Interesting. Apparently, the Chinese version is perceived as being harder to play than the English version, thus you need to spend more to progress.
It’s been out in Australia/New Zealand for a few weeks now.
I’ve not played it though.
Strange, I wonder why they are staggering release dates like this?
They said they wanted a soft launch to test the server backend. Wouldn’t want to launch an F2P game with the store not being available, no?
Strange, I wonder why they are staggering release dates like this?
EA did the same thing for Real Racing 3. They also use the lead time to tweak timers and other IAP parameters before unleashing them on the the bigger markets.
My cynical side says that they’re fine tuning the annoyance thresholds. Just enough annoyance to maximize profit and minimize enjoyment without killing engagement.
I don’t think that’s particularly cynical. It’s the entire point of the business model.
Maybe you’re supposed to show your credit card to the camera to play.
So what excuse did EA/Popcap use to fire George Fan?
Also, why not give normal gamers like us an option to just spend $20 for a “full game minus app purchases”? Isn’t dependable revenue/sales worth it instead of banking on a ton of people who don’t pay and a few who spend way too much?
I am glad I was not sipping any soda when I read this because I think it would have come out my nose - I laughed so hard! :)
What I really do not understand is the lack of the long range view - wanting profits on a well liked game for a long time - rather than getting as much as you can for the moment. I will probably never play another Sim City and now it looks like Plants and Zombies 2. I can just play the original once every year and get my fix in.
Then again I suppose we may have a thread for people who purchase P&Z2 but do not want to tell anybody (kind of like the steam addicts thread) :)
As far as China goes may EA is trying to get back all the money it perceives it lost to pirating over there in one big Watermelon bomb. :)
Isn’t this a pretty well known and frequently used “trick” to make the game incompatible with older devices on which it wouldn’t run, well or at all?
If I’ve learned one thing since I own an elderly iPod 4, it’s that, in fringe scenarios, CtD’s are much more frequent on iOS than they ever were on Windows, so it’s probably sensible to try and prevent people to which this would happen from even installing the game.
rezaf
Yup. I think requiring accelerometers is another one. If only apple allowed developers to specifically target platforms…
They are just optimizing the gamepay experience.
It’s out NOW in the US App Store, and I believe all around the world. So far I’ve only completed the tutorial, which, apart from the graphics, is nearly identical to the original.
And I only saw a Facebook icon once the entire time, so that’s a win, right?
Oh my god…
Oh my god…
Oh my god…
so excited!!
Didn’t Pocket Tactics rag on how the F2P mechanics were implemented?
I think the graphics are perhaps a slight enhancement; the animations are a bit different as well. Pea Shooters, for instance, actually, um regurgitate the peas before shooting them out. Then there’s Plant Food, which really alters how you approach certain engagements.
I dunno, I mean… jeez guys, it’s free. The per-cost items seem to be universal board upgrades and 6-7 plants as well as coin packets. To me the only upsetting thing at this point would be the plants if it turns out I can’t really advance much without them (they’re $2.99 each looks like), like the Jalapeno or Ice Shooter. Oh yeah, there’s also bundle packages, but they usually offer 1 plant + 1 board boost. There’s 3 Times… I dunno if you have to pay to advance to the next ones (I don’t think so). You collect “stars” to master them, kind of like Angry Birds, though I guess most mapboards only have one star (and not all mapboards have stars). There appear to be branching paths as well, or at least optional branches.
— Alan
Oh you actually need the stars to advance (ie. get out) from the current Time you’re in.
Oh and the zombies that steal your sun drops out of the air? Super annoying.
— Alan