Recent Discussions
We deserve better than this.
I am thoroughly disappointed with PvZ3, and it doesn't seem like PopCap even marginally cares. You probably know me already, I'm RCCH and I post Plants vs Zombies videos on YouTube. And to be honest with you, I am quite baffled that a game like Plants vs Zombies "3" can even have its soft launch at a state as horrible as it is right now. It is incredible how this game, supposedly a sequel to PvZ2 somehow has none of what made PvZ good, in this game. I don't even care that the game sucks. That's fine, and no one is really pushing for PvZ3 to be released right now anyway. At least in its current state, it's not ready to be released. That's a certain fact, that the game sucks. The game has a sleuth of problems which I'm not going to go through again because I've already pointed out all the problems I had with the game in my first impressions video and just reiterating that is completely pointless. What I am concerned about is that it seems like the PvZ3 community managers don't communicate with anyone except on this forum. That is horrendous. Nobody uses the EA forums, and I see no response to any of the comments made on reddit, on twitter, or youtube. We're really trying to tell you guys about the problems with this game, and it seems like it doesn't work. And I don't think there's a reason for me to reiterate what everyone has already said about the game being bad, so I have a very simple request. Can the community manager properly communicate with content creators or the player base in a meaningful way to acknowledge that feedback has been heard? It's very simple. I just want to make sure as a content creator, that we can directly give any sort of feedback directly to a community manager and at least have a talk. And I know, that a lot of other content creators have the same comments as I do, and it would be of utmost importance that our feedback be heard because everyone wants this game to be good, but it doesn't seem like you guys care. If you guys actually do care about the playerbase, please have a chat with me by adding me on discord so that we can actually have a meaningful conversation about the future of PvZ3 and how to make it a better game instead of having to wait here and hope that somehow someone will reply and look at the forums. You can add me on discord via my username "rcchyt". Please and thank you. RCCH EDIT: And do not just say you can't message me on discord. Stop the cap. You thoroughly know no one uses the EA forums and you can't have an actual conversation on a forum.
[Feedback] Community Problems With PvZ 3
This post is designed to highlight, and inform the reader about the critical flaws present in Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia, and for convenience, this is split into multiple sections. GAMEPLAY Strategy Strategy - “a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.” Choosing Your Seeds Strategy is not present in PvZ3, and is caused by denying the player to choose their seeds. The reason strategy worked in PvZ1 and PvZ2 was because the player learnt and adapted to new threats at a consistent rate. (New plant after every level) For example, Balloon Zombie is first encountered in level 4-3. The player isn’t left defenseless, because they receive Cactus when level 4-2 is completed. The player already knows what to expect from Cactus with the small almanac description that was visible when they were collected, but the player is still allowed to experiment with Cactus and how they function. In PvZ2, strategy is present even more with the player adapting to zombies and brand new world gimmicks, like dinosaurs in Jurassic Marsh for example. Level objectives were a factor in how a player would strategize certain levels, which are also missing from PvZ3. Endangered plants, mold colonies, etc., these involved changing your loadouts in account, and created a more diverse gameplay loop that wasn’t too repetitive. Locked & Loaded (A PvZ2 mini-game that had your plants pre-selected, identical to PvZ3) had strategy to it because it forced the player out of their comfort zone to try a different play-style, or try a plant you haven’t unlocked yet. It didn’t punish the player when it came to losing, and losing is part of life. You don’t win every level, and the player can always try again without punishment in Adventure Mode. In PvZ3, the game actively punishes the player for losing with the 5 life system (this has its own section, covered in more detail), which can result in players being afraid to experiment with trying anything new. Difficulty Difficulty is subjective, and this will not highlight balancing, but rather how PvZ3 attempts to challenge