Archives for posts with tag: episode promotions

Poll results: You can buy only 1 Yard Sale premium item – which one do you buy?

May 27, 2013 //

With Gil and his day-old donuts here and Squidport on the way, it’s easy to forget that the Yard Sale to mark the end of season 24 of the series in the US is still going on. Homer very unkindly calls the selection of items on offer “junk”, and it may well be the right term for some of this rather odd selection of items.

So, on the basis that many of you have Gil’s donuts burning a hole in your pocket, is any of it worth buying? Here’s what you said in the poll that ran on this site over the last 10-ish days:

Here’s the breakdown:

Duff Party Bus: 47.13%
Duff-Barney Blimp: 22.6%
Frink’s Robot Dog: 15.56%
Frinkosonic MHV: 5.3%
Excellence Prize Statue: 4.74%
Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons: 2.82%
Giant Grasshopper: 1.85%

The poll makes the Duff Party Bus a clear winner, but if you’d like to make up your own mind, you can take a look at the following posts:

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?
Should I spend my donuts on Frink’s Robot Dog?
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?

Remember, the Yard Sale items are likely to only available until Wednesday or Thursday US and you may never have the chance to add them to your game again. Although, honestly, for at least a couple of items, that’s unlikely to generate much crying, wailing or gnashing of teeth.

Note that ANIMATION on FOX have now taken down some of the videos used in some of the posts.

Tags 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, premium characters, premium decorations, The Simpsons Tapped Out, Yard Sale

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

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

May 19, 2013 //

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):

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.

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 few arguments against it:

1. No characters interact with it or even acknowledge its existence in any way.
2. 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).
3. 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.

Tags donuts, Duff-Barney Blimp, episode promotions, limited time, premium decorations, The Simpsons Tapped Out, Yard Sale

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

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

May 19, 2013 //

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.

Tags 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, premium decorations, The Simpsons Tapped Out, Yard Sale

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

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

May 19, 2013 //

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.

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:

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:

Tags Cool Brown House, Cool Homer, Decorations, Devil Donuts Cart, episode promotions, game dollars, Homer, limited time, The Simpsons Tapped Out, XP, Yard Sale

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

What episode is the Excellence Prize Statue from and should I spend my donuts on it?

May 19, 2013 //

Like the Frinkosonic MHV, the Excellence Prize Statue comes from the 8th episode of season 24, “To Cur with Love“. At the beginning of the episode, the residents of Springfield are pitching their energy-saving ideas to Mr. Burns in the hope of winning an award. Professor Frink is pitching the Frinkosonic MHV , but he loses control of it and it crashes into the Springfield Retirement Castle. Here’s a screenshot of Kent Brockman reporting on the event before all that happens, with the Excellence Prize Statue in the background:

The Statue costs 20 donuts and is the cheapest of all the Yard Sale premium items – but is it even worth paying that price? Like all the Yard Sale items, it’s limited-time, which means that once it’s gone from your premium store it’s quite likely to be gone forever. And for its price, it earns you a quite respectable 0.5% bonus on your cash and XP collections from all jobs and rent (the same as the Burning Bush, the Cannon, and the Tree Swing). But the best point in its favor is the one Mike Shuman makes:
The Excellence Prize Statue goes well in a well laid out Burns estate (I have 2 for each side of the main driveway to the estate).

I just have one, though, and here’s what it looks like in my game:

It’s quite a nice addition and, for a limited-time decoration, it’s relatively affordable. In fact, there have been very few premium decorations in recent times at this price-point, so that alone may make it worth snapping up if you don’t have many donuts to spare.

However, if you’re buying it purely for the bonus, it’s worth noting that the Apple Tree and the Orange Tree give the same bonus amount for only 15 donuts. So, if you’re going to buy it, buy it because it looks good, it’s relatively cheap, and it’s limited time – which means people joining the game in the near future will be asking how they can unlock that Statue they see in the grounds of their friends’ Burns Manors!

