Someone who visits is important during events; events are great for finding out who has been inactive. Otherwise, visiting doesn't matter but I don't like it when someone consistently doesn't have their town cleared for visitors. It especially grinds my gears when I add a random from the add me thread and within a day or two they stop clearing their town. So annoying.
Even though inactives aren't great neighbors I always wait at least 4 weeks before I remove them - I find it worrisome when someone who was really active all the sudden goes dormant. You never know though - comas and such - so better to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I look for neighbors who visit regularly when it matters OR who have great towns. Occasionally, a neighbor will fit both categories -- this is even better.
For this event, it obviously helps to have neighbors who visit regularly. Most of my neighbors are really awesome about visiting, so I'm flush with emblems and don't really mind the inactive neighbors. That said, I have had to cut some inactives and a few parasites recently. Specifically, there is something un-neighborly about tapping the lodge once and not coming back. I don't mind it if you're still trying to get the prizes, but if you're over 35k and have all of the prizes, there's no reason to play in the most overly douchey way possible when neither of us need the extra points. Your neighbors have helped you get to where you are, so have the courtesy to come back and finish your taps.
One guy in particular was a monster visitor before this event. I noticed he was only tapping the lodge once each evening, so I put him on hide for a week in the hopes he would change his ways. I finally had to cut him loose as he was pushing 50k emblems and kept at it.
Have a neatly laid out Springfield to make it easy to find things.
Also try to keep your Springfield relatively compact.
All the distracting zombies, pets, etc. should be removed when they aren't needed.
Try to keep buildings, trees, etc. from covering too much of the sidewalks and streets so things aren't hidden.
Visit at least every other day when quests are active.
I don't care much for extravagant designs like 3-D creations, mazes, etc., but I do appreciate small details that make your Springfield interesting.
Don't do anything that adds more work or frustration, such as tapping buildings in Krustyland or the far corners of your neighbor's Springfield, or hiding things behind tall buildings, etc.
Use some of the skins for characters to keep things interesting and so I can see some of the skins I don't have.
When they aren't doing quest tasks, try to have your characters do visible tasks when possible.
I hate large 'house farms'.
Helicopter Arnie and Santa Sleigh Homer can be annoying, but they aren't deal-breakers for me (but the EA programmers really need to fix how both show up in the game).
Edit: Keep all the real tall buildings (like ClausCo and the Springfield Sign) at the top or along the left so they don't cover anything.
Have stuff I can tap on when I visit, participate in events.
Not playing for >48hrs = bye bye.
I dont care or monitor how often they visit me. I have stated house farms are ugly but that wont cause me to unfriend them. I do like a nice town layout but thats not a requirement.
I prefer to be neighbors with a completionist. Sadly most will not friend me as I do not have all holiday items.
Easter probably did you in... I'm not a completionist but Easter was rough - even for me. Too many fences!
I want a neighbor who does the right thing during an event (whatever that happens to be) and otherwise has something for me to tap (because I still visit during non-event times). A town that is pleasant to look at is nice, but if they are a good neighbor otherwise I will tolerate a disorganized town (and that's subjective).
Unless EA changed it in the past couple months, what a you see a character doing in someone's SF isn't necessarily what it's doing in their SF. One night shortly after I got my wife hooked on TSTO, she was visiting my town and asked, "What's your Marge doing?" I had Marge on some small task, while her view of my town had Marge picketing/protesting. Then I noticed that most of who she saw was actually doing something else in my town.
So if you see Arnie's helicopter, he might not actually be in it in your neighborino's town.
I don't know if when in his Stonecutter robe, he only shows to others w robed activities, but I sure hope so. I keep him robed all the time now - worst purchase I made in this game!
Replies
Even though inactives aren't great neighbors I always wait at least 4 weeks before I remove them - I find it worrisome when someone who was really active all the sudden goes dormant. You never know though - comas and such - so better to give them the benefit of the doubt.
For this event, it obviously helps to have neighbors who visit regularly. Most of my neighbors are really awesome about visiting, so I'm flush with emblems and don't really mind the inactive neighbors. That said, I have had to cut some inactives and a few parasites recently. Specifically, there is something un-neighborly about tapping the lodge once and not coming back. I don't mind it if you're still trying to get the prizes, but if you're over 35k and have all of the prizes, there's no reason to play in the most overly douchey way possible when neither of us need the extra points. Your neighbors have helped you get to where you are, so have the courtesy to come back and finish your taps.
One guy in particular was a monster visitor before this event. I noticed he was only tapping the lodge once each evening, so I put him on hide for a week in the hopes he would change his ways. I finally had to cut him loose as he was pushing 50k emblems and kept at it.
Also try to keep your Springfield relatively compact.
All the distracting zombies, pets, etc. should be removed when they aren't needed.
Try to keep buildings, trees, etc. from covering too much of the sidewalks and streets so things aren't hidden.
Visit at least every other day when quests are active.
I don't care much for extravagant designs like 3-D creations, mazes, etc., but I do appreciate small details that make your Springfield interesting.
Don't do anything that adds more work or frustration, such as tapping buildings in Krustyland or the far corners of your neighbor's Springfield, or hiding things behind tall buildings, etc.
Use some of the skins for characters to keep things interesting and so I can see some of the skins I don't have.
When they aren't doing quest tasks, try to have your characters do visible tasks when possible.
I hate large 'house farms'.
Helicopter Arnie and Santa Sleigh Homer can be annoying, but they aren't deal-breakers for me (but the EA programmers really need to fix how both show up in the game).
Edit: Keep all the real tall buildings (like ClausCo and the Springfield Sign) at the top or along the left so they don't cover anything.
Not playing for >48hrs = bye bye.
I dont care or monitor how often they visit me. I have stated house farms are ugly but that wont cause me to unfriend them. I do like a nice town layout but thats not a requirement.
Easter probably did you in... I'm not a completionist but Easter was rough - even for me. Too many fences!
I want a neighbor who does the right thing during an event (whatever that happens to be) and otherwise has something for me to tap (because I still visit during non-event times). A town that is pleasant to look at is nice, but if they are a good neighbor otherwise I will tolerate a disorganized town (and that's subjective).
Unless EA changed it in the past couple months, what a you see a character doing in someone's SF isn't necessarily what it's doing in their SF. One night shortly after I got my wife hooked on TSTO, she was visiting my town and asked, "What's your Marge doing?" I had Marge on some small task, while her view of my town had Marge picketing/protesting. Then I noticed that most of who she saw was actually doing something else in my town.
So if you see Arnie's helicopter, he might not actually be in it in your neighborino's town.
I don't know if when in his Stonecutter robe, he only shows to others w robed activities, but I sure hope so. I keep him robed all the time now - worst purchase I made in this game!