the player’s skill. PvZ3 holds the player’s hand throughout the majority of the levels, not allowing them to experiment with any of the tools provided to them, and is instead forced to play how the level designer wanted them to, which creates a lack-luster and uninteresting experience. Multiple times throughout PvZ3, a level can feel unfair. Zombies will be spawned repeatedly in the same lane, making it impossible for plants to deal with them, thus they overwhelm your defenses, which makes the player: Spend coins to blow the zombies away and regrow their defenses. Use a power-up Give Up & Retry 1) This makes PvZ3 pay to win. If you can pay in-game currency for ALL zombies on the board to be sent back to the beginning, that is an advantage. Additionally, this feature was available for free in PvZ2 with the plant Thyme Warp. 2) Power-ups should not be required for completing levels, but rather as a crutch if the player is struggling, similarly to how PvZ2’s power-ups function. Power-ups in PvZ2 are occasionally handed out to the player through Piñata Parties and gift boxes, which let the player confidently use it, without the worry of trying to preserve it, and were cheap to buy if the player desperately needed to use one mid-level. Power-Ups PvZ3 has Cherry Bomb, Jalapeño, and Chilly Pepper behind a “power-up” system, and you’re only able to use them a limited amount of times. This ruins the consideration of what instant-use plants the player needs to bring to the level. In PvZ2, there are many instant use plants that all perform different things, and you can’t bring them all. With there being no instant use plants available, this layer of strategy is gone. Level Design PvZ3’s levels forget what made PvZ1 and PvZ2’s enjoyable, and it’s due to those games giving you time. In PvZ3, multiple zombies can spawn at the start of the level, and rush the player into having to make sudden reactions to deal with these threats. This isn’t fun, it’s annoying. One of the enjoyable parts of PvZ is seeing your defenses grow, considering it takes time and effort to manage the single zombies that slowly show up, coming in more numbers as time goes on. I can only imagine the levels are designed like this to retain low player attention spans. Players might not stick around during levels, and that’s fine. PvZ2 (Used to) let you save mid-level to do something else and return another time. Trying to make hyper-fast levels doesn’t work when PvZ1 (and to some degree, PvZ2) was a fairly slow but not snail-paced game. Monetization This isn’t ridiculing PopCap for having monetization in a mobile game, as they’re a business and you have to make a profit in some way, but how PvZ3 does it is astoundingly bad. Though, microtransactions should not be in a soft-launch that is designed for feedback. It gives the impression that feedback isn’t your main priority, but to profit off the game as soon as possible. I’m not a business major, but I’m trying to come to a middle ground to what feels fair to the consumer (players) and producers (PopCap). Why PvZ2's (Initial) Monetization Method Worked To put this in easy to understand terms, let me describe PvZ2’s Adventure Mode plants and Premium plants as Skylanders figures. The ones available from the start are capable of beating the game, but you can go out of your way to purchase additional figures if you want more toys to use in-game. If the player wanted a premium plant but were unsure of how it functioned, they could play the Premium Plant Quest to experiment. My point here is that PvZ2 offered unique content at a relatively low price, which was a motivator and reason to purchase. PvZ3 doesn’t have any motivators to its microtransactions, due to it offering nothing substantial. Coins & Power-Ups The only thing the player can purchase directly are coins and limited time offers, which is a major problem. Coins can only be used to purchase power-ups and blow zombies away if you lose. For players that are stingy with their power-ups or intend to not use them to have an organic experience, PopCap is unable to market to those players. There isn't a real incentive to buy these due them ONLY being power-ups, there isn't any content behind them unlike PvZ2's premium plants, which was new content. 