Tags Apple Tree, Burning Bush, Cannon, donuts, episode promotions, Excellence Prize Statue, limited time, Orange Tree, The Simpsons Tapped Out, Tree Swing, Yard Sale

Categories Apple Tree, Burning bush, Burns Manor, Cannon, Donuts, Episode promotions, Excellence Prize Statue, Limited time, Orange Tree, Tree Swing, Yard Sale

What episode is the Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons from and should I spend my donuts on them?

May 18, 2013 //

The Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons comes from the same episode as Frink’s Robot Dog: season 24 , episode 9, “Homer Goes To Prep School“. It appears in a dream sequence as Homer has an out-of-body experience following an injury during a fathers’ fight at a children’s fun center. The Gorilla and Baboons are how Homer sees a Santa and Reindeers Christmas decoration while he’s unconscious, as you can see in this video:

Is it worth 30 donuts? Surprisingly, it is, especially when compared to other similarly priced decorations. It offers a 0.75% bonus on all cash and XP collected from jobs and rent – the same as the slightly more expensive Frinkosonic MHV and the Giant Grasshopper. This is also the same amount as the non-limited time Piece-of-crap Car, and slightly more than the Ambulance, which both also cost 30 donuts. However, unlike all the others (with the exception of the Giant Grasshopper), it’s animated and sways gently in the breeze that apparently blows over the device you’re playing the game on.

As with many of the other Yard Sale items, it’s not an essential purchase, and it’s probably more a matter of how you see it fitting in to your Springfield. Also, as it’s from a dream sequence, it’s not a “real” item, so you may also choose to bypass it for that reason (but then you’d also have to by-pass just about every Halloween building or decoration for the same reason!).

To help you out, here’s a screenshot of the Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons outside my Duff Stadium, where I’ve also put the Duff-Barney Blimp:

Tags Ambulance, donuts, episode promotions, Frinkosonic MHV, Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons, limited time, Piece-of-crap Car, The Simpsons Tapped Out, update, Yard Sale

Categories Ambulance, Donuts, Duff-Barney Blimp, Episode promotions, Frinkosonic MHV, Giant Grasshopper, Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons, Limited time, Piece of Crap Car, Update, Yard Sale

What episode is the Frinkosonic MHV from and should I spend my donuts on it?

May 18, 2013 //

The Frinkosonic MHV comes from the 8th episode of season 24, “To Cur with Love“. The episode begins with Professor Frink demonstrating the Frinkasonic MHV vehicle (the spelling in the game differs from the spelling in the epsiode) which runs off sound waves instead of fuel. However, he loses control of the car and it eventually crashes into the Springfield Retirement Castle. As a result Grampa has to move into the Simpsons house for a while. Here’s how the Fink’s super car looks in that episode:

So is it worth 35 donuts? Like all the other vehicles it doesn’t move. It’s sole purpose is to add 0.75% to your cash and XP collections on rent and jobs – and to look good parked somewhere in your town, as you can see in this screenshot:

There are two problems with it, though:
1. For only 5 donuts more, the Police Car, the Burns Limo, and the Channel 6 News Van add 2% to your bonus multiplier (although for 5 donuts less, the Ambulance only adds 0.5% more).
2. Unlike the Limo from the Respectable Moe promotion of a couple of weeks back, there are no new tasks for Frink or anyone else that allow your characters to interact with it.

But, it’s a limited-time item – and if you’re a fan of Frink, it’s almost certainly worth buying. And if you really like Frink, as with all vehicles, you can buy more than one.

Tags donuts, episode promotions, Frinkosonic MHV, limited time, The Simpsons Tapped Out, Yard Sale

Categories Donuts, Episode promotions, Frinkosonic MHV, Limited time, Yard Sale

Poll: Which Yard Sale premium item do you buy?

May 17, 2013 //

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.

I’ve already posted on two of these – the Giant Grasshopper and Frink’s Robot Dog – and I’ll be posting on the rest before the weekend is out. In the meantime, though, here’s a poll designed to help people who are considering which one most justifies a little donut splurge.

