up as not having the game. Others have reported searching for user names of people wanting to be added but not being able to find them. And still others have been unable to add very many people at all. The best advice on this is to relax – it’s, unfortunately, all perfectly normal!

Under normal circumstances, it can take anywhere up to 3 days for a new Origin user to appear and show up as being able to play the game, regardless of where they are in relation to you. With some my real-life friends living nearby (and in my household), my friend was able to see and visit my town days before they even appeared among on my friend list.

Android users, like Apple players, have a 100 friend limit. But the limit isn’t just about how many people you can add – it’s also about what happens when you adtry to add someone. If you try to add a friend who is already at their limit, then you’ll get an error message. Given how fast I’ve seen the Add Friends list move on this page over the past few days, it’s quite possible that some of the people you’re trying to add have reached their limit very quickly, and that means you won’t be able to add them, no matter how many times you try.

So, the bottom line is to be patient – something very similar has happened for Apple players at almost every big event. As the week goes on, things should settle. Just remember – it’s probably not you, it’s the Origin social servers having a hard time keeping up!

06__Les_Simpson_le_film

Tags , , , , , ,
Categories Android, Friends, Origin

How do I add friends on Android?

By TSTO Tips
April 14, 2013 //
34

Android and iOs work very differently for adding friends. Thanks to Jessica, here’s a step-by-step guide to adding friends in Origin if you play the Android version of the Tapped Out.

Please note that the huge number of these requests may mean that the servers are not always cooperative over the next few days or so and that while players on both platforms have a limit of 100 friends, you won’t be able to send a request at all if the other person is already at the limit. Be patient and keep trying. Also, remember that it can take 1-3 days for a new friend to appear on your friend screen. Android and iOs players are able to add each other.

Accepting friend requests

1. look for the little number on the Bart and Milhouse button. It indicates the number of friend requests you have.

1
2. You decide what to do with the request.. add or decline?

2
Adding friends

1. Once your outstanding friend requests are cleared, the Bart and Milhouse button has a small plus sign.

3
2. Type in your friend’s username.

4
5
6
3. Origin finds the username and gives you the option to add the friend.

7
4. Your friend request sent – now you’ll just have to wait for it to be accepted!

8

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Android, Friends, Origin

How do I delete friends on Android (and pending invitations on Apple)?

By TSTO Tips
April 13, 2013 //
38

Deleting friends on Android appears to work differently from deleting friends on Apple (you can see how Apple players delete friends here). Until someone adds a comment outlining an easier way to do it, going on to Origin and blocking a friend you want to delete may be the best route for Android players.

To delete friends or remove pending invitations, one way to do this is to go to http://www.origin.com and log in with your Origin ID. Your ID will appear at the top right of the screen, and if you click or tap on it, you’ll be able to go to “My Account”. You’ll see a menu at the left of the page. Click or tap on privacy, and you’ll be where you need to be. Look for a big empty box headed “Block List”.

Take a look at your game and write down the exact user names of the players or pending invitations that you wish to get rid of. Add them to your “Block List” on the Privacy page, by entering the name in the space under the big white box and tapping or clicking “Block”. Do this for each person or invitation you want to eliminate. Then, go back to your game and check that it works (you may need to completely close it and open it again to allow it time to synchronize).

You can unblock anyone at any time – and then they’ll be able to send you an invitation again. Until then, though, they won’t even know you play the game!

Thanks to Tine for the advice on this!

martin2

Tags , , , , , , ,
Categories Android, Apple, Friends, Origin

Repost: How do I add friends?

By TSTO Tips
April 11, 2013 //
112

Every time there’s an event, like Whacking Day, the game attracts a lot of new players. And this time, with Origin available on Android for the first time, that adds up to a lot of people adding friends. Experienced players should probably go and look at another post. If you want to know how you add friends, though, read on.

