User blog:Tecku/TT: Bowling Bulb and the Community

Hello guys, it's Tecku again. Most of my blog posts are about zombies, and why they do or don't work. However, today I want to talk to you guys about a plant instead.

Teck Talks About: Bowling Bulb and the Community

Bowling Bulb was introduced to us in the first half of Big Wave Beach. In fact, it was the only new plant we could use outside of BWB (not counting Gemium plants). Now, Bowling Bulb had the heck hyped out of it. It was a spiritual of a PvZ1 mechanic, had its own minigame, and was promiently featured in a pre-release Pinata Party. However, when we got it in game, most of us were.... underwhelmed.

Perhaps the main reason most people feel gyped is the significant underuse of the blue and orange bulbs, as it is rare that the blue bulb will be used oustide of its initial placement, and the orange bulb is even rarer yet. The other main reason is that Bowling Bulb went through some serious nerfs during its release. Its plant food effect was nerfed (twice), and the main bulbs went through a degrade of their own. Put together, these mechanics make the Bowling Bulb..... unpleasant.

In response to this disappointment, many folks here at the wiki, myself included, have brainstormed their own ideas for the Bowling Bulb. Today, I will be reviewing the most common ideas, and will discuss my own propositions.

Idea 1: Each bulb now has a sent timer for regeneration. This means that the orange and blue bulbs will eventually regrow, even if there are zombies still on the lane. However, they will not immediately regrow during empty lanes.

Pros: This idea is probably one of the better ones, as it can make use of the other bulbs without over-powering or over-complicating the plant. The plant now has much greater variety of useage, and create peak moments of exicement when the orange bulb returns.

Cons: This idea may reduce potency in Last Stand levels, where there are fewer zombies. Balancing the timer may also prove tricky.

Idea 2: Each bulb will regrow on a set timer, like in Idea 1, but will also regrow during a lack of zombies.

Pros: This idea pretty much makes Bowling Bulb as powerful as it can be, without overpowering it. Bowling Bulb is now a very choice plant on many levels, and can be pretty fun.

Cons: This idea can be confusing if not handled correctly, as players may not understand why the bulb recharges faster at times.

Idea 3: Each Bulb is used in equal amounts, but each has thier own pros and cons. The aqua bulb deals less damage, but has tighter richochets, letting it hit more zombies. The orange bulb deals more damage with looser richochets, and the blue bulb is the medium between the two.

Pros: This idea is fairly easy to understand, and would provide a wide variety of options.

Cons: This idea can be very confusing if the tighter richocets is not noticed, and could make gameplay hectic very easily. It is also the farthest deviation from the original idea.

(^^ Yes, this one is mine)

Of course, there is also talk that Bowling Bulb is fine as it is, which is undertandable, too. It still has a very good Plant Food effect, and can be potent if used Sun production is high, though reliablility would be very low.

So, what do you think is best for the Bowling Bulb? Leave your comment below!

Next Time on Tecku Talks: Top 5 Best and Worst Zombies