5 Health Mechanic The 5 life mechanic is one of the worst features in the game. Even if you made it paid to regain lives, it’s still not worth it. This game doesn’t offer enough for the player to spend coins OR real money in exchange for lives. This is the worst mechanic in gaming history, why would you purposely take away the ability for your players to play your game? This feature ruins the casual aspect of the game as players that struggle are unable to make mistakes without suffering drastic consequences, unlike PvZ1 and PvZ2 which were incredibly forgiving by allowing you to try again at no cost. Story This isn’t a critique about the story, but aspects surrounding it. Priorities PvZ games always had a story that wasn’t directly present to the player. Crazy Dave goes back in time to eat a taco again, Dr. Zomboss captures Suburbia, and renames it to Zomburbia, they weren’t extensive stories but a small setting to ease the player into the places they visit. PvZ3’s main marketing focus is on the story, which is not a bad thing on paper, but it seems to take PopCap’s priority over the gameplay. Every Beta since September 7th, 2021 has had similar gameplay identical to the previous beta, but with different characters and dialogue. PopCap needs to change their priorities to focus the gameplay instead of the story if they want to make a game that feels fun to play. Taco Tickets Taco Tickets are a reward you receive when you complete a level, and are used to progress through the story. It’s identical to the progression system of Gardenscapes’, and it’s not needed in a PvZ game. PvZ2 had a story that was conveyed through dialogue between and before levels. Taco Tickets only complicates this, and should be handled differently to serve an actual purpose. Furniture For some reason, PopCap really wants to push the furniture aspect seen in Gardenscapes in this game. PvZ1 and PvZ2 have never focused on decorating, so it's very out of place in marketing. We're not against the decorating concept, but it appears to be one of PopCap's main priorities considering it appeared consistently throughout old feedback surveys instead of questions about what we think of the gameplay. Conclusion We want PvZ3 to succeed. We want this game to push the franchise to new heights and allow for more, bigger opportunities, but this will only happen if PopCap accepts that this version is greatly flawed, and makes a product people want. Written by Hey1mJay, and members of the Plants vs. Zombies community.
[Feedback] Bringing Back TACO TIME [concept]
Since the launch of the pvz3 pre-alpha, the implementation of taco-time and tacobility seemed like something fun and refreshing for this third game, something that would be the personal brand of this title as plantfood was for pvz2. I'd love to see this mechanic incorporated back, so I made these conceptual proposals for how it could be brought back. In the game's story we are told that Crazy Dave created a taco tree which we were able to grow (this is where my idea comes from). This tree would serve as a point of interest to collect these tacos that would help us in the battle against the zombies. We would be able to level it up and upgrade it. As we level it up, it will give us the ability to increase the number of tacos we can use per level. These tacos are designed to help us complete the most difficult levels. Allowing us to activate taco-time at a specific point in the level (delimited by the game). And depending on the level of our taco tree would be the amount of consumable tacos that we could use in our plants. The taco imp would also appear in some random levels and when defeated they would drop a gift taco to a random plant or it could be stored in our inventory. Thanks for reading, I hope some of my ideas can be heard. can’t wait to see the next updates. All my best for the pvz team :D
[Feedback] Plants vs. Zombies 3 Versus Mode Concept
For now, the only thing we have in PvZ 3 is Story Mode and Vasebreaker, and while I have no doubt that more modes will be added in the future, it is pretty boring. But the mode I most want to see in PvZ 3 is, without a doubt, Versus Mode, a exclusive mode to the PlayStation 3, Xbox and Nintendo DS versions of Plants vs. Zombies. These are some concepts I have made on how we could implement Versus Mode in PvZ 3. There will be an option in the main menu next to Vasebreaker, which will take you to Versus Mode. After pressing the 'Play!' button, two buttons will appear on the screen, 'Create A Lobby' and 'Join A Lobby'. If you press 'Join A Lobby', several rooms will appear with players waiting for an opponent. Press the 'Join' button to join their rooms and compete against them. When joining a room, you must choose a side quickly before the other player chooses it first. When both players have chosen their sides, hit the 'Play!' button and the game will begin. By defeating your rival, you will receive rewards such as Coins, and a high probability of getting Power-Ups. If you lose, you will only receive a few coins. Thank you for reading. I am very excited for future updates to Plants vs. Zombies 3, I wish the team the best!
