Tapfish 101

Steve's guide for tapfishers

2012-02-28T23:42:00.001-08:00

Recently I got this guide via email and I am posting it here. I think it is a comprehensive one, and it can help a lot of players:

TapFish with More Fish and Less Tapping

Having recently reached level 60, Tap Fish 2's practical limit (higher levels require an absurd amount of repetitive effort, and give you relatively nothing in return), I thought I should share my experience with other tapfishers. I'm going to assume that people more or less have the following goal: create lots of pretty tanks with a reasonable but minimal investment of time and money. That goal contains several key elements that we'll cover in detail below. You can only have as many tanks as your level, so to create lots of tanks you have to go up lots of levels, which takes experience points. To decorate the tanks, and to buy and breed fish (which gives you experience points), you're going to need coins and fishbucks. So you play TF2 in three, slightly overlapping phases: 1) accumulate coins, 2) accumulate experience, and 3) make pretty tanks. Here is my advice for doing that reasonably efficiently.

Budget

If you're going to play TF2, and probably get addicted, then accept the fact that it will cost you some real money. Play around for free for while and try it out, but then make the decision: play and pay, or don't play at all. Without paying real money for fishbucks (FB), some activities will take a ridiculous amount of time, and many others will be unobtainable. Here is a nominal budget based on playing conservatively, with values for playing more seriously in parentheses:

- 8 (18) additional breeding tanks @40 FB = 320 (720) FB
- 2 (3) additional mystery breeding tanks @40 FB = 80 (120) FB
- 5 (10) premium fish @40 FB = 200 (400) FB
- Key backgrounds and decorations = 100 (200) FB

That totals 700 FB for playing conservatively, and 1440 FB for playing seriously (IMHO, anything more is playing foolishly or compulsively). The normal price of fishbucks is 650 FB for $20, or 1750 FB for $50, so we're talking a lot of money for a little time-waster app, and I discourage you from reading further--just forget you ever heard of this game. You can be sure that TF2, like all such apps, exploits numerous psychological tricks for getting you hooked, keeping the game on your mind, and luring you back. You probably won't be able to fully resist or avoid these temptations, just mitigate them. You have been warned. If you are undissuaded, read on.

Continue reading >>>>

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How to complete Starters Collection

2012-02-26T07:14:00.001-08:00

Because almost every day I see comments on my blog, facebook page and even messages in my game, I've decided to make a small explanation.

I don't have screenshots from the quests, since I've completed them long time ago, but I know a lot of people get stuck in this starters collection thing. Simple, just go to menu, trophies, scroll down and you'll find the Starters Collection Trophy, which means you have to get 4 hybrids to complete it:

Just tap on the trophy and you'll get the required fish. Ok, I will post them here, so there's no need to search for them:

1. Yellow Clown - breed Clown Fish with Yellow Longnose

2. Yellow Blowfish - breed Yellow Longnose with Blowfish

3. Green Sammy - breed Sammy Fishie with Green Snapper

4. Sammy Clown - breed Sammy Fishie with Clown Fish

Notice that the parents names are underlined, that means you can click on them to see more info.

How to turn off showers

2012-02-26T06:58:00.001-08:00

If the menu looks like below, then there is no shower activated for this tank. To activate it go to store, decorations, showers and choose one from there.

Now you should have the correct menu (like below). First button turns on and off the bubble sound, second button takes a screenshot of your tank (only apple devices, not available for Android), third button turns on/off the shower for current tank and the fourth one turns on/off the showers for all tanks

Ruby Wrasse trophy

2012-02-25T02:45:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras event

2012-02-25T02:43:00.003-08:00

President's day

2012-02-23T01:16:00.001-08:00

What to do when your app don't want to open anymore?

2012-02-15T04:55:00.001-08:00

If your app refuse to open, what happen often after updating your device system version, updating your app or in case of Apple devices after restoring from back up made on iTunes in computer, please proceed as described above to could continue to play.

- delete your app
- reboot your device
- reinstall your app (from AppStore or Market, depending on device in use)
- open it
- restore your game state (menu->about tap fish->restore). Do it while on WiFi to get best result possible and quite quick restore.

And it's done :)

You must remember that your game state is saving to server and can be simply retrived from there in case of problems with your app and/or device (in way described above)

To Android users. If you was taking good care of your device the game state retrived from server will be your actual game state. In rare cases when you was kept playing from your device cache and not server it might be bit older. But the solution described above is only one which will let you access your app again. Nothing else can be done.