So, here’s the question: imagine that you’re only able to buy 1 of them – which one do you buy? Cast your vote, and see what other people think. The poll will stay open for the duration of the Yard Sale, but vote early to help others with making the right choice.

Tags 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, The Simpsons Tapped Out, update, Yard Sale

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

Should I spend my donuts on Frink’s Robot Dog?

May 17, 2013 //

According to the game information, Frink’s Robot Dog comes from the season 24 episode “Homer Goes To Prep School“. While I don’t have a video that shows Frink with his dog, here’s a video from the ANIMATION on FOX YouTube Channel the out-of-body experience that led Homer to become a doomsday prepper (and you can also see the Inflatable Gorilla and Baboons):

So, is the Robot Dog really worth your 60 donuts? Here are some reasons it is:

1. It’s a dog – and robot or not, that’s a new member for your Animals and Pets character set.

2. At 60 donuts, it’s much, much cheaper than the other member of the set, Santa’s Little Helper. And you don’t have to lash out on vet fees!

3. It’s a limited-time character, that’s likely to be no longer available within a few days – and if you don’t buy him, there will always be a Robot Dog-shaped gap in your character set.
4. While it doesn’t have any tasks, it keeps your town looking busy when the characters are doing tasks inside.
5. It does bark when you tap on it, though, and you may be able to get a duet going if ever you can every get it together with Santa’s Little Helper.
6. It’s Frink’s dog – Good Glaven – that’s not enough for you. It’s a dog… and it’s a robot…and it’s Frink’s… It’s a geek’s best friend… Isn’t that enough?

Okay, best move on to the reasons against, then… So here they are:

1. Unfortunately, there are no tasks for the Robot Dog and there is no quest associated with it.
2. None of your characters interacts with it – not even Frink. This makes it exactly the same as Santa’s Little Helper and the Funzos.
3. If you already have Santa’s Little Helper, you don’t gain the $500 or the 10XP that comes with completing a set.

But really, the main reason against the Robot Dog is that, like Santa’s Little Helper and the Funzos, it’s another character that just runs around your town. Still, this is the Yard Sale premium item I’m most convinced about and was happy to buy – but that’s possibly because Frink is one of my favorite characters and I suspect that he’s as much of a completist as I am!

Tags donuts, episode promotions, Frink's Robot Dog, limited time, The Simpsons Tapped Out, update, Videos, Yard Sale

Categories Donuts, Episode promotions, Frink's Robot Dog, Gameplay, Limited time, Update, Yard Sale

Lisa and Willie have costumes now – what other characters have them (or will have them)?

This is an update of a post from early last month, that also answers the questions about costumes for Carl and Chief Wiggum that keep coming up…

For many players, particularly those that joined the game very recently, Gymnastic Lisa and Bare-Chested Wllie are their first costumes (or “skins”, to use the term that serious gamers prefer). And while they’re Lisa and Willie’s first costume, they’re certainly not the first in the game.

Since October 2012, a few other characters have also been given costumes:

Homer – He’s acquired the most costumes so far with Mayan Homer (from Halloween 2012), Cool Homer (a free costume to promote an episode in November 2012), Santa Homer (from Christmas 2012), Mr Plow (a premium costume from Winter 2013) and now Ninja Homer (his premium Whacking Day costume). When Homer wears his premium costumes, he earns money from his jobs at a premium rate.

Marge – She only has one costume so far and that’s Witch Marge from Halloween 2012. This premium costume gives her the power to speed up crops.

Ned Flanders – He only has one costume, too, and that’s Devil Flanders, also from Halloween 2012.

Grampa Simpson – His Gorgeous Grampa costume came as the free element of a promotion for the Season 24 episode Gorgeous Grampa in early March 2013

Mr. Burns – He acquired his Fruit-Bat-Man costume as a premium purchase with the promotion for the Season 24 episode Dark Night Court in mid-March 2013. When he wears it, he acts like a premium character.

