I’m not sure if it’s even possible to get above 5% without using donuts. I’m at (off the top of my head) 56%. I think I have 4 stars and the rest of it is from buying premium items.
As you buy land, you should find a free burning bush or two.
I read some of this stuff, and i had no idea this was such big business. But I guess it makes sense. If people get impatient and want to buy donuts or other things, I guess there is money to be made.
What I cannot figure out is how someone could write a hack to get into the program in the first place. What is on my iPad is just the executable, correct? So, i can’t look at the file and figure out where i could write code and insert a hack. How would someone go about not only getting inside the program, but then permitting the changing of donut numbers or cash?
That’s impressive.
And what happens when you find a burning bush?
A burning bush is USUALLY something you can only buy with donuts and offers a small bonus multiplier, something like .05%.
So it is possible to get more than the 5% conformity bonus without using donuts to buy premium items, but you have to generally win them in a mystery box outside of uncovering a burning bush.
My burning bush looked out of place everywhere, so it’s merrily burning away next to my ray gun crash site for the time being.
FYI, tappers, I just tapped a turkey in a neighboring town. I’m not sure how it all shakes out, but it can include tappingyour friend’s turkeys.
I think it looks pretty good right next to the tire fire. Is that a premium item, I don’t remember I’ve had it for so long.
The tire fire is 40 donuts, but I think it can be won in a mystery box. I might be wrong on that. It would look cool with the magnifying glass too.
I just put them in Flanders’ yard
I put my fires around the box of fireworks from the Fourth of July event. It makes me giggle.
I put one of the Halloween decorations with the skeleton hanging from a tree behind the Calmwood mental hospital, that make me giggle.
Is THAT what kids are calling it these days? 
The burning bush goes next to the church.
This post inspired me to dig out my hanging skeleton and put the burning bush beneath him so it looks like a twisted bbq. I might move the hanging skeleton next to the training dummy so when Herman is attacking it, it looks like he’s going after the skeleton instead.
Today is the day for my second mystery box.
If I don’t get something cool, I may be suspending activities for a while.
I’m just not getting things done fat enough to keep me interested. My goal of building Springfield without paying for anything is probably going to go by the wayside.
Grinding, truly is a grind. 
I am pretty sure this is by design. 
That’s the wrong attitude to play this game with. Just accept that you’re going to get a lot of fences and newspaper boxes.
Yeah, this is not a game about “getting as much stuff as possible as quickly as possible.” I play this game maybe 2 or 3 times a day. I do 12 hours jobs in the morning and then do 12 hours jobs at night. I get some quests done and a new building built every other day. You can look at my town (BelowZilch) to see what a month will get you. Probably could have done more by now but the Halloween content slowed me down.
Also, the first 4-6 months are pretty rough, financially. You’ll find times when your quest/task list gets pretty backed up. It’s not uncommon to see people complaining that they have a half million dollars of buildings that need to get built and still have never had more then $50,000 at any one time or that Homer has 3 24 hour jobs, Bart has 2 six hour jobs, Marge and 5 eight hour jobs and it’s going to be a week before anyone has time to get back to just making money.
Throw in a Holiday on top of everything else…
Sometimes you have to remind yourself that there’s no finish line, just enjoy the ride.
Hey, i can play this game with ANY attitude I want! 
Seriously, i know that this isn’t something that is finished in a day or week or month. I get that.
I just know myself too well, and I know I don’t usually have the patience for such things. I really want an escalator to nowhere, so if i could ever pull that off, i’d be a happy camper.
I also think that i need to readjust my strategy a bit, and put everyone on 12 hour jobs. I can handle looking at this thing twice a day, visiting friends and cleaning up the town for a few minutes each visit. But if I log in 4 or more times a day, I start feeling like I have wasted time that I could be doing something else.
I think the most discouraging part, for me at least, is the lack of funds. I accept that I will not get donuts, and unless I cough up real cash, I won’t be able to get many of the premium items that I’d like. I understand that EA is trying to make money, so their business model is sound.
I just remember a thread that i think is still running on here that was about the most addictive game in the net, and when I looked into it, it was literally just running in the background of your computer, compiling things, very similar to this, I think, without the Simpson characters. However, i couldn’t get into it. The only reason I’ve found myself playing this is because of the characters (I love the Simpsons), and being able to construct recognizable landmarks. But I have no need to finish.
That’s one of the things I learned from that other game. When i asked why people liked or felt a need to play something like it, one person answered that their personality demands they finish something they start. I think that is more valid than anything else i’ve heard. This person described himself as OCD, i believe. Whatever the term is, I thunk that many people feel a need to keep going with these types of games,
Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, I don’t have that problem. If i start something and get bored with it, I can walk away without feeling like i’ve failed at something.or left it unfinished, or whatever… I only feel rewarded finishing something that I think needs to be finished.
Quite frankly, i am amazed i’ve made it 10 days in a row. This thread and all of the dopers have inspired me so far!
That, and i love making Cletus dig through the trash.
Well, I was shafted again.
There was hope that something nice would be waiting for me, but no… I got a lousy piece of parking lot.
Oh well.
I have decided to continue grinding away at this, at least for a while.
The one thing I have really enjoyed is going to everone else’s Springfield’s. You all have really done some amazing work at putting your towns together.
A few folks are on level 37’ which must take an amazing amount of time and effort to reach, and the towns are incredible. I assume most people have purchased donuts to get the towns looking so impressive, but that doesn’t diminish the effort at all.
I think my approach is going to change somewhat. I may just jam as many houses as. I can onto the land I currently own, and buy a new square when i have to and repeat the process to get as much cash as possible as quickly as possible.
Once i get a decent cash flow in, i will start pulling houses off the map (if that is possible) and lay out the town in a much nicer layout than it currently sets. Try to make it look like a real town. Right now I have houses jammed right next to each other to utilize all possible space, but the town looks terrible.
I did some research, and without paying for items, you simply won’t be able to outfit your Springfield with everything. But that’s ok. As long As I eventually get my stairs to nowhere, I will consider the game a success.
What are your favorite “jobs” to send each character on?
I don’t have very many characters, and I don’t remember all the jobs with the ones i have, but i’ll list them as best i can remember.
Cletus - Digging through trash bin.
Krusty - Inflating his own importance (i love him carrying around that exclamation point.)
Homer - sitting in the small pool in the back yard.
Lisa - playing the sax, and i also like when she cleans up Springfield.
Milhouse - flying the kite.
Apu - praying to his god
Skinner - crossing guard
Willie - i don’t know yet
I think that’s all of the ones i have so far.
Your choices?
That’s what I’ve done. I’ve jammed 128 Blue Houses into my Springfield. I can get 8 to a square. It costs 1,800 per house and pays off at $150 per 8 hours. So discounting any bonuses, a blue house will pay for itself after 4 days. Everything after that is profit. Of course, you also have to buy the land too, which can get expensive. But I’d have to buy that anyway to expand, so I don’t count that.
For the first week, I was grinding, putting all my profits back into buying more houses. I did that at the expense of building any buildings which would let me progress in the game. Now I’m on week 2, the houses all have paid for themselves, I’ve almost caught up in terms of progress (I’m on level 19 and doing level 15 quests) and I have $400K in the bank (and rising).
My Springfield looks like crap. But that will sort itself out in due time.