[Feedback] The Best Way to Make It Feel Original And keep It Fresh
First of I’m sad this game didn’t do much to change from the last time I’ve played every single version and all of the issues seem to be there but I have ways for you all to fix it and make it a little better for everyone Plant buffs - pls make these following changes for the sake of pacing sunflower recharge deceased from 8 sec > 5 sec Producing sun time decreased from 26 sec > 24 sec increase sun per 24 sec from 1 sun > 2 sun this is to match the 50 sun meta of PvZ 2 and makes the pacing much better it’ll also make it much easier to introduce sun shroom which could be small - 1 sun medium - 2 sun big - 3 sun peashooter and snow pea buff their damage so zombies die at 9 shots instead of 14 Squash cool down decreased from 40 sec > 20 sec walnut toughness Increase it by 2000 (he gets eaten way too fast) Lighting reed - increase damage by 5dps - add his instant zap ability the levels and world splitting This has always bothered me and I’d like split worlds and here’s how it’d work 15 plants 15 zombies backyard - 45 levels every 15 levels there is a new gimmick (not water) day 1-15 just a normal lawn Day 15-30 puddles are introduced and storms (which will zap plants every 10 sec) Day 30 - 45 - night time levels , storms and fog would also be nice to have Camp world - 50 levels 15 plants 15 zombies Same as before every 15 levels it’s a new gimmick this can include storms , night , fog camp zombies ambushes where they whistle and call a hoard of campers , the water gimmicks around the last 5 levels the screen would go black and back on like PvZ 1 You get the picture - for the building world begonia you could have construction zombies , etc I’d prefer if each world had their own zombies and brown coats as well to make it more unique Power ups from before the level should replace the 3 explosives and making them actual plants adding cys would be great tooNews and Changes that would improve PvZ 3
As a fan of the PvZ franchise, I want PvZ 3 to be very successful. I played for a long time and I have several ideas for new features and practical and specific changes within the game. It is obvious that PvZ 3 needs small changes and obvious things like new plants and zombies, but they have already been reported by other players, so I will try to be as specific as possible in what has not yet been implemented by PopCap. (Remembering that many images are from other fans) New features ⭐ A very interesting addition in PVZ 2 was the plant food which I honestly think adds a lot to the gameplay and I don't want it to be lost in PvZ 3, if it were in the game it would have to be different like in the old PvZ 3 where it was harder to get it because you were limited to earning it by time, so as not to make the levels too easy and break the difficulty of the game. One of the most incredible new features in the old PvZ 3 was the taco time that made the game much more dynamic, I think it could easily be in the current PvZ 3, it would not only make the gameplay more unique but it would be a justification for why we have a smaller amount of plants in the game, making them more unique and different, in addition to of course extending the levels that are currently very short and fast and some players don't like that. I really think that plant evolution can return to the game, it works well especially with the plant selection and if done well it is fun and keeps the audience active in the game, the plant rarities could return and the loot boxes too as little packages with different rarities! I know that some are wary when it comes to microtransactions but a free game needs it, as I said if it is done well it will be rewarding and good for the player's progression, basically both the fans and PopCap win with this! PvZ 3's online events are cool up to a point, but they become repetitive and boring. PvZ 3 needs a new, unique online system that involves players completing missions, events, and more. That's why clubs would be a great new feature for player cooperation, with statuses, donations, and conversations in it, and of course the return of arena mode, which is an excellent competitive mode that always keeps us alert and excited for each season with its new features! Changes 😇 The changes I will mention now are more structural, but remember that PvZ 3 needs small changes too, such as some zombies, plants, rewards and game difficulties that have already been reported by other players. Changing the HUD in PvZ 3 is essential in the current state of the game, not only because it is very "polluted" but also to adapt to future additions to the game. A simple, more effective HUD with the characteristics of the Plants vs Zombies franchise is essential in all games, just look at PvZ 1 and 2 which are good examples of this. Another crucial change would be a map selector for better progression and vision of the game areas, currently it is acceptable but over time it will be annoying to keep messing around the entire map that gets bigger and bigger. The plant selection made us think, why only 5 spaces? That's why I think some power ups or just the special one could become selectable plants, this would bring a greater diversification of plants to choose from and would leave the game with 6 spaces, the minimum for plant selection in my opinion. Other changes that could be called new are new effects on the plants depending on the weather or the grass as it happens when it rains in PvZ 3, I think this would bring greater strategy and difference in the levels so that they wouldn't be boring. The last change and addition but not least, is an almanac, not only for the plants and zombies but also for the characters in the story, this would add to the game's story and give a sense of achievement, as well as a place to view the cutscenes that have already been unlocked, you guys put so much work into this, why not leave it permanently in the game? and that's it, these are my main ideas for PvZ 3. Of course, we know how limited the team is and can't do everything I've said, but if you could at least see my feedback or do 20% of all this, I would be very satisfied. Please community managers, check this out, I would really appreciate it! remembering that several of the images here are from other fans.
