There are many questions about the game I can answer or find information on – but when things go badly wrong with your game and it becomes unplayable, there is very little I can suggest beyond what I’ve already posted on the main page. So, what next?

I’ve set out here a few initial steps you can take and some EA/Origin contact information that should work wherever you are in the world. If you notice anything missing, please let me know through the comments section at the bottom of this page.

1. Decide whether the issue is a temporary one affecting a lot of players or a major issue that just seems to affect a few

This is an important first step. If it’s temporary and seems to affect most players, it’s probably something that EA is aware of and has either fixed or is in the process of fixing.

Some good places to look for this are:

- the official Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TheSimpsonsTappedOut – it tends to go into meltdown at any drop in playability. The problem is that EA don’t monitor the page and don’t provide help through it.

- the official Simpsons Tapped Out forums at http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/categories/show/233.page – you can get a good indication here of whether the problem you’re experiencing is affecting everyone or just a small number of people.

- the Answer HQ EA has set up to address questions about the game at http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Simpsons-Tapped-Out/bd-p/The-Simpsons-Tapped-Out – again, if a lot of people are complaining about the same issue, you can probably bet that it is something temporary that EA are working on.

- check the status of the Origin servers at http://www.origin.com/hk-en/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)

- and 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 this post on what to do and what not to do: http://tstotips.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/i-cant-get-into-my-game-or-see-my-friends-what-do-i-do/

2. You’ve identified your issue as serious enough to get help from EA or Origin

A good place to start is the Help page that EA have set up at https://help.ea.com/en/the-simpsons/the-simpsons-tapped-out – it contains a list of current known issues about the game.

If you have a plentiful supply of the patience you’ll need to wait for an EA Game Advisor to get to your question, you could consider starting or adding to a post at http://answers.ea.com/t5/The-Simpsons-Tapped-Out/bd-p/The-Simpsons-Tapped-Out – you’ll need to log in with your Origin ID before you can do this.

The option I would recommend, though, would be to get live help, and you can do this through Facebook, Twitter or over the phone. You can find the contact details for Simpsons Tapped Out at this link: https://help.ea.com/contactus

You get help on Origin issues in exactly the same places.

Be aware that it can take a few weeks for serious playability issues to be resolved – but they do generally get resolved, based on comments I’ve received. And EA have been known to dole out compensation donuts in these cases.

Speaking of donuts, EA don’t deal with cases of donuts paid for but not received. For that you need to contact Apple directly through http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/#app_store

3. I’ve done all that. What do I do while I wait?

You could browse through this blog for some of the posts I’ve written on game access and playability issues (if you haven’t done so already):

My game keeps telling me it cannot connect to the server – essentially the same advice as on this page

What do I do about the frozen game with the really strange harp/chime sound?

My game didn’t save on my other device? I don’t have another device!

My game’s reset me to Level 1!

I keep getting the Bart screen!

My game always crashes after playing for a very short time!

My game crashes before I can even log in!

My game constantly crashes after a few minutes of play!

Is it true that lots of decorations can cause the game to crash?

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