All of these costumes were limited time items and all of them are no longer available. However, like Gymnastic Lisa and Bare-Chested Willie, once you have a costume, it’s yours to keep. And if the information in the files comes to pass, it looks like Moe will have one, too, before the week is out!

But what about Carl’s Viking costume and Chief Wiggum’s female impersonation? They don these outfits for their 24-hour tasks, Carl to celebrate his Icelandic heritage, and Wiggum to go undercover.

Tags Bare-Chested Willie, Carl, characters, Chief Wiggum, Cool Homer, costumes, Devil Flanders, episode promotions, Fruit-Bat-Man, Gorgeous Grampa, Gymnastic Lisa, limited time, Mayan Homer, Mr. Plow, Ninja Homer, Santa Homer, skins, The Simpsons Tapped Out, Witch Marge

Categories Bare-Chested Willie, Burns, Carl, Chief Wiggum, Cool Homer, Costume, Fruit-Bat-Man, Gameplay, Gorgeous Grampa, Grampa Simpson, Groundskeeper Willie, Gymnastic Lisa, Homer, Marge, Moe, Ned Flanders, Ninja Homer, Respectable Moe, Witch Marge

Is there anything new coming up this week in Tapped Out?

April 28, 2013 //

As if we need anything new in a month when we’ve been very spoilt and have more new content than we really know what to do with!

But it looks like there will be something new this week – a limited-time promotion for the new episode on Sunday May 5, Whiskey Business. While it’s in the files and has been planned and scripted, that’s no guarantee, of course, that it will actually arrive. But if it does, we’ll probably see it some time on Thursday (US)this coming week – unless EA surprises us again with an early release as they did for the Swanky Fish promotion!

If you don’t want to know any more than that, and you’re on the home page, stay right where you are. If you don’t mind spoilers, tap on the link below the picture (and if you’re already on the post page and hate spoilers, this is you chance to leave).

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags episode promotions, limited time, Moe, Respectable Moe, The Simpsons Tapped Out, Whiskey Business

Categories Episode promotions, Limited time, Moe

There’s only a short time left to buy Swanky Fish!

April 14, 2013 //

There’s a lot going on with Whacking Day, but I thought I should also remind you that you only have hours left to get Swanky Fish, the sushi restaurant that’s part of the promotion for the new episode of The Simpsons airing this Sunday, 14 April. If you want to make some last minute decisions about what to do, given that there’s now so many wonderful ways to spend your donuts, here are a couple of posts you may find useful:

Should I spend my donuts on Swanky Fish?
Poll: Will you buying Swanky Fish?

If you do decide to buy it, it’s available for 90 donuts in your premium store (not the Whacking Day store). But expect it to disappear as a purchase option sometime on Sunday US. For those just starting the game, it also came with Springfield Falls, a really cool free decoration that was deposited in your inventory (and if you don’t have it and haven’t looked in your inventory for a week or so, open it up and see if it’s there).

Tags donuts, episode promotions, limited time, Springfield Falls, Swanky Fish, The Simpsons Tapped Out

Categories Donuts, Episode promotions, Limited time, Springfield Falls, Swanky Fish

What have you done with Springfield Falls (part 2)?

April 10, 2013 //

Springfield Falls is obviously everyone’s new favorte decoration, as the screenshots just keep coming in. If you haven’t seen the first post on this, take a look here, and especially at the comments on that post, as there are some really great ideas!
And here are a few more.

From @EnCloud9

From @TheDinosaur(etc. )

From @zulaica

From @Darlaten

Two from @w_huerst

And from @TheRealNillian

I have more than enough for a third post, so if you haven’t seen yours yet, give me time! And you can always upload your screenshot to an image site and post the link in the comments. We’d love to see what you’ve done.

Tags Decorations, design ideas, episode promotions, limited time, Springfield Falls, The Simpsons Tapped Out

Categories Design, Episode promotions, Limited time, Springfield Falls

What have you done with Swanky Fish?

