Neigbors 101 - All About Them

Tapped Out has always retained an element of group play with the presence of Neighbors -- basically other human players who the gamer selects to add to the possible 99 “Neighbors” that the game allows them to have.

With the exception of one brief period during which a player's neighbors could steal their Lemon Tree decoration, there has never been what one might call an interactive level of play between neighbors in the usual sense of what is meant by the tag Social Gaming.

That does not mean that having Neighbors is not important -- far from it in fact, having as many Neighbors as you can and ideally, having the full 99-Neighbor cap -- is really a good idea for a number of reasons, not the least being that they are incredibly useful for completing the type of Mission/Quest in which specific interaction between the player and their Neighbors are part of its formula.

One need not look farther than the most recent Holiday Event (Christmas 2013 / New Years 2014) for an example of that formula -- during this event players could visit each of their Neighbors and by selecting the specially-marked Buildings in their Neighbor's town, collect 30 Gift Cards for use in the main Holiday Mission.

In addition to obtaining the very valuable Gift Cards, which were used among other things as both elements for the main quest and, once it was completed and the 30,000 Gift Cards that were required to unlock the special Prizes that were part of it, each additional 1,000 Gift Cards that were collected translated into and extra spin on the Spinning Wheel Mini-Game, which offered highly desirable prizes, some of which were actually Premium Items!

So with all of that in mind, it should be clear to you that you not only need to have those 99 Neighbors as part of your game, but they need to be 99 of the right sort of Neighbors as well!

The Lemon Tree

Before we look at just what the “Right Sort” of Neighbor is, we thought it might be informative to new players -- or players who did not start playing Tapped Out until after the second major Revision to the game -- to cover the matter of the Lemon Tree, which was one of the more controversial aspects of game play for the brief period that it was present.

What is The Lemon Tree?

In the most simple terms, the Lemon Tree is an unusual decoration that can be obtained in Tapped Out -- unusual because it is a rare decoration that actually generates Income in the form of in-game Cash and XP having its own timer.

Considered by most players to be the hardest decoration to acquire in the game, the Lemon Tree can only be obtained as a prize from the Weekly Mystery Box.

It is estimated that the player has something like a 10% chance of winning a Lemon Tree from the Mystery Box, though some players are sure that the odds are more like a 1% chance...

Once you have planted the Lemon Tree in your town, when its timer runs out and it is ready to be harvested, it displays a unique symbol -- a basket of lemons -- in place of the usual symbol of a stack of Cash.

When this decoration object was originally added to the game, players had the ability to steal it from a Neighbor's town -- though there were some rules that pertained to obtaining it in that manner.

Basically after their Neighbor planted the tree, a 24 hour timer began, and once it ran out, a Neighbor could visit the town and steal the tree. The player could go to their Neighbor's town and steal their tree back (once a new 24h timer expired) and if a player stole the Lemon Tree and failed to plant it (meaning they left it in their Inventory) the tree would revert back to the town it was stolen from.

Whether this was an issue of EA not liking the idea of player stealing from their friends towns, or more likely a result of players not liking it that a rare and valuable item could be stolen from them, the controversy caused EA to disable the mechanism in the game that allowed that event to take place.

The following message was added to EA's Tapped Out site in Reference to this issue:

“ATTENTION: The Lemon Tree is currently disabled and cannot be stolen at this time. Sorry! We do hope to get this ability restored in the future, but at this time we cannot estimate when that may be. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, and we greatly appreciate your patience.”

You can read that notice and the additional information provided at the following URL:

https://help.ea.com/article/the-lemon-tree-in-the-simpsons-tapped-out

Suffice it to say however that it is very unlikely that this level of interaction between Neighbors in the game is ever likely to return.

The Lemon Tree is a special object in the game, with the following characteristics attached to it:

• It can only be obtained as a prize from the Mystery Box.

• It cannot be sold.

• It cannot be placed in Inventory (stored).

• A player can only have ONE Lemon Tree in their Town.