For Apple device users who just did move between two devices and app was refuse to open after restoring new device with back up of old device - please read note: How to move app from one device to another?

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How to move your app from one device to another?

2012-02-15T04:42:00.001-08:00

First of all please understand that it's technically impossible to move Tap Fish game state between two different platforms; then your game state can't be moved from Apple device to Android device or vice versa. It's impossible because Apple and Android versions have completely different implementation, programming language, database schema and separate servers.

The best way to do is to request devs to do it. Read below how, and which data you will need to provide them to easy and quick moving of app.

- First of all install and open Tap Fish app in your new device
- go in menu->about tap fish->feedback. Your app will create email with all data of your new device which developers will need to proceed.
- add to this email IMEI (or MEID) of your old device and request your game state to be moved.
- CC this email to yourself (to be sure it was truly sent) and send it.
- now all that left is waiting they respond you and proceed with your request. Note that it might take few days (usually up to 5 working days) for developers to get till your email and can proceed with transfer of your data.

You can continue to play on your old device till they proceed with moving of your game state or download to your new device other version of Tap Fish that you was playing and feed your fishes trough neighbor's options. If despite that you find some floaters once game state transferred, please post your social ID on Facebook fan page, other players will proceed with reviving fishes for you.

Don't forget to change your social ID once your app is moved to new device by developers; new device = new social ID.

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Why does app clean itself?

2012-02-15T04:02:00.001-08:00

It may look bizzare but users of iDevices experience their apps "cleaning" themselves.
The cleaning is about iOS 5 deleting cache and temporary files to make the back up as small as possible. Suche backup would be perfect for shooting up to the iCloud or to your computer trough iTunes Wi-Fi sync. Since adding iCloud and Wi-Fi sync options, it's became important to keep app data as clean as possible, so backups are as efficient as possible, so user isn't left waiting around for hours getting frustrated as possbile. This can also happen if you filled practically all space with apps and other things, none device can work when it have no more empty memory to use; it will tent to free some to could continue to work.

Since this cleaning of app do clear all temporary files from your iDevice, then Tap Fish game state get wiped out as well from the device (don't worry, you have still your game state on server, which you can retrive). As result Tap Fish refuse to open after it was "cleaned" by iOS 5, it missing files needed for it to open.
To make your app running again only choice is to:
1. Delete it from your device
2. Reboot your device
3. Reinstall app
4. Open it (and don't stress out you see an empty tank with one fish in it, your real game state will be restored in next step)
5. Restore your game state. Go in menu -> about tap fish -> restore
6. wait it retrive all data (it might take time, the best is to do it while on Wi-Fi)

And now I will tell you now what to do to not experience "cleaning" of app anymore.
First of all you might simply resign from backups to iCloud or/and Wi-Fi sync to your computer (and continue to do it manually once week as you should always do); or at least go trough options of those back ups and take attention that it's not bigger than 5 Mb. Smaller then better.
But if you have lots of apps and other things in your device it might be not enough either. If you have not more free memory in your device then you need to free some. Go trough your music, SMS, emails, photos, apps etc and delete everything that you don't need or wasn't using from weeks. More space you free the better it will be. Your device will works much better as well, it's battery will last longer, it's very important to keep your device in shape for better playing (not only on Tap Fish) experience.

Keep the tap going.

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Valentine

2012-02-13T02:18:00.000-08:00

In a flash

2012-01-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

End of the Rainbow

2012-01-23T01:04:00.000-08:00

Fireworks

2012-01-12T05:54:00.001-08:00

Stocking Thanksgiving Fish

2012-01-12T04:32:00.001-08:00

Stocking White Snail

2012-01-12T04:31:00.001-08:00

Stocking Skeleton Fish

2012-01-12T04:30:00.003-08:00

Stocking Sixgill Stingray

2012-01-12T04:30:00.001-08:00

Stocking Scribbled Angel

2012-01-12T04:29:00.003-08:00

Stocking Santa Fish

2012-01-12T04:29:00.001-08:00

Stocking Sailfin Tang

2012-01-12T04:28:00.001-08:00

Stocking Rudolf Fish

2012-01-12T04:27:00.002-08:00

Stocking Eagle Ray

2012-01-12T04:27:00.000-08:00

Stocking Queen Blue Fish

2012-01-12T04:26:00.001-08:00

Stocking Piranha

2012-01-12T04:25:00.003-08:00

Stocking Panther Grouper

2012-01-12T04:25:00.001-08:00