@stukapookaThey released the game untested and underdeveloped. But I believe Popcap can pull through if they consistently listen to community feedback and update the game with content and fixes at a satisfying pace.
BfN is certainly lacking in features when compared to its predecessor but I would argue that it is not more grindy than GW2 but rather that the grind is different and time gated.
its easy to forget that obtaining cosmetics and character variants in GW2 was tied to a Sticker Pack RNG system which badly frustrated many players and I’m glad to see that RNG plays no role in BfN.
What BfN does is introduce the same sort of grind, only now items are time gated and that is clearly intended to psychologically introduce a fear of missing out which in turn pushed the susceptible towards the micro transaction system. It’s not as predatory as it could be but it’s still there.
I think this hurts player retention and time investment in comparison to GW2 because in the game you knew you could get everything just by investing the time even if the system was designed to make 100% acquisition be as hard, and take as long, as possible.
BfN has forced the majority of us, in my opinion, to accept that we’ll never own all the cosmetics, costumes, expressions, gestures and emotes because they are either strictly time gated or locked behind in game purchases which require months and months of playing to unlock the most expensive items and that mindset eliminates the drive to play more in the hopes that we’ll get that thing we really want a little sooner.
I practically lived in GW2 but I quit the game after the sticker packs demanded even more time from me by changing the Sticker Pack content to have fewer collectibles and more consumables when I got close to finishing my Sticker Book.
With BfN the day Rux’s Store opened I accepted the fact that I would ultimately move on from the game before coming close to owning everything and as a result I play it far less than I ever played GW2.
@realitysquared wrote:BfN is certainly lacking in features when compared to its predecessor but I would argue that it is not more grindy than GW2 but rather that the grind is different and time gated.
What BfN does is introduce the same sort of grind, only now items are time gated and that is clearly intended to psychologically introduce a fear of missing out which in turn pushed the susceptible towards the micro transaction system. It’s not as predatory as it could be but it’s still there.
I think this hurts player retention and time investment in comparison to GW2 because in the game you knew you could get everything just by investing the time even if the system was designed to make 100% acquisition be as hard, and take as long, as possible.
BfN has forced the majority of us, in my opinion, to accept that we’ll never own all the cosmetics, costumes, expressions, gestures and emotes because they are either strictly time gated or locked behind in game purchases which require months and months of playing to unlock the most expensive items and that mindset eliminates the drive to play more in the hopes that we’ll get that thing we really want a little sooner.
This time gated map system they implemented is why this game will be uninstalled. This last month was a crock of crap. They increased the number of bulbs needed to complete the map... added to the shorter time frame is something I will no longer tolerate from an EA game. I've barely completed previous months maps and this month I'm nowhere near completing the map. Maybe if I had the customary 5th week, but I'm tired of this crap. I've spent $1000's on games, but I'm not putting up with that on games geared towards children. All they've gotten off of me on this game is the initial cost and I'm happy to say, that is it.
The amount of grinding that players need for Rainbow Stars (if not purchasing for real money) and prize bulbs (completing festivals require more now) require a lot of grinding the game. The people who are happy to grind and spend the time would be fine with the grinding involved, but what about the players who don't have the time or want to grind at all? I don't mind grinding myself, but what about others? That's all! 🙂