April 10, 2013 //

According to the poll currently running on this blog, 37% of you have bought or are planning to buy the Swanky Fish restaurant, available for only a very short time for 90 donuts to promote this Sunday’s episode of the Simpsons.

So, to help other readers who are still weighing up their options, here’s a question to those of you who have bought it – what have you done with it? Is it part of your restaurant district or have you put it somewhere else? Mine is in a temporary position in the south-east of my town by a new lake:

As usual, feel free to take a screenshot, upload it to an image site, and share a link here. You can also send it through Twitter to @TSTOTips.

There’ll be a post very soon on the latest Springfield Falls images. And, in the meantime, if you haven’t taken the poll yet, you can vote here.

Tags donuts, episode promotions, limited time, Swanky Fish, The Simpsons Tapped Out

Categories Donuts, Episode promotions, Limited time, Swanky Fish

Should I spend my donuts on Swanky Fish?

April 10, 2013 //

At 90 donuts and with “something bigger” on the way, Swanky Fish has given many players pause. So, is it worth sending your precious donuts on? Here are a few reasons why it might be:

1. It’s a restaurant, and those are surprisingly few and far between.
2. It helps your Gluttony rating.
3. The animation looks really good.
4. It’s an easy size and shape to fit anywhere into your town.
5. It has its own quest (although we won’t know if Principal Skinner, Comic Book Guy or Kent Brockman will still be able to dine there until it’s no longer available).
6. It’s a limited-time item, and that means that you will probably never be able to buy it again.

And some reasons why you may decide to pass:

1. It doesn’t come with any characters.
2. For a stand-alone building, it’s quite expensive.
3. There’s no guarantee that it will be used by your characters at the end of the promotion.
4. You want to save your donuts for whatever the “something bigger” on Thursday might be.

I bought it, of course, and I’m not dissatisfied with it. After a quiet period in the game, it was great to add a quest. But unless you’re a completist, it’s probably not an essential purchase.

Tags Comic Book Guy, donuts, episode promotions, Kent Brockman, limited time, premium buildings, Principal Skinner, Quests, Swanky Fish, The Simpsons Tapped Out

Categories Comic Book Guy, Donuts, Episode promotions, Gluttony rating, Kent Brockman, Limited time, Principal Skinner, Swanky Fish

What happens in the Swanky Fish quest?

April 10, 2013 //

The Swanky Fish quest begin as soon as you hand over your 90 donuts and build the limited-time Swanky Fish sushi restaurant and, as it only takes 6 seconds to build, that happens very quickly. Lisa needs to free to kick things off.

1. Swanky Fish Part 1 Lisa is impressed by your new restaurant:

Lisa: Wow, the ornate interior and new age looking exterior of the Swanky Fish is so impressive.
Homer: But I thought this was a seafood place. What’s with all this rice, avocado and…yuck! Is this seaweed?
Lisa: It’s called Nori wrap. Sushi really is an art form.
Homer: But I don’t want my food to be an art form. I want it to be food.
Lisa: Can’t we at least try it once?
Homer: Okay, but I get to choose the restaurant the next 10 times.
So Homer and Lisa got to dine at the Swanky Fish (5 hours – keep Principal Skinner free as they finish).

2. Swanky Fish Part 2 It’s Skinner’s turn and he’s looking forward to it. He hasn’t tasted sushi since his days in Nam – when he fled to Japan to avoid the fighting. And he just loves the smell of wasabi in the morning. (5 hours – keep Comic Book Guy free as he finishes).

3. Swanky Fish Part 3 Comic Book Guy is as excited as everyone else (although he’ll later question why all of his jobs involve eating):

Comic Book Guy goes to dine at the Swanky Fish (5 hours – keep Kent Brockman free as he finishes).

4. Swanky Fish Part 4 Kent Brockman does a live news report on the opening of the Swanky Fish, telling everyone to check it out, then:

Brockman goes to eat his free meal at the Swanky Fish (5 hours).

And that’s where the Swanky Fish quest ends.

