Hey Appletini, what perks do you unlock in the 3rd world? I'm still 12 stars away from unlocking it, but I'd love to know. Thanks.
Sorry, advance information will cost you $3. Seriously though, the gated items in Wild West are: Wall-nut First Aid, Instant Recharge, Shovel Perk, and the Winter Melon.
Woo hoo completed pirate level full star!!!! Got to say my fav plant the kernel putt the one which lobs butter.... The first world cabbage.. Now to wild wild west
I want PopCap to make a killing on this. I know, F2P is evil yada yada, but seriously. I'm enjoying the hell out of this and haven't come close to feeling any freemium squeeze. I want this to stay well funded so we can see lots of sweet updates. People who have too much money and suck at video games are literally paying for our free copies of this amazing game. So shut up haterz.
@maxsteele and appletini What you guys are discussing is the only thing that bothers me about this game. It seems weird that those other reviewers would invent incorrect details about the game, but it's also not impossible. Has anyone beaten the game since the world-wide release? I can't help but wonder if maybe the plants were permanently locked in the soft launch, but are now unlockable. Or maybe they can be found in the endless levels? If they are truly locked behind a paywall, that's kind of lousy. Here's why. Back when the game first soft launched, TA ran an article summarizing an interview on Polygon with senior producer Allen Murray. http://www.polygon.com/2013/7/9/4496410/plants-vs-zombies-2-delayed-for-soft-launch-to-refine-systems I avoided the soft launch and waited, and the whole time I waited I had one thing in mind - the following quote from Murray: "Anyone with enough time and skill can unlock all content." Because of that quote, any doubts I had about the game were relieved. But if the forum folks here are to be believed, than Murray lied. Which sucks. I'm not bitter or anything, just slightly annoyed. And to be honest, it hasn't diminished my enjoyment of the game. I've officially caught the fever I had with the first one, and I can't put it down. I might even buy snowpea, because the game is fantastic and I'm not anti-IAP. I just think that was a little fishy.
I also just opened the Wild West, and at least up to now the Cabbage-Pult is still my favorite! I feel that the plant food boost on it makes for the best booster in the game. I will even plant one, on levels where they arn't as useful, just to be able to use that booster. It's funny in the original version, except for the roof, the Cabbage-Pult was one of my least used! Also, just beat my first Yeti Challange! I don't want to give anything away to those who haven't faced him yet, but I didn't beat him the first two games I played, because of his "special ability". Is their an actual "valuable" treasure won? Or is it just that specific box you receive? I read his discription in the Diary/journal, but for some reason he no longer shows up in it.
He didn't necessarily lie: development plans change all the time, and what he said might have been true at the time he said it. If it was subsequently determined that the current model in use is in the developers' best financial interests, then that's the decision they had to make as a business. Based on some of the comments, however, it may be that the current IAP plants become unlockable ones in the additional worlds that are released, with new IAP plants taking their place so that people willing to pay get to have the new toys first, but everybody can access them eventually. It is important to note that in the same interview it was pointed out that the two key reasons for the soft launch and delay of the worldwide release were server stability and finding a balance of the monetisation options that worked to the advantage of both the players and the developers. If the retention of these IAP-only items is a result of that balancing, then that's just another very common part of life in software development that will invariably and understandably disappoint some, but isn't dishonest. I certainly won't disagree that the quote has set certain expectations, but I'd also find it unreasonable to demand that PopCap act in a way contrary to their best interests based on a single comment in one pre-release (and pre-balancing) interview. Until such time that PopCap announce PvZ2 development has completely ceased and that all of the IAP content will remain IAP-only, the statement about "skill and time" is technically not untrue. We haven't yet seen any of the future content PopCap have in the works, so the torches and pitchforks should probably be put to one side until we have a chance to see how they plan to proceed on that front. ^_-
The lunchbox is only the reward you get from the yeti, but what you find inside is usually valuable, e.g. a blue gem or key.
Yes, people have beaten it since launch. Yes, the plants are still IAP only. Depends on how you define content I guess. Every single level is accessible without IAP. Every single level is beatable without IAP. Not all plants or upgrades are, but if you read the full article you'll note that it also mentions that there are six "premium" plants that are IAP at launch. The article is in need of a better editor, as it actually contradicts itself in different places regarding whether or not all plants, upgrades, and maps are reachable without money. It seems that when EA/Pop Cap talked about content they meant maps and games only, while various journalists interpreted a much wider scope.
Thanks Appletini. Strangely I don't remember getting anything. The lunchbox just showed up and disappeared. Maybe I got a key and just didn't notice it.
Ugh, I've ended up seeing that article a few times over the past couple of weeks, and actually overlooked that part just now because I've read the thing too often; I really should have caught that. After mentioning that players can access the content based on skill and time, the next paragraph is: Based on the position of this statement, the premium plants are additional items that aren't considered part of the content to be unlocked via "time and skill". I agree that there are a number of niggling ambiguities and inconsistencies in the piece; for example, the writer also notes that coins can be used for upgrades, which is not correct. I wonder how much of the information in the article that wasn't a direct quote from Murray actually came directly from PopCap, and how much was the writer filling in the gaps with her own assumptions. Other articles on the subject have suggested that the content referred to in the pre-release article actually is just what you find in the world maps. From Adrien Yorozu of PopCap on the subject of the free-to-play model (emphasis mine): If anybody has any other first-hand info from PopCap on this subject, now would be the time to share it.
Once you kill the yeti, tap on the lunchbox to collect it. You only get to open it once you've won the level, however, at which point it'll pop up in its own window. Tap it and it will open and show you what you've won. If you kill the yeti but lose the level, I don't believe you get the lunchbox reward (not entirely sure because I've never been in that particular situation).
You guys both make good points, and to me they add up to: wait and see, but don't hold your breath. It is a little mysterious, and to me it's very strange to use such a limited definition of "content." I just can't see how content can be used in a way that doesn't refer to literally everything in the game. But, what can you do. Maybe they aren't lying, but they are being pretty sly. And I can't say I blame them - selling plants now that may (or may not) be unlockable in future updates makes perfect sense. And yes, such a statement raises expectations (fair or otherwise), one of which being that the statement is true at the time it is made (which was the time of the launch). But like I said, I'm not bitter, just a little confused. And I hope my post didn't give the impression that I'm carrying a torch and pitchfork. My hands are too busy playing this game for that. As I mentioned, the game is fantastic, and I'll likely buy a plant to show my appreciation, regardless of whether they will or will not become unlockable. I'm not trying to raise a scandal, I just think it's worth discussing, in case someone out there has some insight.
Well, hopefully somebody from PopCap can address that statement directly and clarify what exactly was meant by "content" in terms of that quote (and/or whether the writer of the article got her wires crossed). Heh, not your post, but I think you're probably aware of how easy it is for ill-informed bandwagons to form if given half a chance.
Unfortunately, yes. In any event, has anyone bought snowpea or torchwood? Just wondering how much sun they cost to plant.
Thanks! I'm on the fence. Kernel-pult sort of takes snowpea's role, but is weaker. Torchwood in front of threepeater would be awesome. Decisions.
Winter Melon is basically an area-of-effect, heavy-damage Snow Pea, so there's that as well. If you're going to buy one, take Torchwood, because you can cover Jalapeno's role with other plants.
