Maybe just unlucky. I was able to unlock all the gates in the 3rd world before unlocking all in the second.
You're not unlucky. They drastically lowered drop rate in v1.1 and 1.2, obviously because they weren't making enough $ during test launch. Back in v1.0.x, keys were dropping every 1-2 stages. Sometimes I got 2 keys in one stage. Now? I haven't not a SINGLE key in the last 20+ stages I've played. Hell even coins drop much less now, I only get like 1-2 silver coins per level, and 1 gold coin every 2-3 levels. EVERY single yeti zombie I've killed in the last 2 weeks dropped a gem instead of a key. Do NOT tell me I'm unlucky (yes im talking to you, the ones who go nuts at any sight of criticism at this game) because a game's drop rate doesn't just suddenly change from "great" to "non existent" due to "luck", at precisely the moment the game is updated. A fitting title for this game would be Plants vs Dollars.
That's too bad. I wish I knew that and finished the Wild West before the update. It didn't really add much as far as I can tell, and I really enjoy the bonus levels beyond the doors (though not enough to pay several dollars for them... I could buy several iOS titles for that price). I guess I'll stop playing and see if they increase the drop rate in the next update. No use going on with diminished returns.
I really like this game, thought it was way too hard at first and the levels were unbeatable, but once you're on a roll and beating levels, it seems easy. I'm currently at 40/40, 37/38, and 33/38. Like others, I hate the IAP's, but they're not necessary, I kind of wish they were cheaper though, at least the guys weren't greedy like other games I've seen, this one is playable without the IAP's. I'd also like more things in the store, things you can buy with your coins, since I started playing this game I haven't spent any coins, not on plant food an not on power-ups, I'm close to 150k and don't know what I'll be able to spend that on. Overall, I think it's a great game, a good time and battery killer. :\ About the keys, I think you're unlucky, I was unlucky in the Wild West too, but kept playing until I got enough keys to open the first gate, kept playing those levels and the keys kept coming. I unlocked all the gates in the game and have 21, 11, and 11 spare keys now. I'll be waiting for an update...
Cool. Did you finish before the update, by chance? I'll go play two more levels or so and see if I get any.
I honestly have no idea. I am getting really annoyed at my shortage of keys on my 2nd profile as well. My 1st profile was done all in 1.1, while my 2nd profile is partially being done in 1.2. I was slightly short on my first profile but managed to get enough after failing some challenges. My 2nd profile though is slightly short on Pirates, and severely short in Wild West, needing 11! more keys, and I have gotten stars everywhere else. Part of it I attribute to me being better at the game, but I would not be surprised if they changed thd drop rate between 1.1 and 1.2. Endless is garbage as far as I am concerned with drop rates. At this rate I am going to just wait for the Yeti. I have other games on my iPad. I generally have 3 approaches to the game: 1. High econ: Sunflower, twin sunflower, potato mine, chili beans. I basically get 20 sunflower's worth before doing anything. In this approach I don't care about cost efficiency, but rather space efficiency. Here spikerocks, melons, and cannons wins out. 2. Mid econ: This is when you can't quite do high econ, maybe due to space requirements like pirates with molds, or not being able to lose plants. I tend to gravitate towards repeaters for this. Reasonably cheap, and reasonably efficient in terms of both cost and space. I will also take cabbage or kernel puts for the beginning zombies and their special. 3. Low econ: This is for things like don't spend more than XX sun. Usually I only take 5 sunflowers, and also take the wallnut with me. Cabbage and kernel are even better, so is the lowly peashooter. For the most part, I have a distaste on close range plants, as they require wall nuts to work, and they don't beat out on space efficiency when comparing to high end plants.
I only finished Ancient Egypt (regular and unlockable levels) before the update. I was having trouble getting keys on Pirate Seas and Wild West, I finished all the regular levels before unlocking a gate on both.
Nope. 26 levels and zero keys. It's very unlikely the key drop rate hasn't been altered. I feel bad for all the fans that (rightfully, at the time) defended this freemium game, saying it's not so bad... And that you got all the keys you needed... Popcap really made them look foolish . ): Perhaps the next update will raise the drop rate again... Probably not if their experiment worked and they are selling more keys now.
What I want to know is whether there is a change in drop rate between 1.1 and 1.2. My first play through (in 1.1 I believe, after the global launch) felt pretty reasonable to me to be honest. My recent play through on 1.2 on the other hand leaves me very dried of keys, but I am not able to conclusively determine whether that is due to my increase of skills (hence less levels played), or that they actually changed the drop rates then.
I grabbed this a few hours ago - early afternoon EST - and had gotten three keys - enough to open one door, and have one left over. It looks like I updated earlier this evening, and have since played and played and played and only have earned 2 keys. This is on Egypt; I'm playing as many star levels as I can in hopes to get to the Pirate world and maybe catch a break - but for the past, say, six hours I've had the game, it updated itself about halfway through, and there's been a noted absence of keys. I haven't read through this thread - I actually came looking for tips on when keys drop - and so far the freemium model hasn't kicked me in the teeth - I did buy a beginner's bundle thingy, but didn't use it a lot (except for the coins for powerups in a few ohcrap moments) because I've downloaded the PC version multiple times and never given the company any dollars for that, so I figured $3 would hardly hurt. Hopefully the key thing gets fixed soon, because otherwise I was not/am not having a problem with the freemium build - though, like many of you, I would've much preferred a premium price and no cash shop (or something with, say, just extra powerups or bonus coins). Fingers crossed, because I love this game, and after a few hours it's already hard to go back to the original.
Achieved every star this evening. Not a dollar spent . The original PVZ is the one title that my girlfriend, a complete non-gamer, is absolutely crazy over. She and I had been following the information of PVZ2 closely following its release and we were very hesitant about the freemium model to say the least. We're still upset over some of our favorite plants like Snow Pea being locked away without being purchased (for a very silly price) but other than that we loved the game from start to finish. I still have no intention of spending any money on any of the plants but I'll still support the devs in other ways like buying the sunflower and zombie coffee mugs in the PVZ online store to start our day off right. /New plants spoiler ahead/. Bonk Choy (The Fighter as I call him) and the snapdragon are my new favorite plants. I never leave without them. The dragon especially. Snapdragon's instant kill plant food attack comes in handy quite often. I can decimate an entire "large zombie wave" before they even reach the second tile with two dragons & plant food. The winter melon also remedies my snow pea withdrawal. Sadly the slowing effect is counter productive when combined with the dragon plant but I find ways around it. I'm currently at level 26 in the endless mode of the pirates world using only reg sunflower, kernel pult, wall nut, fighter, snapdragon, winter melon, and spikerock. I haven't had any trouble with finding keys. Although I've updated long after I received enough keys needed to unlock all doors I'm still finding extras every so often. Especially in endless mode. Nothing left to do now but play endless while waiting for the next update.
How do you deal with the 1 wave levels in endless? With high number of waves, I can immediately dump 2 or 3 plant food on twins to get enough sun and defence, but that obviously does not work well with 1 wave, as you don't get enough plant food back.
Just an update on my situation: I updated and then entered the Wild West and have played 30 levels plus a few failures in the third stage and have zero keys. Meh ):
On the other hand I got to the third stage a coupe of days ago - and have just played through each of the ten main levels once - and earned two keys.
Hmm, mind telling us what makes you think the first is better? It's those totally optional IAP-locked plants isn't it? Or is it the EA brand? Or the instant denial of any free game with IAPs?
Don't bother with farming. With the disproportionately good drop of the Yeti (he drops 3 keys at once), it's much more efficient to simply kill him as he appears.