First things first, though:
1. The Origin servers control the social aspect of the game – and with so many people adding at once, they’re likely to be making the add friends process a bit glitchy over the next few days. Be patient and things will resolve themselves.
2. You can only add 100 friends – and this is apparently the cumulative total across all your Origin games (please correct me if I’m wrong about the cumulative total point!).
3. Your friends can only see your Origin ID and you can only see theirs. You can’t see their email and there is no way to contact them through the game.
4. For Android players having difficulty adding friends, here’s some advice from summerpain that might help:
I went to my friends page..clicked on logout (Origin button) and then logged back in – I can now send friend requests and I also had about 15 of them to accept!

Onto adding friends – and it’s really easy to do. First, tap on the Bart and Milhouse button you see at the bottom right of the main game screen.

image
This takes you to the page that has your Other Springfield. At the bottom left, you’ll see the Origin logo.

image
Tap on this and a box will come up on the top right. Tap on “Add Friends” (if it’s not already showing) and you’ll see a space to enter your friend’s email or Origin ID.

image
Put in the ID and tap “Go”. Often a number of similar IDs will come up.

image
Find the ID you’re looking for and tap “Add”. An invitation will be sent to your friend and when he or she accepts it, you’ll be able to go into each other’s Springfields. Be patient, though. Sometimes this happens quickly and sometimes it can take up to 3 days, regardless of where the person is in relation to you.

When you’ve finished, tap “Exit” on the bottom of the bar at very right hand side. You go back to your town by tapping the house icon at the bottom right of the screen.

And if you want to find friends to add – you can see them on the Add Friends page here - where you can also add your own Origin ID (please don’t put an “add me” in the comments section of this post!).

Tags , , , , , ,
Categories Android, Apple, Friends, Origin, Whacking Day

The update is now on Google Play – and it has Origin!

By TSTO Tips
April 11, 2013 //
180

Good news Android players – the Whacking Day update has arrived on Google Play and it has Origin! (It probably arrived a little early for Apple players due to yesterday’s server issues.)

Time to get social and add some friends – andhere is the place to go to find them!

27366788_happy-homer5B15D

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Android, Google Play, Origin, Update, Whacking Day

Origin server issues and account resets

By TSTO Tips
April 10, 2013 //
65

This message from Origin that may cast some light on the problems, experienced by many Apple device players over the last 12 hours or so:

Several of our systems will be undergoing maintenance on April 11th starting at approximately 1:00AM EDT and going until 5:00AM EDT***. During this time, players will be unable to access online services for many EA games, including those that connect through Origin.

The down times for each game or service during this maintenance may vary, with some being back up again quickly, and others taking the full maintenance time. We’ll try to finish this maintenance as quickly as possible to restore normal access to Origin and other online services for EA games.

*** Alternate Time Zones
•PDT: April 10th at 10:00PM until April 11th at 2:00AM
•GMT: April 11th at 5:00AM GMT until 9:00AM GMT

In the meantime, if you have experienced your account being reset to level 1, here are a few DO’s and DON’Ts:

DO:
1. Check that you haven’t been logged out of the game – you may have suddenly switched mid-game to playing anonymously. The first step, then, is to check that you’re logged in to Origin.
2. If you are logged in to Origin, and your game is telling you there’s a lower level game on your device, answer “NO” to the “Is this yours?” question.
3. Hard close the game and go and do something else.
4. Register that you have been affected at http://help.ea.com or through Twitter at @AskEASupport.
5. Check in here or at http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/9429593.page for updates.

DON’T:
1. Don’t let the opening video run. Shut the game immediately if it does.
2. Don’t try to continue to play your game.
3. Don’t open a new Origin account with the same email address as your reset game. If you want to open a temporary Springfield to keep you busy while things are being resolved, so that with a completely different email address and user name.
4. Don’t panic – at least between now and the promised Thursday update. If it hasn’t been resolved by then, you probably have every right.

I’m sorry I can’t be more help on this. But, honestly the DON’Ts are reallyimportant. Players have lost their games before by starting new accounts with the same email address when server issues have arisen in the past.

I’ll provide updates as I get new information.

image

Tags , , , , , , , ,
Categories Bugs and glitches, Crashing, EA, Origin, Reset to level 1

My friends aren’t in alphabetical order anymore!