Tags Comic Book Guy, donuts, episode promotions, Homer, Kent Brockman, limited time, Lisa, Principal Skinner, quest, Swanky Fish, The Simpsons Tapped Out

Categories Comic Book Guy, Donuts, Episode promotions, Homer, Kent Brockman, Limited time, Lisa, Principal Skinner, Swanky Fish, Swanky Fish

Does the Swanky Fish restaurant give permanent tasks for any of the characters?

April 9, 2013 //

Update: Great to see that Swanky Swish didn’t go the way of Howard’s Flowers and the other Valentine’s buildings – except for Homer and Lisa, the characters all kept their tasks!

Unlike the Aztec Theater, Lard Lad’s and the Springfield Observatory, the three other stand-alone premium buildings, Swanky Fish may not permanently give any of your characters any additional tasks. In fact, even Homer and Lisa lose their Swanky Fish tasks as soon as they’ve eaten there as part of the premium quest – and that’s likely to happen at the end of the promotion for Principal Skinner, Comic Book Guy and Kent Brockman as well. That really says a lot about the quality of its food. While it’s too soon to know for sure, don’t be surprised if it goes the way of O’Flanagan’s Pub.

So Swanky Fish may well be doomed to join El Chemistri and Pimento Grove on Springfield’s list of expensive but unpopular restaurants. At least the other two stand a chance of featuring in future questlines, as we saw with Carl and his one-time only visit to El Chemistri with Kent Brockman. But as it’s a premium restaurant, and a limited time one at that, I seriously doubt whether another diner will ever again pass through Swanky Fish’s doors.

And if you’re thinking about whether to part with 90 donuts and buy Swanky Fish, maybe that decides it for you. So, if you haven’t taken the poll yet, why not do so and find out what others have decided to do about this exclusive restaurant that’s apparently so unloved by the citizens of Springfield (note that the poll won’t register a second vote from the same IP address).

Tags Comic Book Guy, donuts, episode promotions, Homer, Kent Brockman, limited time, Lisa, Principal Skinner, quest, Swanky Fish, tasks, The Simpsons Tapped Out, update

Categories Characters, Comic Book Guy, Donuts, Episode promotions, Homer, Kent Brockman, Limited time, Lisa, Principal Skinner, Swanky Fish, Tasks, Update

Updated: What have you done with Springfield Falls?

April 9, 2013 //

Springfield Falls may only be available to add to your game for a limited time, but it’s now officially my new favorite decoration. (For newer players, you get to keep it after the promotion is over.) But to fit it in where it belongs up in the mountains, I’m going to have to do some redesigning. And that’s going to wait until after the something bigger happens on Thursday US.

For now, my Springfield Falls is sitting just off to the side of Burns Manor, where it’s fed (in my imagination) by an underground spring.

So, how have you placed your Springfield Falls? If you’re a little further along in your re-design, why not share what you’ve done?

To let other readers of this blog see your Springfield Falls, you can take a screenshot and upload it to an image site, then leave a link here. You can also send it to me on Twitter to @TSTOTips (where I promise I’ll be checking in after not being around during a few busy days).

Update: Here are a few that came in through Twitter. From @lunchboxsw:

From @J20HipHop

From @shanebroughton

From @pavlaki1969

And from @alydaines

More later today or tomorrow…

Tags design ideas, episode promotions, limited time, Springfield Falls, The Simpsons Tapped Out, update

Categories Design, Episode promotions, Limited time, Springfield Falls, Update

Aren’t episode promotions supposed to be free?

April 9, 2013 //

The answer to that one is “yes and no”.

This is the 6th episode promotion the game has seen (the 7th if you count Halloween, which was really one month-long episode promotion!). And there’s been a mix of free and paid content in every recent promotion. But two things are true for all the buildings, decorations, characters and costumes made available since September last year as promotional items: they were all available for just a limited time – and they’re all no longer available.

Here’s a bit of episode promotional game history for the benefit of newer players:

1. The Duff Racer
This was a free decoration to celebrate the first episode of the current season of the show. It had no real quest attached to it. All you really had to do was place it somewhere in your town.