PvZ3 answers are a start.
Hello again 👋 I know I've said this before, but I'll mention again that sometimes we're very harsh with these feedbacks because we love this franchise! I still have a special affection for PvZ to this day and remember that PvZ 3 has been in development for over 8 years. It worries me to see that there are always hateful comments or fans who get tired and give up. It's for reasons like these and the withholding of information about big changes that fans don't see much hope for the game. :[ If the PvZ 3 team posted "We're working on things like [insert examples list]. We'll show previews of what's coming soon and concepts to see which options get the most votes in your feedback." It's simple but efficient! 🌱🍃 hat's all we need, of course there will be negative feedback but it's the start of something.🌺 Pls @EA_Shepard show them! They can receive good results after trying ;]
[Feedback and Suggestions] General Things for PvZ3
Hey EA/Popcap, I know that you are all so interested in the story, but can you please at least slow down with the story, we got plenty of it already with how we now have 7 (and a half) days worth of story. Maybe tone it down with the Taco Tickets because it for real takes too long to even reach certain parts of the story with how hard the levels get. (especially level 116) General Levels/UI Speaking of the levels, That's the main focus of this. You know, the actual Gameplay. The main problem is the UI, most of it is either too big or just out of the way of almost everything, so I made a mockup for this. (Please actually read the text of the image to get an idea of where/what things are) This should (hopefully) get a general idea for UI improvements. Up next is well, the Zombie spawning. In some levels, the Zombie spawning is actually fair, but dynamic difficulty just makes things worse. Why not make the zombies in each level go by a points system and the levels will determine what zombies can be what, similar to PvZ1. Like for example, Browncoats and Imps are 1 point, Coneheads are 2 points, Bucketheads are 3 points, Swinging Zombies are 3 points (1 or 2 additional points if they wear a cone or bucket), and Pigeon Feeders are 6 Points. Just so it's a little fair and not just, Three Browncoats and an Imp in one lane. Of course there's Choose your Seeds (the main complaint, but I'm not covering that because EVERYONE is saying that) Also for the main levels, Make the waves spawn more like PvZ1/Early PvZ2. Where the first zombie comes in, and the next wave spawns when that said zombie is defeated or when the player takes too long because they are stalling that zombie. For PvZ3 currently, it's when the player takes too long but it feels like the timer is a bit too fast, at least slow down the timer so that the player has enough time to at least plant 3 Sunflowers. Crazy Dave UI During Gameplay, Crazy Dave (or Patrice) is next to the shovel, he will act normal, but will act worried when zombies get too close. This is a nod to how the Sunflower's expression changed in Old PvZ3. Plant Food Plant Food recharges slowly, like in Old PvZ3. You can of course use this on most plants, but you can also use it on Grapes of Wrath to make him activate instantly as well. This will make him tired though, his cooldown for another Plant Food activation should be decently long. Starter Power Ups The only Starter Power Up complaint I have personally is the Bonus Sun, which gives you only 3 Sun. Why not change it to 5 or 6 sun? Main Power Ups There should be a toggle button for visibly seeing the Power Ups (like Cherry Bomb). Just a quick tap, it's there. Another tap, it's not there. Balancing When it comes to Balancing, some things don't make sense, It's easily fixable though. Like for example: Browncoat - 14 pea hits > 10 pea hits Imp 10 pea hits > 7 pea hits Lightning Reed's Target Zaps - Changes on the zombie type, it effects more on smaller zombies, like Imps and Pigeons. Can be up to 6 (normally it's 3) Bamboo Shoot's Knockback - Changes on the zombie type, Normal Zombies it takes 0.7 Tiles, and for Gargantuars it takes 0.2 Tiles. Snow Pea - 25 Hits to defeat a Browncoat > 15 Hits to defeat a Browncoat. Pigeon Feeder's Limit to Spawn Pigeons - Infinite > 15 Pigeons for a single Pigeon Feeder Pigeon Feeder's Pigeon Spawning Cooldown - I don't know what the timer is > 5 Seconds on first use, 15 seconds on every other use This should be all for this little Suggestion thing. From, a PvZ Fan that's played the games since 2010.[Feedback] Pvz 3 new location and zombies idea pt 1