• It was the first decoration object that also has a timer and generates Income/XP.

The Lemon Tree has a six-hour (6h) Timer, and generates $200 and 20 XP each time it is harvested.

What is the “Right Sort” of Neighbor?

Neighbors come in all shapes and sizes when you are socially gaming, but just having a Neighbor is not enough -- they have to be the right sort.

In the case of Tapped Out the right sort of Neighbor is one who regularly plays the game, who regularly works the Missions, and who takes the time and makes the effort to complete the Special and Holiday Events so that the right structures are present in their town and, far more important than that, their town is constantly advancing in both size and contents in a manner that is relational to YOUR town.

With that in mind then, what you should look for in a Neighbor is the presence of the different special Buildings from recent Special and Holiday Events since the presence of those buildings are a very good indication that the Neighbor is actually playing the game.

You should look for a variety of Building types -- a Neighbor who has all of he different types of houses, a lot of the restaurants and Stores, and even some of the Premium structures is proof that they are maximizing the results of the typical harvest period. That is a sure indication that they are at least as committed to the game as you are.

Identifying a Very Good Neighbor

While the above signs can show you that a Neighbor is a good Neighbor, they do not necessarily indicate that the Neighbor is a Very Good Neighbor to have. Naturally the Tips that place them in that special slot also happen to be the things YOU need to do so that YOU are a Very Good Neighbor to have!

We will start with the most obvious:

(1) Participating in the Special and Holiday Events - but participating in a productive manner.

It is not enough that a Neighbor show up and use their Neighbor Actions in your town during the Special or Holiday Events, they (and YOU) need to be constructive while doing so.

For example having Neighbors participate in the recent Halloween Event was very important to your success in that event -- and you participating in their town was crucial to THEIR success -- but only if your actions were the right actions.

To move the event along you needed to have your neighbors visit and haunt your Buildings -- not clear away the haunted buildings, since doing that prevented you from obtaining the extra goo from the haunted Building!

In the same fashion when there is no Special Event taking place, having a Neighbor visit your town and use their Neighbor Actions to preform a positive action is just as important -- but what does that mean?

Adding graffiti to your Buildings is a good thing, and having a Neighbor notice that the crop on Cletus' farm has rotted and having them tap on it to “refresh” it so that when you visit your Town it is no longer rotted but can be harvested? Yes, THAT is a good action!

(2) Choosing the Right Buildings

Your Neighbor -- just like you when you visit them -- has a finite number of actions that they can use, so having them use those actions in the best and most productive way is key. That means YOU using YOUR actions in the most productive way is the best way that you can demonstrate to your Neighbor that YOU are a Great Neighbor to have!

For example using your Actions on the Building with the longer timer on it is a really productive way to use it. If you see a Brown House next to a White or Orange House, the one you use your action on should be the White or Orange House, and NOT the Brown one! That way your Neighbor gets the benefit of your action being used on the more valuable and longer timer.

Houses should not be a priority for you though -- selecting Buildings like the Apartment Complexes should, since they have very long timers. Most of the Squidport Businesses have long timers so they are a good thing to focus your Actions upon.

(3) Remember to USE your Neighbor Actions

As obvious as this sounds, simply remembering to USE your Neighbor Actions each day is one of the best ways to be a Great Neighbor.

Each of the three Actions you use in their town is recorded -- that is to say when they click on the shaking hands that resulted from your Actions they see your name attached to that Action -- and when they see that enough and consistently the idea will form that you are a Great Neighbor!

Weeding Out the Bad Neighbors

Like a lot of things in life it is easier to add Neighbors than it is to remove them... Specifically you are allowed to add as many Neighbors to your town as you want in a sitting, but you are only allowed to REMOVE three Neighbors a day...

So keep track of the bad ones, and be sure to remove them when you can.

Following these simple guidelines will help you to become a Great Neighbor -- and to identify the Great Neighbors you have.

Keep on Tapping!