Board Thread:Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time/@comment-4009269-20140129155528/@comment-976523-20140209052113

PnFforever wrote: Yeah....You know what really makes me tick? that people are whining on how they can't beat the game without the premiums. I have no problem playing PvZ2, even before the 1.7 update, WITHOUT the premium plants. I've seen the rating on Google Play and most of them are just whining. I mean, they just gave up too easily. Probably because of the "premium is better" mentality, perhaps? The only people who'd be justified are those who played the original PvZ (and know how to use the Snow Pea, Jalapeño, Cherry Bomb, Torchwood, Squash and Imitater) and who simply can't pass beyond a certain stage. As the game stands now (where you get items in a track, rather than getting keys to unlock the items), it's even easier, though perhaps a bit more complex because of zombie speed. Maybe that's the case (zombies are too fast for them to develop an effective strategy?)

I usually go for no powerups (except for the missions where you have to refrain from planting, because otherwise you lose; something I oddly miss from pre-1.7), for the sake of a challenge. I still have some of the free power-ups around, but I focus on effective planning (a reason why I loved and hated the Corral stages, if only because of the randomness of the plants), so I stored a good bit of money. I can't pay for premiums, so I miss those as well. I was well into getting enough keys for everything before, so 1.7 simplified that for me.

Hearing that people protest because they can't pass the game without premiums miss a very important bit; some of the plants you get normally are far, far better than Premiums (Winter Melon being the obvious one, in addition to Spikerock, Lightning Reed and Kernel-pult), and most of these didn't even need the keys. In the original PvZ I rarely used Torchwood, preferred the Winter Melon to the Snow Pea, and about the only plant I'd really take is the Imitater for what it offers (a way to bypass the lengthy cooldown of some plants), so there's very few excuses other than lack of skill (which is something that can be remedied with practice) or simple bad luck (which is half the fun of it, seeing how even the best-laid plan can go wrong). The game isn't impossible without Premiums, not even hard; in fact, some of the new plants you get just by passing through the levels are a cut above their PvZ predecessors (though not sure about PvZA; compare Iceberg Lettuce to Ice-Shroom for example), and the original wasn't specifically hard. The old version was harder.

Regarding an "incomplete" game: that's the norm of today's video game universe. No game is actually "complete", because of the advent (or disgrace) of DLC and microtransactions emerging from MMOs. It's possible the PC version will be exactly as this one, including being "freemium", if only because most other games are doing the same. PopCap and its parent company (EA) won't choose to deliver a full game (or a "Full" + DLC) game like PvZ at a fixed price because it's not as profitable as microtransactions are. However, they needed to deliver the sequel, and made it episodic rather than all at once, as this allows them to deliver a game without the restraints of time. since they can deliver new content via large updates. Exactly as an MMO, except you don't get collaborative gaming or PvP (though, who knows if EA doesn't force PopCap to create a PvP environment by allowing a "Zombie" mode). They can figure out a new stage, create new zombies and plants without time restraints (just going with Soon, SOON, or SOOOOON!!! for gauge-answers of "when will next update come?"), and deliver it as "next big update". The game isn't complete and will never be complete; it's just episodic.

As for gems/diamonds: while I'm sure most people are angry because they bought Premium items and this would make their purchases meaningless, consider that a good microtransaction-based game has to balance skill with profit. Diamonds, if done right, could serve as an excellent way to bridge that gap (as of now, whille those plants aren't necessary to finish the game at the point it stands, they still make you feel unaccomplished), but only if the prices are set up right. I trust PopCap can do so; I don't trust EA doing so, and most likely EA will set up the price. If Diamonds are given as a method to gain premium content without paying, I don't mind so as long as the challenge is rewarding; not merely "get X plant for 5 diamonds", but not "get X plant for 5000 diamonds, and you get 1 diamond every year". Diamonds as alternative currency won't work, because it undermines existing currency (gold), undermines real-world currency, and works exactly as many other smartphone games out there (and with exorbitant costs, to boot). A gold coin -> diamond trade would be fantastic, even if done at exorbitant prices (1000 coins per diamond would be fair, since unless you farm you can't get that much money that quickly), but only to the extent of what is the point of its existence. There's a lot to speak about this topic, but the short line is: it's not a bad idea, but it's the execution where it can (and probably WILL) fail, and I don't trust EA on the execution (to say the very least).