By TSTO Tips
April 10, 2013 //
27

A number of people have reported today that their friend list is no longer in alphabetical order. It seems as if EA and/or Origin have had some server issues today, and this is probably one of the clearest indications that something is up. A check of the Origin server page (at http://Origin.com/status) shows that the social server, which runs the friend part of the game, is working, however – it just doesn’t seem to be working as it should.

These kind of things have arisen in the past (most notably around the beginning of the Christmas update) and seem to happen when there are about to be or have just been major changes to the game. My advice is that if you’re at all worried would be to put to put aside your game for a few hours. It’s likely to only be a temporary thing, and things may be back to normal by tomorrow.

comicbookguy

Tags , , , ,
Categories Bugs and glitches, EA, Friend errors, Origin

When will the update come if it doesn’t come today?

By TSTO Tips
April 5, 2013 //
26

It’s looking increasingly like there’ll be no update today, and while Friday is also a possibility, it really may mean that it’s business as usual in Springfield over the weekend. While a Thursday update had been a possibility based on dates in the files, there are a number of reasons why any update might have been delayed or EA might have revised its initial plans:

- there’s every indication that a Whacking Day event will involve visiting friends – but that would also mean the need to release Origin for Android to avoid alienating the newest market for the game (I can’t believe that EA would run a big event that its newest and potentially largest market couldn’t play). This is likely to be the real source of any delay, as releasing Origin for Android devices will also have an impact on all EA mobile games – and when that finally happens (or is about to happen), there’ll probably be a press release about it as there was for the launch of Origin on Mac earlier this year.

- the files also indicate that there’s likely to be an episode promotion for the Simpsons episode airing on April 14. To have a promotion early in a major event would be a bit unusual, especially one that involves even a short storyline (there were two promotions during Thanksgiving, but that event was smaller than St. Patrick’s Day).

- April 26 seems to be a key date this month – Samsung’s Galaxy s4 is launched, and EA have previously announced that it has partnered with Samsung to optimize 16 of its games, including Tapped Out, for this device (see a post on this from a couple of weeks ago here). It may be that a big update occurs much later than originally planned due to the importance EA are placing on the Samsung partnership.

- Whacking Day is not actually until May 10 – and some of the files talk about a countdown to the start of Whacking Day. Perhaps someone has realized that early April was too early for this event.

Just like the event itself, this is all speculation. But it shows how important patience is when dealing with games, updates and potential updates. Things can change and often do – and just because a date is in the files, it doesn’t mean it’s set in stone.

simpsons_que

Tags , , , , , , ,
Categories Android, Episode promotions, Friends, Origin, Updates, Whacking Day

Do you have any idea when Origin be available for Tapped Out on Android?

By TSTO Tips
March 27, 2013 //
25

Sometimes I can’t resist a little bit of “what if”. So, here goes…

The global release of the game on Android took most of February and I think I understand why Origin wasn’t released for the game at the time – just as with the Apple release, there may have been problems with players in one part of the world adding friends in another. It’s not that EA have no plans – in fact, they announced their Origin on Android plans as far back as August 2012 as you can see here in one of the many news reports at the time (and some players in some areas are already reporting that Origin is available on Android for other EA games, perhaps as a pilot test). But, for Tapped Out nothing has happened in March, and we’re nearly into April. So, when is it likely to be available?

My guess is that if the Whacking Day rumors are true, then Origin for Android will be with the release of that event. The rumors suggest that you’ll be able to release snakes into friends’ town – and, from a marketing perspective, I really can’t see EA excluding Android players from all this fun (in fact, I’d consider it a really big marketing mistake!).

Also in April is the release of the Samsung Galaxy 4 – and EA have been making a lot of noise about how it has partnered with Samsung and will be optimizing 16 of its games, including Tapped Out, for this new device. I would be very surprised if Origin wasn’t made available for Android players of the game before the global launch of the Galaxy 4 on April 26.