New location shallot graveyard ability to gain sun when shoveling plants the levels starts with graves on the battlefield Grave danger mechanic returns and spawns random graves on random tiles new mechanic full moon plant seed packet recharges slower for 10 seconds bat swarm spawn a bunch of bats reference 1 pea = 10 damage new graves normal grave: 250 sun grave: drops 2 sun when destroyed 320 hp taco grave: drops a taco on a random plant 400 hp plant food grave: drops a plant food when destroyed 450 hp shielded grave: takes two grave busters to destroy 750 hp zombies coffin zombie: when armor is destroyed spawn a browncoat armor hp 700 funeral crashes spawn 3-5 imps when armor is destroyed grave digger zombie can spawn 1-3 graves every tile necromancer zombie can spawn 3 zombies every 10 seconds and at half health can summon zombies from up to five graves on the battlefield (he can only do this once) skeleton zombie when defeated turns into a pile of bones and if not killed in 12 seconds he respawns (also a cone and bucket version but their armor doesn’t respawn when killed for the first time) skeleton gargantuar: has half the health of a gargantuar when killed can respawn but it takes 30 seconds but has more health pile of bones 150 hp gargantuar pile of bones 220 hp Cemetary worker zombie: can fix gravestones: 185 hp Vimpire when it kills a plant it moves at triple speed for 10 seconds and eats at 2.5 speed: 85 hp bat low hp high speed flyer: 20 hp potential boss/ brainiac skeleton king[FEEDBACK] Mockup Images for a Large QoL update
from BilibiliLZort on Twitter These are mockups to make PvZ3 kinda in-line of a mix of Old and New. (replace the Sunflower at the bottom left with the Mega Flower from GW and you'll be settled) (Actually please bring back the old pvz3 just under a new name. The fans are kinda going crazy for actual content nowadays)
Return Volcano Zone in the game
The Volcano Zone was a really cool zone with interesting mechanics like the "volcano blast" and its randomly shaped lawn. This zone was present in previous versions of the game, but it's been removed since it's no longer in beta, however this world was very interesting, as I said before with its mechanics but also the atmosphere it gave off or even the plants and zombies in this zone. So why not put this world back in the game? Video of one of the levels in this zone: https://youtu.be/VN39RvfhelQ?si=hPjDotkd4-bXWQsyThings I would like to see in PvZ 3 pt 1/?
- vs mode and co-op mode -plant and zombie rarities (no plant and zombie levels) - boss/brainiac fights - plant food and tacobility - more plants and zombies - new rarity godly for both plants and zombies can only have 1 in your slots and on the field but have very powerful effects for example pea commander gives all plants 25% attack speed (including himself) and has a pea storm ability that shoots random peas like fire snow etc for 15 seconds. A zombie example: necromancer zombie, zombies in a 5x5 area around him turn into gravestones when defeated and his ability is to summon up to five zombies from gravestones. :downsides cost a lot and have long recharge and does not recharge when one is on the battlefield. Plant mythical has to be played on the 3rd column and zombie mythical on the 7th columnLevels needs to be funnier (PvZ3)
At the moment, the levels in PvZ 3 are unfortunately not very fun to play and here's why: - The levels are too short, I think the levels should be longer like in PvZ 1 or PvZ 2, so that we can take the time to do our defence and enjoy the game. - There are too many levels for very little content, so you don't discover much that's new and it doesn't give you any new impressions. - Shorter story scenes between levels, because they last almost as long as the levels, so they detract from the game experience, and it would be nice to have a skip button for them too. In conclusion, I think that to improve the gameplay experience, there should be fewer levels but more long levels with more features to discover in most levels like in PvZ 1 or PvZ 2. -A long-time huge PvZ fan.