2. Halloween
This had a mix of free and premium decorations, costumes, buildings and characters. For example, Mayan Homer, the Springfield Subatomic Collider and the Black Hole were all free (and related directly to this season’s Halloween episode). Kang and Witch Marge, however were premium (as were a number of other items).

3. Fat Tony
He arrived, on his own to promote the episode “Penny Wiseguys“. He was free, had a short quest, and there was no other building, decoration, costume or decoration as a premium extra. (That Fat Tony was only available for 3 days has since caused a mild outcry among newer players of the game, to the extent that he may be back within the next couple of levels – see here.)

4. The Cool Brown House and Cool Homer
This promotion occurred in November 2012, within a couple of weeks of the “Penny Wiseguys” promotion. Both the Cool Brown House and the Cool Homer costume were available free for a few days to promote the episode “The Day the Earth Stood Cool“. There was a quest which revolved around the theme of the episode which really needed both items to make any sense at all.

5. Gorgeous Grampa and the Gorgeous Grampa Billboard
Last month, to promote the “Gorgeous Grampa” episode, we got a free costume for Grampa and a decoration, the Gorgeous Grampa Billboard, which cost 40 donuts. There was a brief quest attached to Gorgeous Grampa, but buying the Gorgeous Grampa Billboard gained you no additional storylines.

6. Fruit-Bat-Man and the Fruit-Bat-Signal
Also in March was a promotion for the episode “Dark Night Court“. Many players found this one disappointing – not because the free item was a decoration (the Fruit-Bat-Signal) which didn’t do much and didn’t have a quest attached to it. The disappointment mostly came from Mr. Burns’ Fruit-Bat-Man costume, which was seen as the promotion’s key element, going for 90 donuts. If you didn’t buy it, you missed out on the episode-related quest, too.

7. The Swanky Fish and Springfield Falls
The current promotion is for the episode “What Animated Women Want” – and this time round, the free element is the far better prize! Springfield Falls is probably the nicest free gift EA have ever given us.

So, the free versus premium balance of episode promotions is mixed, particularly if you take into account Halloween. It does seem, though, that the pattern established in 2013 is to offer one free and one premium item in each promotion, which for EA probably makes very good commercial sense.

Tags Cool Brown House, Cool Homer, donuts, Duff Racer, episode promotions, Fruit-Bat-Man, Fruit-Bat-Signal, Gorgeous Grampa, Gorgeous Grampa Billboard, limited time, Mayan Homer, Springfield Falls, Springfield Subatomic Collider, Swanky Fish, The Simpsons Tapped Out

Categories Cool Brown House, Cool Homer, Costume, Decorations, Donuts, Duff Racer, EA, Episode promotions, Fruit-Bat-Man, Fruit-Bat-Signal, Gorgeous Grampa, Gorgeous Grampa Billboard, Limited time, Springfield Falls, Swanky Fish

What’s the “something bigger” on Thursday likely to be?

April 9, 2013 //

With the Swanky Fish update, there’s also the promise to Milhouse of something bigger coming this Thursday. What exactly is it likely to be?Regular readers of this blog will have already guessed that it’s probably not a promise of a bigger Springfield and that it’s maybe, possibly, perhaps, a Whacking Day event.

After getting the prediction of the Swanky Fish promotion right, I’m feeling a little more confident so, just in case you missed them, here are links to the posts from a couple of weeks back on what’s lurking in the game files for a possible Whacking Day event (as well as a post explaining just what Whacking Day is for people who don’t remember the episode):

What is Whacking day?
Whacking day song
Whacking Day prizes
Whacking day decorations
Ninja Homer
Speculation on Origin for Android

Of course, what happens on Thursday could all be completely different. We won’t really know until then!

Tags Android, episode promotions, Ninja Homer, Origin, rumors and speculation, special events, Swanky Fish, The Simpsons Tapped Out, update, Whacking Day

Categories Android, Episode promotions, Events, Milhouse, Swanky Fish, Update, Whacking Day

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