Please note that this is all guesswork, and doesn’t take into account any discussions EA may be having with Google Play about what an Origin store for Android players might do to sales through Google Play. And while it all seems quite logical, we’re still in the position of having to wait and see.

frink

Tags , , , , , ,
Categories Android, EA, Origin

Will Tapped Out be available on the Samsung Galaxy 4?

By TSTO Tips
March 21, 2013 //
6

Yes it will – and apparently Tapped Out and 16 other games will be optimized for the newest Samsung device, due for release on April 26. The partnership between EA and Samsung is good news for the development of the game over the next couple of months, although there’s no word yet on whether Origin will be available for all EA games on Android devices by that date.

Apparently, the Galaxy 4 aims to compete not just with Apple devices but also with the PS4. Together with a gaming attachment, users the option to project the device’s full-resolution gaming screen onto a TV. You can read all about the Galaxy 4 and watch a video of how it works below:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2013/03/17/how-the-samsung-galaxy-s4-will-compete-with-sony-playstation-4/

Tags , , , , , ,
Categories Android, EA, Origin

Why would EA release an update that doesn’t seem to change the game?

By TSTO Tips
March 19, 2013 //
46

That’s a very good question – but then there are a lot of very good questions. This update could have just been about bug fixes, but maybe there’s more to it than that.

For those of you playing at Christmas and Valentine’s Day, you’ll remember what happened when the update came through and most of your friends hadn’t updated yet. You couldn’t access their towns and collect coins or hearts – and mob rule was the result on the official Facebook pages and on the forums.

EA took a different approach with the St. Patrick’s Day update. There was an app update in Monday afternoon US time, but the event didn’t actually unlock until Thursday. This gave everyone a few days to update their apps.

Without Origin yet on Android devices, though, this may not be the full reason (it’s been promised since August 2012 but there’s been no news of when it will actually happen). But it certainly seems to be part of a new game update pattern.

Update: I’m getting a large amount of some fairly unpleasant abuse for not mentioning the hack this update apparently repaired (either before or after the event). That this blog doesn’t cover cheats or hacks is a moral choice. If you can’t respect that, then you’ve come to the wrong place.

image

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Android, Apple, EA, Origin, Update

Is there any way for anonymous players to fix the #harpofdeath?

By TSTO Tips
March 13, 2013 //
69

Unfortunately, it seems that the harp is still around despite EA’s recent after the recent server fix. there are certainly fixes available for Apple players (just search this site for “harp of death” or use the tag on the bottom of this post to see what I’ve written about it), with the iPhone 5 fix giving the most reliable results.

But the fixes only work if you have an Origin account – if you’ve been playing anonymously, what do you do? I’d thought that there was no way for anonymous players to get past the harp. That is, until this comment came in today from Pat:

“I am writing you about the harp of death for players without an Origin account. As far as I can see, you always replied that there is nothing you can do without login details to help these folks. Well, I suffered the harp of death last Sunday while hitting level 26 and the bonus level… I was playing anonymously and tried to start the game and de-harp it itself as you suggested on my iPad2 – nothing happened.

“But I had an idea: why not create an Origin account and see if my data is stored somewhere? As soon as my Origin account was set, I logged out and logged back in. A box popped up asking me whether the existing Springfield on level 26 on my device was and mine! Hell, yes! I could even visit it, but without the possibility of playing.

“Anyway, there was an option to save my existing Springfield into my Origin account. It took a couple of tries (the game crashed in between), but after a while it was saved. Immediately, I took my iPhone 5, installed the TSTO app, logged in and ta-da: a question popped up asking me if the Springfield level 26 town on my other device was mine and if I wanted to continue! Yes, of course and after a while (approx. 20 min. later), I was back in the game on my iPhone.”

So, for people who’ve been playing anonymously, creating an Origin account will rescue your game and allow you to try one of the other fixes that have been suggested here. At least that’s some good news! Now we just need a way for Android players to resolve the problem – or, even better, a permanent fix.

image

Tags , , , , ,
Categories Bugs and glitches, Frozen game, Harp sound, Origin
« Older Entries